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[posted 2/23/26 6:00 p.m.]
Public Health
At a Glance
Contact
Contact
Name:
Zoe Van Orsdol, MA, MPH
MPH Accelerated Pathway
Earn an MPH in One Year
This program is tailored for future healthcare professionals aiming to enhance their ability to promote wellness, ensure quality care, and address social drivers of health in both clinical and community settings. It offers pre-health students the opportunity to make productive use of their "gap year" by earning an Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in a Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)-accredited program.
The curriculum covers essential public health areas, including:
- Leadership
- Epidemiology
- Biostatistics
- Health research methods
- Health behavior
- Policy and advocacy
- Wellness and prevention
- Program planning, delivery, and evaluation
Additionally, students choose from a host of electives that allow them to tailor their learning experience to their career goals.
Graduates are equipped to tackle both current and emerging public health challenges. To enrich learning beyond the classroom, Jefferson offers structured activities such as:
- A journal club
- A lecture series
- An enhanced field experience
Eligibility
To be eligible for the MPH accelerated pathway, applicants must:
- Have a competitive undergraduate GPA.
- Plan to apply to a healthcare professional program within two years of graduation from JCPH. Programs include, but are not limited to, allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, psychology, dentistry, physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, midwifery, or advanced nursing practice programs.
Benefits
Students on the accelerated pathway will receive:
- A scholarship.
- Intensive faculty mentoring and support during medical school or other advanced training application process.
- Online admission to the Population Health Colloquium, a large national meeting hosted by the College each year.
- Financial support, up to $1,000, toward an MCAT, PCAT, DAT, or similar clinical program entrance exam preparation course.
Expectations
Students on the accelerated pathway must be prepared to manage the workload of a traditional 18-month program in one academic year. Students are required to:
- Maintain active status in the MPH program on the accelerated pathway (three semesters of full-time study, including fifteen courses and a series of structured supplemental learning activities)
- Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Complete the 40-hour required applied practice field experience (Clerkship)
- Complete an independent capstone of publishable quality
- Attend lectures
- Participate in Journal Club
- Attend accelerated pathway program meetings to address emerging issues
Application Process
To apply to the MPH accelerated pathway, click Apply at the top of the page.