Can I finish an online MPH degree in one year?

Yes, students can finish an online MPH degree in a year, but only at certain schools, and very few offer the option.

An MPH degree is a multi-disciplinary professional degree that requires students to develop the capacity to analyze, interpret, organize and communicate specialized knowledge in a specific manner. If students dedicate all of their time to the degree, it can certainly be completed more quickly than if one only studies part-time. However, it will take a certain dedication to finish in just one year, and it will require extra efforts to ensure that an accelerated program is completed with the best possible objectives in mind.

Even though a student is studying online, they might, in fact, be spending as much time as a full-time student getting through the study required. This can work, and it does for many students who cannot, or do not, want to study full-time at a university campus.

Here are a few examples of MPH programs that are available online and can be completed in as little as 12 months:

• The program offered at the George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health has an accelerated 12-month program. While the curriculum is exactly the same as for the normal online MPH and on-campus programs, it is structured to ensure that students complete it within the year. For instance, students are required to complete an average of 11.5 credits each quarter. This program is also available online over 18 months, two years, three years, and four years.
• The MPH program at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine is designed as a two-year course. However, it is possible to complete the degree in a shorter period. Students need to discuss this possibility with the University prior to enrolling.
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has an 11-month MPH program that is normally completed on-campus. Students are, however, able to enroll in online courses as part of the program.

Ultimately, students need to weigh up the advantages of allocating only one year to the program since it will mean working full-time even though they are registered for an online course. It will, though, enable them to get into a high level of public health employment as soon as they have completed the degree.

Sources:

http://mph.usc.edu/questions.php
http://publichealthonline.gwu.edu/academics/one-year-mph-program/
http://www.jhsph.edu/academics/degree-programs/master-of-public-health/academic-overview/full-time-mph.html