Designed exclusively for WashU Arts & Sciences undergraduate students, the 3-2 program allows students to earn an undergraduate degree and a Master of Public Health in five years. With the strength of a WashU undergraduate degree and the experience and expertise our MPH program provides, WashU Public Health’s graduates are prepared to drive health equity in research, policy and programming.

Curriculum

Our curriculum is founded on the understanding that issues in public health are too complex for any one discipline to solve. The MPH program’s interdisciplinary emphasis equips students to identify the numerous factors that affect public health and strategically work across disciplines to create sustainable and comprehensive solutions. Among the unique features of WashU Public Health’s MPH program are:

  • Transdisciplinary problem-solving courses These cover topics such as global mental health, climate change, systemic food systems, reproductive health and harm reduction in community practice.
  • Skill labs, which provide in-depth training in areas such as statistical analysis skills, data management and visualization, and team leadership. These labs advance students’ research skills and equip them with knowledge that is in high demand within the profession.

Eligibility considerations

The 3-2 MPH program is exclusively available to WashU Arts & Sciences undergraduate students pursuing any major. We encourage students to begin planning for the program early in their undergraduate careers. Keep in mind:

  • Students must complete all distribution and major requirements for their undergraduate degree no later than the end of their junior year, prior to starting fall-semester coursework. 
  • Students must have elective credits available to be used as MPH course credits during their senior years (first year of the MPH program).
  • Students must obtain approval from their undergraduate adviser(s) and the associate dean of Arts & Sciences to confirm eligibility. 
  • Students are encouraged to take undergraduate courses relevant to public health. 
  • All admission requirements for the regular MPH program also apply to 3-2 MPH applicants.

Research outside the classroom

Extensive research opportunities exist for our students; some 60% of MPH students serve as research assistants at WashU. Research provides students with meaningful opportunities to bridge the gap between coursework and professional practice.

Tuition and financial aid structure

Tuition and fee charges are based on the student’s primary, full-time enrollment, which varies by year and is referred to as the student’s prime division. 

Fourth year

Students will remain coded prime to their undergraduate division in university systems for their fourth year of study, even though they will be completing graduate-level coursework at WashU Public Health. They will continue to be charged the standard full-time undergraduate tuition rate, and receive financial aid based on their eligibility for undergraduate financial aid awards, including Pell Grants.

Fifth year

Students will be coded prime to WashU Public Health and will be charged the MPH tuition rate applicable to that academic year. Any WashU Public Health scholarship awarded at admission to the 3-2 program will only apply to the fifth year.

Apply

Students should apply to the 3-2 MPH program no later than March 1 of their junior year, so senior year fall coursework can be considered. The application for the 3-2 MPH program must be submitted online through the Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS) student portal.

Students will also need to provide a Certification for 3-2 Program Eligibility form, signed by the student’s undergraduate advisor(s) and the associate dean of Arts & Sciences, in addition to the standard required materials for the MPH program.

Apply