Dual/Joint Degrees

Earn a master of public health in conjunction with a medical, dental, law or urban planning degree

Under certain circumstances, it is possible to earn a master of public health degree at the Harvard Chan School in conjunction with another degree at another school. Specific restrictions apply to each of these programs. If you are interested in exploring a dual/joint degree, please carefully review the program description below to be sure you qualify, and contact the admissions office if you have any questions.

Dual/Joint Master’s Degrees

MD/DO/MPH Combined Degree Program

The School offers medical students with a baccalaureate degree currently enrolled in LCME-accredited MD or DO programs in the U.S. or Canada, who have a career interest in public health and/or preventive medicine, the opportunity to complete a master of public health degree. Medical students undertake the residential MPH 45-credit program while on leave of absence post-primary clinical year. They receive the MPH degree upon successful completion of the academic requirements for the MPH degree. The MPH program serves as a required academic year for residency training in general preventive medicine, aerospace medicine, or occupational and environmental medicine.

Learn more about the master of public health program at the Harvard Chan School.

DMD/DDS/MPH Combined Degree Program

The School offers dental students with a baccalaureate degree currently enrolled in LCME-accredited DMD or DDS programs in the U.S. or Canada, who have a career interest in public health and/or preventive dentistry, the opportunity to complete a master of public health degree. Dental students undertake the residential MPH 45-credit program while on leave of absence post-primary clinical year. They receive the MPH degree upon successful completion of the academic requirements for the MPH degree.

Learn more about the master of public health program at the Harvard Chan School.

Joint JD/MPH Program with Harvard Law School

Students accepted to Harvard Law School may simultaneously pursue an MPH under Harvard’s JD/MPH joint degree program. Prospective students should apply to the joint degree program during their first semester at Harvard Law School. Coursework at the Harvard Chan School begins in the fall following the first year of law school and continues over the next two years.

Learn more about the master of public health program at the Harvard Chan School.

Dual MUP (Master in Urban Planning)/MPH Program with the Harvard Graduate School of Design

The master in urban planning and master of public health dual degree program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is designed to support students seeking a transdisciplinary education in urban planning and public health, and prepare them for leadership positions at the intersection of these fields. By pursuing the dual degree, students will be introduced to the domestic and international issues entailed in promoting and designing healthier communities, cities, and metropolitan areas, as well as the environmental, social, and health issues that result from specific building and city designs.

The fields of urban planning and public health were tightly intertwined when they were first developed, with common goals of eliminating poverty and decreasing infectious diseases in emerging cities. Recently in the face of increasing urbanization and globalization, the fields have reconnected. There is a renewed recognition of the need for leaders to understand both disciplines to effectively influence planning and policy and improve and protect the public’s health.

The MUP/MPH dual degree program provides the student with a deeper, more cohesive understanding of the two distinct fields. The benefit of the dual degree program is that students can combine coursework in public health and urban planning. This unique program provides students with the opportunity to gain skills in a number of areas including policy, sustainability, and social determinants of health.

To pursue the MUP/MPH dual degree, students must apply and be admitted to the master in urban planning program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the residential master of public health 45-credit program (not the 65-credit program) at the Harvard Chan School at the same time. (Students currently enrolled in the MUP program at GSD are not eligible to apply to the dual degree program.)

As part of the MUP/MPH dual degree program, students will be granted a one-year deferral to the MPH 45-credit program and spend their first year of study at GSD. Students then complete the MPH 45-credit program full-time during their second year. Students return to GSD in their third year to finish the second year of the MUP program. Students receive the MUP and MPH degrees upon successful completion of the academic requirements for each degree.

In their statement of purpose and objectives, MUP/MPH applicants should indicate which MPH-45 field of study they want to pursue, with the following exceptions:

  • Dual degree applicants may not apply for the MPH-45 Clinical Effectiveness field of study because it starts with the summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness (PCE) and only accepts clinicians who have completed their residency.
  • Dual degrees pertain to residential degree programs, therefore dual degree applicants are not eligible to apply to the hybrid MPH in Epidemiology or the online MPH Generalist fields of study.

Certain fields of study within the MPH-45 program have specific admissions requirements. Please review the eligibility requirements for your desired MPH-45 field of study carefully. The first year of study in the MUP program at GSD may be counted as the equivalent of one year of work experience. Students pursuing the dual degree must be in good standing at the end of their first year at GSD.

Learn more about the MUP/MPH dual degree program.