MPH/Doctor of Medicine

The MD/MPH joint degree program is designed to train physicians with the knowledge and skills needed to recognize, analyze and address health problems at a population-level. Students learn to identify the social, economic, environmental and cultural determinants of health, and they prepare to apply evidence-based approaches to disease prevention, health promotion and health policy.

Available exclusively to current Washington University School of Medicine students pursuing their Doctor of Medicine degree, students in this joint-degree program earn a Master of Public Health degree with 41 credits from the Brown School in one additional year of study.

MD/MPH Application Information

MD/MPH joint-degree program is available only to current third-year Washington University School of Medicine students. Students wishing to add the MPH must apply through SOPHAS Express, which provides an abbreviated application process. Read more about the SOPHAS Express application process.

MD/MPH Application Requirements

You will be required to submit the following materials:

Comprehensive Resume or Curriculum Vitae
Personal Statement
Transcripts
Standardized Test Score (e.g. MCAT)
Letter of Recommendation from a School of Medicine faculty member
Application Fee

A detailed description of each application requirement is available in the SOPHAS Express portal.

MD/MPH Application Timeline

Students apply to the MPH program during their third year in the MD Program (Gateway Phase 2).

Mid-August: The MPH application opens on SOPHAS Express
December 1: Deadline to submit MPH Application
February 1: Applicants notified of admissions/scholarship decision
April 1: Deadline to confirm intent to enroll and submit non-refundable tuition deposit

Learn more about the MPH program and application.

MD/MPH Curriculum requirements: 41 Credits AT THE BROWN SCHOOL

Foundation Level Sequence: 15 Credits

Health Behavior and Promotion
Biostatistics
Epidemiology
Health Administration and Policy
Environmental Health

Research Methods Sequence: 9 Credits

Research Methods
Applied Linear Modeling
Program Planning, Implementation and Evaluation

MPH Seminars & Lectures: 3 Credits

Public Health Seminar I and II
Cross Cutting Themes in Public Health

Transdisciplinary Problem Solving (TPS): 6 Credits

In two TPS courses, you’ll explore a current public health issue – climate change, global reproductive health and obesity prevention, among other topics – from a transdisciplinary lens.

MPH Skill Labs: 3-4 Skill Labs

These one-unit courses focus on a specific skill or methodology, such as statistical analysis packages, government grants and spatial mapping.

MPH Practicum: 3 Credits

You will complete 360 hours of fieldwork.

MPH Capstone: 2 Credits

Taken in the spring (Capstone I) and second summer (Capstone II), this learning experience synthesizes foundational and advanced public health competencies. Students must also pass the CPH (Certified in Public Health) Exam.

SUGGESTED Program Sequence

Years 1-3 of the program are within the School of Medicine, and 11-12 credits are applied. During the summer of the third year, students begin their Brown School credits. They then return to the School of Medicine for their 5th year.

Students have some flexibility in how they structure courses in their year with the Brown School. We suggest:

Summer 1: 3-6 credits

Fall: 16-18 credits

Spring: 16-18 credits

Summer 2: 1 credit

Lora Iannotti and Will Ross — Brown Page Content 4
Rodrigo Reis' research focuses on the built and community environment and public health, with particular interest in community interventions for promoting physical activity. He is an investigator at the Prevention Research Center.
Will Ross is a professor of medicine and the associate dean for diversity at Washington University's School of Medicine. Committed to reducing health disparities in underserved communities, Ross has launched numerous programs aimed at increasing access to health care.

Featured Student

"My goal is to practice rural medicine, but many health challenges in rural areas can't be addressed solely on an individual basis. I am pursuing the MD/MPH program to have a more broad and lasting impact on my community."

—Emily Davis, md/mph '20