Degree Programs
MPH-MD
Master of Public Health - Doctor of Medicine Joint Degree
Students admitted to the Indiana University School of Medicine, at any of the nine IUSM campuses, are eligible to apply to the joint MPH-MD program at the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IU Indianapolis.
This degree will prepare you to balance your career between direct medical care of individuals and public health practice within communities. It will also expand your career options by making you more marketable for a wide variety of careers (i.e., global health, hospital leadership, health policy, health research, nonprofit management, environmental health, and refugee and immigrant health). The MPH-MD program is designed for completion in five years.
Admissions
Medical students who are interested in pursuing the joint MPH-MD degree must apply and be admitted to the Fairbanks School of Public Health through the dual degree application supplement. Once accepted you will be asked to complete an IU application through the Online Graduate and Professional Admissions Application.
Students in the MPH-MD program may be considered for limited stipends to offset some of the tuition expenses of the public health coursework. You are encouraged to apply to the MPH program the spring semester before you wish to begin your public health course work; however, arrangements will be made to facilitate completion of the joint degree program at any point during your medical education.
Application to the Fairbanks School of Public Health process for current IUSM medical students
Medical students who are interested in pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Public Health and/or the MPH degree should apply to the Fairbanks School of Public Health. Students may apply during any year of their medical education.
Current medical students who are interested in the Certificate in Public Health or MPH degree are required to submit an Online Graduate and Professional Admissions Application. The IU application fee will be waived.
In addition to submitting the IU application, medical students should submit the following items to the Fairbanks School of Public Health Office of Student Services, attention: Shawne Mathis.
- Current résumé or CV
- One-page essay addressing the following two questions:
- Where did your interest in public health originate?
- How do you plan to integrate your medical and public health degrees after graduation?
- Completed and signed Form A granting permission to the IUSM Office of Medical Student Affairs to release to the Fairbanks School of Public Health (1) copies of your undergraduate and graduate transcripts, (2) MCAT scores and (3) at least three letters of recommendation from your application to medical school. For an accessible version of Form A, please contact fsphinfo@iupui.edu.
- Medical students who are interested in applying for a stipend to offset some of the cost of the MPH courses should complete the scholarship application. Preference will be given to those who submit the scholarship application by February 15. For an accessible version of the scholarship application, please contact fsphinfo@iupui.edu.
Curriculum
Indiana University School of Medicine and the Fairbanks School of Public Health at IU Indianapolis have developed an innovative coordinated MD-MPH curriculum that integrates medicine and public health training. Students learn key public health topics, including issues related to environmental health, infectious disease control, biostatistics, disease prevention and health promotion, injury control, epidemiological studies, and health policy.
To make it easy to complete two degrees in such a short time, some of the 45 MPH credits are shared with MD credits. The MD-MPH begins with five core public health courses that are typically completed online during the summer after the first year of medical school. The remaining classes are usually completed during an additional year, typically between the fourth and fifth years of medical school, however, other arrangements can be made. To incorporate experiential learning, a final public health internship and project are required.
Students in the MPH-MD dual degree program will have the option of having a global health focus where they spend a year in IUSM’s program in Kenya participating in an ongoing research project while also getting exposure to clinical care in Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and its clinics. During that year, they will complete their required MPH coursework online.
Updated: April 2024
