TL;DR — A Master of Public Health (MPH) is a 1 to 2 year graduate degree covering epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health policy and global health. In the US look for CEPH-accredited programmes; the UK, Australia and Canada also host strong MPH options. Career paths include global health NGOs, government health departments, and academic research.
Public health is an under-considered study-abroad field for Nepali applicants with health, biology or social science backgrounds. This piece walks through the choice.
What an MPH covers
- Epidemiology.
- Biostatistics.
- Environmental health.
- Health policy and management.
- Global and community health.
- Communicable disease control.
- Health systems research.
Accreditation
- United States: CEPH (Council on Education for Public Health) accreditation is the standard.
- United Kingdom: institutional accreditation via Office for Students; select programmes hold specialty accreditations.
- Australia: TEQSA-registered; some programmes hold Australian Public Health Association endorsement.
- Canada: institutional accreditation; some MPH programmes hold CEPH accreditation.
Top destinations for MPH
- United States: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg, Harvard T.H. Chan, Columbia Mailman, UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, Emory Rollins.
- United Kingdom: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Imperial College, King’s College London, University of Edinburgh.
- Australia: University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, University of Queensland, Monash.
- Canada: University of Toronto (Dalla Lana), McGill, UBC.
Entry requirements
- Bachelor degree in health, biology, medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, statistics, social sciences or a related field.
- Some programmes accept applicants from any Bachelor with strong quantitative or research experience.
- English test at a level appropriate for the university (typically IELTS 6.5 to 7.5).
- GRE required by some US programmes; increasingly waived.
- Two to three LORs; SOP with a clear public-health career focus.
Career pathways
- Global health NGOs (WHO, UNICEF, Save the Children, MSF, Gavi).
- Government health departments and ministries.
- Academic research and teaching.
- Health-tech companies and pharmaceutical epidemiology.
- Healthcare consultancy and management.
Post-study work relevance
- US: MPH is often STEM-designated (CIP 51.2201) making graduates eligible for the 24-month STEM OPT extension.
- Canada: PGWP up to 3 years; universities exempt from PGWP field restriction.
- Australia: Subclass 485 up to 2 years for Master by coursework.
- UK: Graduate Route up to 2 years (18 months from 1 January 2027).
Key takeaways
- MPH is a 1 to 2 year Master covering epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy and global health.
- Look for CEPH accreditation in the US.
- Top schools include Johns Hopkins, LSHTM, Melbourne and Toronto.
- US MPH programmes are often STEM-designated, unlocking STEM OPT.
- Career paths include global NGOs, government, academia and health tech.
Important: This article is for general informational purposes only. Programme accreditation, entry requirements and post-study work rules change; verify current guidance on the specific university and destination government websites, and speak to The Next Education counsellors before taking any action based on this content.
Related resources
See our Study Nursing Abroad, Studying Data Science Abroad, and university shortlist framework.