Earn Your Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management Online
Define your career as a leader who shapes healthcare delivery, financing, and regulation across public and private sectors. Kent State University's Online MPH in Health Policy and Management develops your expertise in healthcare systems, policy analysis and organizational leadership through a curriculum that combines cutting-edge research with practical application.
Program Snapshot
- 100% online course delivery
- Three annual start dates: fall, spring and summer
- Focused seven- and 15-week courses
- Curriculum includes applied practice experience
- No GRE required
- Complete your degree in as few as 24 months
Recognized for Excellence
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) accredit our online MPH programs, ensuring adherence to the highest educational standards. This accreditation, combined with our #10 national ranking and Quality Matters certification, reflects our commitment to excellence in online public health education.
Our Military Friendly Gold Designation recognizes Kent State University's outstanding service to the extended military community and all our students.
Build the Career You Want
Take your career to a higher level with Kent State’s affordable, flexible undergraduate and graduate public health programs. Our 100% online programs allow you to keep up with your current responsibilities while you study. Find out how these programs can help you create the career and positive public health impact you want to have.
Download our guide to learn more about:
- Career Opportunities
- Customizing Your Degree
- The Student Experience
- Admission Requirements
- Tuition and Financial Aid
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Online MPH in Health Policy Management Program Overview
The Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Management is designed to help students develop real world knowledge and skills needed to pursue success in the public health industry. The program prepares students to address public health risks and develop effective health services delivery models, and incorporates health services research, health policy analysis and health care planning and management. Given the active research of the college’s faculty in identifying service gaps and developing evidence-based practices and policy analysis, students emerge with strong skills in health services management, alternative models of service financing and strategies for improving services.
Career opportunities for graduates include administrative and management positions in hospitals, clinics, state and local health departments, nursing homes and mental health facilities; policy analyst positions in health planning organizations and governmental agencies; and planning and management positions in health maintenance organizations and health insurance companies.
The M.P.H. degree in Health Policy and Management can be paired with the Healthcare Compliance graduate certificate. Students may double count 12 credit hours toward both programs. Graduates are eligible to apply to sit for the Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) examination through the Compliance Certification Board (CCB).
Students have the opportunity to complete a dual degree program with the Master of Business Administration degree. A separate application must be submitted for each program.
Graduates of this program will be able to:
Evidence-Based Approaches to Public Health
- Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice.
- Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context.
- Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate.
- Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice.
Public Health and Health Care Systems
- Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings.
- Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and societal levels.
Planning and Management to Promote Health
- Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health.
- Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs.
- Design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention.
- Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management.
- Select methods to evaluate public health programs.
Policy in Public Health
- Discuss multiple dimensions of the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence.
- Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes.
- Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations.
- Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity.
Leadership
- Apply principles of leadership, governance and management, which include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration and guiding decision making.
- Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges.
Communication
- Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors.
- Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation.
- Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content.
Interprofessional Practice
- Perform effectively on interprofessional teams.
Systems Thinking
- Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue.
Demand is Rising—and Leadership Pays
23% Projected Job Growth for Medical and Health Services Managers, 2024-2034 — Much Faster Than the National Average2
The expanding need for healthcare management professionals is fueled by increasing healthcare complexity, regulatory requirements and the need to control costs while improving patient outcomes.3 With a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management, you'll qualify for diverse, influential roles with strong earning potential throughout your career:
Committed to Your Success
You’ll thrive at Kent State thanks to uniquely personalized instruction, tutoring and applied practice experience support. The close-knit learning environment, small class sizes, robust online student portal and dedicated faculty help you build the professional connections and competencies that define successful public health careers.
- Dedicated tutoring support for your biostatistics courses ensures your mastery of essential analytical skills
- Faculty mentors work closely with you to secure applied practice experiences aligned with your career goals
Exclusive Opportunity for Kent State University Undergraduates: The Combined Program
Launch your career sooner than you expected. In Kent State’s public health program, juniors and seniors with qualifying GPAs can apply up to 9 credit hours of coursework toward the public health bachelor’s and master’s degrees. By double-counting credits, you’ll start and complete your online MPH earlier than anticipated, save money on tuition and fees and be prepared to dive into your career ahead of your classmates and ahead of schedule. For more information, please contact an admissions outreach advisor at onlinedegrees@kent.edu or toll-free at +1 844-234-4073.
We Do More for You
Kent State’s public health programs are already competitively priced. In addition, you may be eligible for scholarship support.
Courses
Major Requirements
BST 62019 BIOSTATISTICS IN PUBLIC HEALTH (3 credits)
This course provides graduate students with an understanding of basic statistical methods as well as the skills to perform and interpret basic statistical procedures and interpret the results. Emphasis is on principles of statistical reasoning, presentation of graphical and numerical descriptive statistics, statistical inference (estimation and hypothesis testing) and careful interpretation of results. By the end of the course, students achieve competency in applying appropriate basic statistical methods to real-time data and presenting the results appropriate for public health professionals and educated lay audiences.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
EHS 62018 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CONCEPTS IN PUBLIC HEALTH (3 credits)
(Slashed with EHS 72018) Provides a comprehensive overview of core topics in environmental health as related to public health.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
EPI 62017 FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGY (3 credits)
(Slashed with EPI 72017) Introduces principles, methods and application of epidemiology. Covers the history of epidemiology, concepts of disease causation and prevention, measures of disease frequency and excessive risk, epidemiologic study designs, causal inference, outbreak investigation and screening. Provides experience with calculation of rate standardization; measures of disease frequency, association and impact; and sensitivity and specificity of screening tests. Highlights applications of epidemiology to understanding of disease etiology, transmission, pathogenesis and prevention; evaluation and public policy development.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
HPM 62016 PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (3 credits)
(Slashed with HPM 72016) Public health administration comprises efforts to improve the health of communities. Provides an overview for public health administration and practice, including organization, law, legislative relations, financing, workforce issues, leadership and surveillance.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
HPM 63003 HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS (3 credits)
Provides a systems approach to delivering health care and public health services in the US. Includes an overview of public health, outpatient, inpatient, managed care, long term care and health services for special populations.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
HPM 63004 PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY, LAW AND ETHICS (3 credits)
Provides a comprehensive review of health policymaking, public health law and ethical principles as applied to public health decision making.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
HPM 63005 FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS (3 credits)
Provides an overview of financial management of public health organizations. Topics include planning for public health program budgeting, understanding costs and short- and long-term financing, accountability and control, reporting results and financial statement and financial conditions analysis.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
HPM 63006 COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS IN PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS (3 credits)
Provides an overview of cost-benefit analysis as applied to the evaluation of public health programs. Students apply principles of cost-benefit analysis and related cost utility analysis to case studies in the public health sector.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
HPM 63007 PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS: PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION (3 credits)
Overview of developing, implementing and evaluating public health programs. Examines how public health programs can target different levels within a population, different determinants of health and strategies and interventions.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
HPM 63020 COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT (3 credits)
(Slashed with HPM 73020) This course covers concepts and methods relevant to community health needs assessment, such as systems thinking; the use of quantitative and qualitative methods; primary and secondary data; and the role of community assessment in current national policy, including the Affordable Care Act, and on community health improvement. Students draw from multiple disciplines to assess health status and its determinants (social, behavioral and environmental), needs for health services and the capacity and resources of the local community. Students also learn to facilitate and evaluate the use of data for decision making by partnerships, organizations and policy makers.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PH 61199 INTEGRATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE (1 credits)
Students complete an integrative learning experience that demonstrates a synthesis of foundational and concentration competencies. Students, in consultation with faculty, select foundational and concentration-specific competencies appropriate to the student’s educational and professional goals.
Prerequisite: 30 credit hours of Biostatistics (BST) or Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) or Epidemiology (EPI) or Health Policy and Management (HPM) or Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) courses; and graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Project or Capstone
Contact Hours: 1 other
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory-IP
SBS 64634 SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH BEHAVIORS (3 credits)
(Slashed with SBS 74634) Overviews the social determinants of health and dynamic interplay between individual behaviors and community structures (systems orientation), including public policy, social and built environments, commercial messages, access to services, cultural norms, psychosocial hazards and poverty as causal effects that either provide opportunity or constraints to health. Also examines systems approaches to preventing public health threats from issues including substance use (alcohol, tobacco and other drugs), physical inactivity, poor dietary practices, unsafe sexual behaviors, violence and injury and mental health.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Major Electives
Choose from the following (6-9 credits):
Any Biostatistics (BST) Graduate course (50000 or 60000 level)
Any Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) Graduate course (50000 or 60000 level)
Any Epidemiology (EPI) Graduate course (50000 or 60000 level)
Any Health Policy and Management (HPM) Graduate course (50000 or 60000 level)
Any Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) Graduate course (50000 or 60000 level)
Culminating Requirement
HPM 60392 APPLIED PRACTICE EXPERIENCE IN HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT (3-6 credits)1
(Repeatable for credit) Observation and participation in public health activities of a public health agency, hospital or other approved organization. The student completes the field experience with joint supervision from the university and approved organization or agency.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing; and special approval.
Schedule Type: Practical Experience
Contact Hours: 9-18 other
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory-IP
Minimum Total Credit Hours: 46
Graduation Requirements
| Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
|---|---|
| - | 3.000 |
- Practicum placement at an approved public health agency under the guidance of a qualified preceptor (150 or 300 contact hours)
- Final portfolio/report and a seminar presentation integrating theory and practice
- Participation in at least one approved interprofessional education event; event requires students to participate at a specific time/date to be determined in consultation with the student's advisor
- No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
- Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.
Questions and Answers
Have questions? We have answers.
Choosing the right online program comes with lots of questions, and our admissions outreach advisor is here to help you sort through them all. Connect with this friendly, knowledgeable advisor for personalized guidance. Taylor will make sure you have everything you need to feel confident about your next steps at Kent State.
Admissions and Application Deadlines
- From Fortune. ©2024 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license. Fortune and Fortune Media IP Limited are not affiliated with, and do not endorse the products or services of, Kent State University.
- Retrieved on September 19, 2025, from bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm#
- Retrieved on September 19, 2025, from bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm#tab-6
- Retrieved on September 19, 2025, from ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Health-Policy-Analyst-Salary
- Retrieved on September 19, 2025, from ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Health-Services-Manager-Salary
- Retrieved on September 19, 2025, from ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Health-Insurance-Specialist-Salary