Master of Public Health (MPH)

Welcome!

Welcome to the exciting and intellectually stimulating field of health policy and management. Healthcare is changing more rapidly than many other fields and, as a result, requires talented, well-educated people to manage those changes. Throughout this program, you will be preparing not only for the jobs you will be assuming immediately after graduation but also for the roles you will fill as you move forward in your career. As well, you will be forging strong relationships with your fellow students – relationships that you will carry with you for the rest of your professional life.

The MPH program at UCLA balances the idealism of the public health tradition with the belief that strong managerial and analytical skills are vital. It offers a broad, general health care management and policy curriculum that addresses critical issues facing the U.S. health care system. By the time you graduate, you will understand the implications of the field and possess the skills and competencies to help you develop a more efficient, equitable, and quality health care system. Our highly competitive program prepares students for leadership positions in health delivery organizations, consulting companies, advocacy, policy making bodies, government and community-based organizations, and a variety of other public and private healthcare settings. This balance of rigorous curricula and experience-based learning consistently places the UCLA MPH program among the strongest in the country.

Located in the heart of Los Angles, UCLA is full of opportunities. In addition to having access to many health care systems, we are also the most diverse community in the country. The diversity of healthcare opportunities matches the diversity of our populations. Our graduates have become significant figures in the local, regional, and national healthcare space and the vast and highly supportive Health Policy and Management Alumni Association ensures students are introduced to the best opportunities available. 

In Los Angeles County ...

• there are 292 annual days of sunshine and an average temperature of 72 degrees
• 10 million residents speak at least 185 languages, live in hundreds of neighborhoods, and can visit over 200 farmer's markets each week
• almost 20% live in poverty
• about 10% of adults are uninsured (down from 30% in 2011)
• there are more than 100 hospitals and more than 25,000 licensed hospital beds
• the LA County Department of Health Services is the 2nd largest municipal health system in the nation
• there are contradictions ... 10,000 ft mountains and 100-degree heat; mansions and tents; sunshine, floods, and fire; movie studios and oil refineries
• you can visit some of the country's best museums, zoos, aquariums, beaches, and parks
• Griffith Park has 53 miles of hiking trails, a horse ranch, the Hollywood Sign, the Greek Theatre, the Griffith Observatory, an old-fashioned merry-go-round, and lots of vintage railcars
• unemployment is low, personal income is rising, and the region's GDP outpaces the rest of the country but is also 7th in income inequality and the homeless population has increased by 75% since 2000
• there is a Denny's with complementary valet parking!
• the Port of Los Angeles imports and exports $1.2B of goods each day
• LAX moves 75 million passengers per year

Sincerely, 

Laura Erskine, PhD, MBA
Professor and Director, MPH Program in Health Policy and Management