PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The dual degree (MPH/JD) in law and public health combines the 3-year Juris Doctorate at the OU College of Law and the 2-year Master of Public Health in Health Administration & Policy at the OU Hudson College of Public Health into 4 years of study.
The Master of Public Health in Health Administration & Policy is a 45-credit hour program that prepares graduates for careers in the development, implementation and evaluation of programmatic activity in health services organizations.
Alumni of the MPH program occupy a variety of leadership positions in the health services industry. Depending on the number of years since graduation, they are in various healthcare leadership positions for hospitals, physician practices and prominent health systems; federal organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; state organizations, such as the State Department of Health, Department of Mental Health, Department of Human Services; local health departments; and non-profit organizations in health services.
Following graduation, MPH/JD graduates go on to legal careers, fellowships, and/or directly into the public health workforce.
The Hudson College of Public Health and the Master of Public Health program offered by the Department are accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH). The MPH program may be completed by full or part-time students and is offered in Oklahoma City.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The following are required:
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Must be in good standing with the college or university where currently enrolled or last attended.
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Bachelor’s degree or entry-level first professional degree from an accredited institution.
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Grade point average of 3.0 or above using the upper-division coursework of the bachelor's degree.
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Career goal statement uploaded through
SOPHAS.
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Current CV/Resume uploaded through
SOPHAS.
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Three letters of academic or professional recommendation uploaded through
SOPHAS by the recommender. Applicants must list recommenders’ contact information on the application and then upon submission, SOPHAS will send instructions to each recommender on how to submit their letter electronically through the online portal.
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Transcripts:
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U.S. Applicants: SOPHAS requires a separate official transcript from every U.S. and Canadian institution attended be submitted by utilizing the instructions
here. Applicants will enter the information in coursework section of the application utilizing the data from their transcript(s). Do not enter foreign courses taken at Universities outside the U.S. or Canada into the coursework section of the application.
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International Applicants: Submit transcripts/mark sheets to the World Education Services (
www.wes.org) for a course-by-course evaluation. Applicants must designate SOPHAS to receive the evaluation.
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International applicants are required to demonstrate
English proficiency by submitting
TOEFL (score of 100 or above) or
IELTS (score of 7.0 or above) that meet the
minimum required score. TOEFL scores must be submitted to SOPHAS using the designation code #5688.
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Interview with Admissions Committee (in-person or via web-conferencing).
APPLICATION DEADLINES
Hudson College of Public Health applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and applications will be reviewed as they are complete. All materials must be submitted by the deadlines listed below for full consideration.
Master of Public Health
- Spring: December 15
- Fall: August 1
- Summer: May 1
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
CURRENT OU STUDENTS OR ALUMNI APPLICATION PROCESS
Application Instructions for Current OU Students and OU Alumni can be found here.
NON-OU STUDENTS OR ALUMNI APPLICATION PROCESS
STEP 1: SOPHAS APPLICATION
Submit a SOPHAS application (www.sophas.org) and required fee (click here to review information regarding SOPHAS fees and fee waivers). The documentation identified in the ‘Admission Requirements’ section must be submitted in SOPHAS.
STEP 2: SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION
Applicants to the OU Hudson College of Public Health are required to submit a supplemental application and fee. The supplemental application is available via the OU Health Sciences Center website at: https://apps.ouhsc.edu/admissions/. Applicants must select the same program(s) in the supplemental application as they did in the SOPHAS application.
PLEASE NOTE: Fee waivers are not available for the supplemental application.
Fee structure for the supplemental application is as follows:
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$100 for one or two professional programs (Certificate / MPH / MHA programs). One professional program = $100. Two professional programs = $100.
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$75 for one or two graduate program(s) (MS / PhD programs).
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$175 for one professional program AND one graduate program (i.e. applicant applies to both the MPH in Biostatistics and the MS in Biostatistics).
CURRICULUM
The dual degree in law and public health combines the 3-year Juris Doctorate at the College of Law and the 2-year Masters of Public Health at the College of Public Health into 4 years of study.
The JD requires a minimum of 90 credit hours, and the MPH requires a minimum of 45 credit hours. A dual-degree student will complete 81 credit hours at the College of Law and receive 9 credit hours towards the law degree from coursework completed at the College of Public Health. Likewise, the student will complete 36 credit hours at the College of Public Health and receive 9 credit hours towards the masters degree from coursework completed at the College of Law.
What does the curriculum look like?
The curricular sequence is highly dependent on when and where a student initially matriculates and on that student’s preferences for law school courses. The student will work closely with the dual degree advisor at the College of Public Health to ensure all curricular requirements are met.
More information for Dual Degree - MPH-JD
STEM DESIGNATION
The Master of Public Health in Juris Doctorate program is NOT considered a STEM-designated degree program.
A STEM-designated program is an academic program that falls under at least one of the approved categories from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). These categories are recognized by the government for their focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) topics. DHS's updated STEM-designated degree list can be found here: https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/stemList2022.pdf.