A master of social work and master of public health joint degree opens many doors for those looking to get into the professional world of social work and public health. This joint program allows you to earn both degrees using one study track, thereby cutting study time and allowing you to embark on your professional journey even faster.
Upon graduation from one of these joint programs students will be prepared to work in a wide variety of different professional settings, and they can use their newly acquired skills to work on either the social or medical side of their education. The opportunities are endless with MSW MPH joint degrees, making these courses of study a smart investment in terms of education.
Featured MPH Programs Online
For those looking to obtain a MSW MPH joint degree there are 5 top schools worthy of your investigation:
University of Pennsylvania
MSW/MPH Joint Degree Program
Summary
This dual degree program allows students to achieve their master of social work degree along with their master of public health degree in order to help them prepare to work in a variety of different social and health related career fields. This program takes an average of 3 years to complete with 10 required courses and 6 electives to be chosen by each program participant. The track for this program also allows for 108 hours of field work to allow graduates to better prepare for success in their chosen career path.
Tuition
Students can expect to pay around $38,270 per year in tuition for full-time study with this program.
New Mexico State University School of Social Work
MSW/MPH Dual Degree Program
Summary
Students who are interested in community development as it pertains to public health are ideal for this dual degree program offered by New Mexico State University School of Social Work, and graduates find that their dual degree can prepare them to work in a vast array of different fields. This dual degree program can be completed with only 88 credit hours, allowing those enrolled in the program to obtain their degree faster than they may with other schools. This degree is ideal for those who wish to pursue a career in international public health and welfare, as many graduates find that they have great success working on a global scale.
Tuition
Tuition costs for residents of New Mexico enrolling in this program are around $3,354 per term, while non-residents can expect to pay around $10,065.
Tulane University
MSW/MPH Dual Degree Program
Summary
This program focuses on the study of social work in conjunction to public health, and graduates will be prepared to excel in their work using this dual education degree. The MSW/MPH program offered by Tulane University emphasizes particularly on child health and welfare, although those with other desired career paths can benefit as well. The program consists of 89 to 90 credits with 75 coursework credits and 15 credits to be earned with field work. The addition of field work credits allows students to gain hands on experience while working with the public in a healthcare related setting, completely preparing them for their professional career.
Tuition
The tuition for this program is around $1064 per credit hour for students enrolling on a full-time basis.
Temple University College of Health Professions and Social Work
MSW-MPH Dual Degree
Summary
Temple University’s College of Health Professions and Social Work offers 4 different concentrations for this dual degree, each representing a different facet of public health with:
- MPH in Social and Behavioral Science
- MPH in Environmental Health
- MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- MPH in Health Policy and Management
These 4 separate concentrations allow students to obtain their dual degree while specializing in a particular public health field, allowing them to be better prepare to be leaders in their chosen career path. This dual degree program combines coursework with real hands on experience to create a well-rounded education for graduates.
Tuition
A Pennsylvania resident looking to enroll in this program can expect tuition of around $771 per credit hour, while a non-resident can expect a rate of around $1,083.
University of Missouri School of Social Work
MSW/MPH Dual Degree
Summary
The dual degree program offered by University of Missouri’s School of Social work puts special emphasis on health promotion and policy as it pertains to the quality of life and health in local and global populations. Students are expected to complete between 78 and 81 credit hours of required and elective coursework in order to graduate and earn their dual degree.
Tuition
Missouri state residents can expect tuition costs of around $342 per credit, while out of state students can expect a rate of around $541 per credit.
Selection Criteria for MSW-MPH Joint Degree Programs
Accreditation
The quality of any public health program rests on the academic standards of the department that offers it. The qualifications of the faculty, the research and reference resources available, the subjects covered in the curriculum, the standards for administrative support and evaluation… these are all aspects of your degree program that you really want to know are nailed down.
That’s why accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health(CEPH) and the Council on Social Work Education(CSWE) is a crucial criteria behind the schools on this list. As the speciality accreditation agencies for public health and social work programs, respectively, these agencies handle the heavy lifting of checking the foundations of programs offers master’s degrees in those fields.
Concentrations
Behind accreditation, finding a school that delivers the right concentration may be the most critical criteria for selecting the right MPH program to meet your goals. Public health is a huge field, and no program in the world can teach you everything you might need to know about every aspect. Instead, most schools deliver in-depth concentrations, specialized tracks that zone in on one particular area of public health practice with the depth and expertise that the profession demands. We’ve worked hard to find schools for this list that have not only an excellent selection of interesting and applicable concentration options, but also those that align particularly well with the social work master’s program.
Cost
Although cost was not our primary consideration in developing this top picks list, it’s always something to look at when considering what school to pick for a graduate degree. So while we chose only schools that are the very best in the field, we let you know what the costs will look like so you can choose something that is not only excellent, but affordable.
Practicum
With a dual degree in social work and public health, you’ve got twice the need to get real-world experience under your belt before graduation. We look for programs that put you out in the real world for a face-to-face exposure to the conditions that you will face in practicing after graduation. This kind of internship experience is critical for the kind of practical, well-rounded graduates that the field demands, and some schools do a better job of planning, supporting, and placing students in experiential positions than others. The programs on this list are all at the top of their game when it comes to putting you into relevant, realistic, and well-supported placements where you can learn from practicing professionals while dealing with real-world problems of at-risk populations.
Balance
Anytime you’re earning a joint degree, you want to make sure you’re not leaning too far toward one degree and not getting enough exposure to the other. We looked for schools that develop tight partnerships between the schools offering each degree, who have experience in building degree paths that don’t lock you too deeply into one perspective or the other. Every program on this list has courses in both social work and public health that are complementary rather than competitive.
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All schools shown here have been contacted and informed of their inclusion on this list. Schools that do not wish to be featured are immediately removed. School names are the registered trademarks of their original owners. The use of any trade name or trademark does not imply any association with the school.
