About the Global Health Concentration
Our signature philosophy is that there is no difference between global health and public health. Designed to train professionals to solve public health problems locally and globally, the Global Health concentration provides students with skills to advance the health and well-being of populations in diverse global settings. Students will gain skills in the development, implementation, and evaluation of public health programs and projects that are aligned with local culture, contexts, and resources. This concentration is available only in a residential format.

Hosted by the Gillings School’s Departments of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Health Behavior, Maternal and Child Health, and Public Health Leadership and Practice, the Global Health concentration is designed for a broad range of professionals from a variety of disciplines who are interested in working on public health problems in resource-constrained settings outside the United States, or with foreign or vulnerable populations who face challenges to health because of similar resource constraints in the U.S. and other wealthy nations. Graduates in this concentration will be equipped to make immediate contributions to government agencies, nonprofits, private sector companies, research institutes, universities and international organizations. Students can take advantage of the many global health organizations located in the Research Triangle Park area bordering the University of North Carolina. We have close partnerships with organizations such as FHI360, RTI and IntraHealth International in addition to broad contacts with health departments in North Carolina and relationships with diverse research and practice institutions worldwide. Through these connections, we will provide you with opportunities to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to real-world problems.

What You'll Learn

As a student in the Master of Public Health (MPH) concentration in Global Health, you will enhance the foundational skills from your MPH core in the areas of program management and implementation monitoring and evaluation, and mixed methods research.
The courses in the concentration will help you develop advanced skills in the following areas:
•    Undertake deep and thoughtful self-reflection on the ethics of engagement in global health as a scholar, researcher, and practitioner.
•    Develop management and implementation skills to deliver evidence-based interventions that address global health challenges.
•    Analyze qualitative and quantitative data to advance research, policy, and practice in global health.
•    Monitoring the quality of program implementation and evaluating program outcomes
•    Engaging in interdisciplinary problem-solving with multinational teams.


The courses in the concentration will equip you with the advanced skills needed to:
  1. Use quantitative and qualitative data to analyze the challenges to achieving health outcomes in low resource settings;
  2. Develop programs to deliver evidence-based interventions to address these challenges;
  3. Analyze barriers to implementation and sustainment of programs and strategies in order to overcome these barriers;
  4. Monitor the quality of program implementation and evaluate program outcomes; and
  5. Engage in interdisciplinary problem solving with multinational teams.

This program will empower you with the knowledge and skills to achieve the following core competencies:


  1. Analyze how the roles, relationships, and resources of entities influencing global health policies and practices affect disparities in health outcomes.
  2. Apply methods to advance research, policy and practice in global health.

  3. Develop skills for monitoring and evaluating the processes and outcomes of global health programs and policies.
  4. Apply strategies to work effectively in diverse local and global sociocultural and political settings.
  5. Develop skills for managing and implementing public health programs in diverse settings. 

Download an introductory slideset (PDF).

Required Courses & Sample Plan of Study

In addition to the interdisciplinary, 14-credit Gillings MPH Core, students in the Global Health Concentration take seven concentration-specific courses covering topics such as cultural humility, monitoring and evaluation, program management, and mixed research methods. 

PUBH 711: Critical Issues in Global Health

HBEH 780: Mixed Methods for Global Health

MHCH 780: Cultural Humility

HBEH 784: Program Management and Implementation

HBEH 782: Professional Development

MHCH 723: Introduction to Monitoring and Evaluation

ENVR 992: Integrated Learning Experience


Fall 2023 Cohort: Sample plan of study.

Fall 2024 Cohort: Sample plan of study.

Spotlight
Why I Chose Gillings

Lein Soltan

I chose UNC Gillings because of its amazing faculty, welcoming environment, and its reputation for being a leader in public health both locally and globally. Now that I am here, I get to experience UNC Gillings' dedication to students firsthand. We have the opportunity to learn from world-class faculty who value their students and always make themselves accessible to us.

Hosted by the Gillings School’s Departments of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Health Behavior, Maternal and Child Health, and Public Health Leadership Program, the Global Health concentration is designed for a broad range of professionals from a variety of disciplines who are interested in working on public health problems in resource-constrained settings outside the United States, or with foreign or vulnerable populations who face challenges to health because of similar resource constraints in the U.S. and other wealthy nations. Graduates in this concentration will be equipped to make immediate contributions to government agencies, nonprofits, private sector companies, research institutes, universities and international organizations.

Career Opportunities

Our Graduates Work As...
Program Coordinators
Project Managers
Public Health Analysts
Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists
Implementation Specialists
Quality Improvement Advisors
Our Graduates Work With...
Government Agencies
Intergovernmental Organizations
Non-profits
Research Institutions
Consulting Firms
Health Departments

99% of Gillings graduates have a job or continue their education within one year of graduating.

Learn more about the opportunities that await you with an MPH from the Gillings School.

Global Health is Public Health
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Academic Coordinator
William Gillison
Rosenau Hall 202B

Concentration Leaders
Primary Contact: Suzanne Maman, PhD
Co-lead: Marie Lina Excellent, MD, MPH
Co-lead: Aaron Salzberg, PhD
Co-lead: Ilene Speizer, PhD

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