After considerable deliberation and evaluation with our partners at UNC Asheville (UNCA) and the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) we have made the difficult decision to discontinue and consolidate the jointly conferred MPH degree with a concentration in place-based public health offered exclusively in Asheville on MAHEC's campus, effective immediately. We will teach out our currently enrolled students but no longer accept new applications.
We remain committed to improving access to public health training in Western North Carolina (WNC). To that end, we will:
Encourage interested students in WNC to enroll in the MPH degree either as a residential student in Chapel Hill or in our online option, MPH@UNC.
Establish an assured enrollment program enabling qualified undergraduate students at UNCA to be admitted into the MPH degree program while completing their undergraduate studies in Asheville.
Pursue additional collaborations with MAHEC to do workshops, continuing education courses, certificate programs or other public health training opportunities based on identified needs of practitioners, employers and other community members in western NC.
Work to develop an accelerated bachelors-to-MPH degree for qualified UNCA undergraduates.
We recognize the disappointment this decision may cause for the faculty, staff, students and community partners who have been engaged in our joint degree program, but we are determined to keep developing, supporting and sustaining collaborations that build public health workforce capacity in western NC, and continue to develop strong, safe and healthy communities across the state, and nation.
Chapel Hill, and the greater Triangle area, is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work. Our town is bike-friendly, walkable, eclectic, safe, affordable, diverse and green. Our students love the temperate weather and the easy access to activities in the Triangle, on the coast and in the mountains.
Each spring, Experience Gillings provides admitted students a way to connect directly with current students and members of the School’s faculty and staff.
