Program overview
This multidisciplinary approach, which ranges from air pollution and geographic mapping to addressing complex and ever-changing legal regulation expands the range of skills and knowledge that students are able to develop in the field of environmental health.
About the program
Students in this dual degree have the opportunity to earn both the Master of Environmental Studies (MES) and Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees in three years. The MES/MPH student is in residence at the Perelman School of Medicine for three semesters where they complete the minimum 10 credit units of PUBH pre-fix courses, including the core course curriculum. The MES/MPH student is then in residence at the School of Arts and Sciences for three semesters, where they take 9 course units of classes that qualify for the MES degree.
- Of the 9 course units taken in the MES, the MPH will accept 4 course units at the graduate level, bringing the dual degree student to the minimum 14 course units required for the MPH degree
- MES will accept 3 course units of PUBH courses to bring the student to the minimum 12 course units required for the MES degree
- This reduces the typical residency for the two programs from 7 semesters to 6 and the total course units from 26 to 19
Course sequence
Students may start in either program thus two different suggested timelines are detailed below.
|
MES fall start |
|||
| Semester | Courses | MES | MPH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
3 course units | |
| 2 |
|
4 course units | |
| 3 |
|
3 course units | |
| 4 |
|
3 course units | |
| 5 |
|
3 course units | |
| 6 |
|
3 course units | |
| Total | 9 course units | 10 course units | |
|
MPH fall start |
|||
| Semester | Recommended Courses | MES | MPH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
4 course units | |
| 2 |
|
3 course units | |
| 3 |
|
3 course units | |
| 4 |
|
3 course units | |
| 5 |
|
3 course units | |
| 6 |
|
3 course units | |
| Total | 9 course units | 10 course units | |
Capstone requirement
At the beginning of the second year of the program, each student undertakes a capstone project—an independent, research exercise required for both programs. Students are not required to write two separate capstones, but instead may do research on the same topic and write a capstone on that topic with a health emphasis for the MPH program and an environmental emphasis for the MES program. Recent capstone titles include:
- Quantitative Evaluation of Community Perceptions of Sanitation and Hygiene in Rural Guatemala
- Mitigating the Impact of Urban Heat Island (UHI) Using Street Trees: A planning tool for the City of Philadelphia
Career opportunities
The ubiquity of environmental health and environmental justice issues across all parts of the public sector makes this area of study relevant for students who can pursue careers where they may demonstrate their expertise in environmental health and policy and its effects on public health. Career opportunities include working in community engagement as government officials or nonprofit leaders and may focus on air and/or water quality or a myriad of other environmental health concerns.
Alumni profile
Akudo Ejelonu (MES ’18/MPH ’17)
For Akudo Ejelonu, the dual degree program provided opportunities to make connections between fields, professions, countries, and identities.
Read about Akudo in the article Putting Two and Two Together for a Dual Master’s Degree and in the article A Global Agent of Change.
How to apply
Students may apply to both programs simultaneously or may apply in the first year of either the MPH or MES program. When applying, the student should indicate on each separate application that they are applying to the MES/MPH dual degree program. Separate applications are submitted, and each program’s admission committee decides independently. Acceptance into one program of the dual degree does not guarantee acceptance into the other program. Once the student is admitted to both programs the dual degree program will be initiated.
See details about the MES application >
See details about the MPH Application >
Contact information
MES program:
Siobhan Whadcoat, PhD, Director, Professional Masters Programs in Earth and Environmental Science
lps@sas.upenn.edu
MPH program:
Moriah Hall, MPH, Associate Director, Master of Public Health Program
moriahh@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Visit the Master of Public Health website to get more details about the dual degree.
