To many, public health is a dynamic, interdisciplinary field. There are several specializations students may choose to focus on in their course of study, including community health, epidemiology, and leadership. 

Since leadership plays an important role in the public health sphere, many schools include coursework about leadership in public health in their curricula. Additionally, some Master of Public Health (MPH) and Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) programs allow students to specialize in leadership.

Leadership in public health encompasses a variety of skills, competencies, and goals such as learning to effectively orchestrate change, communicating and implementing problem-solving strategies, and becoming a positive community influence in public health through knowledge-based ideas and approaches. The definition of leadership in public health is fostering key community needs such as disease prevention, education, and policy development by implementing organizational change, community building, and collaboration between different sectors of public health such as medicine, biology, anthropology and education. Focusing on leadership in public health means taking a collaborative approach to issues in the community in order to best solve problems and impart positive change. It also means learning to become an informed leader who is equipped to take on complex public health challenges by leading teams, managing projects, and designing solutions. 

What is the importance of leadership in public health? By focusing on leadership during your public health studies, you can learn key skills, theories, and practices that will ultimately help you resolve issues within communities once you begin your career. Professionals who focus on leadership in public health design strategies to address conflict, reduce resistance, and increase cooperation as they implement plans and policies related to community change. They apply their knowledge to communicate recommendations, improve organizational strategy, and enhance accountability across public health domains. 

Students can expect coursework within this specialization to cover topics such as health administration, policy analysis, conceptual skills, and applied skills. 

Leadership in public health is significant because it teaches future change-makers how to best deal with issues that have lasting impact on public health at the local, national, and global levels. These issues include bioterrorism, infectious diseases, obesity, famine, and substance abuse. 

Completing a bachelor’s degree in public health may prepare students to work in a variety of public health careers and continue their education in the public health realm with a master’s or doctorate degree. 

There are currently no Bachelor of Public Health programs accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) that offer leadership in public health concentrations, but students may still take courses that teach them key skills related to the concentration and prepare them for more specialized leadership in public health education in the future.

Students who wish to complete coursework related to leadership in public health may take classes such as Leadership, Communication, & Group Dynamics, Public Health Leadership, or Organizational Leadership & Management. 

Students who wish to pursue a Master of Public Health in Leadership will focus on using a combination of research and practice-based evidence to strategically align systems and organizations, mobilize community resources, and implement broad change. These programs help students bridge competencies from different areas of public health such as policy, environmental and global health, and political analysis. 

Every program has different admissions requirements—but most expect aspiring students to have a bachelor’s degree, and some don’t require that degree to be in a specific area of study.  In addition to an undergraduate degree, certain schools seek applicants with at least two years of applicable work experience. 

For some programs, acceptance requires full-time enrollment, but there are also online MPH programs available—some of which allow part-time study.

In addition to offering an MPH in Leadership, some programs also have concentrations called Leadership in Practice and Health Policy and Management. Though there are some differences in these concentrations, the overall focus is very similar.

Leadership concentrations are available in MPH programs, however they are not available in Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) programs. MPH programs focus on the applied and practical elements of public health, while MSPH programs are more focused on research. 

There are several CEPH-accredited programs that offer concentrations in leadership in practice or policy and management—both of which relate to leadership in public health. Below, we share some details for accredited programs that offer an MPH in Leadership, or a leadership-related concentration.

Table was last updated September 2020

Curriculum for MPH in Leadership programs includes a variety of coursework. Since leadership in public health focuses on collaboration between many sectors of public health, students can expect to take courses in several realms of the field, not just courses related specifically to leadership. Below is a list of example courses students may take:

Project Management Principles & Practices. This course focuses on project management skills that are applicable to organizations within the public health sphere. Students will learn about topics such as the lifecycle of a project, how to improve project management systems, and how to achieve maximum efficiency when working as an organizational team. 

Principles in Public Health Leadership. This course will introduce students to major concepts and theories in public health leadership. Topics may include models of leadership, ethics in leadership, and how to approach and impart change at various community levels.  

Political and Policy Analysis. This course will teach students how to analyze policy and approach issues with a goal of actionable change. Topics covered include cost-benefit analysis, consensus building, and policy assessment. 

A doctorate in public health, commonly referred to as a DrPH degree, focuses on a combination of professional and academic skills. Many programs are geared toward mid- to senior-level professionals who wish to advance in their careers. Students can expect to learn about leadership in public health from an interdisciplinary perspective and gain the necessary skills to take on greater leadership roles in both the public and private sector at the community, national, and global level.

Though there are only a few schools that offer specific concentrations in leadership at the doctoral level, students can still learn key leadership in public health skills by taking coursework that focuses on topics related to this realm.

Doctorate programs in public health generally require several years of work experience, demonstrated leadership ability, and a graduate degree (although some programs do not require a master’s in public health) for admission. 

Concentrations in leadership are available for DrPH programs, but not for Ph.D. programs. DrPH programs are geared toward professionals who wish to work in the field, focusing on applications and practices, while Ph.D. programs are more research oriented. 

Since these programs are interdisciplinary in nature, students can expect to take courses that enable them to learn about a variety of skills and competencies in different sectors of public health, as well as courses related specifically to leadership. Below is a list of example courses students may take:

Program Evaluation for Health Leaders. This course will cover fundamental program evaluation frameworks. Students will learn how to identify appropriate evaluation and data collection strategies. This course will also go over research design. 

Health Policy Analysis and Advocacy for Leaders. This course will teach students how to understand and evaluate policy design by showing them how to implement strategies for change at the policy level. 

What can you do with a public health degree? There are a variety of career options available for those who choose to pursue an MPH in Leadership or who focus on leadership at other academic levels. The field is broad and interdisciplinary, meaning there is some overlap between jobs for those focusing on leadership and those focusing on other sectors of public health. Career options for students who specialize in leadership include roles in project management, organizational management, and program management. These roles can be found at various local, national, and global levels, as well as in both public and private capacities. 

If you are considering earning a degree that focuses on leadership in public health, there are several important factors to keep in mind. The following section explores frequently asked questions for those who are considering an MPH in Leadership, a DrPH in Leadership, or who wish to focus on leadership at the undergraduate level.

Information last updated August 2020