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After earning the MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), Johnny Croft felt ready for his career switch. He was previously a teacher for eight years before joining the #1 public school of public health in the NYC metro, tri-state region and seeing first-hand the exemplary outcomes it’s known for. For Croft, the biggest impact of his MPH was landing a placement with the Foodborne, Waterborne, and Inter Health Education unit at the New York City Department of Health.
Here, Croft saw how his work as an applied epidemiologist (a career path specialising in research, statistics, data analysis and community engagement) improved public health. “It has been really gratifying,” shares Croft.
As many as 98% of CUNY SPH alumni are employed in rewarding careers in the first year of graduation. Since its foundation in 2016, graduation rates remain amongst the highest at 83%.
“The latest U.S. News & World Report rankings affirm the continuing rise of CUNY SPH as one of the nation’s best and most innovative schools of public health and one of CUNY’s most impactful professional schools,” says Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “In just a few years, it has become a leader in public health education, research and advocacy.”
CUNY SPH has an exceptional student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1. Source: The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
Starting salaries for alumni range between US$60,000 to US$70,000, according to data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics. Some CUNY SPH graduates report higher starting figures. It’s a high return for an affordable investment since the school’s tuition is less than half the cost compared to other top-ranked institutions nationwide.
The best part? Students at CUNY SPH don’t wait for graduation to be part of cutting-edge advancements in public health research. An impressive 32% of research staff in 2022 were students — a testament to how the graduate school provides hands-on learning and employment opportunities through funded projects as well as its research centres and institutes.
Master’s programmes tackling the world’s most pressing health challenges
Here, all MPH degrees — the MPH in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, MPH in Health Policy and Management, MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MPH in Public Health Nutrition, and MPH in Community Health — are offered in both hybrid and online formats.
MS degrees at CUNY SPH are delivered virtually, with the exception of the in-person MS in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, where students begin the process of gearing up for a career in the growing field of Industrial Hygiene. Other MS programmes cover areas such as Global and Migrant Health Policy, Health Communication for Social Change, and Population Health Informatics.
All master’s students take at least one course in each of the five core knowledge areas of public health and complete a culminating project. Source: CUNY School of Public Health
Each programme has been designed to give students a focus on social justice, something which graduates like Noli Vega appreciate. “I’m working at the Guttmacher Institute, which is a leading research and policy organisation dedicated to advancing sexual and reproductive health in the US and around the world,” shares the MPH in Community Health graduate.
She uses social media to share the research and policy analysis of the institute with its online audience. Completing her MPH at CUNY SPH showed her a major social justice component to public health, specifically the need to champion health equity.
Jesmin Chowdhury, an MPH in Public Health Nutrition student, developed and implemented tailored nutrition education programming in Jamaica, Queens, a neighbourhood with a
large South Asian and Caribbean population. “There is a high demand for Bengali-speaking nutrition educators and sharing materials translated to Bengali to foster community engagement in these programmes that aim to bring health equity, food access and positive changes to these underserved communities,” says Chowdhury, who speaks both languages.
Isabel Levey-Swain, a graduate of the MS in Health Communication for Social Change programme, made full use of her time as an intern in the communications department at the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit (PEU). She developed the campaign “Let’s make this fun: Promoting health insurance and GetCoveredNYC to young New Yorkers,” wrote an outreach plan, laid out an implementation strategy, and developed content for the campaign.
Beyond fieldwork, a wide range of student services help students navigate their graduate education. They provide financial aid assistance, academic advice, tutoring services, counselling, and many more.
To bring improved health and social justice for all, click here to apply to The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy today.
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