The Master of Public Health programme aims at producing Public Health professionals capable of addressing health issues by responding effectively, developing, managing and evaluating health programs and proposing viable alternatives.

The programme intends to produce skilled public health professionals who will be capable of integrating theory and practice in assessing, analyzing and managing, developing, and evaluating public health policies affecting the health of the individuals and the community and be able to suggest effective and appropriate public health interventions.

The programme is fully accredited by the Commission for University Education in Kenya.

Course units:

Comprises of 14 course units and a thesis. Seven (7) Mandatory core course units in the first semester of first year, six (6) Mandatory Specialization course units in the second semester of first year and one (1) elective unit in the second semester of first year selected from a pool of units within each MPH concentration. The specializations include:

1. Epidemiology and Disease Control
2. Health Systems Management
3. Health Promotion
4. Monitoring and Evaluation
5. Non-Communicable Diseases and Injury Prevention

Minimum Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the Master of Public Health programme, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

1. Undergraduate Degree with at least Second Class Honours (Upper Division) in the following areas: Public Health, Environmental Health, Community Health, Community Health and Development, Food Science and Technology, Statistics, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Population Health, Demography, Population Studies and any other relevant health-or biological science-related discipline recognized by Kabarak University Senate as equivalent to the above; Or
2. Holder of any of the following non-classified degree programmes: Medicine and Surgery (MBChB), Pharmacy, Nursing, Clinical Medicine, Medical Laboratory Sciences, and Nutrition and Dietetics; Or
3. Candidate with Second Class Honours (Lower Division) in any of the disciplines in (i) above must have at least two years relevant work experience to qualify for admission.

Expected Learning Outcomes of the programme

Upon completion of the prescribed course of study for the Master of Public Health, the graduates will have acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to, among many other roles:

1. Apply epidemiologic basic and advanced concepts, principles, methods, approaches and strategies to address contemporary public health challenges in Kenya and beyond.
2. Mobilize and efficiently and effectively manage appropriate public health resources by way of planning, policy formulation, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision making, optimization, communication and provision of leadership.
3. Formulate public health projects or interventions, write for grants, plan, implement effectively and efficiently and, monitor and evaluate such projects.
4. Design appropriate materials and highly effective health promotion strategies for effecting health behavior change in the context of communicable, non-communicable diseases and other public health challenges such as drug and substance abuse among others.
5. Develop appropriate public health strategies for addressing the emerging pandemics of non-communicable diseases, violence, and intentional and non-intentional injuries.
6. Conduct scientifically, ethically and legally sound basic and/or applied research effectively and efficiently and appropriately present and disseminate the findings to both technical and lay audience.

Careers

Public health skills are highly sought after globally as witnessed in the recent Covid-19 pandemic public health emergency. MPH graduates can work in a number of organizations including health care facilities, research institutes, NGOs, universities and colleges, consulting firms and many other places. Our students can have careers serving in many areas, including the following:

• Epidemiologist: Epidemiologists study the patterns and causes of diseases in human They design and conduct studies, analyze data, and communicate findings to public health officials and the general public. Graduates of our program with a focus in epidemiology would be well suited for this career.
• Global Health Specialist: Global Health specialists work to improve health outcomes in developing countries and in underserved populations around the world. They may work for government agencies, non-profit organizations, or private companies.
• Public Health Research: They design and conduct studies involving clinical trials, infectious diseases prevention, environmental health and other public health priority areas.
• Biostatisticians: who are able to analyze health-related data to determine trends and patterns of diseases. They do work in designing studies, collecting data and applying statistical techniques to interpret findings and thereafter disseminate that for health policies and interventions.
• Environmental Health Specialist: who focus on identifying and mitigating environmental factors that can impact population health. They achieve this by assessing and managing risks that are related to the environment including air, water quality, waste disposal management, food safety, occupational health and safety, among others.
• Health Administrators: who manage and coordinate health organizations and programs. They may play the role of overseeing budgets, implementing health policies and regulation compliance.
• Occupational Health and Safety Specialists: who focus on protecting workers’ health and safety in various work settings. They assess workplace hazards, and develop safety policies, carry out training and ensure compliance with regulation codes.
• Health Promotion Specialist: who develop and implement initiatives to promote healthy behaviors and lifestyles, working with communities, workplaces, to encourage behaviors such as physical activity, healthy eating, and smoking cessation.
• Health Administrators: they manage and coordinate health organizations and programs. They oversee budgets, implement policies, and ensure compliance of regulations within their oversight.