An option for Ph.D. students in clinical psychology is to concurrently pursue the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in the Graduate School of Public Health.  Students jointly enrolled must first be accepted into the clinical psychology program and then apply for admission into public health.  For the MPH degree, students must complete all required core classes as well as requirements for a particular specialization (Epidemiology, or Health Promotion and Behavioral Science).  Subsequent to coursework, MPH candidates generally complete a final project as well. This final project is most often a first-authored publication that has not been used to meet any other requirement.  This project must be approved and accepted by a separate MPH committee.

The MPH option will add coursework and a thesis requirement to the student’s program.  The procedure for this option is to discuss the matter first with the student’s guidance committee to be sure that the MPH fits with the overall education/career goals.

Students must formally apply for admission to the SDSU School of Public Health (SPH), BEFORE more than 6 units of SPH courses are taken, in order to pursue the Master of Public Health (MPH). Acceptance is decided by the SDSU School of Public Health (SPH). To initiate the application process, please follow the steps outlined below.

Steps to Apply to the SDSU School of Public Health (SPH) to pursue the MPH Degree:
  1. Fill in the top portion of the MPH Recommendation Form (following the prompts), then sign and date.
    • NOTE: Please do not complete this fillable PDF in Preview.
  2. Send the completed form to your JDP Mentor to sign and date approving your request.
  3. Send the completed and signed form to your JDP Co-Mentor to sign and date approving your request (if applicable).
  4. Send the completed and signed form to the SDSU JDP Co-Director and copy the SDSU Program Coordinator to sign and date approving your request.
  5. The SDSU Program Coordinator will then send the approved form and required admission documents (as outlined in the form) to the School of Public Health (SPH) for their review.
    • NOTE: For students interested in the Health Promotion and Behavioral Science concentration, you will also need to write a short description (up to one page) to be sent with your required admission documents, describing why you are choosing this as your concentration and your interests to make sure it is a good fit.

Proposed Requirements and Course of Study with Concentration in Epidemiology (please contact the SDSU Program Coordinator)

Proposed Requirements and Course of Study with Concentration in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science (please contact the SDSU Program Coordinator)

PLEASE NOTE: Students must complete all required coursework for the MPH degree BEFORE leaving for internship.  Also, it is not permissible to graduate with two different degrees in the same semester. Therefore, the latest a student would be allowed to graduate with the MPH degree is during the Fall semester of the internship year.

Updated 05/10/2023