Harpur-MPH 4+1 Program

Complete a bachelor's degree (BA or BS) degree at Harpur College and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at Decker College in just five years

  • Save time: Earn your master’s degree in one year instead of two.
  • Save money: Pay graduate tuition for only one year.
  • Take advantage of the value: Binghamton offers a top-notch education at a state university tuition.
  • Strengthen your marketability: Graduate degrees hone job-related skills in communications, research methods, data analysis, teamwork and big-picture thinking — skills sought by employers worldwide.
  • Increase your earning potential: Salaries for people holding master’s degrees are on average $10,000 higher than for those with bachelor’s degrees.

The Hapur/Master of Public Health 4+1 program allows you to take undergraduate classes for your first three years. In your fourth year, you combine bachelor- and master-level courses into your schedule and graduate with your bachelor’s degree. In your fifth year, you are admitted to the Graduate School and focus solely on the coursework to complete your master’s degree.

The Harpur/MPH 4+1 is open to students in any undergraduate major at Binghamton's Harpur College of Arts and Sciences.

Curriculum plan

Below is a sample curriculum plan for the Harpur BA-MPH 4+1 program. For a printer-friendly version of the plan, visit our Google drive. If you have questions, contact the MPH program director.

  • Harpur-MPH 4+1
    Term 5
    Major 6 4 credits
    Major 7 4 credits
    Major 8 4 credits
    Major 9 4 credits
    Wellness/physical activity (B) 2 credits
    Total credits this term 18
    Term 6  
    Major 10 4 credits
    Major 11 4 credits
    Major 12 4 credits
    Major 13 4 credits
    Total credits this term 16
    Term 7  
    Major 14 4 credits
    Major 15 4 credits
    PH 501: Experiential Public Health I 1 credit
    PH 510: Foundations of Public Health 2 credits
    PH 512: Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health 3 credits
    PH 520: Epidemiology I: Basic Principles and Methods 3 credits
    Total credits this term 17
    Term 8  
    Major 16 4 credits
    Major 17 4 credits
    PH 502: Experiential Public Health II 1 credit
    PH 515: Introduction to Biostatistics 3 credits
    PH 517: Public Health Biology 2 credits
    Elective sequence course I** 3 credits
    Total credits this term 17 
    Term 9  
    PH 503: Experiential Public Health III 1 credit
    PH 518: Environmental Health 3 credits
    PH 524: Program Planning and Evaluation 2 credits
    PH 525: Epidemiology II: Case Applications 3 credits
    PH 598: Population health Internship practicum/capstone project 3 credits
    Elective sequence course II** 3 credits
    Total credits this term 15

    Term 10

     

    PH 522: Health Policy, Finance and Management* 

    3 credits

    PH 552: Topics in Population Health 

    3 credits
    PH 598: Population health Internship practicum/capstone project 6 credits
    Elective sequence course III** 3 credits
    Total credits this term 15

    *PH 522 is to be taken in term 8 for students who have met their major requirements OR who have only one major requirement to be taken in term 8

    **Approved elective sequences: population health, disaster management, forensic health

     
    TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED FOR MASTER'S 48

Admissions process and timeline

It’s best to start thinking about applying to the Harpur-MPH 4+1 program early. You must inquire about pre-admission by your junior year so you can enroll in master’s classes your senior year.

Junior year

  • You must have completed a majority of your undergraduate major requirements and all or a majority of general education requirements 
  • You must have a minimum 3.5 GPA in your undergraduate major and a minimum 3.2 GPA overall, or a 3.5 GPA overall
  • Indicate your interest in the Harpur-MPH 4+1 program and meet with Regina Alfieri, director of undergraduate student services, CCPA (ralfieri@binghamton.edu)

After your meeting, you will be instructed to submit the documents below:

  • Personal statement (2-3 double-spaced pages) describing why you're intrested in the program 
  • Current résumé
  • 2 letters of recommendation from a University faculty member or instructor

Senior year (if accepted for pre-admission)

  • You will be able to register for MPH courses during the first semester of your senior year
  • During your senior year (88+ undergraduate credits), you must formally apply to the Graduate School and submit the online application, application fee and all required application materials, including any required letters of recommendation

For more information about the 4+1 program

Important into about COVID vaccines

Students entering MPH programs are required to complete fieldwork experiences. If the fieldwork experience occurs in a healthcare agency, specific COVID vaccination requirements must be met. At this time, and for the foreseeable future, all New York state healthcare agencies require that all employees (including students completing fieldwork experiences) be fully vaccinated for COVID.  These agencies don't allow religious exemptions and have very narrow guidelines for medical exemptions. Any religious exemption granted by Binghamton University applies only to the University setting; it does not apply to off-campus affiliated activities such as fieldwork placements within Department of Health (DOH) regulated agencies. Students should be aware that if their fieldwork is in a DOH-regulated facility, they will need to comply with the facility’s COVID vaccination requirements or they will not be allowed to complete their fieldwork at these agencies. In those cases, students will need to seek an alternative location for their fieldwork.