Media Contact
Sam Fahmy
Director of Communications
School of Public Health
[email protected]
ATLANTA — The Georgia State University School of Public Health is increasing opportunities for students to earn degrees that improve the health and well-being of populations through the launch of several new online Master of Public Health concentrations.
Beginning in fall 2025, all six of the school’s MPH concentrations will be available as completely online options: Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Environmental Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management and Health Promotion and Behavior. The school also will launch a Graduate Certificate in Applied Biostatistics, available on campus and online.
“Eliminating barriers that prevent students from enrolling in our programs is a key priority in the Georgia State School of Public Health,” said Dean Rodney Lyn. “Through our online MPH concentrations and our new Graduate Certificate in Applied Biostatistics, we are significantly expanding learning opportunities for students and helping meet national and global workforce needs.”
Flexibility, Excellence and Affordability
Claire Spears, interim associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Public Health, noted that students in Georgia State’s MPH program have the flexibility to enroll in both in-person and online classes. Online courses are designed and taught by the same faculty who teach on campus, giving students access to professors with expertise in research and experience in agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization. She added that as a public institution, Georgia State is dedicated to both excellence and affordability.
School of Public Health students who take online courses have access to the same networking and career support services available to students taking in-person courses.
To facilitate networking and collaboration among students, individual online courses can include discussion forums, group projects and team-building activities like interactive online or hybrid orientation events.
“Our online courses and programs draw on the expertise of our faculty as well as a team of multimedia developers and learning experience developers, designers, technologists and analysts from GSU’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Online Education,” Spears said. “They deliver the quality that people have come to expect from a Georgia State School of Public Health education and the flexibility that working professionals are looking for.”
Career Outlook
Public health degree holders are in high demand at federal and state agencies, healthcare organizations, academic institutions, private companies and nonprofit organizations.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for biostatisticians is nearly $105,000, and employer demand is projected to increase by 11 percent in the coming years. The median annual salary for epidemiologists is $81,000, with 19 percent projected growth. Data from ZipRecruiter shows a nearly $89,000 average salary for health communications specialists. Additional information on public health career paths is available at the GSU School of Public Health’s careers page.