Accelerated Master of Public Health

The Accelerated Bachelor's to Master’s in Public Health program prepares qualified students for graduate work leading to both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Public Health.

Application to the Accelerated M.P.H. Degree Program

An applicant for the Master of Public Health under the Accelerated Master's path must be a University of Arkansas undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor's degree in Public Health (Pre-PBHLBS or PBHLBS), and must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.5 when applying. Applications are due fall of the student’s junior year (i.e., fifth semester) or during the semester in which they will complete at least 75 credit hours of coursework. The M.P.H. home page lists deadlines.

Entry to the program allows students to take the following M.P.H. classes as an undergraduate student.

Admission is competitive, and all prospective students who apply through the Accelerated Master's program are evaluated by the Public Health Program faculty using a variety of factors including GPA and resume/curriculum vitae. GRE scores are not required to apply to the M.P.H. program through the Accelerated Master's path.

Courses Completed during the Final 3 Semesters

Accelerated Master's students may take up to 15 hours of graduate coursework — 5000 and 6000-level coursework) — in the last three academic regular semesters (fall and spring) of their undergraduate degree that will be counted toward both the B.S. and M.P.H. degrees.

The required courses and timing of completion are:

  • PBHL 55603 — in lieu of PBHL 36403 — spring junior year
  • NURS 50633 and PBHL 55303 — in lieu of PBHL 32002 and PBHL 46003, respectively — fall senior year
  • PBHL 56103 and PBHL 5740V — in lieu of PBHL 46103 and PBHL 40403, respectively — spring senior year

Upon completion of the B.S. degree (including the graduate courses), the Accelerated Master's students who have at least an average 3.0 GPA in PBHL graduate courses will be accepted by the program faculty into the Public Health M.P.H. degree program after admittance into the University of Arkansas Graduate School.