MPH for Practicing Veterinarians

The University of Iowa College of Public Health, in collaboration with the  College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University, offers a primarily distance-based Master of Public Health Program.  The program is designed for practicing veterinarians looking for a career change or to enhance their ability to become board certified in Veterinary Preventive Medicine. The MPH will provide veterinarians with new opportunities in local, state, and federal health, agricultural and environmental agencies, colleges and universities, the private sector food industry, the military, and international public health organizations.

Examples of careers include:

  • State and Assistant State Public Health Veterinarian
  • Public Health Advisor
  • USPHS Commissioned Corps
  • ACVPM-NAVLE Item Writing Committee at National Board of Medical Examiners
  • Veterinary Medical Officer (Epidemiology) USDA/APHIS

Program Eligibility:

  • Degree in Veterinary Medicine from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited college of veterinary medicine or comparable training
  • International applicants who hold DVM (or equivalent) from NON-US institutions will be required to take the PAVE certification unless they also hold a license to practice veterinary medicine in the United States

Please note:

  • Application details can be found here.
  • The cost of the program is approximately $40,000. This includes tuition and housing for the time spent on campus.
  • A typical student begins the program in the summer session and completes the MPH requirements in two years. The following is a sample plan of study. As this program is flexible, if you need to modify the schedule, you will work with your advisor to create a plan of completion that works best for you.
  • Please contact Lexie Just (lexie-just@uiowa.edu), Associate Director of Admissions and Recruitment, with questions and/or to set up a Zoom meeting to discuss the program.
Course No.Course nameHours
 Summer Year 19 s.h.
EPID:5570Zoonotic Diseases (1-week in-person)3 s.h.
OEH:6110Rural Health and Agricultural Medicine (online summer 21)3 s.h.
CPH:5100Intro to Public Health (online)3 s.h.
 Fall Year 16 s.h.
CBH:4105Intro to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (online)3 s.h.
BIOS:4120Intro to Biostatistics (online)3 s.h.
 Spring Year 16 s.h.
EPID:4400Epidemiology I: Principles (online)3 s.h.
OEH:4240Global Environmental Health (online)3 s.h.
 Summer Year 29 s.h.
EPID:5300Food Safety (1-week in person)3 s.h.
EPID:5470Applied Veterinary Epidemiology/Biostatistics (online summer 21)3 s.h.
HMP:4000Intro to the US Healthcare System (online)3 s.h.
 Fall Year 26 s.h.
EPID:5200Public Health Informatics (online)3 s.h.
CPH:6700Public Health Emergency Preparedness (online)3 s.h.
 Spring Year 26 s.h.
EPID:5550Diagnostic Microbiology for Epidemiology (online)3 s.h.
CPH:7800MPH Practicum3 s.h.
 MPH degree total42 s.h.
AreaHours
MPH Core18 s.h.
MPH Required21 s.h.
MPH Practicum3 s.h.
Total42 s.h.