Interconnected public health challenges need integrated solutions - and the people who know how to create them. Now, a new, highly interdisciplinary master’s degree from Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health (GEOH) answers the call.
The fully online MPH features a 45-credit, 16-course curriculum that delivers the knowledge and skills that tomorrow’s public health leaders will need to deploy in communities around the world.
“Our online MPH is a one-of-a-kind degree, offering a world of public health possibility,” says Dr. Leena Malayil, program director and associate research professor in GEOH. “By integrating global, environmental and occupational health, the program prepares students to understand the interconnected factors shaping health and address complex public health challenges through a broad, interdisciplinary perspective.”
GEOH’s faculty are world-class, highly cited leaders in research on airborne pathogens, chemical and microbial contaminants in water, food-energy-water systems, global health and hazards to employee well-being in the workplace. GEOH faculty and students have addressed local to global grand challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic, the effect of wildfire smoke on vulnerable populations, global chronic disease control, and massive wastewater spills such as the one on the Potomac River in January 2026.
In the GEOH online MPH program, students will gain the skills to be nimble researchers and practitioners, solving multilayered problems. For example, how can farmers recycle purified wastewater to irrigate their crops safely, saving water resources? To solve the problem requires expertise in microbial analysis, water reuse technologies, agricultural efficiencies and worker safety, among other skills. Students will also gain knowledge in epidemiology, biostatistics, policy planning, ethics, digital health, governance, and applied practice in the field.
Students will learn to clearly communicate research to a variety of audiences, from community stakeholders to financial donors to legislators. They’ll also gain cultural humility, a critical aspect of effective collaboration with diverse communities, whether in Maryland or around the world.
"Our new online MPH degree is an exceptional opportunity for Marylanders, out-of-state students and international students alike,” says Dr. Amy Sapkota, MPower professor and chair of GEOH. “Because of our asynchronous online approach, students will have access to our outstanding faculty and programming at times that work with their schedules.”
Regardless of where students live, students will be eligible for in-state tuition rates. The flexible program enables students to complete a Master’s degree while holding jobs, raising families, and living anywhere the internet will connect students to UMD’s online learning environment.
By learning alongside global peers, students will gain perspectives on the same public health challenges from a variety of international viewpoints. The training is appropriate for a variety of career paths, including public health researchers, practitioners, administrators and consultants.
The degree will launch in Fall 2027.