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School of Public Health - Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - Overview

The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) School of Public Health (SPH) is the first and only publicly funded school of public health in Louisiana.

Its faculty of nationally and internationally recognized scholars offers academic programs that provide an opportunity for graduate study in an intellectually stimulating, culturally diverse environment.

LSUHSC SPH offers Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Science (MS), and Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) degree programs. Degree offerings by academic programs include: Behavioral and Community Health Sciences: MPH, PhD; Biostatistics: MPH, MS, PhD; Environmental and Occupational Health: MPH; Epidemiology: MPH, PhD; and Health Policy and Systems Management: MPH.

Located in downtown New Orleans, the school offers an affordable, quality educational experience of exceptional depth and breadth.

LSUHSC School of Public Health is committed to increasing diversity in public health education, research and practice by providing impartial opportunities to individuals and populations, regardless of race, ethnicity, economic status, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, political affiliation, veteran status or national origin. This commitment is reflected in the university's recruitment, admission, employment, and retention of students, faculty, and staff.

The school's engagement in numerous research grants and public health service programs creates a unique environment of professional involvement in conjunction with outstanding academic instruction. Students are enrolled in small classes with the great advantage of one-to-one interaction with the instructor. Program enrollment can accommodate both full-time study as well as part-time study for persons currently in the workforce.

graduate degree in Public Health opens doors to many career paths.

Epidemiologists study the frequency, distribution, and determinants of diseases and other health outcomes in human populations. They relate disease occurrence to different characteristics of populations and develop tools for prevention and control of disease and other disabilities.

Environmental & Occupational Health Professionals monitor and assess the quality of any exposure risks in the university's internal and external living and working environments, including threats to student and faculty health and safety from biological or chemical contaminants in air, water, soil, and food to workplace physical hazards, such as noise and radiation.

Behavioral & Community Health Scientists promote healthy lifestyles and create environments that support well-being by applying the principles of social, behavioral, and systems theory.

Health Policy & Systems Management Professionals manage health related programs, projects, clinics, and departments in government, private industry, academia, and guide the development of evidenced-based policy.

Biostatisticians help design studies and develop statistical methodology to summarize, describe, and make inferences from data collected through studies conducted in the health sciences.

Why should students choose a career in public health?

The critical role of public health in modern individuals' daily lives has seldom been more apparent as America faces challenges, such as emerging pandemics, bioterrorism, global climate change, and a healthcare system in need of restructuring guided by cogent data-based policy decisions. Health improvement in the US will be increasingly based on prevention and risk reduction programs developed by public health professionals rather than new medical treatments or cures.

In the US citizens face an aging public health workforce, a substantial proportion of which is poised to retire in the next five years. There is a pressing need to replace those leaving the public health workforce with new public health professionals ready to respond to emerging health challenges both in the US and worldwide.

Multidisciplinary training in the five core public health fields of epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health policy and systems management, and the behavioral and community health sciences -- as well as in growing areas such as informatics, bioterrorism and emergency preparedness, and health disparities -- is essential to meet such challenges. Job opportunities abound. Public health practitioners work in governmental public health agencies at the local, state, and federal levels; in not-for-profit community social and health service agencies; and in academic health centers. The ultimate goal in each of these settings is to prevent disease and promote health.