The Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) is recognized as the primary professional degree in public health. The objective of Iowa's M.P.H. program is to provide education and practical training in public health to students who will be leaders in their respective communities. The program is appropriate for individuals who already have professional experience and/or training in public health as well as for those whose expertise lies outside of public health.

Students may earn the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) as a single degree, or they may pursue one of several combined degree programs. The College of Public Health offers combined M.P.H./professional degree programs with the Carver College of Medicine and the Colleges of Law and Pharmacy. It also offers two programs in collaboration with the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University.

The Master of Public Health requires 42 s.h. of graduate credit. Students must choose one of five subprograms: community and behavioral health, epidemiology, occupational and environmental health, policy, quantitative methods, or practicing veterinarians.

Degree requirements include a core course in public health practice and in each of the five core disciplines of public health (epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health policy and management, and social and behavioral sciences), a set of content-specific required courses and electives, one interprofessional education course, an applied practice experience, and a capstone experience. Students in the epidemiology subprogram must complete a bioscience course.