Doctor of Public Health
Drive impactful change and shape health policy on a global scale.
The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program provides advanced knowledge of public health practice with an emphasis on what is required to be a competent public health leader. This program incorporates the core functions of public health with a focus on program oversight and administration. This program prepares students with a broad range of knowledge and analytical skills in leadership, policy, and program management, and is combined with a global approach to the health of the public. DrPH students will seek to improve health through the implementation of a local evidence-based doctoral project. DrPH graduates are prepared for careers in public health settings, both nationally and internationally.
The goals of the DrPH program are to prepare public health professionals and educators who emulate, demonstrate, and integrate the following characteristics and behaviors:
- Evidence-based Approaches to Public Health: Incorporate epidemiological methods, use data collection methods, and interpret results of data analysis for improvement to public health research, policy, or practice
- Public Health & Health Care Systems: Apply public health theory and evidence to create and manage projects, partnerships, programs, and institutional strategies to reduce community and individual health risks to mitigate the impact of disease within populations
- Planning & Management to Promote Health: Prioritize how health systems performance is affected by various approaches to health care organizations, health law, health workforce development, and health care financing
- Policy in Public Health: Advocate for political, social, or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations
- Leadership: Evaluate principles of leadership, governance, and management, which include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration, and guiding decision-making
- Communication: Design culturally appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation
- Interprofessional Practice: Perform effectively on interprofessional teams
- Systems Thinking: Apply systems thinking tools to public health issues to address the impact of disease within populations
Graduate Capstone
Students are required to complete a capstone project. This individualized project allows students to apply knowledge and skills acquired in their courses and real-world experiences. It is designed to promote vital assets of learning integration, synthesis, and expertise in change management and leadership.
Enjoy Flexibility– 11 online courses with program start dates every 2 weeks.
Choose Where You Learn– Online courses
Affordable Monthly Payments
Focus on Your Passion– Choose your capstone project topic
Why More Students Are Choosing Aspen
DrPH Courses
Aspen’s DrPH curriculum features 11 sequential courses designed to equip you with advanced leadership and critical thinking skills in public health. Taught by experienced educators from diverse industries, you’ll have the opportunity to apply new knowledge directly to your field through the integration of your DrPH capstone project.
View the degree plan for this program here:
-
DPH801 - Health Determinants, Disparities, Behavior & Promotion
-
DPH820 - Public Health Policy & Advocacy
-
DPH810 - Advanced Epidemiology in Public Health
-
DPH870 - Evidence-based Practice & Research Methods in Public Health
-
DPH830 - Global Public Health Education
-
DPH860 - Advanced Biostatistics in Public Health
-
DPH805 - Organizational and Systems Leadership in Public Health
-
DPH840 - Strategic Planning and Financing in Public Health
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Edition) - 9781433832185
- Strategic Management: A Competitive Advantage Approach, Concepts and Cases (17th Edition) - 9780135199978
- Public Budgeting Systems (10th Edition) - 9781284229646
- Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives - 9781071858394
-
DPH850 - Health Information Management and Informatics
-
DPH880 - Public Health & Health Education Internship
-
DPH890 - Public Health & Health Education Doctoral Capstone
This course introduces students to theories and models common to public health and health education and promotion, which are essential to promoting healthy behavior change. Individual, interpersonal, and community theories and modules are explored, as well as the most appropriate application. Students will identify health determinants and disparities and apply models and theories for promoting and designing effective health behavior programs and interventions as part of their coursework. This course will include 50 hours of practical immersion experience and a proctored exam.
4 CreditsRequired Books
This course will allow students to explore the roles health advocates assume how individuals working in public health settings might participate in advocacy strategies to affect policy. The focus is on frameworks for conceptualizing and promoting the right to health as well as strategies to give consumers more power in making decisions, defining issues, designing programs, and developing policies. Also, this course incorporates public health leadership theory and practices that are grounded in social science and sanctioned by public law. Students will also learn about the politics of communities and organizations. Advocacy is emphasized as a key tool to secure funding and to help assure that local, state, and federal policymakers will adopt, implement, and sustain important public health regulations, policies, and programs. The American Public Health Association is used as a source for identifying current legislative priorities for public health professionals. This course will include 50 hours of practical immersion experience.
4 CreditsRequired Books
The course will allow students to understand the application of survey and research methodology in epidemiology, especially in the community setting. Theoretical aspects will be taught as an integral part of understanding the techniques of study design and community survey. Concepts to be covered include measures of disease occurrence, measures of disease risk, study design, assessment of alternative explanations for data-based findings, and methods of testing or limiting alternatives. Students will be expected to address an epidemiological question of interest to them, first developing the hypothesis and conducting a literature search, then developing a study design and writing, in several stages, a brief proposal for the study. Finally, this course allows students to choose a doctoral project capstone topic, assemble a project committee, and begin to focus on the development of the study design with input from the student’s assigned faculty mentor. This course will include 50 hours of practical immersion experience and completion of Chapter 1 of the DrPH project manuscript.
4 CreditsRequired Books
The course covers evidence-based practice and advanced research methodologies training for professionals utilized in public health. Students will learn about the steps of scientific research. The course includes the formulation of a research problem; selection of methods and study designs for a research project. These topics will be discussed in detail in the context of critically reviewing literature and peer-reviewed articles to support evidence-based practice in public health. This course will include 50 hours of practical immersion experience and completion of Chapter 2 of the DrPH project manuscript.
4 CreditsRequired Books
The course provides a survey of the field of global health, including health conditions, resources, and programs. Additional topics include the application of the principles of public health to health problems of countries around the world and global forces that affect health and health education. Topics covered include tobacco control, climate change, and environmental health; infectious and chronic diseases; infant mortality; women’s health; occupational health issues; and human rights and ethics in global health and interventions. This course is designed to help students critically think about how to apply key concepts and skills that intersect with health behavior and health education to understand global health issues and analyze international health systems. Lastly, this course provides an overview of the structures and roles of international organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) in global health, as well as the concepts of global health architecture and global health security. Other topics include global health economics and financing, global health determinants of disease and health, global health care and public health innovations, and health care and public health systems evaluation. This course will include CITI Training, IRB application submission, and 50 hours of practical immersion experience.
4 CreditsRequired Books
This course will introduce students to a variety of surveys of data and data types. Specific topics include tools for describing central tendency and variability in data; methods for performing inference on population means and proportions via sample data; statistical hypothesis testing and its application to group comparisons; issues of power and sample size in study designs; and random sample and other study types. While there are some formulae and computational elements to the course, the emphasis is on data calculation and interpretation with codebooks, as well as the visualization of data. This course will include 50 hours of practical immersion experience, a proctored exam, and completion of Chapter 3 of the DrPH project manuscript. This course requires the rental of IBM® SPSS® Statistics Base GradPack.
4 CreditsRequired Books
This course will examine public health leadership theoretical frameworks, models, and paradigms that impact organizations and health care delivery systems, including primary care delivery systems that focus on health promotion and health education. This course will focus on organizational behavior and systems leadership. Students will explore personal and professional leadership development, knowledge, and skills required for advanced public health practice in various organizations and systems. An emphasis will focus on advanced public health practitioner roles in leadership, research, quality improvement, managing the business of health care, financing of health, including grant writing, and the economics of implementing organization and system change to improve culturally sensitive health care in diverse practice settings and with diverse populations. This course will include 50 hours of practical immersion experience.
4 CreditsRequired Books
This course examines the theory and practice of strategic planning and financial management in health services and focuses on public and private organizations. The application of specific principles, concepts, and techniques of strategic planning and management for these different types of organizations will be addressed. The roles and responsibilities of public health and health services administrators in developing, implementing, monitoring, and revising strategy will also be examined, including vulnerable populations. Students will be introduced to the characteristics and features of public budgets and how population health is impacted. Also, students will be introduced to how the theories and models of economics can be applied to the study of health and health care. This course will include 50 hours of practical immersion experience and completion of Chapter 4 of the DrPH project manuscript.
4 CreditsRequired Books
This course presents the knowledge, infrastructure, functions, and tools of health informatics. It explores technology, data, planning, management, and applications in public health and health care, including the support of vulnerable populations. The emphasis is on conceptual frameworks as well as a deeper level of engagement with system applications. It focuses on the application of health technology. It is designed to familiarize students with core concepts and issues confronting public health professionals associated with the planning, implementation, and evaluation of information systems. The course provides an overview of the theory, processes, and applications of information systems and how they relate to health policy and management. It also provides an understanding of data standards and requirements, and the critical concepts and practices in mapping and interpreting health information. This course will include 50 hours of practical immersion experience.
4 CreditsRequired Books
The purpose of this course is to provide all students with an applied, scholarly, and mutually beneficial experience in a public health practice setting that utilizes their knowledge, skills, and use of theoretical frameworks in public health. This experience augments the academic coursework, meets community needs, and provides students with an opportunity to integrate and apply public health competencies. Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of public health principles, values, and practice. All partner organizations must be approved by Aspen University. Applied practice experiences may involve governmental, non-governmental, non-profit, industrial, and for-profit settings or appropriate university-affiliated settings. To be appropriate for applied practice experience activities, university-affiliated settings must be primarily focused on community engagement, typically with external partners. This course will include 120 hours of internship experience, and the student will complete Chapter 5 of the DrPH Project manuscript.
4 CreditsRequired Books
The purpose of this individualized learning experience is to enable you to summarize the original comprehensive public health capstone project completed throughout the program. This capstone is intended to be the opportunity to defend your doctoral project and disseminate your findings of the substantial original applied project of your own authorship, and is intended to encourage the application of theories, principles, and processes that you have studied in the DrPH graduate courses to an actual public health-related problem. The students will defend their DrPH Capstone Project and complete a Proctored Exam during this course.
2 CreditsRequired Books
“Aspen’s flexible format and supportive community reignited my confidence.” – Amanda M.
Cost & Time to Completion
The Best Fit for Working Adults
We understand the difficulties in pursuing your doctoral degree when you have a demanding work schedule. The 8-week courses at Aspen University allow you to complete your program in as little as 2 years.
Our Monthly Payment Plan Makes Us Different.
Paying for your degree shouldn’t be complicated. Our Monthly Payment Plan makes it easy for working students to finance their education.
Tuition Rates
| $31,080 | Tuition |
| $7,175 | Fees |
| $1,000 |
Estimated
Textbook
Costs
|
| $39,255 | |
Other Ways to Finance Your Degree
Students who have served, or are currently serving in the United States Military and their legal spouses are eligible to receive a Military Affiliation Discount from Aspen University.
Aspen University maintains employee tuition discount partnerships with a large and growing number of organizations. Tell your enrollment advisor where you work and ask them to check for you prior to enrolling.
Aspen offers several payment plans for students to fund their education.
- Zaria B.
Admission Requirements
Application – A completed application; Aspen does not charge an application fee
Master’s Degree – Official Transcript demonstrating a master’s degree from an institution that is accredited by a CHEA recognized accrediting body or an international equivalent; applicants must have earned at least a 3.0 GPA in their master’s program (see Catalog for more information).
Government-Issued Photo Identification – Identification must be valid, current, and legible.
The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program at Aspen University is designed to prepare graduates for senior leadership roles in public health practice, policy, and administration. This terminal professional degree equips students with advanced analytical, leadership, and strategic management skills essential for addressing complex public health challenges. The program’s applied focus, including a practice-based dissertation and experiential learning, enables graduates to immediately influence population health outcomes at the organizational, community, and global levels.
Employment in public health-related leadership roles is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market for medical and health services managers—a common career path for DrPH graduates—is projected to grow 29% from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations. Other public health leadership roles, such as policy advisors, program directors, and public health consultants, are in high demand due to rising health equity concerns, global health threats, environmental issues, and the ongoing need for effective public health infrastructure.
According to recent data:
- The average salary for DrPH holders in the U.S. is approximately $118,000 annually, with higher earning potential in executive roles and major metropolitan areas.
- Salaries vary by state, with averages ranging from $97,980 in Florida to $159,240 in Washington State.
- Employment sectors include government agencies, international health organizations, healthcare systems, universities, and nonprofit organizations.
Graduates of the DrPH program are well-positioned for high-impact roles such as:
- Public Health Director – Leads public health departments and oversees community-wide health initiatives.
- Health Policy Advisor – Develops, analyzes, and advocates for public health policies at state, federal, or international levels.
- Global Health Consultant – Designs and evaluates global health programs for organizations such as the WHO and UNICEF.
- Public Health Professor or Academic Dean – Educates the next generation of public health professionals and leads academic initiatives.
- Chief Health Strategist – Partners with community stakeholders to implement evidence-based health strategies.
A DrPH degree offers not only job stability and competitive salaries but also the opportunity to drive systemic change and improve population health outcomes. As the field continues to evolve, DrPH graduates will play a pivotal role in shaping public health systems and policies both locally and globally.
Average Annual Salary for DrPH holders
$118,000
Data pulled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Spring 2025. Salary can vary widely depending on geographical location and role.
DrPH Frequently Asked Questions
-
What is the DrPH degree?
-
How does the DrPH differ from a PhD in Public Health degree?
-
What roles does the DrPH program prepare graduates for?
-
Is an MPH degree required for program acceptance?
-
How long is the DrPH program?
The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) is a professional doctoral degree designed to prepare public health leaders who apply evidence-based research, policy, and practice to improve population health and health systems.
The DrPH focuses on leadership, practice, and application of public health knowledge to real-world problems, while the PhD emphasizes original research and theory development.
DrPH graduates are ready for leadership roles such as public health directors, health policy advisors, program administrators, nonprofit executives, academic leaders, and consultants across healthcare, government, nonprofit, and community sectors.
No, an MPH degree is not required; applicants with a relevant master’s degree.
The DrPH program is designed to be completed in 24 months.