The public health graduate program at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work at Florida International University has been recognized as the 44th best in the nation among public universities by U.S. News & World Report.
Leaping five spots from last year, the Stempel College program is quickly moving up in the rankings for the outstanding academic experience it offers master’s and Ph.D. students.
“Our dedicated faculty and students are working to make a difference in everyday lives and advance health for all with purpose and passion,” says Dean Tomás R. Guilarte. “Our faculty work closely with students in the classroom, the community, and the laboratory so that we turn out professionals ready to make a difference. We attract a diverse group of graduate students who learn from the best and leave with the skills and knowledge to accomplish great things.”
Currently 300 students are enrolled in the graduate program in specializations that include environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health policy and management, health promotion and disease prevention, and biostatistics. New enrollment in the MPH increased by 98 percent this year (2020-2021), the largest incoming class ever enrolled. Notably, the program’s online MPH is ranked among the top ten nationally by PublicHealth.org.
Among its high-profile alumni are researchers at the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Miami-Dade and Broward county departments of health, and Baptist Health South Florida.
At a time when public health has taken the spotlight, educating young people to grow into leadership roles remains critical, Guilarte says, and the Stempel graduate program is committed to getting them there.
“Never has the need for well-prepared public health professionals been greater,” Guilarte states. “Our graduates contribute in every facet of public health. They exhibit the desire, the ability and the will to improve the wellbeing of communities everywhere and to ensure the health and safety of society. The training they receive here will serve them throughout their futures and allow them to make the world better for all of us.”