Student Experience

The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health’s Executive Master of Public Health (EMPH) with an emphasis in Health Policy and Management provides a comprehensive education in an executive-style format designed for working professionals. You earn a fully-accredited MPH degree gaining real-world experience in the consulting capstone project and business plan competition. In the videos below, UCLA students provide first-hand insights into our program.

WHY DO STUDENTS PICK UCLA’S EXECUTIVE MPH PROGRAM?

“I wanted to invest in myself… to develop my understanding of public health and health management to open new opportunities.”

Pam Lowney
Chief Operating Officer
Fistula Foundation

Working professionals choose the EMPH program because it offers a comprehensive mastery of the basic tools of business, from finance, accounting, and management practice to organizational behavior, marketing, and strategy.

Whether you’re a clinician looking to move into hospital administration or a program manager wanting to gain the skills to move into the next chapter of your career, our program offers a wealth of connections and industry access to tailor the educational experience to meet one’s personal and professional needs through its extensive network with both the private and public sectors of the dynamic healthcare industry in Southern California and beyond.

HOW HAVE YOU GROWN IN THE EMPH PROGRAM?

“I now feel I have the tools, the tangible tools, to really be able to make a difference in policy and management on multiple levels. I think that has changed the way that I look at my career projection.”

Ben Olmedo
Physician Associate – Community Medicine – IMCE
Indigenous Pact PBC, Inc.

The EMPH program is a top-tier executive healthcare training program. Graduates build on their professional experience to forge new pathways in their careers. Health practitioners gain valuable finance, marketing, and business experience to lead departments and run hospitals and organizations. Public health professionals gain the skills to develop and launch groundbreaking initiatives and healthcare programs.

Many of our graduates pursue careers in policy, finance, law, education, medicine, research, and management – with titles including Health Policy Analyst, Public Health Consultant, Health Economist, Legislative Analyst, Research Scientist, Nonprofit Health Organization Director, Medical and Health Services Manager, Research and Development Manager, and Chief Executive Officer.

We often admit students into the program as practicing physicians, nurses, and lawyers who continue to elevate their careers as Nurse Managers, Medical Directors, Chief Health Officers, and more.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST REWARDING EXPERIENCE IN THE EMPH PROGRAM?

“I think the most rewarding aspect of my experience here is the relationships I was able to develop with my cohorts, with my professors, as well as extending it outwards to my social network professionally as well as personally. It’s very nice to be sitting in a room and feeling like you’re not alone–that you share these ideologies and visions of how to make this world a better place.”

Amy Truong
Acupuncturist
City of Hope

Students acquire the skills they need to master—and lead—the dynamic industry that healthcare is today.

DESCRIBE THE IN-PERSON COHORT EXPERIENCE OF THE EMPH PROGRAM.

“The in-person learning part of the program was one of the biggest draws for me. I felt it would really anchor the academic learning in a real-world context.”

Pam Lowney
Chief Operating Officer
Fistula Foundation

The 15-25 person cohort structure brings together students from diverse backgrounds into a team-based learning environment. Students attend classes twice a month on Friday and Saturday, in person on the UCLA campus, for two full years as they grow and learn from one another.

HOW HAS THE UCLA FACULTY SHAPED YOUR ACADEMIC JOURNEY?

“Not only did the faculty help guide the curriculum and your learning, they help you explore your professional insights to grow and learn, and additional professional opportunities outside of the EMPH program.”

Benjamin Olmedo
Physician Associate – Community Medicine – IMCE
Indigenous Pact PBC, Inc.

Students choose the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health because of our world-renowned faculty, including leading practitioners and researchers in the fields of public health, health services, and healthcare management. Their expertise spans clinical practice, applied research, policy analysis, entrepreneurship, and consultation at the local, national, and international level.

TELL US ABOUT THE COURSES IN UCLA’S EMPH PROGRAM.

In the first year of the program, students are immersed in the principles of public health. They are introduced to biostatistics, take a deep dive into analyzing health services systems in the U.S., and study health reform in terms of policy, research, and implementation issues. They also master healthcare financial accounting.

Between the first and second year of the program, students embark on their Summer Applied Consulting Project. With Professor Mike Galper as their advisor, they work as healthcare consultants in teams of 2-3 to develop and propose solutions to a challenge facing a particular healthcare organization.

The second year of the program provides a comprehensive overview of data analytics, healthcare strategy, healthcare marketing, healthcare finance, and leadership. Three of these courses specifically prepare students to develop a business plan during winter quarter, which they then present to a panel of guest judges. The winning team is presented with the Sinaiko Business Plan award at the Leaders of Today, Leaders of Tomorrow annual dinner in the spring. Students also participate in a mock trial as they learn about the legal environment of health services management.