Graduate Certificates and Concurrent Degrees

Graduate Certificate Programs

In addition to our regular degree programs, our department offers two transcripted graduate certificate programs.

The Graduate Certificate in One Health

This certificate program emphasizes the linkages and integration between human, animal, and environmental health. Specific areas of emphasis include zoonotic diseases, the human animal bond, integrated approaches to human, animal, and environmental risk and outcome data, and human animal medicine (including clinical comparative medicine). The Graduate Certificate in One Health is intended to enhance the education of current UW graduate students and professional students beyond their regular course of study. The program requires a minimum of 15 credits of coursework and includes a capstone project. More information about this certificate program can be found here.

The Graduate Certificate in Climate Change and Health

This 15-credit certificate program explores how human activity is driving global environmental changes, including climate change, ozone depletion, biodiversity loss, nitrogen fertilization, and ocean acidification. Students in this certificate program will be introduced to these changes and their consequences for human health and well-being, with a focus on climate change and its consequences. The curriculum includes required courses in climate change and health and climate science; at least two electives outside the student’s primary discipline; and a capstone experience tailored to the student’s interests.The Capstone Experience provides a mentored opportunity to explore a climate and health topic more deeply and experience an interdisciplinary approach to the characterization or management of a climate and health concern. The program is open to current students in any UW graduate program. More information about this certificate program can be found here.

Concurrent Degrees

Concurrent degrees offer a way for a student to earn two degrees at the same time. Formal concurrent degree programs, approved by the Graduate School, identify overlapping courses or other program requirements which may be redundant in order to shorten the total time required to earn both degrees. This expedited course schedule typically means that students can complete two concurrent master’s degrees in three years rather than four. Students typically focus on fulfilling the course requirements for one degree in their first year and the other degree in their second year. The third year is spent completing any remaining requirements and writing a thesis designed to satisfy both degree programs’ requirements. Both degrees are usually awarded at the same time, following successful completion of all coursework and the thesis requirement. Faculty from both programs are involved in curricular decisions, student advising, and directing research thesis experiences.

Our department offers three formal concurrent degree programs: the MS/MPA (Master of Public Administration) and the MPH/MPA, both with the Evans School of Public Policy and Government, and the MPH/MUP (Master of Urban Planning) with the Department of Urban Design and Planning in the College of Built Environments. 

Concurrent MPH & MUP Degree Program

The built environment, and the policies and design that define our urban landscapes, are crucial determinants of population health. Many issues such as walkability, public transportation, housing, access to healthy food, injury prevention, air and water quality, sanitation, social connectedness, health disparities, and environmental justice are influenced by planning decisions and affect the health of the public, especially people living in metropolitan areas. By 2050, it is estimated that 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. This rapid pace of global urbanization and need for sustainable community development calls for individuals with cross-disciplinary training in the fields of urban planning and public health.

More information about the MPH/MUP concurrent degree is available on the Department of Urban Design and Planning website. A flyer with more information about the program is also available here.

Concurrent MPH or MS & MPA Degree Program

There is an increasing need for leaders in public, private, and nonprofit arenas who can synthesize the complex worlds of science, management, and policy. Political and environmental issues have become so important, and the science so complex, that such leadership requires a breadth of knowledge across policy, science, and public health. The MS/MPH and MPA concurrent degree programs train students interested in environmental and occupational health as well as public policy and management to work effectively across these disciplines. Students in these programs complete coursework in economic theory, health services, behavioral sciences, and statistical methods. 

More information about the MPH or MS and MPA concurrent degree programs is available on the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance website.

Applying to a Concurrent Degree Program

Prospective students not currently enrolled at the University of Washington must submit a separate application for and be accepted by each degree program. Because this requires two separate applications, it also requires two application fees. UW students who are already enrolled in one of the two degrees must submit an application for the second degree, indicating their intent to complete both degrees concurrently.

Step 1, Review Prerequisites for Each Program: Review the admissions requirements for the MS or MPH degree program and the MPA or MUP program to ensure that you are eligible to apply.

Step 2, Submit Both Online Applications: Follow application instructions for both the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences as well as the department offering the second degree (either the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance or the Department of Urban Design and Planning).