American University of Beirut

Applicants for graduate study in the MPH program may be considered for admission in one of the following categories:

Graduate

Candidates qualify for this category if they: (a) hold a bachelor’s degree from AUB or an equivalent degree from another recognized institution with a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 and a GPA of at least 3.3 or its equivalent in the major field of study, (b) hold a graduate degree from AUB or another recognized institution with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or its equivalent. 

On a case-by-case basis, applicants to the program may be admitted to this category if the GPA in the major field of study is between 3.0 and 3.3, provided their cumulative GPA is at least 3.3.

When only a cumulative GPA is available, applicants will qualify for this category if their average is 3.3 or more.

On a case-by-case basis, applicants to the program with major and/or cumulative GPA between 3.0 and 3.3, who have sufficient and significant work experience, may be admitted to this category upon recommendation of the department and approval by the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC).

Spring/mid-year admissions are accepted on a case-by-case basis if places are available. Students admitted at mid-year may only register as part-timers.

Graduate on Probation

Candidates qualify for this category if they hold a bachelor’s degree from AUB or an equivalent degree from another recognized institution with an undergraduate major and cumulative GPA between 3.0 and 3.3.

When only a cumulative GPA is available, applicants will qualify for this category if their average is between 3.0 and 3.3.

Special Student Not Working for a Degree

On exceptional basis either upon the recommendation of the department or based on the public health experience of the applicant, those with a cumulative GPA below 3.0 can be considered for admission as a non-degree graduate student. The concerned department has to provide the GSC with a clear justification for its recommendation. However, applicants who are considering admission to the MPH program should also have a relevant and sufficient work experience to be considered for admission as special students.

A student registered as special not working for a degree graduate student can register for a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 12 core and concentration credits in the relevant department and must obtain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.7 in the registered courses to be considered for admission to the MPH program. The average of all completed courses will be evaluated for admission into the MPH along with the undergraduate average and public health experience.

Selection Criteria

Applicants to the MPH program must specify the area of concentration of their choice by priority on the application form. Admission into the concentration areas within the MPH program is based on the following criteria:

Other factors taken into consideration include background diversity (prior degree and previous academic institution), geographic diversity, years and type of work experience, personal statement, recommendation letters, and interview when applicable.

MPH is a competency-based program where students are assessed on each foundational and concentration knowledge component and competency at least once.

Students must demonstrate that they have satisfied the minimum level of requirements in order to graduate from the program.

To be eligible for graduation in the MPH program, students must accomplish the following:

Credit requirements for the MPH program are tabulated below:​

Full-time students must carry a minimum load of 12 credits per term. Students can register for up to 18 credits per term. Students who wish to register for more than 18 credits must petition the Graduate Studies Committee for approval. Part-time students must carry a minimum load of 4 credits per term. Students who wish to register for less than 4 credits must get the registration adviser’s approval to ensure that their residency does not exceed the maximum of four years as per AUB policy. These students must petition the Graduate Studies Committee for approval.

All MPH students are required to satisfactorily complete a 300-hour practical experience as part of the MPH program. The Practicum consists of 2-credit-hours of public health practice which students are expected to register for upon completion of all core and concentration courses. In exceptional circumstances, part-time students working full-time who wish to complete their practicum hours over two terms may petition to do so. Students are allowed to register for the Practicum in the same term with only one core and/or concentration course along with the Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) II course (as long as the course not yet taken does not consist of material needed to effectively undertake the activities of the practicum). To be allowed to register for a concentration course along with the practicum, the students need to seek the approval of the concerned department.

The MPH program has three options for concentration, which are Epidemiology and Biostatistics (EPBS), Health Promotion and Community Health (HPCH), and Health Management and Policy (HMP). Every year, a quota for admissions is set for each. Students are accepted into the program in a particular concentration area. Students may petition to transfer to another area of concentration. Petitions are reviewed in current and prospective departments in light of student academic performance, justification for transfer and implications on the quota. The final decision is made by the Graduate Studies Committee. Students cannot transfer to another concentration before the grades of the first term of enrolment in the current concentration are released.

Some graduate courses may be exempted for students, if the student has acquired the relevant knowledge components and satisfactorily completed the requirements of every competency.

Procedure for exemption:

No exemption is granted from the practicum experience. The Practicum must be completed while students are enrolled in the MPH program with no exceptions. However, a partial waiver of hours can be granted on a case-by-case basis. Students with the required level of experience prior to joining the MPH program may request a partial waiver to complete 150 hours of practicum work (instead of 300 hours), if they offer enough evidence of fulfilment of the practicum waiver criteria. Students who have a minimum of four years of full-time, relevant, and documented public health work experience prior to joining the MPH program, are eligible to apply for a partial waiver of 150 practicum hours. This experience should match a minimum of two core and one concentration competencies of the MPH program.

Students granted partial waiver register for a 1-credit practicum course (HMPD/HPCH/EPHD 366). The waived practicum credit should be replaced with a one-credit elective.

Transfer of Credits from One Master’s Degree to Another

A transfer of credits may be considered when the student has satisfactorily completed a graduate course with a minimum grade of B+ or equivalent at a recognized university. Credits counted towards another graduate degree at AUB or another institution cannot be transferred if they have already been used to satisfy requirements for another awarded graduate degree. In this case, students might be considered for exemption from a course but not credits. The transferred credits are accepted after seeking approval of the course instructor. The approval of the Graduate Studies Committee is required for all transfer credits.

Transfer of Credits from a Graduate Diploma Program

Transfer of course credits from graduate academic and professional diploma programs at AUB to a graduate degree program is allowed following the academic rules and regulations specified by the university. The number of course credits that can be transferred is up to 12 for graduate academic diplomas and up to 6 for graduate professional diplomas. In addition, only graduate-level courses in which the applicant earned an equivalent grade of B+ or above can be transferred. The approval of the Graduate Studies Committee is required for all transfer credits.

Transfer of Credits from Joint Graduate Programs

Transfer of credits from graduate programs that are jointly offered with FHS at AUB is possible before the completion of the degree in the event that the student wants to change major. The number of credits that can be transferred from joint programs cannot exceed 12 credits of comparable courses at FHS. However, the maximum number of transferable credits from non-CEPH accredited programs is 6 core or concentration credits. The approval of the Graduate Studies Committee is required for all transfer credits. Request for transfer of credits for MPH/MS students is only possible if the student has completed the course within the previous 5 years of the transfer request date.

Procedure for transferring credits

To transfer credits, the candidate submits a course equivalence petition through the online petition system and attaches the following official documents after consulting with the academic and registration advisers:

For transfer of credits, the Graduate Officer verifies that the transferring university has comparable academic standards to those of the American University of Beirut.

The instructor of the specific course reviews the syllabus and recommends the equivalence of the course.

The online petition passes through a chain of approvals until the final decision is taken by the Graduate Studies Committee.

Placement on Probation

Students can be placed on academic probation if they fail to make normal progress towards the degree. The academic performance of the student is first evaluated by the department upon completion of the first 9 credits of coursework towards the degree and then is evaluated every term.

Part-timers can only be evaluated after completion of at least 9 credits. Their cumulative GPA is evaluated whenever a minimum of 9 credits is completed.

Students are placed on probation if one of the following occurs:

Removal of Probation

Dismissal from the Program

A student on probation may be dismissed upon the recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee if one of the following occurs:

​GSC will make their decisions based on all the above points.

All newly admitted graduate students are required to successfully complete an online course on Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) from the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program). The course “covers core norms, principles, regulations, and rules governing the practice of research.” It consists of the following modules: research misconduct, data management, authorship, peer review, mentoring, using animal subjects in research, conflicts of interest, collaborative research and research involving human subjects. FHS requires the completion of the following additional two modules, social and behavioral responsible conduct of research course, as well as students - class projects.

The Master of Public Health (MPH) curriculum is composed of three principal elements which include core courses, concentration courses and public health experience courses. Core courses emphasize critical public health competencies. Concentration courses provide students with an opportunity to specialize in a chosen discipline of public health. The public health experience courses provide an opportunity to practice the knowledge and skills acquired from the coursework (core and concentration courses) into hands-on experience that is then synthesized and linked to core and concentration competencies.

Students enrolled in the MPH program may choose to specialize in one of three different disciplines of public health which are epidemiology and biostatistics, health promotion and community health, and health management and policy.

A. Epidemiology and Biostatistics (EPBS)​

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