Degree Programs

The PFMH offers a series of classes as a part of the Department of Population and Family Health. Additional information about our curriculum can be found on our Curriculum page.

For MPH students in the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health and in the Department of Epidemiology, our program offers a certificate focus in Public Health and Humanitarian Action. Upon graduation, our students are prepared to work effectively in natural disasters, complex emergencies, and post-conflict settings. Taking a pragmatic, interdisciplinary, and human rights-based approach, the program equips graduates with the skills necessary to gather, analyze, and disseminate knowledge needed to implement health-related programs and systems in humanitarian settings. More information about the certificate can be found on the school’s certificate pages.

The MS program in the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health is for individuals who have started their careers. It is designed to be flexible, tailored to the needs of individual students, and specifically intended to augment each student's professional skills and experience. In addition to gaining technical skills, students can specialize in forced migration and humanitarian action.

The Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health offers a DrPH in Leadership in Global Health and Humanitarian Systems. This innovative program combines on-site formal classes, remote learning, and field-based research to produce graduates with the skills, knowledge, and drive to take on leadership roles in the field of global health and humanitarian response. The program structure equips participants with strong research and measurement capacities and supports their practical application to ‘on-the-ground’ realities of humanitarian aid and global health practice. Drawing extensively on the expertise and field engagement of professors from the Heilbrunn Department of Population & Family Health working in the field of global health and humanitarian systems, the curriculum places a particular focus on themes of policy, evidence, and leadership.

To apply to the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, please visit our Admissions page.

If you have any questions, please contact the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health Academic Coordinator, Chelsea Kolff at cak2190@cumc.columbia.edu.