Master of Social Work / Master of Public Health (MSW/MPH) in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior
Address the individual, social and structural factors that shape health and well-being. The Master of Social Work/Master of Public Health combination degree, offered through the College of Social Work and the Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior at the Arnold School of Public Health, combines advanced social work practice with public health training in health promotion, community engagement, program planning and evaluation.
Through this interdisciplinary program, you will develop the skills to support individuals and families while designing broader strategies that improve health across communities and populations.
Why Earn an MSW and MPH Together?
Social work and public health share a commitment to improving well-being, advancing equity and strengthening communities. Earning both degrees prepares you to approach complex health challenges from complementary perspectives.
Through the dual degree program, you can:
- Develop advanced skills for working with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
- Examine how social, behavioral, cultural and environmental factors influence health.
- Design health promotion programs grounded in theory and community needs.
- Evaluate the reach, effectiveness and impact of public health initiatives.
- Address health disparities and the social determinants of health.
- Connect direct social work practice with community-level and systems-level change.
- Complete both degrees in less time than would be required to earn them separately.
The curriculum allows selected courses and field experiences to satisfy requirements across both programs. The 60-credit-hour MSW and 45-credit-hour MPH can therefore be completed through a coordinated 94-credit-hour plan of study.
I love public health! This career is important because we can influence health trajectories, we use a social justice lens, and we work to reduce health disparities.
What You’ll Study
As a student in the MSW/MPH dual degree program, you will build expertise across social work practice and public health. Your coursework and field experiences will prepare you to:
- Assess health and social needs among individuals and communities.
- Apply social and behavioral theories to public health challenges.
- Plan evidence-informed health promotion programs.
- Conduct quantitative and qualitative public health research.
- Evaluate programs, services and community initiatives.
- Work collaboratively with communities and organizational partners.
- Analyze social welfare and public health policies.
- Advocate for health equity and social justice.
- Translate research and community knowledge into effective practice.
- Address complex health concerns through multilevel interventions.
The MPH curriculum applies social and behavioral sciences to public health and prepares professionals to plan, implement and evaluate health promotion and education programs in a variety of settings.
Program Details
Students complete the requirements for both the Master of Social Work and the Master of Public Health in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior.
Students may begin the dual degree through either the MSW or MPH program. Individual plans of study are developed with academic advisors from both programs, and all requirements for both degrees must be completed.
View the full combination degree curriculum in the Academic Bulletin.
- The following sequence represents a typical three-year, full-time plan for a student who begins in social work. Course sequencing may vary based on program updates, course availability and individual advising.
Year One: Foundations of Social Work
Year Two: Public Health and Advanced Practice
Year Three: Community Application and Integration
The full coordinated plan consists of 94 credit hours.
Field education is a central part of the MSW curriculum, giving students opportunities to apply classroom learning in real-world settings beginning in the first year of the social work program.
With advance coordination, the advanced MSW field placement can also fulfill the MPH applied practice experience. The placement must be planned with the HPEB MPH program director and structured to meet the practice requirements of both programs.
Students complete five credit hours associated with the HPEB applied practice requirement during their final year. These hours are integrated with:
- SOWK 783: Field Instruction III
- SOWK 784: Field Instruction IV
Students should work closely with their social work field education team and HPEB advisor to identify an appropriate placement and document the required public health competencies and products.
Career Opportunities
Graduates are prepared for positions that connect individual and family services with community health, program development, prevention and systems change. Graduates are prepared to work in traditional health care environments as well as community-based and public health settings that emphasize the social determinants of health, such as hospitals and health systems, state and local health departments, community health organizations, behavioral health agencies, and nonprofit or advocacy organizations.
Who Should Apply?
The MSW/MPH dual degree may be a strong fit for students who want to combine direct social work practice with population health strategies, address health disparities and social determinants of health, and develop community-based programs.
Applicants do not need to hold a specific undergraduate major, but experience or interest in social work, public health, human services, community engagement or health promotion may help demonstrate alignment with the program.
Admissions
Students apply to the combination degree program through the USC Graduate School. The College of Social Work and the Arnold School of Public Health independently review applicants and make separate admission recommendations. The Graduate School provides the official admission decisions.
Applicants must submit all materials required by both programs. Admission to one program does not automatically guarantee admission to the other.
Frequently Asked Questions
Full-time students normally complete the coordinated MSW/MPH curriculum in approximately three years. The exact timeline may vary based on a student’s starting program, enrollment status, course sequence and previous social work preparation.
Students complete a coordinated curriculum totaling 94 credit hours. This includes the requirements for the 60-credit-hour MSW and the 45-credit-hour MPH, with selected courses and field experiences shared across the two degrees.
Yes. Students may begin in either the MSW or MPH program. Advisors from both programs will help develop a coordinated plan of study.
Applicants apply to the combination degree through the USC Graduate School, but the College of Social Work and Arnold School of Public Health independently review applicants according to their respective requirements.
Yes. The advanced MSW field placement may fulfill the MPH applied practice experience when it is planned in advance with the HPEB MPH program director and meets the required public health competencies.
Part-time social work students may participate, although their plans of study and completion timelines will differ from the standard three-year, full-time sequence.