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Global Health (MS)

Program Code: G-GHL-MS
Degree Designation: Master of Science
Department: Global Health
Website: globalhealth.duke.edu/programs/master-science-global-health

Program Summary

The master of science in global health (MS-GH) is administered by the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) and leverages outstanding faculty from across Duke to take on the most complex health challenges facing the world today. A guiding principle of the degree program is the recognition that a multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach to health is essential, as health is influenced by a multitude of factors, including, but not limited to: individual behaviors; family and childhood dynamics; community characteristics; economic status; gender; genetics; country laws and politics; the environment; social determinants of health; and the availability, accessibility, and quality of education, health care, nutrition, water, housing, and other basic goods.

Academic Requirements

The thirty-nine-unit curriculum includes seven core courses and five electives; a ten-week (minimum) applied experience utilizing learned global health knowledge, concepts, research methods and project management skills; and a research-based thesis or scholarly paper. It is designed as a three-to-four-term program.

The six core courses are:

  • Global Health 701 (Global Health Challenges)

  • Global Health 702 (Global Health Research: Design and Practice)

  • Global Health 705 (Biostatistics and Epidemiology for GH Science I)

  • Global Health 707 (Biostatistics and Epidemiology for GH Science II)

  • Global Health 740 (Global Health Ethics in Research, Policy, & Practice)

  • Global Health 750 (Health Systems in Low and Middle Income Countries)

Elective courses will be offered in various departments, schools, and institutes across the university. Students will select from a list of approved courses.

An applied experience is also required and students will either complete a research-based scholarly thesis or a practice-based internship with a scholarly project.

Visit the Global Health Institute website for more detailed course descriptions and elective options, or see the individual department’s listing.