Master of Public Health with a Concentration in Community Health and Behavior Online

Play a vital role in improving your community’s quality of life when you implement evidence-based educational, recreational, and therapeutic public health programs.

Apply by: 9/24/26
Start class: 10/8/26
Apply Now

Program Overview

Discover what the online Master of Public Health – Community Health and Behavior program can do for you

Prepare to become a certified public health professional when you earn your Master of Public Health with a Concentration in Community Health and Behavior online from Texas State. In this accelerated online program, you will enhance your ability to identify, analyze, and mitigate community health problems through applied behavioral statistics and epidemiological data. Study how multifaceted social determinants, such as socioeconomic stability and education access, have affected past public health programs and inform future policy creation.

You will learn from field-tested industry leaders who are eager to provide you with personalized attention. Plus, benefit from a one-semester, part-time practicum where you will gain practical administrative experience applying your enhanced public health expertise in a supportive environment.

As a student of this behavioral and community health online master's degree program, you will learn how to:

  • Administer and manage public health education and promotion programs through strategic planning, budgeting, and resource management
  • Analyze various sources of data to successfully determine the public health needs of communities and populations
  • Design, implement, administer, and evaluate public health education and promotion programs designed to improve the health of specific communities
  • Serve as a public health education and promotion resource and an advocate for community and population heath improvements
As a student of this behavioral and community health online master's degree program, you will learn how to:
  • Administer and manage public health education and promotion programs through strategic planning, budgeting, and resource management
  • Analyze various sources of data to successfully determine the public health needs of communities and populations
  • Design, implement, administer, and evaluate public health education and promotion programs designed to improve the health of specific communities
  • Serve as a public health education and promotion resource and an advocate for community and population heath improvements

Also available:

We offer a variety of student-centered online degrees that can help you advance. Explore other healthcare programs.

Total Tuition $21,084*
Duration As few as 18 months
Credit Hours 42
Apply Now

Need More Information?

Call 833.690.1245 today!

Call 833.690.1245 today!

Tuition

Stay on track with affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition

Tuition for the Master of Public Health – Community Health and Behavior online degree program is affordable and paid by the course, so you can achieve your academic goals while remaining within your budget.

View full tuition

Program Per Credit Hour Per Program
MPH – Community Health and Behavior $502 $21,084*

*Students in Accelerated Online Programs are not eligible for payment plans or emergency loans. Tuition and fees are subject to change by legislative or Board of Regents action; changes become effective on the date of enactment. BookSmart fees are automatically added each semester but are not included in program costs; students may opt out by the start of each term. Registrations after the tuition deadline require full payment at registration. Cost of Attendance details are available through TXST One Stop.

Tuition breakdown

Total Tuition $21,084*
Per Credit Hour $502

Ready to take the next step
toward earning your degree?

Apply Now

Calendar

Mark these key dates in your calendar

The Texas State Master of Public Health – Community Health and Behavior is delivered in a convenient online learning format that offers maximum flexibility for working adults like you. Choose the start date that fits your goals.

View Full Calendar +

TermStart DateApp DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlineTuition DeadlineClass End DateTerm Length
Fall 1 20268/19/268/5/268/12/268/19/268/13/2610/7/268 weeks
Fall 2 202610/8/269/24/2610/1/2610/8/2610/1/2612/10/268 weeks
Spring 1 20271/19/271/4/271/11/271/19/271/14/273/8/278 Weeks
Spring 2 20273/9/272/23/273/2/273/9/273/4/245/12/278 Weeks
Summer 1 20276/1/275/17/275/24/276/1/275/27/277/2/275 Weeks
Summer 2 20277/5/276/21/276/28/277/5/277/1/278/5/275 Weeks
Fall 1 20278/25/278/11/278/18/278/25/278/19/2710/13/278 Weeks
Fall 2 202710/18/2710/4/2710/11/2710/18/2710/14/2712/16/268 Weeks

Now Enrolling

Apply by 9/24/26
Start Class 10/8/26

Admissions

Here’s what you need to apply for your public health master's degree in community and behavioral health

Apply to the Master of Public Health – Community Health and Behavior online program quickly and easily with our streamlined admission process. Review the admission requirements below and take the next step toward your professional goals.

View all admission requirements

To be eligible to earn your Master of Public Health – Community Health and Behavior online from Texas State University, you must have the following:

  • Completed online application
  • Nonrefundable application fee of $55 ($90 for international*)
  • Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university
  • Copy of official transcripts from all institutions where course credit was granted
  • Minimum 2.75 GPA overall or 2.75 GPA in your last 60 hours of undergraduate course work including any completed graduate courses
  • Resume/CV
  • 500-word, double-spaced, and typed statement of purpose addressing the following questions:
    • Why is the topic of community health and behavior an interest for you?
    • How will you use a graduate degree in community health and behavior to reach your career goals?
  • Three letters of recommendation from persons best able to assess your ability to succeed in graduate school

For applicants without a U.S. bachelor’s degree (or equivalent)**:
You must submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum program requirements.

  • Official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 78 overall and minimum individual module scores of
    • 19 listening
    • 19 reading
    • 19 speaking
    • 18 writing
  • Official PTE scores required with a 52 overall
  • Official IELTS (academic) scores required with a 6.5 overall and minimum individual module scores of 6.0
  • Official Duolingo scores required with a 110 overall
  • Official TOEFL Essentials scores required with an 8.5 overall

**Exemption: Applicants who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a country on our exempt countries list are not required to submit an English proficiency exam score.

Transcripts may be sent electronically to [email protected] or mailed to:

TXST One Stop
Texas State University – Graduate Admissions
601 University Dr.
San Marcos, TX 78666

*Texas State defines an on-campus international student as anyone with a nonimmigrant visa status, including H-1B visa holders, or those seeking a visa to enroll. If you are not a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, you will be classified as an international applicant.

An online international student is someone who holds citizenship in another country, is not a U.S. permanent resident, and resides outside the U.S. while enrolling in an online program.

Students who are not on a visa but are graduating from a Texas high school after three years in residence are considered domestic applicants.

If you are a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, you are considered a domestic applicant.

Admission Requirements

  • Minimum 2.75 GPA
  • No GMAT/GRE required
  • Official transcripts

Courses

Examine the behavioral and community health master's degree online program courses

To graduate from the MPH – Community Health and Behavior online degree program, you must complete a total of 42 credit hours, including 30 credit hours of core courses, 9 credit hours of concentration courses, and three credit hours of administrative practicum.

Expand All
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course focuses on introductory and intermediate statistical methods commonly used in public health practice and research. Emphasis is placed on selecting appropriate methods, interpreting results, and understanding the assumptions underlying common analyses. Students use SPSS statistical software to manage data, conduct statistical analyses, and interpret output using real-world datasets. The course covers application of statistical reasoning to evaluate research findings and support analytic decision-making in public health contexts.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides an in-depth examination of public health practice, past and present. Students study the organization, structure, and function of the United States public health system while analyzing how public health professionals use assessment data to understand population health trends. Emphasis is placed on evaluating public health programs and policies and understanding how the Core Functions of Public Health and the 10 Essential Public Health Services guide the delivery of services. Students engage in evidence-based inquiry and interpret institutional frameworks.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines social ecological conditions using public health frameworks and theories to analyze health outcome disparities across populations. Emphasis is placed on factors at the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels that influence quality of life. Topics include socioeconomic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context. The course also explores the relationship between social determinants of health and national initiatives such as Healthy People 2030. Students engage with data and research to assess how social determinants shape population health outcomes.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines the use of Intervention Mapping to analyze social ecological influences on population health within the context of public health program planning. Emphasis is placed on applying epidemiological data and behavioral theory to inform development of health education and health promotion initiatives. Core concepts include needs assessment, theory- and evidence-informed strategy selection, partnership and coalition development, implementation planning, and formative, process, and outcome evaluation approaches relevant to population-based public health programs.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course introduces students to foundational epidemiological concepts, including determinants of health, patterns of disease in populations, population health descriptive techniques, the use of health indicators, secondary data sources, and disease reporting systems. Emphasis is placed on measures used to assess epidemiological risk and distribution, as well as interpretation of population-level data. Students also examine the foundations of epidemiologic reporting and the role of epidemiology in describing and monitoring population health trends across various populations.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines leadership and management principles essential to public health practice, including organizational dynamics, staffing, budgeting, program administration, communication, and evaluation. Students explore leadership frameworks and ethical considerations across public health systems and organizational settings while analyzing real-world challenges that influence decision making. By the end of the course, students develop the ability to evaluate leadership approaches and create practical strategies to support effective management and organizational performance in public health contexts.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course focuses on research models used in public health education and promotion. Students learn how to design research studies using accepted research methods in the social sciences. In addition, students write the introduction, literature review, and methods sections commonly accepted in public health research.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines major theoretical frameworks used to understand and analyze health behavior across research and practice settings. Emphasis is placed on critical comparison, practical application, and integration of individual, interpersonal, community, and systems-level theories relevant to public health. The course explores the role of theory in health behavior research, intervention development, and program implementation while examining the strengths, limitations, and application of commonly used theoretical approaches across various populations, public health issues, and professional practice contexts.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is an examination of the ecological impact on the environment resulting from contemporary sociopolitical action and its resulting influence on human health. Students will be guided to research and interpret evidence-based information on major current environmental issues facing local, national, and global communities.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides an overview of the etiology of communicable and noncommunicable diseases, with an emphasis on public health initiatives and health promotion activities related to disease incidence and impact at both the individual and population levels. Disease patterns are examined across the lifespan, with attention to variation in causes and prevention approaches across age groups. The course also emphasizes application of scientific evidence to the critical assessment of health-related information presented across various media platforms.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides foundational instruction in developing grant proposals within the social sciences and public health contexts. Students examine the components of competitive proposals from concept development through submission. Instruction includes defining program goals and measurable objectives, identifying appropriate strategies and implementation plans, developing evaluation approaches, and preparing detailed budgets and budget justifications. Emphasis is placed on aligning proposals with funding priorities, using evidence to support program design, and applying structured proposal development processes.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course requires students to complete a 400-hour internship to gain professional experiences. Students may work with diverse target audiences in public health settings. The internship is approved and supervised by a Program Coordinator or assigned faculty. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

Request Information

Submit this form, and an Enrollment Specialist will contact you to answer your questions.

Begin Application Process

Start your application today!

Apply Now
Apply Now

Or call 833.690.1245 833.690.1245

for help with any questions you have.