Public health is not just disease prevention or food pyramids; it’s about supporting those around you. The WVU School of Public Health embodies that every day. Its students are working in their local communities to promote positive change and help keep people living happier and healthier lives.
Those values extend to the school’s online master’s programs, and to illustrate that we met with the Director of Admissions and Recruitment, Kristi Lukenich. She explained what these programs are about in great detail, as well as sharing the hands-on experiences that students participate in to learn their craft and support their communities.
Photo: Kristi Lukenich, Director of Admissions and Recruitment at the WVU School of Public Health.
The School of Public Health offers two different online master’s programs: the Master of Public Health (MPH) and the Master of Health Administration (MHA). Both programs are entirely online and courses are delivered asynchronously, meaning you never need to come to campus if you don’t want to. As for the individual programs, the MPH is a CEPH- certified multidisciplinary, practice-based degree that focuses on improving the health and population through disease prevention and health promotion. Our graduates from this program possess a broad array of skills to address challenges affecting a variety of communities, rather than just a single person. A large part of this field is advocating for policy and system-level changes to improve the lives of a diverse set of people across different sectors.
The MHA program focuses more on the administrative side of healthcare. This side of the industry focuses on the organization, delivery, financials, and management of health services and public health systems in various settings, not just hospitals. The MHA program goes beyond the business of healthcare by preparing students to manage systems, improve outcomes, and drive innovation in a rapidly evolving industry.
When I'm explaining the difference between the MPH and the MHA programs, I let people know the MHA is more concentrated on the business side of things. So sometimes people will say, “Oh, I was deciding whether I should get an MBA in Healthcare or the Master of Health Administration.” I tell people that if your real focus is business and you want a little bit of healthcare sprinkled in; the MBA might be a better option for you. That being said, if your heart is truly to work specifically in healthcare, the MHA is a really good option. Our department has a lot of connections with people working in WVU Medicine. It’s a great opportunity for online students to connect with people in the industry and gain perspective from leaders in the field.
One other thing I do want to mention is I've definitely seen is an increase in the amount of people participating in the programs who already have doctorates or medical degrees from WVU Medicine or members of the military. They want to add that knowledge to their already existing skill set to better impact the community and further their careers.
" Our department has a lot of connections with people working in WVU Medicine. It’s a great opportunity for online students to connect with people in the industry and gain perspective from leaders in the field. Kristi Lukenich, Director of Admissions and Recruitment, School of Public Health
What types of careers do you see people with the MPH and MHA usually strive for?
Our Master of Public Health graduates find jobs as epidemiologists, research assistants, project managers, infection preventionists, policy analysts, or health educators. As for the MHA, these are positions in executive and administrative leadership, healthcare operations or practice outcomes managers, quality analysts. Many of our graduates end up in nonprofit or government positions at organizations within the Center for Disease Control and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
When you're meeting prospective students who are interested in public health, what drives the interest in this field? What qualities do they have?
People are choosing public health because they really want to make a difference in the health and well-being of large groups of people. Many public health professionals want to be involved in healthcare, but not direct patient care. While they may not be bedside, they do still have a positive impact on the health and well-being of entire populations.
Public health students are usually very driven, especially in the master's programs. There are people who just want to educate and help prevent problems before they even start. I’ve also met a lot of students that have personal experiences where maybe the healthcare system didn't meet their needs or expectations. A lot of people have personal stories like that and want to make a difference in helping people access healthcare, especially on the Master of Public Health side.
How are West Virginia University students addressing challenges throughout the state?
Our students gain a lot of that experience through internships or their program’s equivalent. In the MHA program, it's an internship, while in the MPH, it is called an applied practice experience. That kind of experience is critical to succeeding in the industry, so even our undergrad students do 180 hours at local organizations. Our students have worked at the Monongalia County Child Advocacy Center, which helps children and families overcome the trauma of abuse. We work closely with the Monongalia County Health Department, which is an academic health department and practically right here on our campus. Our department works with them on different things like Opioid Awareness Days or Free Naloxone Days.
To dive deeper into the hands-on experiences, one question that our online students sometimes have is “Do I need to come to Morgantown to do my applied practice experience or my internship?” The answer is no! Most students in our programs are already working in the field, so it is possible for them to complete their internship where they currently work, just in a different area of public health. We work with students to be flexible but also make sure they’re getting new experiences to help them grow. If they're not currently working or they don't want to do their internship or field experience at their current place of employment, our staff are great at working with them to help make an agreement with someone else in their area so that they can complete it there.
Our public health students really are helpers and doers! It’s great seeing them engaged in the opportunities and go above and beyond to really help the local community.
Photo: Public Health and Nursing Staff in an Examination Room
How does the School of Public Health try to build community, especially for online students who aren't on campus?
First and foremost, our faculty prioritize being available to students, whether over Zoom or in person. Professors hold regular office hours, and all students have a dedicated academic advisor that they meet with each semester to help them with their course planning. We do have students that live in or close to Morgantown, so students who are local do sometimes meet with faculty in person. If you’re not as close, instructors are always willing to meet with you over Zoom as well!
We’re also launching a new faculty mentor program! All of our online MPH and MHA students will be paired with a faculty member that has a similar background and interest. They'll get one-on-one professional mentorship through the duration of their program to keep connections going.
Another thing is that our faculty make some in-class activities or assignments collaborative in nature so that there are opportunities to connect with other online students.
Outside of academics, there is also the Student Association of Public Health student organization that allows students to connect and collaborate on some extracurricular projects!
Here is what Student Affairs Outreach Coordinator and SAPH Faculty Advisor Bradlee Cain has to say about it:
“The Student Association of Public Health (SAPH) is a student-run organization comprised of current students, faculty, and staff from the School of Public Health who are dedicated to promoting public health issues throughout WVU and the local community. This fun, exciting, and innovative group meets once a month and organizes social events, community health outreach and education, community service/civic engagement opportunities, professional development, and advocates for social justice. SAPH also offers an opportunity for students to discuss all aspects of student life and serves as a liaison between School of Public Health faculty, staff, and students. SAPH is open to anyone who would like to participate."
Do you have any student success stories that stand out to you?
I’ll will defer to Assistant Professor Anthony Peluso, as he spends more time in class with these students than anyone!
“Monica Mason is one of our online MPH students with an area of emphasis in Public Health Practice and Leadership. In addition to working through her MPH full time, Monica also works full time as a medical technologist at WVU Wheeling Hospital.
In my role as MPH program director, I oversaw Monica’s applied practice experience, which she was able to complete at WVU Wheeling Hospital under Maggie Pyles (laboratory director). All students in the MPH program complete the applied practice experience, where they complete at least 180 work hours with a public health-related organization. During the experience, each student must meet at least five of our program competencies and produce at least two deliverables (or work products) that are applied in nature and that benefit the organization.
Monica worked on several enriching projects at WVU Wheeling Hospital, including coordinating the annual Quality Improvement project for the lab and collecting and analyzing data regarding specimens that are created or marked in the system but not received for 2+ hours (which could delay patient care or lead to erroneous results if not processed in time).
In addition to her efforts in the applied practice experience, Monica has a strong academic record in the program and has managed to progress through the program in the typical two academic years while maintaining her full-time job, which is very impressive! Monica is well-prepared to take the next step in her career as a Spring 2026 graduate of our MPH program!”
As the needs of public health are changing constantly, how are the programs preparing students to meet the needs of the industry, not just now, but in the future?
As you said, public health is an ever-changing field. There are a lot of moving parts. In addition to their adaptability and critical thinking skills, the MPH graduates possess a broad knowledge base and skill sets that are needed to address many different types of challenges affecting communities. They build those skills by engaging and working with diverse groups of people. That knowledge base can be applied differently and adapted with the changing landscape of public health.
The MHA graduates work in health service organizations and public health systems. Their roles are critical components of the industry ensuring patients receive high quality care. The program’s curriculum prepares students for the changing landscape by covering general professionalism, knowledge of the healthcare environment, business and analytics skills, as well as advanced leadership skills. They're not taught only what's happening now, they're taught broader skill sets so they can be prepared as the field changes.
What work has the department been doing to improve the program experience for your students?
We’re making some small changes to the curriculum of the MPH program that we’re excited about! Currently, it is listed as 45 credit hours, but soon the requirement will be reduced to 42 credits. Students will still have the same number of courses, but we’re reducing the number of internship credit hours. The reason for that is it will save on tuition for our students. We're always looking for ways to improve and better meet the needs of our students.
Is there anything else you'd like to share about the program that prospective students may not know?
Something I’m proud to highlight about the School of Public Health is our online programs are taught by the same accomplished faculty that teach our in-person courses.
Another point I'd like to note is that these programs are applicable to a wide variety of disciplines. We’ve had medical doctors enter the program, we’ve had people in the military participate, we’ve had students from all over! These people want to either add more skills to their tool belt or change their careers, but at the end of the day they want to make a difference in their communities.
One last thing I'd like to share is that as times change and different administrations change public health will always be around. There will always be a need for the health and well-being of populations. Some would argue that there's a need now more than ever for people who are passionate about public health to enter the field and make the positive changes that are needed.
Learn More
Thank you again to Kristi for talking with us and answering our questions about these programs. If you’re interested the Master of Public Health or the Master of Health Administration program, you can learn more on our website or reach out to Kristi Lukenich if you have any other questions!