For the good of students and society.
The University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service is a partner program in the Maine Center academic consortium. This webpage presents an overview of the programs offered by the school and links to additional detail on the Muskie School website.
About the School
The University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service combines an extensive applied research and technical assistance portfolio with rigorous academic programs. In addition to preparing students for successful careers in public service, public health, and the non-profit sphere, Muskie’s graduate programs strengthen the civic life of our Maine community. Muskie School degrees are well-suited to working professionals who may need to take classes in the evenings or complete their degree on a part-time basis. Many of the Muskie School classes can be taken online and four of the certificates can be completed 100% online. You can learn more about the school here.
Choose your path to success
MPPM & MPH
Designed for working professionals and pre-career students who aspire to professional roles in a range of policy arenas.
Dual Degree
Combine a MPPM or MPH degree with another graduate degree to build a unique skillset that will help you stand out from the competition.
Certificate
Choose from seven different graduate-level certificates to gain the specific skills you need to advance your career.
GRADUATE DEGREES
Master of Policy, Planning, and Management (MPPM)
Designed for working professionals and pre-career students who aspire to professional roles in economic, environmental, and social policy.
Master of Public Health (MPH)
An accredited program that prepares students with the practical knowledge and skills to address today’s complex population health and health services needs.
Dual Degrees
MPPM + Juris Doctorate (JD)
Develop the expertise needed to address complex legal, policy, and planning challenges.
MPH + Juris Doctorate (JD)
Interdisciplinary expertise for the growing fields of regulatory compliance and public health policy.
CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
Public Health
Knowledge and skills in public health, health policy, and epidemiology. Prepares students to pursue careers in medical evaluation, planning, and quality improvement. This certificate can be completed 100% online.
Applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Enables students to develop geospatial technology skills for application in GIS workplace and research environments. This certificate can be completed 100% online.
Applied Research and Evaluation Methods
Covers data acquisition, analysis, and presentation, choosing and applying statistical techniques to real-world problems, and practical application of analytical tools.
Community Planning and Sustainable Development
Northern New England’s only certificate providing students with planning preparation. Also covers sustainability, land use and environmental regulation, economic development, and working with the public.
Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety
A solid foundation of knowledge and skills in health literacy and communication, quality improvement, and patient safety. Offers students the opportunity to pursue interests in health systems, basic public health sciences, and data analysis and translation. This certificate can be completed 100% online.
Policy Analysis
For present and future policy analysts, political activists, community leaders to better understand public policy development, research, and evaluation, as well as how to produce better outcomes.
Public and Nonprofit Management
Cutting-edge knowledge, skills, and techniques to respond to the managerial and leadership challenges in the nonprofit and public sectors. This certificate can be completed 100% online.
Featured Faculty
Dr. Erika Ziller is Chair of Public Health at USM, where she teaches in both the BS and MPH programs. She began her career as a social worker in rural Maine where she quickly realized that many of the challenges facing her clients were exacerbated by health and social policies that were unresponsive to their needs. Since then, Dr. Ziller has been committed to policy-informed research aimed at improving health care access for underserved populations, particularly rural residents. She grew up in small-town Maine and obtained her PhD in public policy from the University of Southern Maine in 2012. Dr. Ziller teaches courses on health policy, the U.S. health care system, and leads the Field Experience for the MPH degree program.
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