Masters in Public Health in Canada: Top Universities, Fees & More

Master in Public Health in Canada is a popular PG program for those students who want to pursue medical studies in Canada.  Canadian universities offer a wide range of MPH programs with specializations in areas such as epidemiology, global health, health policy, and social determinants of health.

Masters in Public Health in Canada: Masters in Public Health in Canada is one of the top 10 courses pursued by both domestic and international students. With annual growth of 25% in public health vacancies in Canada, MPH is a promising degree program. As per the employment stats, 82% of the MPH degree holders have permanent employment in Canada across both public and private sectors.

MPH in Canada is preferred because of its cheap tuition rates in Ottawa and McGill University down by more than 12.5% in comparison to other 10 universities in Canada. Moreover, a higher ROI by earning between CAD 65,000 to 80,000 annually, thus resulting in a complete win-win situation post graduating. The duration of the degree program varies between 20-24 months with applications opening every year around either the end or starting of the year. Read more about Masters in Health Informatics in Canada.

Masters in Public Health in Canada Key Points

Here are some key points about MPH in Canada course.

Check: Canada Student Visa

Reasons to Pursue Masters in Public Health in Canada

International students can pursue MPH in Canada because of its cheap tuition rates, acceptable degree across the globe, pathway to getting a licence to work in Canada as a public health worker, top Canadian Universities offering MPH with renowned faculty and an expansive degree program including options as per the candidate’s requirements. 

Read on for top 5 reasons to pursue MPH in Canada:

These reasons are majorly to do with the course based analysis. Masters in Public Health in Canada has become one of the popular choices because of its wide scope in not just Canada but across the globe as well.

Check: International Students Guide to Canada

Masters in Public Health Top Ranking Canadian Universities

The following table summarises the list of top Canadian Universities offering MPH degree to both domestic and international students:

MPH Course in Canada

MPH course in Canada is both a professional and thesis based course but is taught across various mediums, that is, either full time or part time or online mode. The University of Alberta MPH course is a popular one since it receives over 975 applications each year and the selectivity rate of admission at U of A for MPH is 7:1 that is, per 7 applications only 1 applicant is selected. In case of common MPH course in Canada, features include:

• MPH course in Canada is usually divided across 2 to 3 semesters and consist of 24-36 credits.
• Admission to MPH course in Canada is open for both fall and spring sessions. Read more: Which intake session to choose - Fall or Spring?
• The maximum duration to complete the MPH course in Canada is 4 years.
• A variety of subject specialisations, around 6-7 are offered for MPH course in Canada. 
• More than 60% of students who pursued MPH course in Canada find a job immediately after graduating. 
• International students willing to pursue MPH course in Canada can expect to get a PR once they are licensed. Check: Express Entry Canada
• The popularity of MPH course in Canada is because of the recent surge of jobs by 12% in the healthcare sector amid COVID-19.

International students who wish to study MPH course in Canada must have a similar background of having a bachelor’s in either sciences, stats and maths or areas related to public health.

Read: Study in Canada Timeline

Masters in Public Health in Canada Requirements

The international students applying for a Masters in Public Health in Canada must fulfil the basic requirements in order to apply for admission. The admission is not guaranteed upon merely qualifying the basic requirements, rather a completed application submission decides upon the applicant’s entry into MPH in Canada. 

MPH in Canada Admission Requirements

The table below summarises both admission and language requirements for international students:

Read: How to choose between IELTS, TOEFL and PTE?

Some of the supporting documents like transcripts, degrees, certificates, letters of recommendation, personal statement, scholarship forms are common for all universities offering MPH in Canada. However, documents may vary depending upon the university. 

Masters in Public Heath in Canada Application Deadlines

Applications for Masters in Public Health in Canada are accepted by universities mostly in October and January for fall admissions and rarely in spring sessions. University wise MPH in Canada application deadlines are given for the upcoming admissions:

• U of T: October to January (varies per subject specialization)
• UBC: October to December
• McGill University: October 3 to January 15
• McMaster University: Applications open for both January 2022 (fall) and September 2022 intake (spring)
• University of Ottawa: February for September (spring) intake
• University of Waterloo: February for September (spring) intake
• U of A: October to January

Read more at: Application Process for Masters in Canada

Cost of Studying Masters in Public Health in Canada

An average tuition fee of CAD 7,000 is charged per term and depending upon the admission in fall or spring the total fee is calculated. For example if an applicant was admitted for fall intake then the tuition fee is multiplied by 9 (because there are 9 terms). Whereas, spring intake charges a lower tuition rate annually because it has only 6 terms in a year. The following table throws light on the annual tuition fee charged per university for MPH in Canada:

The tuition rates may or may not change annually. The charges are revised beforehand so that no student is inconvenienced. Get more information at: Cost of Studying in Canada

Cost of Living in Canada for Masters in Public Health Students

Apart from the tuition fee term wise or annual payment, another set of payments includes living costs. These costs are determined by both university miscellaneous fees for the library, transport pass, university pass, ID card, etc. and the living costs include accommodation costs, cost of food, cost of utilities, electricity cost and other personal costs that are incurred in a year. The cost of living in Canada for international students pursuing MPH are elaborated in detail below:

These costs are reflective for one particular term and month. The annual costs still vary depending upon the applicant’s choice of university, accommodation and his/her personal expenditure. 

Masters in Public Health Salary in Canada

Since a lot of students pursue MPH in Canada for a better future prospect, it can be said that more than 50% of the graduates from different Canadian universities can find for themselves employment be it be full time or part time. The average salary of an MPH degree holder from Canada varies between CAD 75,000 to CAD 200,000. Various subject specializations ensure that MPH graduates from Canada can find a suitable job role. The graph below throws more light upon the job roles and their average salaries:

Since Canadian healthcare opens up as many as 10,000 vacancies, opportunities with MPH degree holders in Canada is an added advantage. Plus, the Canadian Government promises public healthcare or healthcare workers with tax benefits, paid sick leaves, sanctioned amounts for their well being, etc.  

Check: Most Popular and Highest Paying Job Sectors in Canada

Masters in Public Health Salary in Canada Area wise

Depending upon the population, healthcare workers are divided, thus, in Canada per 12,000 people a healthcare workforce of 6% is employed. Since the northwestern territory of Canada holds the maximum population enveloping smaller number of states, the public health workers with and MPH degree there are the highest paid ones. An area wise pie chart below shows the highest salaries offered to job seekers with MPH in Canada:

Northwest territories score the highest as already mentioned above, this is followed by Ontario and Nova Scotia. These figures are not ultimate, they are subject to change as and when the Canadian Government proposes in its workforce legislation.