Lead When Crisis Meets Public Health
Offered online and on campus, the Master of Science in Health Security will teach you to combat population health threats in emergencies.
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Graduate in as Little as 24 Months
From Outbreaks to Earthquakes: You’re Ready
When the next crisis hits, will you be ready? The MS in Health Security — a cutting-edge, first-of-its-kind program in the U.S. — prepares you to take the lead in bridging science, leadership, and public health preparedness policy to build more resilient communities.
You’ll gain the skills to take meaningful action to protect communities threatened by epidemics and pandemics, natural disasters, and human-made emergencies through a curriculum grounded in scientific principles and real-world application.
The program is a strong fit for professionals in health care, emergency management, communications, environmental health, biostatistics, and policy who seek roles in areas like:
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What You’ll Learn
Through hands-on, applied learning, you’ll take courses in critical crisis intervention areas such as:
What Can You Do With an MS in Health Security?
CELIA SCOTT WEATHERHEAD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND TROPICAL MEDICINE
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45 Credits
On Campus or Online
Bachelor’s Degree Required
Ready to Take Your Place in Health Security?
You’ll gain hands-on experience through partnerships with emergency operations centers, hospitals, state health departments, local health agencies, and NGOs, applying your knowledge in real-world crisis settings.
Program Highlights
The applied master’s thesis enables students to influence policy and practice by collaborating with external partners on high-impact health security challenges.
The program is backed by the CDC-funded Region 6 Center for Health Security & Response Readiness, ensuring you gain exposure to real-world projects.
You’ll be trained to navigate emerging health threats with agility, using data integration, risk communication, and systems thinking to lead under pressure.
Master of Science (MS) in Health Security
The MS in Health Security is designed to bridge public health, emergency response, and policy, ensuring you’re well-prepared for real-world challenges.
Complete in as few as two years.
Are you ready to be the one who responds in crisis? Join us at Tulane.
- Government Agencies: Local or state health agencies, CDC, FEMA, HHS, EPA
- Healthcare Systems & NGOs
- Private Sector Risk Management & Corporate or University Health Security
Tulane’s MS in Health Security prepares students to lead in an era of escalating public health threats by building cross-sector expertise in crisis management, risk communication, and emergency response. The program equips graduates to address pandemics, climate-related health risks, and bioterrorism while helping them identify their unique path within the field of health security.
As an MS in Health Security graduate, you'll be a competitive candidate for leadership roles like:
- Public Health Preparedness Officer at a local or state health agency
- Emergency Management or Risk Management Official at a hospital or hospital system
- Infection Prevention and Control Specialist at a hospital
- Environmental Health and Safety Officer at a local or state health agency
- Emergency Management Official at a local, state, or private sector emergency management agency
- Crisis Communications Specialist at a state, local, or private sector agency
- Specialist with the federal government, including at the CDC, DHS Office of Health Security, or in the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate branch
*Salary statistics according to ZipRecruiter
**Salary statistics according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
***Salary statistics according to Payscale
Explore how chemical, physical, and biological environmental factors impact human health and inform health security strategies.
Fundamentals of Environmental Health Sciences
Develop critical leadership and decision-making skills for managing teams, resources, and crises in high-pressure public health environments.
Leadership
Learn to identify, measure, and assess human exposure to hazardous agents in the environment, both during emergencies and routine scenarios.
Exposure Assessment
Analyze the mental health and behavioral impacts of disasters on individuals and communities, emphasizing strategies for resilience and recovery.
Psychosocial Aspects of Disaster
Examine a broad spectrum of threats to population health, including pandemics, bioterrorism, climate events, and infrastructure vulnerabilities.
Health Security Threats
Understand principles and best practices in risk and crisis communication to ensure accurate, timely, and effective messaging before, during, and after emergencies.
Disaster and Emergency Communication
Get practical tools and frameworks for managing complex public health initiatives, with a focus on planning, budgeting, and stakeholder coordination.
Project Management for Public Health
Discover the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, with a focus on preventing and managing zoonotic and vector-borne diseases.
One Health Approaches to Disease
Prepare to plan, implement, and evaluate outbreak control and disaster response efforts.
Outbreak and Disaster Response Readiness
MS in Health Security Cost
Earning your health security degree is an investment — not just in yourself, but in your community.
Tuition:* $1,770 per credit hour (45 credits total)
Academic Support Fee: $100 per credit hour
Student Activity Fee: $80 per semester
Technology Fee: $175 per semester
Within a year of graduation, 99.7 percent of our Tulane public health graduates find jobs in the field or continue their education.
*These tuition figures are estimates for the 2025-26 academic year. Please contact an advisor to talk through your specific tuition plan.
The Celia Scott Weatherhead School has been accredited since 1947, and all current programs are accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
Accreditation
Upcoming Deadlines
We’re accepting applications now, and most programs start three times a year:
Fall, Spring, and Summer.
| Terms | Priority Deadline | Final Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | October 1 | December 1 |
| Summer 2025 | February 1 | March 15 |
| Fall 2025 | March 1 | July 1 |
Spring Semester Application Deadline: December 1