- October 30, 2026
- By Amy Reiter
A Master of Professional Studies degree debuting at the University of Maryland in Fall 2027 will channel the opportunities — and the ethical framework — to successfully use artificial intelligence to solve real-world public health programs.
The 30-credit Applied AI for Public Health Data Science program, housed in the School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (EPIB), will be fully online and can be completed either part- or full-time.
“Public health researchers now have access to a wealth of data with the potential to improve public health, from satellite observations to wearable sensors to electronic health records and more,” said department chair and Professor Amir Sapkota. “Our new MPS degree enables students to leverage this vast array of health data, harnessing rapidly evolving AI to usher in a new era of proactive public health.”
The program will bring together diverse but relevant fields, including public health, epidemiology and biostatistics, data science and AI, creating a dynamic degree with career and leadership opportunities at the intersection of public health and AI, such as leading disease surveillance and outbreak preparedness at health departments, building better healthcare delivery systems and shaping responsible AI policy at federal, state and local health agencies.
“Employers are struggling to find professionals who can successfully apply AI tools in these critical roles,” said Jennifer Bachner, EPIB clinical professor and SPH associate dean of academic affairs.
Working with complex health data, students will learn how to use AI and machine learning approaches to translate computational insights into meaningful public health decisions. Throughout, the program will focus on responsible AI use, such as examining issues related to bias, equity and transparency to assess the strengths and weaknesses of AI use.
“Graduates won’t just know how to deploy models,” Bachner said. “They’ll understand when to trust them and how to explain the outputs to decision-makers and policy leaders.”