The School opened in 1985 as a joint venture of the University, the New York State Department of Health and later, Albany Medical College.  This arrangement is one that richly benefits its diverse student body.   Many of the 200 or so faculty members at the School work on a daily basis within the field of public health, administering major health programs for the state of New York, or studying scientific or policy-oriented public health problems of national significance.  Case studies discussed in the classroom frequently emerge from a faculty member's long experience within the field.   Students have regular access to these health experts as teachers, mentors and internship advisors.  What's more, students have immediate access through the School to a vast array of internship opportunities, not only at the Health Department and Albany Medical College but at a wide variety of other public and private health institutions throughout New York State.

The School has more than 300 students from a wide variety of academic, racial, cultural and ethnic backgrounds enrolled in its programs, and is always seeking to increase the diversity of its student body.  Dozens of students, many of whom work full time in professional careers, are taking courses at the School on a part-time basis.  Accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, the School offers four graduate academic departments, offering M.S.,M.P.H, Dr.PH and Ph.D. degrees, in the basic disciplines that constitute public health: Biomedical Sciences; Environmental Health Sciences; Epidemiology and Biostatistics; and Health Policy, Management and Behavior.  The Certificate program in Public Health Fundamentals and Principles, acknowledging the emerging need for creative educational modalities in public health, allows students to take class online or in a classroom setting.  The Preventive Medicine Residency program and the Residency in Dental Public Health are available to physicians and dentists interested in acquiring the academic and practical skills necessary to work in the field of public health.

Our School offers opportunities to students for research and practical experience that are rich, varied and virtually unlimited in their scope and possibility.  In a very real way, the School regards all of New York State as a laboratory for the study of public health problems that affect the country as a whole.  New York is a melting pot of immigrants and ethnic and racial groups from all over the world, so the public health problems of New York are those of the world.  Students of all ethnic, cultural and racial backgrounds are encouraged to apply to the School, to join a cadre of faculty deeply committed to addressing the difficult health problems of a broad range of social groups.