The article analyses the literature on curriculum and its impact on the field of public health. This analysis aims to locate the specific lines of theoretical developments of the curriculum in order to establish a theoretical framework and conceptual study to the curricula of public health in graduate courses. The main source of data is bibliographic, national and international. It was concluded that the formulation of a 'curriculum as fact' and a 'curriculum as practice' is interesting as starting point for analyzing the structure and process of formation of the curricula of graduate health courses. Other points concern the need to formalize that the curriculum should be based on a framework to define the characteristics that distinguish the contents and methodology of the areas, classically known as social science, epidemiology and planning. On the other hand, establishing a framework that supports inclusion of new areas and which parameters are established between the curriculum of undergraduate and postgraduate studies in public health.
Curriculum; Curriculum as fact; Curriculum as practice; Public health; Post-graduate studies