Admissions

Minimum admissions requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree. 
• A cumulative minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale. Most successful applicants will have an equivalent GPA of at least 3.0 in both undergraduate and graduate work.
• At least 3 years of professional, full-time experience in either public health or health care.

These minimum requirements cannot be waived.

For international applicants or those U.S. citizens who completed their education internationally, the bachelor’s degree must be translated and evaluated as equivalent to a four-year degree from the U.S.

​We consider applications twice a year:

• Spring admissions deadline is October 1.
• Fall admissions deadline is March 1.

Application

Access the online application portal

Application timeline and checklist 

Required Materials

• CV/Resume
• Personal Statement
• 2 letters of recommendation
• Official transcripts from all institutions attended, including any community college prior to university
• TOEFL (if applicable) UMass code:3917
• GRE (if applicable) UMass code: 3917
• Application Fee $80.00

All application materials not submitted using the online application should be sent to:

534 Goodell Building
University of Massachusetts
140 Hicks Way
Amherst Ma 01003-9333
Fax: 413-577-0010
Email: gradadm@grad.umass.edu

GRE/TOEFL Waivers

The program will waive the GRE for students who meet one of the following:

• You are a foreign medical doctor with ECFMG certification.
• You have earned an advanced degree (MS, MA, MBA, PhD, DSc., MD, etc.).
• You have earned a bachelor's degree and have at least five years of professional full-time experience in public health or health care.

If you have questions about the GRE waiver, please contact the department.

The TOEFL is waived in one of the following circumstances:

• You are a U.S. citizen.
• You earned a degree from a U.S. institution.
• Students from certain countries or who attend certain institutions internationally may also be exempt. Contact the department for more information.

Prospective Students are allowed to take MPH-PHP courses prior to submitting their application.  Prospective students may take non-degree program courses for the following reasons: 

• Interest in getting a head start prior to admissions
• Interest in trying a course to see if online learning is right for them
• Meeting MPH requirements from another school/program

Prospective students can take up to 4 courses as a non-degree student and as long as they earn a B or better in each course, the course/s will transfer into the MPH degree once they have been admitted.  Please note that taking non-degree courses does not guarantee admissions.   

Enrollment for non-degree students opens approximately one month prior to the semester start date.  

Prospective non-degree students should contact the program office at phonline@schoolph.umass.edu or 413-545-4530 for information and instructions on how to enroll.   

Enrollment for Spring 2020 opens December 2nd. You can preview courses here.

The program is 42 credits or 14 3-credit courses. 

• 6 core public health courses (Biostats 540: Intro to Biostatistics, EHS 565: Environmental Health Practices, HPP 601: Application of Social & Behavioral Theory, HPP 620: Intro to the U.S. Health Care System, HPP 642-Public Health Leadership, and EPI 630: Principles of Epidemiology)
• 3 research-based courses, including a 200-hour practicum (HPP 698P: Practicum) and a final culminating capstone project (HPP 691S- MPH-PHP Capstone)
• 5 electives (students have the flexibility to choose the electives that best fit their interests or career goals.)  

Download the full curriculum with course descriptions.

As of January 6th, 2020, the curriculum for the MPH  in Public Health Practice has been updated.  All students admitted to the program beginning with fall 2020 will be required to complete the new curriculum.  Students admitted to the program prior to fall 2020 will follow the previous curriculum.  

Changes include: 

• HPP 642-Public Health Leadership is now a required core course.  This brings the number of required core courses from 5 up to 6. 
• Students are required to take only 5 electives, instead of 6.
• The total number of credits is still 42.   

Questions about changes to the curriculum should be directed to: 
Lori Peterson, MS 
Executive Director for Professional Programs SPHHS
413-545-4530
phonline@schoolph.umass.edu