Prospective Students
If you're thinking about an education in public health, you're in the right place. We have resources to help discover the right school or program for you, apply, and enroll.
Decide to study public health
Get Ready
Choosing to attend graduate school is a big decision! Learn more about the things to know as you consider studying public health.
10 Things To Know
Choose Your Course of Study
While the Master of Public Health (MPH) is the most common degree, it is not your only option. Think about what degree and area of study make the most sense for the career you want.
Degrees
Research schools and programs
You don’t want to choose a grad school based on a ranking. It’s important to find the right fit for your career goals. We have resources to help you find your best match.
Academic Program Finder
Meet Schools and Programs
Spend time getting to know them at one of our grad fairs, or at the institutions’ events. Keep an open mind though, your perfect fit may not be!
Events
Understand Accreditation
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is the nationally recognized accrediting body for both schools and programs of public health. Learn more about accreditation is on CEPH’s website.
AccreditationApply to Graduate School
Gather Requirements
Gather Requirements (All Applicants)
First things first, get a sense of the documentation you’ll need to provide for your applications. For SOPHAS-participating schools, this includes at least:
Gather Requirements (Non-U.S. Applicants)
In addition to the requirements for all applicants, applicants who have studied outside of the United States may also be required to provide additional documents. This may include but is not limited to:
Consider Recommenders
What makes a good recommender? Someone who: 1) Was your professor or supervisor 2) Understands why you’re interested in public health 3) Knows what you’re hoping to accomplish with the degree 4) Can speak to your likelihood to be successful in graduate school
Recommendations
Start Your Application
SOPHAS is the preferred application* for over 100 schools and programs of public health. Hop over to SOPHAS when you are ready to start your application process!
SOPHAS Application
Draft your Statement of Purpose
Many schools and programs offer prompts for writing their statement of purpose. For those who do not have prompts, we have tips for writing your statement.
Tips
Submit Early
Be ready to go before the deadline! Sometimes applications are undelivered to applicants so they can address an issue in the application, often, a missing transcript. Be sure to apply early so that you have time to correct issues. Additionally, if you qualify for a SOPHAS Fee Waiver, you’ll want to submit early, as funds are first-come, first-served.
Submit Your ApplicationApply for Scholarships
Apply to Scholarships
Once you submit your application, you’ll have a lot of waiting time. Spend it wisely by looking for scholarships to help pay for your degree! ASPPH curates a scholarship database to help you find external funding to support your studies.
Scholarship DatabaseCelebrate & Recalibrate
Celebrate
Received an offer of admissions? Congratulations! Learn how you can connect as a public health student.
StudentsRecalibrate If you did not receive an offer, do not fret. There are things you can do to strengthen your application for next time: 1) Check with the school or programs to which you applied to see if they have specific recommendations on how to strengthen your application 2) Get more experience: Apply for jobs in the field or find volunteer experiences to help you get experience in public health. This can also give you valuable perspective to improve your statement of purpose. 3) Take a graduate level course as a non-degree seeking student: Many universities allow individuals to take courses as non-degree seeking students. Taking a core public health course, such as biostatistics or epidemiology, and doing well, can show you are ready for graduate level work. 4) Search for programs where you might be a better fit: It’s possible that there are better schools or programs for your individual goals. Revisit the Academic Program Finder to consider new options.
Academic Program Finder