Have questions about the admissions process? Browse the questions below. If you still have questions, you may contact anderpe@email.unc.edu.
General admissions
PhD program admissions
General Admission
What criteria are used for selecting applicants?
Admission to our graduate programs is very competitive. Our Admissions Committee reviews each application using five criteria:
- Academics (GPA, GRE scores, University attended)
- Practice experience
- Research experience (not required for the MPH Program, but viewed positively)
- Letters of recommendation
- Program fit (assessed by the personal statement and the applicant's background)
We
generally give preference to applicants with real-world experience
(e.g., two years in the Peace Corps or Americorps, 3 years at the CDC
or a state health department) than to people who are applying straight
from an undergraduate program.
The department recognized that certain groups have traditionally been
underrepresented in the public health workforce, and therefore
encourages applications from people of color, international students,
people from rural backgrounds, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender individuals. Men are also currently underrepresented in
health behavior.
What are you looking for with GRE scores?
GRE scores are only one of several applicant credentials considered
by the Admissions Committee. That said, the following guidelines may be
helpful:
- Most admitted students have scores (verbal and quantitative combined) in the 1200-1400 range
- Not being a native English speaker is taken into consideration when reviewing the verbal score.
- If your score is low (below the 50th percentile for either verbal
or quantitative), you may want to retake the test to try to improve
your scores.
- Applicants who score lower than the 50th percentile on both verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE are rarely admitted.
What GPA is expected?
Although no specific GPA is required, you may find the following factors helpful:
- Most admitted students have GPAs of 3.0 or above (on a 4.0 scale), and the norm is 3.2 to 3.5.
- Students with lower GPAs may be considered if the remainder of the
application is very strong (e.g., GREs, experience, letters of
reference) or there are extenuating circumstances that may have
contributed to the lower GPA.
- With regard to GPA, we also consider how competitive the school is that you attended.
Fit is a very important criterion for admission. However, the scope
of the field is broad enough that students with many diverse interests
and backgrounds will "fit" just fine. We do want to be sure, though,
that applicants understand what the program focus is, how it is
structured, and what directions their training can provide. Applicants
to the doctoral program are asked to be more explicit about their areas
of research interest in an effort to match them with a faculty member
who will advise them in developing their research.
Who should write my letters of recommendation?
You want people who can speak about your strengths and who know you
well. Generally, we recommend submitting 1-2 letters are from faculty
and 1-2 from a current employer.
- Do not ask family friends to write letters, even if they are in a health profession.
- Avoid seeking letters from other students, employees you supervise, or coaches.
What percentage of your students are non-U.S. citizens?
There percentage of international students varies form year-to-year.
Each entering class typically enrolls 2-5 students from other countries.
I am an international student. What special guidelines must I follow in applying to the MPH or PhD programs?
Guidance for applying as an international student can be found here.
I was rejected for admission. What can I do to strengthen my application for next year?
Please be sure to review the criteria used by the Admissions
Committee and take that into account when applying. Unfortunately,
given high demand for the program, we do not have enough spots for all
qualified applicants. Occasionally, applicants to the doctoral program
meet all of our criteria, but there is not a faculty member working in
their area who is able to mentor a new doctoral student in the next
year. In light of these circumstances, actions you may wish to consider
include:
- submitting your entire application as early as you can. Our
admissions are done on a rolling basis. When people submit early, in most years, they have a slightly higher chance of
gaining acceptance than if they wait until the last week applications
are due and many decisions have already bee made.
- We encourage all applicants to apply to at least 4-6 schools and not to only focus on gaining admission to just one school.
MPH program admissions
What type of practice experience are you looking for?
We are looking for people who have worked in the field of public health or in a health-related area.
- Greater weight is given to those with experience related to health
behaviors (e.g., tobacco use, HIV prevention, promotion of physical
activity) and prevention, rather than purely clinical or medical
experience.
- Total amount of experience is important (i.e., we might weigh 2
years of full-time experience at CDC or the Peace Corps over 4 years of
weekend volunteering at a health clinic during college).
What qualifications does a successful applicant usually have?
Most successful applicants to the MPH program usually have:
- At least 1-2 years of real world experience
- A strong academic record
- GRE scores int eh 50th percentile or above
Greater weight is given to those applications who have experience related to health behaviors and prevention, rather than purely clinical or medical experience. The amount of experience is important. The Admissions Committee might weight two years of full time experience at CDC or in Peace Corps over 4 years of weekend volunteering at a health clinic during college.
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PhD program admissions
Is a master's degree required for admission into the PhD program?
Yes. Students lacking any prior maser's degree need to apply to the MPH or MSPH/PhD programs. We welcome a diverse study body into our program so applicants with backgrounds and master's degrees in other fields may be very competitive in our admissions process.
Is an on-campus interview required of doctoral applicants? No. An on-campus interview is not required of our applicants. However, we highly recommend that you visit the Department. We encourage you to attend one of our Admissions Information Sessions or Applicant Information Day in the fall. See Visit the department for more information.
What qualifications does a successful applicant usually have? Successful applicants to the MSPH/PhD and PhD program shave worked in the field of public health or in a health-related area, have a strong academic record, excellent GRE scores, and have demonstrated an interest and commitment to research. The quality of the research is important, as the Admissions Committee gives more weight to applicants with research experience in health behavior, have publications in peer-reviewed journals, have presented at conferences, managed research projects, or have extensive data collection and analysis experience.
How many doctoral students do you typically enroll in your program each year?
The number of students varies from year-to-year. We usually admit 8-12 applicants. Our acceptance rate of the last six years has ranged from 24% to 42%
What are the demographics of the PhD program?
We tend to enroll more women than men and about 15% of our doctoral students are minority students. Most of our students have strong backgrounds in public health research, which experience at universities and research organizations such as RTI International.
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