The Executive Doctoral Program in Health Leadership prepares mid-career professionals for senior-level positions in organizations working to improve the public's health. The three-year, cohort-based distance program confers a DrPH in Health Administration. The Program targets diverse individuals working full-time in the U.S. or internationally with substantial leadership responsibilities in communities, organizations and institutions. Students may include domestic or international health directors, mid-career managers in government agencies or foundations, leaders within nonprofit and non-governmental organizations, program officers and other mid-level or senior managers, and others working within the health field, including entrepreneurs and individuals working in nontraditional settings affecting the health of the public. Students remain in-country, working full-time as they complete their degrees. With the exception of three short visits to Chapel Hill or an alternate location in each of years one and two, learning takes place in participants' homes and offices, away from the UNC campus.  Students connect to the faculty and their peers mainly via computer, making substantial use of technology that allows students and faculty to interact productively and which supports live video, audio, and data sharing.  Additional details about the curriculum, dissertation, admissions criteria and instructional delivery are available on at the links on this site.

Application Deadline

Deadline for Fall admission is January 10th. Applications for the next academic year become available in August. Please see the link for online applications under Required Application Materials below.

DrPH Admission Requirements

Students applying to the Doctoral Program in Health Leadership must meet the following minimum criteria:

• Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 in prior graduate study
• Combined score of 1000 or score of 50th percentile or greater in the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). PLEASE NOTE: GRE or GMAT scores must not be more than five years old and applicants with professional doctoral degrees (MD, DDS, JD) from U.S. or Canadian schools are exempted.
• At least several years of post-graduate experience in the health field, in a substantial management or leadership role
• A prior master's or doctoral degree (not necessarily in public health)
• Demonstrated leadership potential
• Full-time employment in the field
  
• Motivation to obtain senior-level positions and to improve the public's health
• Evidence of excellent writing skills
  

While all students are expected to be academically qualified for doctoral-level study, special emphasis is placed on demonstrated leadership capacity and a practice-oriented career commitment.

Academic Preparation
Students without an advanced degree from an accredited school of public health must successfully complete five core courses - biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, health administration and social and behavioral science - all of which are offered online. These courses need not be completed before matriculating, but they must be completed concurrently with the three-year DrPH program for students to graduate.

Required Application Materials

• Completion of online Graduate School application. Start your application by creating an account and following the instructions. Applications for the next academic year are available in August. A current email address is a required field on the application since all correspondence is conducted by email.  If you have problems with the online form, contact the Graduate School.
• Non-refundable application fee
• GRE or GMAT scores (no more than 5 years old). NOTE: GRE institution #5816, GMAT code #D40-HL-72.
• Transcripts (complete, not selected courses). One unofficial transcript from each university attended must be uploaded within the application. If offered admission, one paper official transcript for each university attended will be required.
• The email address of three recommenders will be required within the application for electronic submission and delivery.
• Resume.
• Essay. Upload an essay (single-spaced and no more than 5 pages) that addresses the following questions:
• Why are you applying to this DrPH program?
• What are your career goals?
• We expect students in each cohort to learn from each other as well as from faculty and guest speakers. What might other students learn from you?
• Describe what you consider to be your most significant professional leadership accomplishment.
• Describe your biggest disappointment or failure in your work or career so far.
• Tell us about risks you've taken in your work or career.
• Why do you care about the public's health?
• What else do you want us to know about you, your work style, your ambitions, etc?
  

International Applicants

In addition to all of the materials listed above, international applicants must submit the following materials:

• TOEFL or IELTS score (no more than 2 years old). UNC is institution #5816. See http://gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/instructions.html#toefl
• Financial Certificate (U.S. Immigration requirement for entry into the United States). For more information please go to the following link: http://gradschool.unc.edu/pdf/2012-13GradSchoolFinancialCertificate.pdf Only the first page of this document is required.
  

Application Status

You may monitor the status of your application by logging into your account and following the instructions.

Mailing Addresses

Department of Health Policy and Management
Student Services Office
University of North Carolina
120 Rosenau Hall
CB #7411
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7411

Graduate School
UNC Graduate School
200 Bynum Hall
CB #4010
Chapel Hill, NC 27599

Tuition and Fees

Other Costs
Note that students who must take the public health core courses will also be charged these rates. The core courses are three credit hours each.

In addition to tuition, students will need computers, web cams and headsets that conform to program specifications. Students will also be responsible for travel expenses related to their three annual visits to campus. An overseas trip or a trip to a site outside North Carolina may at times replace an on-campus visit.

Financial Aid
A generous donor has created an $80,000 endowment to provide two scholarships of $2,000 per year. The Department is continuing to work to raise additional external funds for scholarships. General information on funding can be found at The Graduate School's Fellowships and Funding page.

Military
If you are in the military, the University's military tuition benefit is described here.

Contact  Information

Administrative Questions
Kim Sieler, Assistant Registrar
DrPH, Executive Master's and Certificate Programs
919-966-7364 (voice)
919-843-4980 (fax)
krsieler@email.unc.edu

Program Questions
Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH
DrPH Program Director
Suzanne_Hobbs@unc.edu