Admissions to the graduate programs are competitive. Depending on the program and the year, 50-70% of MPH and MS applicants are admitted. At the doctoral level, 10-30% of PhD and DrPH applicants are admitted.

The University of Arizona is a land grant institution, so we do encourage Arizona residents to apply to the program. However, no preference is given to in-state or out-of-state students. At this point, approximately 65% of incoming students are Arizona residents (at the time of application; many students hail from other parts of the country originally) and 35% are from other states or countries.

Unfortunately, a GPA of 3.0 is a requirement of the University of Arizona Graduate College. We do occasionally admit applicants who fall below a 3.0. Those applicants have exceptional applications otherwise: strong GRE scores, relevant work experience, outstanding letters of recommendation, and a focused, well-written personal statement.

So that you have a sense of how the GPA is calculated, the Graduate College will look first at your last 60 units of coursework (typically your last 2 years of undergraduate coursework); if you don’t have a 3.0 in your last 60 credits, they will look at your cumulative undergraduate GPA. Many students have a much better GPA in their last 60 units, so you might want to calculate what yours would be. If you have taken 12 or more graduate degree credits (either in a graduate program or as a non-degree seeking student), then the Graduate College will base their GPA calculation on those 12 units. If you have a 3.0 GPA in any of those areas, that meets our minimum requirement.

Please note that our faculty admissions committee will review all of your GPA calculations, including your cumulative, first 60 credits, last 60 credits, math, science, social science, and other GPAs, as calculated by SOPHAS. Each of these is important, so even if you meet the minimum requirement, the admissions committee may have concerns if any of these areas is too low.

Some of our applicants use the Additional Experiences section of the SOPHAS application to briefly explain a lower GPA. These reasons often include not finding the right major at first, needing to work during college, health problems, or dealing with family/personal issues. It is always better to address such an issue in your application than to ignore it.

One option some applicants take is to take some graduate level coursework (12 units, typically, or 6 credits at the UA) and ensure that they do exceptionally well in graduate level coursework (primarily A grades). More information on being a non-degree seeking student. While doing well as a non-degree seeking student does not mean that you will be automatically admitted to a graduate program, it can help to strengthen your application.

The GRE is currently required for PhD Epidemiology applicants and highly recommended for MS/PhD Epidemiology applicants. All other programs do NOT require GRE scores. 

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a standardized test for graduate school admissions. Created and administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS), the exam aims to measure verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking skills that have been acquired over a long period of time and that are not related to any specific field of study. It is similar to the SAT or ACT, but is used for entry into graduate programs rather than undergraduate programs.

The GRE General Test is offered as a computer-based exam administered at testing centers nationally and worldwide. To find the testing center nearest to you, upcoming exam dates, and seat availability, please visit the GRE website.  

The GRE is currently required for PhD Epidemiology applicants and highly recommended for MS/PhD Epidemiology applicants. All other programs do NOT require GRE scores.

The GRE predicts how well a student will do in their first year of graduate school, so it is an important part of the application. However, the GRE is just one part of your application, and every application is reviewed holistically. We know from previous experience that those with low GRE scores often struggle in graduate school. We encourage you to prepare for the GRE and follow these tips:

• Study from a GRE preparation book (make sure it is a recently dated book)
• Take multiple practice tests
• Avoid taking the GRE during finals week or other stressful times in your life!
• Scores are valid for 5 years, so taking the test early is a great idea. If you have down-time over the summer, that’s a good time to take the GRE.
• If you struggle with standardized tests, take a GRE Prep Course:
  • UA Graduate College
  • Think Tank
  • Magoosh Online GRE Prep
• The GRE can be retaken once each month. If your first scores are not as high as you had hoped, and if you have the time to study and the resources to retake it, you may want to consider retaking the test.

The average GPA and GRE scores change from year to year.  The most recent averages are:

Average GPA
Incoming MPH/MS  //  3.54
Incoming PhD/DrPH  //  3.81

Note:  GPA is calculated based on the highest of cumulative, last 60 credits, or graduate level GPA.

Average GRE scores (combined verbal and quantitative scores)
MPH/MS  //  304
PhD/DrPH  //  310

Work, volunteer, and/or internship experience can be an important part of your application. Some areas of the college, such as Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences, and Epidemiology, will be most concerned with your academic background and GRE scores. In those cases, relevant experience strengthens your application, but isn’t necessary.

Other areas, such as Health Behavior Health Promotion, Health Services Administration, and Family and Child Health, really do want to see that applicants have worked, volunteered, and/or interned in a health-related field, a relevant organization, or generally helping people. Relevant experience can come in many ways. For example, teachers often have great experience with developing curriculum and assessment. A business manager has experience with developing budgets and managing people. In particular, the Family and Child Health – Global Health program requires that students have experience with living and studying, working, or volunteering outside the U.S.

If you do not have prior experience, we recommend that you start by volunteering with an organization that interests you. Examples include Casa de los Niños, Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF), the American Diabetes Association, the Community Food Bank, and organizations that work with foster children or refugee communities.  

Many cities have volunteer centers that can help you find an appropriate volunteer position. In Tucson, the Volunteer Center of United Way is a great resource, and in other parts of the country, the Hands On Network connects people with volunteer opportunities.

We require 2 letters of recommendation for the MPH program, and we require 3 letters of recommendation for the MS, PhD, and DrPH programs.  You can submit up to 5 letters of recommendation, and our admissions committee will review them all.  For an MPH applicant, we like to see at least one letter from a faculty member who can speak to your academic abilities (although we understand that this may not be possible for applicants who have been out of school for 5 years or longer).  For MS, PhD, and DrPH applicants, we recommend at least two letters from faculty members who can speak to your academic abilities.  The other letter(s) can be from a work, volunteer, or internship supervisor who can speak to your professional abilities. Other letters may come from advisors and mentors.  We strongly discourage personal references (friends, family members, clergy, etc.).  Letters are submitted to SOPHAS electronically.

One of the wonderful aspects of public health is that it is incredibly interdisciplinary! There is no perfect undergraduate degree or major for public health. The top three undergraduate majors of incoming public health graduate students are consistently Biology, Psychology, and Public Health, followed by an assortment of other majors including Anthropology, Chemistry, Engineering, Math, Sociology, Journalism, Spanish, Communications, Political Science, Statistics, Education, and on and on. If you are entering a field that requires more math or science, such as Biostatistics or Environmental Health Sciences, you will want to make sure to meet their prerequisites. Make sure to view our Admissions Criteria for any program you are considering.

We do not conduct interviews for our MPH/MS programs, so it is important that your SOPHAS application reflect all of the information you want our admissions committee to know about you. Some of our PhD/DrPH programs do conduct interviews (in person or via skype/phone) with top applicants. The main purpose of a doctoral interview is to ensure there is a good match between the student and the faculty advisor.

The deadline is the date by which you must e-submit your application on SOPHAS and all of your documents must be received by them (letters of recommendation, transcripts, etc.).

The SOPHAS processing time of 2 weeks comes after the deadline. We strongly encourage you to have official transcripts sent to SOPHAS as early in the process as possible. Many college/university Registrar’s Offices close for winter break in mid-December, so waiting until then to request that transcripts be sent is not advisable if you are trying to meet a December or January deadline.

Note: GRE scores can be received by SOPHAS 10 days after the deadline, which means that you must take the GRE at least one week prior to the deadline date. Please make sure to submit your scores to code 4253 the University of Arizona College of Public Health/SOPHAS, which routes your scores directly to SOPHAS. In addition to submitting your official GRE scores, we also recommend that you type your unofficial scores into SOPHAS in order to expedite the process.

Both deadlines indicate the date by which you must e-submit your application and have all materials into SOPHAS. Applying by the priority deadline gives you the highest priority for both admissions and for funding. The final deadline is for those who miss the first deadline, but we typically don’t have as much financial aid available (although federal loans are always available). 

Please view our deadline page.

Yes, you can apply to multiple schools and programs in SOPHAS. Each school is likely to have its own deadline that must be followed. It is your responsibility to keep track of the different deadlines for each school and to submit the appropriate materials on time. You may find it helpful to plan on submitting all of the required materials for each school by the earliest deadline.

You can also apply to up to 3 programs within the UA College of Public Health. In this case, you will write a unique statement of purpose for each program to which you apply, describing your specific interest in each program. You will rank order your program choices (#1, #2, #3).

Yes, we have a short supplemental application through the Graduate College.  This application has an $90 application fee.   https://apply.grad.arizona.edu/users/login

Yes, you must complete both the SOPHAS and Graduate College applications. Yes, you must send University of Arizona transcripts, as well as transcripts from any other U.S. college/university you have attended.

We send admissions decisions via e-mail. For the MS & Doctoral programs, we have a two month admissions timeline, so you will be notified of admission on the following schedule:

December 1 deadlines – Notified by the first week of February
April 1 deadlines – Notified by the first week of May

For MPH programs, we review applications on a rolling basis. You can expect an update within 3-6 weeks after SOPHAS application verfication and completion. 

We recommend that you contact the Office of Student Affairs, at coph-admit@email.arizona.edu or 520.626.3201. They will be able to provide information on ways to improve your application in the future.

If applying to any of the on-campus MPH programs, you can apply without those requirements and plan to take the courses either in the spring/summer prior to starting in the MPH program or within your first year in the program. Keep in mind that the math requirement must be taken before BIOS 576A Biostatistics in Public Health and EPID 573A Basic Principles of Epidemiology. Many of our recommended course sequencings for full-time students recommend that students take these two courses in their first semester. In these cases, it will be advantageous to take the math prerequisite either before applying to the program or in the spring/summer prior to starting in the program.

If applying to any of the online MPH programs, you must have the required math or biology course at the time of submitting your application. More information on our admissions criteria.

Some concentrations, such as Biostatistics and Environmental and Occupational Health, are looking for students with a higher level of math and science.  In those cases, you will want to take the prerequisites before applying. More information on our admissions criteria.  

The University of Arizona Graduate College allows students to transfer up to 20% of the total degree requirements for a master’s degree, so you can usually transfer up to 9 credits. Our Graduate College will make sure that the courses you took are graduate level, that they are from an accredited institution, and that you obtained an A or a B grade. Because students have 6 years to complete a master’s degree at the University of Arizona and because any transfer courses start the 6 year clock, there may be more hoops to jump through if your coursework is older.

For a required course, the faculty member who teaches the course here will review your course syllabus and ensure that the course covers the same content that we cover here. For courses like Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Environmental and Occupational Health, that usually isn’t a problem, as the courses tend to be very similar at all accredited schools of public health. For other courses, there may be more variation.

If the course will count as an elective, your faculty mentor will sign off that the course can count as an elective.  

Typically, you will start the transfer process in the summer or fall of your first year.

You must apply to a specific concentration, and you are admitted by the faculty in that concentration. The Phoenix-based MPH in Public Health Practice is the closest to a generalist MPH degree we offer. However, if you are admitted, you can request to switch concentrations. Click on the header below this called Can I switch concentrations within the MPH program? for more information.

Yes! Applicants can choose to apply to up to 3 programs or concentrations at the UA College of Public Health through SOPHAS (paying an additional application fee for each program).  You will write a unique Statement of Purpose for each program to which you will apply, and you will rank order your top 3 choices.  If you are admitted to your #1 choice, great!  If not, our faculty admissions committee will review your application for your #2 choice and so on. Applicants can only be admitted to one program or concentration within the College of Public Health.

We recommend researching each concentration carefully by reviewing the description and curriculum for each concentration. Other ideas for picking the right concentration:

• Visit the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health Areas of Study page
• Read about the faculty members in the area you’re interested in
• Talk with students in the area you’re interested in!  We can help you connect you, and you can also read about our student Ambassadors on the Meet Our Students page  
• Sit in on a class
• Attend an Information Session
• Consider your undergraduate major!  If you were a math major, maybe Biostatistics is the right fit for you; if you were a biology major, Epidemiology or One Health would be a great fit.  On the other hand, if you were a Health Education major, maybe Health Behavior Health Promotion would be too similar and it might be in your best interest to pick a different concentration where you would gain a new skill set, such as Family and Child Health or Public Health Policy and Management.
• Talk with our Director of Admissions at coph-admit@email.arizona.edu or 520.626.3201

It is definitely possible to change concentrations once a student has started in the program. If you start in the program and then decide you want to change concentrations, we ask you to write a revised statement of purpose to reflect your interest in the new concentration. The faculty in the new concentration will review your updated statement and your original SOPHAS application to make sure you meet their admissions criteria (for example, if you wanted to switch to Biostatistics, our faculty would make sure you had the math background required).

Approximately 100 new MPH students start in the program each fall, and about 3 or 4 students change their concentration at some point during the program. Most students identify the right concentration from the beginning, but a few students do find their niche in another area of public health.

Also consider that you can take your electives from another concentration and you have some flexibility in your internship to combine concentrations (e.g., a student who is interested in Global Health and Epidemiology could complete an Epidemiology internship internationally).

1. Priority Deadline  >  We recommend that you apply by the priority deadline, if at all possible.  This will give you the highest priority for admissions and for funding.  If you miss the priority deadline for any reason, we do have secondary/late deadlines for all of our programs.  View our deadlines here.
2. GRE Scores  >  The GRE is required for PhD Epidemiology applicants and highly recommended for MS/PhD Epidemiology applicants. All other programs do not require a GRE score. Make sure to send your GRE scores to the University of Arizona College of Public Health/SOPHAS, code 4253.  Once you have your scores, please also type the raw score and percentile into SOPHAS, as this will help us begin reviewing your application.
3. Transcripts  >  Send transcripts as early in the application process as possible.  Make sure to send transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions you have attended, including community colleges, directly from your schools’ registrar’s offices to SOPHAS.  If you are trying to meet a December or January deadline and you are taking courses in the fall with grades that will post in December, please list those courses on SOPHAS as Planned or In Progress with no grades (waiting until your grades post may delay your application.
4. International Transcripts  >  If you have a degree from a country outside of the U.S. or Canada, we require that you have your transcripts evaluated by WES at www.wes.org/cas.  This process takes time, so we recommend starting this process early.
5. Work and Volunteer Experience  >  While you will upload a resume with your application, there is a section on SOPHAS that asks applicants to enter their work and volunteer experience.  Although it seems a bit redundant, our admissions committee likes to see you enter your work and volunteer experience in both places.  Think of this as a chance to highlight all of your incredible experience!
6. Statement of Purpose  >  The statement of purpose is your opportunity to introduce yourself to our admissions committee by sharing your background, your public health interests, and your career goals, as well as why you are interested in a specific area of public health and would like to join the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health.  Because we don’t conduct interviews for most of our programs, this is a very important part of your application!  You will want to edit your statement for spelling, grammar, and clarity, and you may want to ask for editing help from a trusted advisor, friend, or family member. Please note that this is the only section on SOPHAS that can be personalized for each school or program to which you’re applying.
7. Letters of Recommendation  >   For an MPH applicant, we like to see at least one letter from a faculty member who can speak to your academic abilities (although we understand that this may not be possible for applicants who have been out of school for 5 years or longer).  For MS, PhD, and DrPH applicants, we recommend at least two letters from faculty members who can speak to your academic abilities.  The other letter(s) can be from a work, volunteer, or internship supervisor who can speak to your professional abilities. Other letters may come from advisors and mentors.  We strongly discourage personal references (friends, family members, clergy, etc.).  Letters are submitted to SOPHAS electronically. Make sure you are asking references who know you well, who can speak to your potential to be successful in graduate school, and who will write you a strong letters of recommendation! Sending them your resume and statement of purpose will help them in crafting a great letter for you.
8. Specific Admissions Criteria  >  Each of our programs has specific admissions criteria that you will want to review as you complete your application.  Links to these criteria are located at:https://publichealth.arizona.edu/graduate-students/admissions/programs
9. Anything Out of the Ordinary  >  If you have something unusual on your application, we recommend that you address these issues in the section of SOPHAS called Additional Experiences.  Examples might include a whole semester of withdrawals (W grades), a low GPA, a semester or year where your grades dipped lower than usual, or low GRE scores, Our admissions committee understands that many issues arise when students are in school, such as health problems, family/personal issues, having difficulty with the transition to college, not finding the right major at first, needing to work full-time through college, etc.  We ask that you address the issue, sharing as much or as little personal information as you feel comfortable, so that the admissions committee has some context regarding the issue.  Please contact our Director of Admissions at coph-admit@email.arizona.edu if you have questions or would like help with discussing your situation.
10. Faculty Advisor for PhD and DrPH Applicants  >  One of the most important pieces of an application to a doctoral program at the College of Public Health is finding a faculty advisor whose research interests and areas of expertise align with your interests.  Through the admissions process, the College of Public Health seeks to ensure that we have sufficient faculty with relevant research experience to effectively mentor you through your doctoral program and your dissertation. Please research the faculty in this program and outline which faculty members you hope to work with in your Research Statement.  Given that faculty commitments change from year to year, we strongly recommend that you list at least two faculty with whom you would like to work.  Although you are welcome to contact specific faculty to discuss our program and your goals, it is not necessary for you to communicate with faculty before or during the application process.

If you are admitted to an MPH or MS program, you can request to defer your admission for one year to the following fall semester. Contact our Office of Student Affairs via email at coph-admit@email.arizona.edu if you're interested in deferring.  

If you have been admitted to a PhD or DrPH program, deferrals are not automatic. Please contact our Office of Student Affairs at coph-admit@email.arizona.edu to request a deferral.