To apply to the Master of Public Health in one of the following concentrations, please review the admissions and application requirements below: 

• Biostatistics (On-Campus or Online Program)
• Community Oriented Primary Care
• Environmental and Occupational Health (On-Campus or Online Program)
• Epidemiology
• Health Promotion
• Maternal and Child Health
• Public Health Administration and Policy
• Public Health Practice  (Online Program)

To apply to the Master of Public Health program, applicants are required to complete the online Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS) application.*

*Exception: MPH Dual degree seeking students, please see individual program page for details on application instructions.

Admission Requirements

• Completion of the designated application and payment of application fee.
• Official transcripts reflecting an earned bachelor’s degree, with a 3.0 or higher grade point average for the last 60 undergraduate or the last 18 graduate/post-baccalaureate credit hours completed.
  • FOREIGN TRANSCRIPTS: Official transcripts or mark sheets of college level work not in English or in the standard U.S. grading scale must be sent to a credential evaluation service for translation. The transcript evaluation must be a course by course evaluation that identifies and describes each diploma or certificate with periods of education and equivalency of each document.  The preferred services are: World Education Services (WES) and Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE). Other services approved by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) will also be accepted. Transcripts must carry the signature of a responsible official in which the work was done and the seal of that institution, or must be certified true copies of the original records. If photo static copies are provided, the copies  must be certified after duplication as true copies of the original document. Transcripts should clearly indicate the grades received or the standing attained on required examinations. If transcripts do not show the degree earned and the date on which it was conferred, official degree statements must also be provided.
• Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores taken within the last five years are required of all applicants. Many factors are considered in evaluating an individual's application, but many successful applicants will have verbal, quantitative, and analytic writing GRE scores at or above the 40th percentile.
  • GRE Waiver Policy: Applicants to the UNMC College of Public Health (COPH) MPH Program may request a waiver from the GRE if they have been conferred a graduate or terminal degree (for example M.S., M.A., M.D., Pharm.D., Ph.D.), from a regionally-accredited U.S. institution of higher education. In addition, applicants possessing any UNMC Public Health Certificate may request a waiver if they have earned a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.25 and no less than a B in any course. 
    Applicants are advised that the GRE waiver is not automatic and an approved GRE Waiver application does not guarantee later acceptance into the program. Those requesting a GRE waiver are encouraged to do so prior to formally applying through SOPHAS. To apply for the GRE waiver, applicants will need to submit the following items via email to coph@unmc.edu:
    • GRE Waiver Application Form
    • Scanned copies of all college or university transcripts (official or unofficial are acceptable)
    • A current resume or CV
• Three letters of recommendation from academic or professional references.
• A one page personal statement describing the applicant’s:
  • Interest in and potential for contributing to the field of public health
  • Career objectives
  • Self-assessment of personal skills and general preparation for succeeding in a public health graduate program. Applicants are encouraged to include work/volunteer/service experience related to public health.
• A resume/CV inlcuding work and volunteer history
• Official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS scores are required of all applicants whose primary language is not English or whose undergraduate degree is from a college or university outside of the United States.

Epidemiology Concentration Prerequisites: 

The student must have received the equivalent of a grade of B or better in a one college level math course. 

Environmental and Occupational Health Prerequisites:

The student must have successfully completed the following courses: two semesters of biology, two semesters of chemistry, one semester of physics, and one semester of college level math.

Biostatistics Concentration Prerequisites: 

The student must have received the equivalent of a grade of B or better in a college-level statistics course, differential calculus and integral calculus.