About
The Public Health Early Admissions Student Track (PHEAST) is a health professions pipeline program designed to recruit, educate, and graduate passionate public health leaders committed to improving population health outcomes in Nebraska. The PHEAST program is a collaborative initiative between the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Public Health (CoPH), the University of Nebraska Kearney (UNK), and the Nebraska State College System (Chadron State College, Peru State College, and Wayne State College).
Eligibility
Students eligible to apply to PHEAST shall be Nebraska residents who will have completed approximately 60 credit hours, but no more than 80 credit hours, towards their undergraduate program of study at the time of entry into the PHEAST Program. Students must complete and submit a projected plan of study along with their application documents. “If the 3 campus slots are not filled, students who have completed more than 80 credit hours at time of entry into PHEAST may be considered on a case-by-case basis for admission into the program.”
Aside from being able to maintain good academic standing, successful applicants are able to demonstrate a sincere interest in pursuing a graduate education in public health through personal and professional references that attest to the applicant’s involvement in public health related activities through either work, curricular/extracurricular, or community engagement activities, and/or other life experiences.
Why PHEAST?
While anyone is welcome to apply to the UNMC CoPH Master of Public Health Program, students accepted into the PHEAST program enjoy several advantages over regular Master of Public Health (MPH) program applicants prior to matriculation. Provided that PHEAST students fulfill requirements outlined in the PHEAST Program Standards document PHEAST students will:
- Receive full tuition reimbursement while completing their undergraduate education (during their junior and senior year).
- Benefit from a three credit hour scholarship provided by the UNMC CoPH to complete the required three graduate credit hour Foundation of Public Health (web-based) course, which is designed to introduce emerging public health leaders to the Public Health System and the 10 Essential Public Health Services.
- Engage in activities that allow them to practice their public health leadership and community/civic engagement skills.
- Participate in annual visits to UNMC CoPH where they are immersed in a daylong curriculum and activities designed to familiarize themselves with the UNMC CoPH campus, and MPH program concentration areas, and to learn about public health career opportunities, all while developing warm relationships with MPH program faculty and staff.
How to apply to PHEAST
Application Cycle: January 15th through March 15th
Students interested in applying to PHEAST should complete and submit
- the PHEAST Application Form ,
- their official transcript,
- three letters of recommendation,
- their personal statement,
- and a projected plan of study indicating anticipated matriculation to UNMC CoPH,
- along with their professional resume,
to the PHEAST Campus Representative at their respective undergraduate institution by March 15th. The PHEAST Campus Representative will forward your application in pdf format to the UNMC PHEAST Coordinator. The UNMC CoPH will provisionally accept up to three students from each academic partner institution per academic year and will notify applicants of their acceptance status by April 30th.
PHEAST Campus Representatives
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Campus Representative: Ms. Kristal Kuhnel Phone: 308-432-6278 |
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Campus Representative: Dr. Gul Ahmad Phone: 402-872-2269 |
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Campus Representative: Dr. Mary Ettel Phone: 402-375-7342 |
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Campus Representative: Ms. Peggy Abels Phone: 308-865-8260 E-Mail: E-Mail |
For more information about this program please e-mail .
