Departmental Admission Requirements
Students are admitted to the School of Public Health and Information Sciences on either a degree seeking or non-degree seeking basis. High school visitors, visiting students from other institutions, auditors, post baccalaureate students, and continuing studies students are considered non-degree seeking. All other students are considered degree seeking. Applicants will be notified by the University’s Office of Admissions of their status and of the conditions of their enrollment at the time they are accepted. Students planning to earn degrees from the School of Public Health and Information Sciences must be degree-seeking in order for the credits they have earned to apply toward their degrees. Students remain in a degree-seeking status until they graduate, transfer to another college or university, or are suspended/dismissed.
All newly admitted students are required to meet with SPHIS Undergraduate Advising prior to enrolling in classes. Admission is granted to students meeting the following requirements:
Entering First-Year Students and Transfer students with fewer than 24 credit hours
- Good Standing
- Must meet minimum university admissions requirements
- One of the following:
- Graduation from accredited high school
- Successful completion of General Education Development (GED) tests
- High school GPA of 2.5 or higher
- ACT/SAT score of 20/1030 or higher (optional)
- College GPA of 2.0 (if applicable)
- Conditional Admission
Students who meet University minimum academic standards may be conditionally admitted (see Undergraduate Catalog, Admission to the University of Louisville).
Transfer student with 24 credit hours or more
- Good Standing
Must meet minimum university admissions requirements, including a 2.0 Cumulative college GPA (includes UofL GPA).
- Conditional Admission
Petition approved by Public Health Appeals Committee.
Accelerated BS-MPH in Public Health Admissions Process
Pre-Enrollment
Undergraduates who will have earned a minimum of 75 credit hours and an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.25 may pursue the accelerated degree program option. Eligible students who complete the following by February 1st of the student’s sixth undergraduate semester can receive permission to enroll in MPH graduate level courses from the director of the MPH program:
Pre-Admission & Concentration Declaration
Students granted permission to enroll in graduate-level courses will need to declare a concentration for the Master of Public Health graduate degree by November 15 of the student’s seventh undergraduate semester. The concentration options for an accelerated student are Epidemiology, Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, and Health Policy. Students applying to the epidemiology concentration will be required to have a strong quantitative background. ACT score, math placement score, and MATH 109 or higher course will be considered. A representative from the desired concentration will schedule an interview with the student to determine provisional admission and approval of concentration declaration for the students accelerated program.
Provisional Admission
Once approved to declare a concentration, the student is now provisionally admitted to the MPH accelerated program and must complete the following steps no later than the final year of their undergraduate studies to formally apply to the MPH program:
- Submit a complete UofL Graduate School Application no later than March 1st and apply for the Summer term unless the student is pursuing the Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences concentration, in which case that student should apply for the Fall term.
- Accelerated MPH students DO NOT submit a SOPHAS Application
- Submit two letters of recommendation written within the last twelve months (at least one must be a SPHIS faculty member).
- Overall GPA for the undergraduate degree (including the core courses) must be a minimum of 3.0, and students must have made a grade of B or better in each of the following MPH core courses:
- PHST 500 Introduction to Biostatistics for Health Sciences I
- PHPB 501 Introduction to Public Health Behavior
- PHEP 501 Introduction to Epidemiology
- PHMS 501 Introduction to Public Health Practice and Administration
- PHST 501 Introduction to Biostatistics for Health Sciences II (if applicable to concentration)
- OR PHPB 630 Social and Structural Determinants of Health (as applicable to concentration)
- One-page personal statement written by the applicant that is a clear, substantive description of their goals in public health.
- Resume/CV
- There is no GRE requirement.
Upon receipt of MPH admissions materials students will remain provisionally admitted to the MPH program until successful completion of their undergraduate degree. Following the receipt of their undergraduate degree, their admission status will be updated accordingly.
Accelerated BS-MPH for non-Public Health majors Admissions Process
Pre-Enrollment
Undergraduates who will have earned a minimum of 75 credit hours and an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.25 may pursue the accelerated degree program option. Students must also have completed Cardinal Core math and English requirements before submission of online program petition. Eligible students who complete the following by February 1st of the student’s sixth undergraduate semester can receive permission to enroll in MPH graduate level courses from the director of the MPH program:
- Submit an online program-petition
- Submit resume
- Submit a letter of recommendation, preferably from a UofL faculty member, that speaks to their academic abilities, to the SPHIS Academic Coordinator at ugsphis@louisville.edu.
- Submit a letter from their academic advisor supporting this option and include their academic plan and how the MPH courses fit into the plan and they will stay on track to graduate: ugsphis@louisville.edu.
- Students may be interviewed by the MPH program director following the submission of their petition and notified of petition acceptance no later than the end of the student’s sixth semester.
Academic Advising
- Upon notification of petition acceptance, the undergraduate advisor will work directly with the student’s academic advisor and student to review MPH core course sequencing and the scheduling to verify degree completion.
- General accelerated students will also be assigned a public health academic advisor for the undergraduate accelerated MPH portion of their degree.
Pre-Admission & Concentration Declaration
Students granted permission to enroll in graduate-level courses will need to declare a concentration for the Master of Public Health graduate degree by November 15 of the student’s seventh undergraduate semester. The concentration options for an accelerated student are Epidemiology, Health Policy, and Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences. Students applying to the epidemiology concentration will be required to have a strong quantitative background. ACT score, math placement score, and MATH 109 or higher course will be considered. A representative from the desired concentration will schedule an interview with the student to determine provisional admission and approval of concentration declaration for the students accelerated program.
Provisional Admission
Once approved to declare a concentration, the student is now provisionally admitted to the MPH accelerated program and must complete the following steps no later than the final year of their undergraduate studies to formally apply to the MPH program:
- Submit a complete UofL Graduate School Application no later than March 1st and apply for the Summer term unless the student is an HP & BS concentration in which that student would apply for the Fall term louisville.edu/graduate/futurestudents/apply-materials/application
- Accelerated MPH students DO NOT submit a SOPHAS Application
- Pay the Graduate School Application fee
- Submit two letters of recommendation written within the last 12 months (at least one must be a SPHIS faculty member)
- Include a one-page personal statement with clear, substantive description of goals in public health.
- Resume/CV
- Maintain a minimum graduate program GPA of 3.0
- Receive a grade of “B” or higher in the following MPH core courses:
- PHST 500 Introduction to Biostatistics for Health Sciences I
- PHPB 501 Introduction to Public Health Behavior
- PHEP 501 Introduction to Epidemiology
- PHMS 501 Introduction to Public Health Practice and Administration
- PHST 501 Introduction to Biostatistics for Health Sciences II (if applicable to concentration)
- OR PHPB 630 Social and Structural Determinants of Health (as applicable to concentration)
- There is NO GRE requirement.
Upon receipt of MPH admissions materials students may be provisionally admitted to the MPH program based on receipt of their undergraduate degree. Following the receipt of their undergraduate degree, their admission status will be updated accordingly.
