The Rutgers School of Public Health does not discriminate in admissions or access to its programs and activities on the basis of race/color, ethnicity, national origin, religion/creed, disability, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran’s status.
Applications for admission to the Rutgers School of Public Health are encouraged from qualified college graduates with a Baccalaureate degree who desire training in the disciplines of public health and who have realistic plans for utilizing what they learn. Most students are admitted in matriculated status in the MPH, MS, or PhD degree programs. Applicants are accepted to a specific department on a specific campus.
Application is administered through the Rutgers Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS) except for students in a dual degree, residency, or fellowship program, as well as those having Rutgers faculty status, and students applying to a certificate program or seeking non-matriculated status. If you fall into any of these categories, please contact the Office of Admissions.
MPH and MS applicants for admission to the New Brunswick or Newark Campuses must have completed an undergraduate program accredited in the United States or its equivalent and must meet the criteria below. Preference will be given to candidates with two or more years of work experience in the health care fields and to residents of New Jersey. An applicant’s qualifications are substantiated by academic transcripts, GRE scores, and references. As part of the application, a personal statement also is required. An application is considered complete and will be reviewed when all admission information is received by specific deadlines. Accepted students will be required to provide information about their health as stipulated under University policy.
| UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE1 (all transcripts must be official sent directly from accredited institution) |
Required from an accredited school in the US or Canada; International applicants see footnote below |
| GRADUATE RECORD EXAM (GRE)2 | General Exam |
| IN LIEU OF GRE2 (For MPH and MS in Biostatistics applicants only; all MS in Health Outcomes, Policy and Economics applicants must submit GRE scores) |
MCAT, GMAT, DAT, or Pass USMLE, Step I; or have U.S. or Canadian Medical Board Certification; or have a doctorate from an accredited school in the US or Canada; LSAT for JD/MPH applicants or the LSAT can be substituted in all departments except BIST and EPID. |
| ESSAY ON STATEMENT OF GOALS | Required |
| LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION3 | Two letters are required for Master's degree applicants. (At least one of these letters should be from a university/college faculty member if the applicant completed their undergraduate education, or equivalent, within the past five years.) |
| WAIVERS FOR UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE TRANSCRIPT2 | MD, DO, PhD, DDS, DMD, DVM, EdD, DrPH, ScD, PharmD from an accredited US or Canadian school |
| TOEFL (must be official copy) |
Required for students educated outside the US in Non-English speaking countries, or a passing score in the English Portion of the ECFMG |
| WORK EXPERIENCE | Relevant work experience is preferred |
| PREREQUISITE COURSES | Varies Department of Specialization |
1For students who obtained an undergraduate degree in a country other than the U.S. or Canada, a course-by-course evaluation of their transcripts is required unless an advanced degree has been earned in the U.S. SOPHAS only accepts transcript evaluations by the World Education Services Inc. (WES). It is the responsibility of the student to obtain this evaluation.
2 Students being considered for certain articulated programs are exempt, but need to submit a transcript of all academic work completed.
3 If coming directly from an academic setting, a letter from a faculty member is preferred.
Requirements for admission to the doctoral programs are generally more stringent than those for the MPH or MS degree programs. Considerable attention is given to the match between the expertise of the faculty and the specific interests of the candidate. Students may work towards a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree at Rutgers School of Public Health.
**UPDATE** Please note we are not accepting applications to the DrPH degree program for the 2017-2018 academic year as we revise the DrPH curriculum. The PhD degree program is accepting applications.
The PhD degree program require a minimum of 72 credit hours for completion. Candidates for the PhD degree are required to complete comprehensive written and oral examinations, as well as complete and defend original dissertation research. Through doctoral level research, students will develop expertise on a single topic, design and implement a research project, integrate and interpret complex data, and complete a comprehensive dissertation. Students must plan this carefully.
Although students will work closely with their faculty advisors, they will bear responsibility for developing research of publishable quality. Doctoral students are accepted in five concentration areas: Biostatistics, Environmental & Occupational Health, Epidemiology, Health Education & Behavioral Science, and Health Systems & Policy, at our New Brunswick location; the Epidemiology concentration is also available at our Newark location. The program is designed to be flexible and responsive to the needs of individual students. A specific course of study will be selected by the student in consultation with his/her major advisor and then must be approved by the doctoral committee, although individual students may make substitutions with the written approval of the doctoral committee.
Each applicant to the doctoral program is required to submit a full application, including identification of an area of proposed research. These materials will be reviewed by the entire doctoral committee for quality and compatibility with the interests of the faculty. Personal visits are strongly encouraged for applicants to meet with faculty prior to this review. After review by the doctoral committee and upon identification of a Rutgers School of Public Health faculty member (at the rank of assistant professor or higher) willing to serve as the applicant’s advisor, the doctoral committee may recommend admission of that student.
| UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE1 (all transcripts must be official sent directly from accredited institution) |
Required from an accredited school in the US or Canada; International applicants see footnote below |
| GRADUATE RECORD EXAM (GRE)2 | General Exam |
| IN LIEU OF GRE2 | MCAT, GMAT, DAT, or Pass USMLE, Step I; or have U.S. or Canadian Medical Board Certification; or have a doctorate from an accredited school in the US or Canada; LSAT for JD/MPH applicants or the LSAT can be substituted in all departments except BIST and EPID. |
| ESSAY ON STATEMENT OF GOALS | Required |
| LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION3 | Three letters are required for doctoral degree applicants. |
| WAIVERS FOR UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE TRANSCRIPT2 | MD, DO, PhD, DDS, DMD, DVM, EdD, DrPH, ScD, PharmD from an accredited US or Canadian school |
| TOEFL (must be official copy) |
Required for students educated outside the US in Non-English speaking countries, or a passing score in the English Portion of the ECFMG |
| WORK EXPERIENCE | Relevant work experience is preferred |
| PREREQUISITE COURSES | Varies Department of Specialization |
1For students who obtained an undergraduate degree in a country other than the U.S. or Canada, a course-by-course evaluation of their transcripts is required unless an advanced degree has been earned in the U.S. SOPHAS only accepts transcript evaluations by the World Education Services Inc. (WES). It is the responsibility of the student to obtain this evaluation.
2In the case of a doctorally-trained applicant, who is a faculty member at Rutgers, a Letter of Appointment by the Board of Governors or other employment official may replace the transcripts and GRE scores.
3 If coming directly from an academic setting, a letter from a faculty member is preferred.
Admission requirements vary by the certificate program, and the application is administered through the campus office. Applications and details can be found in the certificate brochure, which can be requested from any Campus Office.
Click here to visit the Certificate Programs webpage for more information.
Visiting students interested in enrolling in one or two courses on the New Brunswick, Newark or Stratford Campuses must have completed an undergraduate program accredited in the United States or its equivalent and must meet the criteria below.
| UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE1 (all transcripts must be official sent directly from accredited institution) |
Required from an accredited school in the US or Canada; International applicants see footnote below |
| TOEFL (must be official copy) |
Required for students educated outside the US in Non-English speaking countries, or a passing score in the English Portion of the ECFMG |
| WAIVERS FOR UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE TRANSCRIPT2 | MD, DO, PhD, DDS, DMD, DVM, EdD, DrPH, ScD, PharmD from an accredited US or Canadian school |
| LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION OR REFERRAL/APPROVAL3 | One letter is required for short form admission |
| WORK EXPERIENCE | Not required |
| PREREQUISITE COURSES | Varies Department of Specialization |
1For students who obtained an undergraduate degree in a country other than the U.S. or Canada, a course-by-course evaluation of their transcripts is required unless an advanced degree has been earned in the U.S. Among agencies providing this service is the World Education Services Inc. (WES). It is the responsibility of the student to obtain this evaluation.
2In the case of a doctorally-trained applicant, who is a faculty member at Rutgers, a Letter of Appointment by the Board of Governors or other employment official may replace the transcripts.
3If coming directly from an academic setting, a letter from a faculty member is preferred.
The Office of International Services attends to the specialized needs of Rutger Biomedical and Health Sciences international students and scholars and their dependents. These services include communication of relevant information and services to both students and staff and comprehensive advising in all appropriate areas of international education. The OIS acts as the University's designee in ensuring institutional compliance with all U.S. immigration regulations and procedures and is the University's liaison to the Departments of State and Homeland Security. Advising services are provided to departments seeking to hire or enroll foreign nationals under the F-1, J-1, H-1B or 0-1 visa classifications as appropriate.
Services provided include: information workshops; orientation programs for new students and scholars; preparation, issuance and/or filling of initial petitions; extension and transfer of immigration related forms; preparation of dependent forms; status monitoring; insurance and other regulatory compliance; regular interaction with U.S. government agencies such as the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Labor (DOL), Department of State (DOS) and Social Security Administration (SSA); and general advising to the University community at large.