Doctor of Public Health, Dr.P.H.

Admission Requirements

1. Application – Completion of an application in Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS).
2. Degree – Completion of a Master’s or terminal degree from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants who do not have a graduate degree in Public Health will be required to complete prerequisite Public Health coursework.
3. Transcripts – Official transcript(s) from each college or university previously attended. A transcript is required even if the courses from one school appear on the transcript of another school. (NOTE: SOPHAS will NOT process your application without receiving all official transcripts. Please refer to the SOPHAS FAQs page for instructions on HOW TO SEND TRANSCRIPTS.)
   • All foreign transcripts must be evaluated by World Education Services (WES). Visit http://www.wes.org/ to view which documents are required for your country and to request an International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP) Course-by-Course Report.
   • Transcript(s) should show completion of at least one (1) graduate-level core course in each of the following five (5) areas: biostatistics, epidemiology, social and behavioral sciences in public health, health policy and management, and environmental health. (Applicant may be asked to provide syllabi for courses taken.)
   • Courses must have been completed in the last five (5) years and each must have been passed with a grade of “B” or better. Applicants who have not completed these courses, but whose applications show exceptional potential for success in the Dr.P.H. program, may be admitted to the Dr.P.H. program, but will be required to complete the courses (as presented in the JPHCOPH M.P.H. core course requirements) with grades of “B” or better before progressing to the Public Health Core and Concentration Courses of the Dr.P.H. program. If the applicant has completed a Master’s degree in a field other than public health, professional public health work experience in one or more of the five core areas may be substituted for the corresponding M.P.H. level courses at the discretion of the College. Applicants who took these courses more than five years ago but who work in the Public Health field may request a waiver. Requests for this waiver must be submitted in writing to jphcoph-admissions@georgiasouthern.edu.
4. Grade Point Average (GPA) – Preferred minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0 scale in upper division graduate courses.
5. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) – Submission of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores is OPTIONAL. However, they may be submitted as evidence of quantitative and analytical abilities (See Item 6 below.) If submitted, official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), taken within the last five (5) years should be sent to school code 8560.
6. Evidence of Quantitative & Analytic Ability – To ensure that students admitted to the program have the necessary preparation in quantitative and analytic methods to complete the program, we require evidence of quantitative and analytic ability.  Applicants must submit:
   • Description of Quantitative/Analytic Experience and Ability – This statement (no more than half a page in length) should detail your previous quantitative/analytic experience, such as courses completed (whether or not for credit), quantitative/analytical work completed for research and publications you meaningfully participated in, GRE standardized test scores, and/or work experience. Please use this statement to detail what you have accomplished and if applicable, how you have used your abilities outside of the classroom.
   • Verification of Ability – Provide evidence of the experience/ability included in your description. If courses are being included, please include the grade. This can include the following: Certificates of course completions for online courses; Official standardized GRE/GMAT scores (taken within the last 5 years) sent to school code 8560; Abstracts of research projects or publications – please ONLY provide the abstract and/or a link to access the paper virtually. We WILL NOT review complete thesis/publications/projects; Project deliverables demonstrating analytic/quantitative skill- should you not be able to provide the actual data, please provide a brief description of the project including the tools used and the results. *Transcripts do not need to be provided here, since they are included in your application.
7. English Language Proficiency – International applicants and U.S. Citizens whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency. Prior to consideration for admission, international applicants whose native language is not English must take and post acceptable scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) unless they have received a degree from an accredited college or university in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada (except Quebec), Australia, or New Zealand. The TOEFL and IELTS examinations are administered at various times of the year and in many centers throughout the world.
   • A score of at least 75 (internet-based test, IBT) or 537 (paper-based test) on the TOEFL and 6.0 on the IELTS is normally required to be considered for regular admission. The official TOEFL and the official IELTS scores may not be more than two (2) years old. Those who do not meet the minimum proficiency standard may be recommended for enrollment in University English courses or for English courses offered by the English Language Program (ELP) on campus. Successful completion of Intensive English Programs (IEPs) at other English Language Program (ELP) providers will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
   • Provide code #5688 to ETS so your official TOEFL scores will post to your SOPHAS application. Request that IELTS send your test results to “Georgia Southern University Graduate” and enter your test report form (TRF) number in SOPHAS.
8. Letters of Recommendation – Three (3) letters of recommendation. It is strongly advised that two letters be from individuals who can address your past academic performance and it is encouraged that the third letter is from a work or internship supervisor.
9. Curriculum Vitae/Resume – A CV/Resume that includes the following: A CV/Resume that includes the following: a) educational experiences, b) professional goals and objectives, c) work history, d) professional experiences, memberships and/or participation in professional organizations, e) experiences in public health programs. For the Public Health Leadership concentration, a minimum   of 3 years of experience in public health, healthcare, or a closely related area are required. Work experience is not required for applicants to the Biostatistics, Community Health Behavior and Education, Epidemiology, or Health Policy and Management concentrations.
10. Statement of Purpose – A Statement of Purpose (700-1,000 words) that conveys the applicant’s reasons for pursuing a DrPH in Public Health and how admission into the program relates to the applicant’s professional aspirations.
11. Interview – Interviews (either virtual or in-person) may be required of applicants who pass an initial application review prior to a final decision.

*Some students may be required to take prerequisite coursework prior to beginning the program of study. Conditions of admission will be presented at the student’s first advisement appointment.

Deadlines

Applications for the JPHCOPH graduate programs are accepted for FALL admission only.  Applications and ALL supporting documents must be in SOPHAS no later than the JPHCOPH Application Deadline to be considered for admission.  It is highly recommended that your application and all supporting documents be received by SOPHAS at least four (4) weeks prior to the JPHCOPH application deadline date. 

What does it mean to be verified in SOPHAS? Verification in SOPHAS is the process used to ensure all of an applicant’s coursework was entered correctly and consistently. This standardization is achieved by using the applicant’s coursework to create a standard set of GPAs, ensuring they are compared to other applicants fairly and equally. Several things happen during verification including comparing all components of coursework to the official transcripts received. Each course entered in the transcript entry section is placed under a specific course subject category, and each grade entered is converted to a CAS grade value. Then, GPAs are calculated using the converted grade values. Lastly, degrees are authenticated. Once verification is completed, the applicant’s application status will move from Complete to Verified. An application will not be processed until it is verified and all supporting documents have been received in SOPHAS.

Important: Your application will be marked as incomplete and will not be considered for admission if any of the supporting documents are not in SOPHAS by the deadline date.

• February 1st Deadline

Application Timeline

It is highly recommended that you request official transcripts/foreign evaluations, test scores, and reference letters at least eight (8) weeks prior to the JPHCOPH application deadline date as this is essential to the verification process. Keep in mind that it takes 7-10 business days from the date of receipt to post transcripts and official test scores to your application. Evaluations or Letters of Recommendation are immediately updated once received from your recommender. Please refer to the timeline in the SOPHAS Quick Start Guide.

• SOPHAS Timeline – To ensure your application is mailed (sent) to JPHCOPH on time, all materials should be received by SOPHAS at least four (4) weeks prior to the JPHCOPH application deadline date. Once your application is considered complete, it can take up to four (4) weeks to be processed and verified by SOPHAS.
• Georgia Southern University Timeline – Review of all application will begin immediately after the deadline by the DrPH Admissions committee. Applicants passing an initial review will be notified to schedule a virtual or in-person interview. After all interviews have been completed, decisions will be made and promptly communicated to applicants.
• Wait List – Applicants may be placed on a waitlist to be considered for admission later in the admissions review cycle. In this case, the applicant will be notified by email and offered the opportunity to remain on the waitlist or to be removed from the applicant pool. Waitlist candidates will receive information regarding their updated status on or before May 1.

Program Contact Information

Last updated: 8/16/2023