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*Common app code: Central27
MPH Application and Admission
If you are ready for a rewarding career in public health, the Master of Public Health (MPH) program will prepare you to lead in various roles from health education, planning, and policy development to health systems leadership and administration. Whether you chose the public health practice or health systems administration concentration, you will gain the skills needed to promote, protect, and improve the health of diverse and underserved communities through evidence-based approaches, strategic management, and collaborative problem-solving. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growth rate for health services and managers is estimated to be 29% by 2033. Graduates of the MPH program serve communities at local, national and international levels and be leaders in hospitals; district health departments; research institutions; and federal, multilateral and voluntary organizations.
Admission
Students are admitted in the fall and spring semesters. You must complete the application in full, along with all submission materials, before it can be reviewed. Graduate Admissions and the Director of the MPH program utilize Slate, a customer relationship management system specifically designed for higher education, to oversee the admissions process. Admission decisions are made based on a comprehensive evaluation of your academic background and your potential to complete a graduate degree in public health successfully.
Admission requirements
We review all applications and submitted documents when determining admission and make recommendations to the Office of Graduate Studies.
Admission requirements include:
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher learning. You must provide official documents including official transcripts of classes completed. If you have graduated from a Council for Education of Public Health (CEPH) certified program, you will have priority consideration for admission.
- Applicants with an overall GPA of less than 3.0 may be considered for regular admission.
- A resume that includes at least the following:
- Educational experience
- Professional goals and objectives
- Work history
- Professional experiences, memberships, and participation in professional activities
- Statement of Purpose. A personal statement (1-2 pages) describing your reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in public health at Central Michigan University. The statement should include information about your future career plans, or any past or current activities or achievements which are related to your proposed field of specialization including any research or teaching experience you may have had.
- Two letters of reference that can attest to your ability and likelihood of success in a graduate program.
- No graduate exam scores required.
- Because of the nature of the program and academic content, it is recommended that you have competency in the following areas: math and statistics, biology, and written and verbal skills. If you have not had such courses or developed these competencies you should develop them prior to starting the program.
- TOEFL, IELTS, or other English proficiency exam is required if you are from a non-English speaking country. You must be able to study and communicate in English and achieve the minimum score required by our Office of Graduate Studies. If you take the IELTS exam, you must achieve a minimum IELTS overall score of 5.5 for admission with stipulations or 6.5 or higher for regular admission. If you take the TOEFL exam, you must achieve an overall score of 79 (iBT).
If you do not meet one or more of the admission requirements, admission with stipulations may be considered by the MPH program. In such cases, you will need to earn at least a 3.0 GPA during the first nine credits taken in the MPH program. If you are wishing to be considered for admission with stipulations, you will need to submit a rationale for granting such admission, which will then be reviewed by the MPH program, the final authority in making a decision.
Retention requirements
- You must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA.
- If you are admitted with stipulations, you must demonstrate that you can achieve a 3.0 GPA during the first semester.
- If you do not maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA or who have more than two C or C+ grades in foundational or required courses, you may be placed on academic probation. Continued academic probation in multiple terms will result in dismissal from the MPH program.
- You will be allowed to repeat a course no more than two times in order to improve the grade. Students may not have more than two C or C+ grades in foundational and required courses to graduate. Grades of C- or less do not count for graduation.
Transfer credits
You may transfer into the MPH program up to 12 credits of coursework from another regionally accredited graduate degree program, provided that you earned a grade of B or better in the course and the course is determined by the MPH program to be equivalent to courses taught in the degree program. The determination of the MPH program is final in determining what courses, if any, can transfer.
The MPH courses are sequenced to start in each fall semester of the academic calendar. Students admitted in the spring program should take courses that might not have stringent prerequisites or with the permission of the instructor. In the initial stages, students admitted in the spring semester of the program may be delayed for at least one semester of the expected completion date; this will be offset when classes are taught in each semester.
Application deadline
| Program | Fall Application Deadline | Spring Application Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| On-campus MPH program | June 15 | October 15 |
| Online MPH program | July 31 | December 1 |
Master of Public Health Program
Health Professions Building 2211
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Phone: 989-774-6101
