Admissions

Admissions and advising staff

General admissions staff

Campus-specific admissions staff

By area of study

Steps to apply as a degree-seeking student

If you are applying to an MPH, MS, DrPH, PhD or dual-degree program, you are a degree-seeking applicant. Please note that if you are seeking readmission to the School or are applying to the accelerated master’s (4+1) program, you are considered a non-degree seeking applicant.

Dates and deadlines

Fall Admission:

• All degree programs are eligible to apply for fall enrollment (MPH, MS, DrPH, PhD)
• International applicants requiring F1 visa sponsorship can ONLY be reviewed and admitted for the fall semester unless the applicant is already enrolled in a US college or university
• December 1 is the deadline for applicants who wish to meet the priority deadline to be considered for a new student scholarship
• February 1 is the deadline for dietetic internship applicants, so that their applications reviewed in time for internship match day
• April 1 is the final deadline for all remaining applicants

Spring Admission:

• Only MPH and MS students are eligible to apply for spring enrollment
• November 1 is the final deadline for applicants who wish to be considered for spring admission and the new student scholarship

What you will need

For a more detailed description of the items needed to apply, download our application checklist. 

Academic history:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required
• Recommended grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Transcripts from all institutions of higher education you have attended, including high school dual-credit programs
  • If you are an international applicant and/or have completed degrees outside of the United States, carefully review the international student checklist to ensure that all additional requirements are met. 

Test scores:

• Entrance exam scores (GRE/GMAT/MCAT) are optional for all MPH and MS programs. For all doctoral programs, students are encouraged to submit entrance exam scores; however, the following programs are required to submit scores:
  • DrPH in Community Health Practice
  • PhD in Epidemiology
  • PhD in Environmental Sciences, Environmental Disease Prevention Track
  • PhD in Environmental Sciences, Total Worker Health® (TWH)
  • PhD in Health Economics and Health Services Research
  • PhD in Healthcare Management and Policy
• See the list of waivers or exceptions

Three letters of recommendation:

• Letters of recommendation are submitted through SOPHAS
• At least one letter of recommendation from an academic reference is preferred

Statement of purpose and objectives:

• Describe why you are a compelling candidate for admission
• Explain why you want to be in a specific area of public health study
• Highlight your experience and qualifications beyond test scores and grades
• Include your professional goals
• Address any areas of weakness in your application
• Briefly describe any extenuating circumstances that you wish the Admissions Committee to consider

For a more detailed description of the items needed to apply, download our application checklist. 

If you are an international applicant and/or have completed degrees outside of the United States, carefully review the international student checklist to ensure that all additional requirements are met. 

Please be sure to check the specific degree pages for further application requirements. 

Completing your application using SOPHAS

UTHealth School of Public Health utilizes SOPHAS – The Centralized Application Service for Public Health, a universal application portal for schools and programs of public health. All UTHealth School of Public Health applicants will need to use SOPHAS to complete their application. You can create your account and review application fees here.

After you have made your SOPHAS account, you can quickly select the UTHealth School of Public Health programs you would like to apply for by visiting this SOPHAS page, which has been pre-filtered to display only our school's degree offerings.

All test scores should be submitted electronically through SOPHAS. Below are the specific codes you will need for the application: 

• Our institution GRE code is 4479, no department code is needed  
• Our institution MCAT score code is SOPHAS (MPH applicants only, if needed)
• Please mail GMAT scores directly to us 
• For international applicants:
  • TOEFL score code is 5688
  • International applicants completing the IELTS exam in lieu of TOEFL will need to mail official IELTS scores directly to the school of public health
  • For more information on international applicant requirements, download our international student checklist

Create a SOPHAS profile.

What to expect after you apply

Keep track of the status of your application in SOPHAS:

• Ensure all your supporting documents, including transcripts, test scores and letters of recommendation are uploaded in your application
• Once your application is complete and verified by SOPHAS, we will send you a confirmation email
• We are unable to review incomplete applications
• Your application will be reviewed within 8 weeks

Once an admission decision has been made, we will notify you via email.

Dual-degree process

Dual-degree students must:

• Be admitted separately to each school
• Provide UTHealth School of Public Health admissions staff with documentation of admission to the partner institution via email

Admission to one program does not guarantee admission to the other

If you need to defer

You may elect to defer your admission for up to one year. Please email your deferral request to the Office of Academic Affairs and Student Services at [email protected]. You will receive an email confirmation of your request.

If you are not admitted

We encourage you to reapply, but you’ll need to wait one calendar year in order to be reconsidered by the departmental admission committees. Following the one year waiting period, you will need to complete a new SOPHAS application, submit a revised statement of purpose and objectives, and provide updated letters of recommendation, in addition to any other materials required by SOPHAS. 

Apply now!

How to apply to a non-degree seeking program

If you are applying to one of our accelerated master’s, certificate, or concurrent/inter-institutional enrollment programs, or are applying to seek readmission, audit a class, or complete non-degree coursework, you are a non-degree seeking applicant.

Dates and deadlines

• July 1 is the final application deadline for fall enrollment
• April 1 is the final application deadline for summer enrollment
• November 1 is the final application deadline for spring enrollment

For non-degree seeking, certificate and accelerated master’s (4+1) applicants

Taking a class or getting a certificate is a great way to enhance your current career skills, or help you decide if pursuing a degree in public health is the right choice for you. Non-degree or certificate courses can count towards a degree program, as long as the courses you take align with the requirements described in the degree program planner. 

You can take up to 16 total credit hours and will need to complete a SOPHAS Express application that includes:

• Academic history
• Transcripts from all institutions of higher education you have attended, including high school dual-credit programs
• We accept unofficial transcripts for the initial application, but upon admission, we will require you to submit all official transcripts directly to the UTHealth Registrar’s Office
• A statement of purpose and objectives
• One letter of recommendation
• Test scores are not required

We do not sponsor F1 student visas for non-degree seeking/certificate students.

To verify visas that are eligible for these programs, email [email protected]. 

Download the international student checklist to ensure additional requirements are met.

For students seeking re-admission

Approval for readmission is required, please email [email protected]. 

Students seeking readmission to a degree program who have not been enrolled at UTHealth School of Public Health for over one calendar year (a total of three consecutive semesters) must re-apply to the school using a SOPHAS Express application, and include in their supporting documents: 

• Updated statement of purpose and objectives, including an explanation for the leave of absence
• One letter of recommendation from a faculty adviser indicating support for your readmission
• Transcripts reflecting classes you have taken since the original application was submitted

For concurrent/inter-institutional enrollment and course auditing

Concurrent/inter-institutional enrollment and course auditing are handled through the UTHealth Registrar’s Office. Neither requires a SOPHAS or SOPHAS Express application.

• Request for concurrent/inter-institutional enrollment 
• Request to audit a class

Completing your application using SOPHAS Express

UTHealth School of Public Health utilizes SOPHAS Express as the application portal for non-degree seeking applications. Non-degree seeking, accelerated masters programs (4+1) and certificate-seeking applicants, as well as students seeking readmission to a degree program, will only need to complete the SOPHAS Express application.

You can create your account and review application fees here.

After you have made your SOPHAS Express account, you can quickly select the UTHealth School of Public Health programs you would like to apply for by visiting this SOPHAS Express page, which has been pre-filtered to display only our school's non-degree seeking offerings.

What to expect after you apply

Keep track of the status of your application in SOPHAS Express:

• Ensure all your supporting documents are uploaded in your application
• Once your application is submitted and complete in SOPHAS Express, we will send you a confirmation email
• We are unable to review incomplete applications
• Your application will be reviewed within 4 weeks

Once an admissions decision has been made, we will notify you via email.

If you need to defer

You may elect to defer your admission for up to one year. Please email your deferral request to the Office of Academic Affairs and Student Services at [email protected]. You will receive an email confirmation of your request.

Apply now!