Application Process

APPLICATION

Graduate Programs in Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine exclusively accepts applications through SOPHAS – The Centralized Application Service for Public Health (SOPHAS).

Applicants must use their full name as it appears on their passport on all application materials. All application and supplementary materials, including transcripts from all institutions attended, test score(s) if applicable, personal statement/statement of purpose, resume/CV, and letters of recommendation, must be submitted online through SOPHAS.

Please see SOPHAS instructions for information on submitting the required materials and contact SOPHAS directly if you have questions regarding the online application process.

Start your application with SOPHAS

APPLY NOW

Once the application and all supplementary materials are received by SOPHAS, it may take up to four weeks for SOPHAS to verify grades, process, and deliver the verified application to the University of Miami. It is the applicant's responsibility to monitor the online checklist and status directly through SOPHAS.

Applicants receive an email confirmation once the application is received by the University of Miami. Applications typically take four to six weeks to be reviewed, after completed and verified by SOPHAS.

Applicants to dual degree programs in Latin American Studies, International Administration, Public Administration, and Law must complete a separate application to these programs in addition to the SOPHAS application. Please visit the respective program's website for additional information.

Applicants to the joint four-year MD/MPH program apply through AMCAS and submit a secondary joint degree application through the medical school. Applicants should not submit an application through SOPHAS. Please visit the program's website for additional information.

Please review our frequently asked questions, and then let us know if we can answer any remaining questions by sending us an email to publichealthadmissions@miami.edu.

Application Fee

All applicants are required to pay a fee for use of the SOPHAS application service. See the SOPHAS Fees and Fee Waivers. SOPHAS provides a limited number of application fee waivers and are granted on a first come first serve basis. Please contact SOPHAS directly if you have questions regarding application fees.

The Department of Public Health Sciences will reimburse the $50 application fee to applicants who are accepted and matriculate in the program.

REQUIREMENTS

Prerequisites

MPH, MSPH, and MS in Prevention Science and Community Health - Applicants must have a bachelor's degree conferred before the intended program start date. While coursework and experience in public health further enhance an application, we do not have a minimum requirement of professional experience.

In addition, joint degree applicants must check with the other dual degree program regarding prerequisite course requirements.

MS in Biostatistics - Applicants must have a bachelor's degree conferred before the intended program start date. The following courses should be taken as prerequisites:

• Introductory Calculus
• Introductory Linear Algebra
• Introductory Computing

The Admissions Committee may elect to conditionally admit otherwise qualified students who do not meet these requirements and allow them to complete prerequisites during their first year.

MS in Climate and Health - Applicants must have a bachelor's degree conferred before the intended program start date. The following courses should be taken as prerequisites:

• One year of College Calculus and Physics Courses
• One Biology Course

Ph.D. in Biostatistics - Applicants must have taken the prerequisites listed for the MS in Biostatistics plus two additional courses in statistics, biostatistics, and related fields. The Admissions Committee may elect to conditionally admit otherwise qualified students who do not meet these requirements and allow them to complete prerequisites during their first year.

Ph.D. in Epidemiology - This program is primarily designed for those who have completed a MPH degree, as well as for physicians and others who have a master or doctoral degree in a related discipline. At a minimum, students should have successfully completed a graduate-level foundation of epidemiology course, as well as two biostatistics courses. The Admissions Committee may elect to conditionally admit otherwise qualified students who do not meet these requirements and allow them to complete prerequisites during their first year.

Ph.D. in Prevention Science and Community Health - This program is primarily designed for those who have completed a MPH, as well as for physicians and others who have a master or doctoral degree in a related discipline. At a minimum, students should have successfully completed a graduate-level foundation of epidemiology course, as well as two biostatistics courses.

Transcripts

U.S. and Canadian Transcript

All official academic records including degree and certificate programs, English language programs, and incomplete coursework/degrees from all previously attended colleges and universities must be sent directly to SOPHAS for verification. Applicants with Canadian transcripts from non-English institutions should follow the international transcript instructions below.

All applicants will be reviewed and considered by the Admissions Committee. There are no established minimum requirements, but the recommended minimum cumulative GPA of all college coursework is 3.0 for graduate and doctoral applicants, 3.3 for Accelerated MPH applicants, and 3.5 in public health coursework for 4+1 BSPH MPH/MSPH applicants. Academic performance in specific courses may also predict success in required public health courses. Applicants may be admitted with a cumulative GPA lower than 3.0 if the Admissions Committee determines that there is strong evidence of scholarly excellence from other aspects of the application to recommend acceptance (e.g., public health focus, community service, research experience, publication record, advanced degree, reputation of the training program, strong GRE performance). The average GPA of accepted applicants is 3.4.

Applicants may print Official Transcript Request Form(s) through the online application. Official transcripts must be sent from the Registrar directly to SOPHAS. Photocopies of official transcripts or unofficial records will not be accepted.

U.S. Transcripts sent through FedEx, UPS, DHL, and other express couriers should be mailed to:

SOPHAS c/o Liaison International
311 Arsenal Street
Watertown, MA 02472

U.S. Transcripts sent through the United States Postal Service should be mailed to:

SOPHAS
P.O. Box 9111
Watertown, MA 02471

Accepted applicants will also need to send all official academic records including degree and certificate programs, English language programs, and incomplete coursework/degrees from all previously attended colleges and universities to the University of Miami. If you are currently in a degree program and are accepted to one of our Graduate Programs, you must send a final transcript from your current program once your degree has been conferred. Electronic transcripts are accepted and should be sent to publichealthadmissions@miami.edu.

Transcript(s) can be mailed to:

University of Miami
Department of Public Health Sciences
Office of Admissions
1120 N.W. 14 Street
Room 905, R-669
Miami, FL 33136

International Transcripts

All non-U.S. transcripts must be evaluated by the World Education Service (WES) using the ICAP Course-by-Course evaluation service. For further instructions, visit WES-SOPHAS. Non-U.S. transcripts are evaluated exclusively through WES. Please enter your SOPHAS ID on your WES evaluation request to ensure that the evaluation electronically matches to your application.

In addition to submitting transcripts to WES, all international applicants are required to mail an additional complete set of all official transcripts, mark sheets, and a photocopy of the diploma(s), with English translation when applicable, at the time of acceptance to:

University of Miami
Department of Public Health Sciences
Office of Admissions
1120 N.W. 14 Street
Room 905, R-669
Miami, FL 33136

Chinese transcripts must be submitted with two original verification reports, in addition to original copies of the transcript and diploma with English translation to both WES and directly to the University of Miami. For more information please visit the WES Help Center and the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC).

Test Scores

Applicants to our master’s programs are no longer required to submit GRE general test scores.

Ph.D. in Biostatistics and Ph.D. in Epidemiology applicants are required to submit GRE general exam scores taken within the last five years - no substitutions or waivers are granted. Contact the Office of Admissions for more information.

International applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. The minimum score is 80 iBT, 550 PBT or 6.5 IELTS. The Duolingo English Test is not accepted by the University of Miami.

The English proficiency exam requirement may be waived if an applicant holds an undergraduate or graduate degree from an academic institution within the United States or from one of the English-speaking countries. For more details please visit the International Credentials & Applicants.

Joint degree applicants should check with programs regarding their admissions requirements.

Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement

The Statement of Purpose is a narrative that discusses an applicant’s past education, experiences, and current professional career objectives. The statement of purpose should describe an applicant’s:

• Motivating influences for interest in the application degree (public health, biostatistics, epidemiology)
• Specific area(s) of research/professional experiences related to the application degree. Although an applicant is not required to have previous public health experience, it will further enhance an application
• Career goals and objectives, including how the applicant plans to contribute to public health
• Deficiencies in past academic or professional performance, if applicable
• Reasons for interest in attending the University of Miami

Applicants are encouraged to compose the statement in a text-only word processor, such as Notepad or TextEdit, review the statement for errors, and then cut and paste the final version into the text box of the SOPHAS application. The limit is 1,500 words.

Curriculum Vitae/Resume

All applicants must submit a complete, up-to-date CV/resume that includes all previous and current employment, activities, leadership positions, community service, research, education and academic or professional awards or honors. Applicants should include any experiences related to the discipline they are applying to (public health, biostatistics, epidemiology), including field experience, training, education or other related qualifications with detailed summaries.

Letters of Recommendation

All applicants are required to submit a minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation and a maximum of five (5) letters of recommendation from professionals who are best able to assess their ability to be successful in a graduate degree program. Ideally, recommenders are recent professors, researcher mentors, professionals or employers in a related field. The Admissions Office highly recommends that at least one (1) of an applicant’s letters of recommendation is written by a professor with whom they have worked closely or under whom they have studied. Applicants should request that their recommenders write a letter that is personal and specific to the discipline that they are applying to (public health, biostatistics, and epidemiology). All letters of recommendation should be signed and on letterhead. Applications will not be reviewed until this requirement is met.

Applicants must list the contact information for each recommender on the SOPHAS application. Recommenders will then be sent an online form to complete via email and further instructions from SOPHAS.

Form letters and recommendations written for medical school applications contribute little to an application and are strongly discouraged. Letters from family, friends or acquaintances will not be considered.

Interviews

After the initial review of applications, select applicants to the Ph.D. in Epidemiology and Prevention Science and Community Health programs will be invited to participate in an interview.

The Admissions Committee of each program may elect to interview an applicant by phone or Skype prior to making a final admission decision. Applicants will be contacted via email if an interview is required.

TIMELINE

Applications are reviewed holistically on a rolling basis until all seats are filled. Please note that the earlier in an admissions cycle an application is received and reviewed, the earlier the candidate will receive a decision notification. MPH and MSPH applicants who are admitted for the Fall semester may enroll early in summer courses.

Established deadlines for the Ph.D. programs are firm and late applications will not be considered.

International students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible for additional processing time of international transcripts, as well as for timely receipt and processing of immigration documents.

CONNECT WITH US

Campus Tours

Thank you for your interest in visiting the University of Miami Department of Public Health Sciences.

We are closely monitoring the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and following CDC guidelines. In an abundance of caution and guided by the University priority to safeguard the health and welfare of our community and potential visitors and to reduce the potential for the spread of the coronavirus, we have cancelled all in-person campus visits. This continues to be a fluid situation, and University guidelines may evolve further. We will continue to provide regular updates and notify you when we are able to resume on-campus visits. You may also visit the University’s dedicated COVID-19 site for complete, up-to-date guidance on campus events and meetings.

We understand this is disappointing. We share in this disappointment, as meeting potential students and their families is one of the highlights of our department’s outreach efforts. In lieu of in-person gatherings, we are hosting 'Canes Virtual Visits' until further notice. We can arrange for you to speak to faculty, staff, alumni, and current students who will help to answer your questions at a time that is convenient for you. Our team is ready to help you get the information you need about the University of Miami.

Schedule your 'Canes Virtual Visit. You may also email publichealthadmissions@miami.edu for more information and connect with us on social media @UMPublicHealth.