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Academic Programs and Resources
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| Degree | Departments Offering Degree |
| Master of Public Health (MPH) | ALL |
| Master of Science (MS) | BIO, EPI, SMS |
| Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) | BIO, EHS, EPI, SMS |
| Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) | BIO, EHS, EPI, SMS Administered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences |
| Department Acronyms | |
| BIO | Biostatistics |
| EHS | Environmental Health Sciences |
| EPI | Epidemiology |
| GPH | General Public Health |
| HPM | Health Policy and Management |
| PFH | Population and Family Health |
| SMS | Sociomedical Sciences |
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Yes, the School currently has ten dual degree programs. Applicants must apply separately to each of the two collaborating schools and must meet the admissions requirements of each. For more detail information about these opportunities, please visit the dual degree section or review the School Handbook.
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The Department of Health Policy Management offers a part time evening program Columbia-on-the-Job (COTJ) leading to the MPH degree. The Department of Sociomedical Sciences also offers a part time program in Health Promotion with courses offered during the day and evening but it is not possible to take all of the required courses for the degree in the evening alone.
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On a full-time basis, the MPH or MS are typically completed in one-and-a-half to two years. Students who qualify for the General Public Health track usually complete the program in one year. Full and part-time students are expected to complete all program requirements within five years.
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No.
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Mailman School of Public Health works directly with the University’s Office of Disability Services (ODS) to help make personalized accommodations for students with disabilities.
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For a comprehensive look at career services at the Mailman School, please visit the web pages of the Office of Career Services.
Admissions Process & Requirements
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View our current application deadlines. PHD applicants must apply through the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, different deadlines apply.
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We require the (GRE) Graduate Record Examination General Test but will consider GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, or DAT. A written request for a waiver of test scores will be reviewed but is only appropriate if your transcripts provide clear evidence of all of these strengths. When reporting GRE scores from ETS, students should use Institutional Code 2159 and Department Code 0616. The Admissions Committee does not exclude GREs based on test date. However, the Admissions Committee does reserve the right to ask an applicant to retake the GRE exam.
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Because public health is a broad multi-disciplinary field, applicants to the School come from a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs including the social sciences, business sciences, and clinical programs. All applicants must have a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Graduate program degrees will also be considered.
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Admitted Student Profile for Academic Terms Fall 2007 and Spring 2008
Application Process
| Total Applications | 1619 |
| Total Accepts | 1029 |
| Total Enrolled | 435 |
Accepts
| Average GRE Verbal | 581 |
| Average GRE Quantitative | 671 |
| Average GRE Analytical/Writing | 4.8 |
| Average GPA | 3.4 |
Student Body Profile
| Total Enrollment | 1022 |
| Average Age of Entry | 28 |
| Age Range | 20 – 66 |
| States Represented | 39 |
| Countries Represented | 58 |
| Non- U.S. Citizens | 18% |
| Ethnic/Racial Minorities | 34% |
| African-American | 10% |
| Asian | 16% |
| Latino | 8% |
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You may check the status of your application for admission at any time by logging back into Apply Yourself. In order to protect confidentiality, we cannot accept status check requests over the phone.
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The MPH.degree at the Mailman School of Public Health requires a total of 45 points of academic credit. Transfer points from an accredited school may be granted toward MPH.degree requirements for graduate courses not counted toward another degree. Courses must be appropriate to the student’s degree program, meet Mailman School academic standards and be approved by the student’s department. The grading should be letter grade and the grade earned should be B+ and higher. No more than 15 points may be transferred.
Core course requirements cannot be fulfilled with transfer points. Students who have taken similar courses elsewhere may either repeat the course(s) at the Mailman School or take and successfully pass the department’s Core Course waiver exam. Successful completion of a Core Course waiver exam exempts students from the course requirement but does not carry course credit or reduce the number of points needed for the degree.
Requests for transfer credit must be made in writing by the student and approved by an academic advisor in the student’s department or program and by the Dean of Students. Requests must be accompanied by adequate documentation (official transcript showing successful completion of course, course syllabus, etc.).
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If you have questions after reviewing our website, you may call the admissions office at 212-342-5127 to make an appointment or email your question to ph-admit@columbia.edu.
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You may decide to do either depending on your particular needs and goals.
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The School does not offer Spring admissions.
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Decisions on applications for Fall enrollment will be sent in early March.
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Students in graduate programs at other schools and universities are considered for admission for select courses when space allows.
Students must complete the following:
Deadlines dates must be observed.
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File an admissions application to the School as a "special student" (non-degree), and submit all regularly required supporting documents (GRE scores are not required). You have to submit only two letters of recommendation, instead of the normal three, and you must specify in your personal statement which course(s) you are interested in taking. A maximum of 12 credits are allowed as a special student.