The following are the most frequently asked questions related to the graduate application process. If you have a question that is not addressed here, you may email our graduate admissions team at sph-grad-admissions@umd.edu.
We offer a Post-Bac Certificate in Global Health, a Post-Bac Certificate in Applied Epidemiology, and Post-Bac Certificate in Health Data Analysis.
We also partner with the College of Education to offer a Master's Certificate in Physical Education. Learn more about the Physical Education Master's Certification Program (PE-MCERT).
What Master's degree programs does the School of Public Health offer?We have 9 different MPH concentrations: Behavioral and Community Health (in-person and online), Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Environmental Health Services, Health Care Management, Health Equity, Health Policy Analysis and Evaluation, Physical Activity (online), and Public Health Practice and Policy (online).
We also offer three other master's degree programs: Master of Health Administration (online), MA in Kinesiology, MS in Couple and Family Therapy, and MS in Environmental Health Sciences.
What Doctoral degree programs are offered at UMD SPH?We have 8 different Doctoral Programs housed within our six School of Public Health units. These include Environmental Health Sciences ; Kinesiology; Family Science; Maternal and Child Health; Health Services Research; Epidemiology; and Behavioral and Community Health.
The PhD in Biostatistics and Bioinformatics is a joint program between the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Department of Mathematics managed by the Statistics program .
Are there any online degree programs at UMD School of Public Health?Currently, we have four online degree programs.
What is the difference between the University of Maryland School of Public Health and University of Maryland School of Medicine? I noticed a ‘University of Maryland School of Medicine Public Health program.’
It can be confusing: these are two separate campuses with separate programs. Please review information on both universities to determine which is the best fit, or if you, in fact, plan to apply to both.
The University of Maryland School of Public Health is located in College Park, Maryland on the flagship campus of the University System of Maryland. Our school offers undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs.
The University of Maryland School of Medicine is located in Baltimore. It is a separate institution and its Department of Epidemiology and Public Health offers master's programs and joint degree programs that have their own specific requirements.
Our campuses collaborate and students are able to take courses offered by the other campus, but our programs are separate. The public health degree programs offered at both institutions are accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.
Do the programs have preferred undergraduate majors or prerequisite courses?Prerequisite Courses : The MHA and MPH programs require a minimum of a college-level algebra course or equivalent for admission, however, some concentrations will have other standards and prerequisites requirements. So, applicants should check the program-specific requirements when applying.
If you do not have the required course, for some programs there may be an option to complete the course in the summer prior to enrolling.
Prerequisite Majors: We do not have prerequisite majors. Students in our graduate degrees come from a wide range of undergraduate majors, from dance to English literature to microbiology.
The diversity of majors depends on the program; therefore, check with your department's Graduate Studies Director if you are unsure of the fit.
Most of our PhD programs require that you have a master's degree in a relevant field aligned with the program you are intending to apply to and/or relevant coursework in the related field of application. Check with the program-specific requirements before applying.
I have a job that I love. Can I complete the graduate program part-time?Part-time versus full-time simply refers to the number of credits and graduate units you complete per semester.
To be full-time in graduate school , a graduate student must be officially registered for a combination of courses equivalent to 48 units per semester (9-12 graduate credits per semester) while part-time is anyone with fewer than 48 units per semester (1-8 credits per semester).
Some of our programs are more adaptable to part-time enrollment than others. Ask Graduate Studies Director of the program you intend to apply for.
I am still deciding on the next steps. Are there options to take one or two graduate-level courses to help me decide?
You have the option to register for any** graduate course as a non-degree seeking student.
Before registering for classes, you must first apply to the Graduate School for non-degree seeking student status.
Upon admission, you will be able to register for graduate courses.
**Some courses within the School of Public Health require permission from the instructor or Department Graduate Studies Director , and priority is given to degree-enrolled students.
I would like to tour the School of Public Health and meet faculty. What are my next steps?To visit the University of Maryland School of Public Health, please email sph-grad-admissions@umd.edu.
Aditionally, our Admissions team holds weekly virtual office hours. These informal chat sessions are a great way to get questions answered about the school, programs, or life in Maryland.
We also hold regular formal Online Information Sessions and our annual Virtual Open House happens in October. Please check our events page and choose what better works for you.
I have additional questions. Who can I contact?If you are unsure of the best person to answer your question contact our admissions team at sph-grad-admissions@umd.edu.
Department Graduate Studies Directors can answer questions about each program; email is usually best.