Master of Public Health (MPH) Admission Criteria

In addition to the application itself, the applicant must provide supplemental materials specific to the program to which he or she is applying. The MUSC supplemental application is available after creating your account as part of the MUSC online application.

Three letters of recommendation from instructors or supervisors who have had close contact with you during your undergraduate, graduate, clinical, or research training. Letters should be sent by email or mail to the MUSC Office of Enrollment Management at:

Office of Enrollment Management
Medical University of South Carolina
Harper Student Center
45 Courtenay Drive
MSC 203
Charleston, SC 29425-2030
oesadmis@musc.edu

Applicants are required to submit official transcripts from every post-secondary school attended, and all materials must be received by the application deadline. These should be sent to the Office of Enrollment Management. The applicant is expected to have an undergraduate degree from an accredited university with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Learn more about MUSC’s required transcript policy.

As part of the MUSC application, applicants will submit a 1,000-word personal statement. The personal statement should address several of the following topics:

• Describe your motivation for pursuing an MPH degree and, in particular, your motivation for pursuing your chosen MPH concentration (i.e., Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Behavior and Health Promotion).
• Describe your background and how your interests and experiences make you ideally suited for participation in the MPH degree program within your chosen concentration.
• Outline your main achievements or successes in your professional or academic development and highlight any special experience or training in your chosen MPH concentration.
• Describe your career plans and long-term goals in the field of public health and how obtaining an MPH degree within your chosen concentration will help you meet your long-term plans and goals. Why do you feel that MUSC is a good fit for you personally and academically?

A strong math background is required for all three concentrations, including completion of a college level mathematics or statistics course. For the Biostatistics concentration, successful applicants should have demonstrated competence in single and multivariable calculus. Successful completion of Probability and Statistics is considered favorably for the Biostatistics concentration but not required.

We are no longer requiring the general GRE test for MPH applicants to our programs. Students interested in the Master of Public Health degrees in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Health Behavior & Health Promotion are still strongly encouraged to submit GRE scores. GRE scores taken within the past 5 years will be reviewed by the MPH Admissions Committee. The sum of the verbal percentile and the quantitative percentile GRE scores should exceed 150. The GRE analytical writing score will also be considered as part of the application review process.

In addition to all of the general application requirements, the TOEFL is required for all applicants who have attended institutions where the primary language of instruction is not English. Our minimal TOEFL requirements are 600 for the paper-based test, 250 for the computer-based test, and 100 for the internet-based test. An IELTS score may be substituted for the TOEFL. A score of 7.5 or greater should be achieved on the IELTS.

Public Health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities they live, learn, work, and play. It tracks disease outbreaks, prevents injuries, ensures safe living environments, encourages the community to maintain health screenings and vaccinations, and more. People working in the field of Public Health strive to advocate for health-related policies and ensure everyone has access to resources that support health.

The MPH is an accelerated program that is completed in four consecutive semesters for full-time students. Part-time students can complete the program anywhere from 5 to 8 semesters.

Students in this program come from a variety of backgrounds such as psychology, math, biology, and previous public health education and/or training. Those studying for an MPH may have already completed medical school or have plans to pursue additional schooling in the future. 

The Master of Public Health program at the Medical University of South Carolina is regionally accredited by the Commission for Higher Education (CHE) of South Carolina and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and has been fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) for a five-year term until 2027. For more information on the CEPH Accreditation including the self-study document, please visit the MPH Program's webpage.

The GRE is not currently required to apply for the MPH program. While it is not required, it may be recommended in some cases and the student may reach out to the admissions committee with any questions regarding the GRE recommendation. 

To determine if you are eligible for the MPH Program at MUSC, please refer to the MUSC MPH Admissions Page.

Information on financial aid may be found on MUSC's Student Financial Aid Services page.

Please visit MUSC's Department of Public Health Sciences scholarship page for current offerings.

Yes, our MPH Program is now available online. Learn more here.