MPH and Graduate Certificate Application Requirements

Application through the Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS)

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university

  • MSU does not accept a bachelor's of applied science for this requirement.
  • CURRENTLY ENROLLED undergraduates are welcome to submit an application. Admission decisions are contingent upon receiving official, degree-granting transcripts.
  • CURRENTLY ENROLLED MSU undergraduates are welcome to look into dual undergraduate enrollment options.

Official transcripts from each post-secondary university attended, including MSU

    • Domestic Applicants:
      • Transcripts are only considered official if they are sent directly from the institution's Registrar through Parchment or via the National Student Clearinghouse.  Applicants must request their transcripts be sent.
        • Official MSU transcripts have specific submission instructions.  Please review submission instructions below.
      • Official transcripts from domestic institutions may be requested electronically or by mail. Please see the submission instructions below for details.
      • Previous/current MSU students must request official MSU transcripts, as our admissions committee does not have access to view MSU enrollment. Please see the submission instructions below for details.
    • Dual Enrollment Applicants:
      • All dual enrollment applicants are still required to submit official MSU transcripts (if they have at least one semester of MSU enrollment).
    • International transcripts:
      • Electronic international transcripts will not be accepted; official transcripts and attested copies of diplomas must arrive in envelopes sealed officially by the issuing institution.
      • An attested copy of the diploma must also be requested directly from the institution.
      • Michigan State University does not accept WES evaluations or any other report from a credential evaluation agency in lieu of official sealed transcripts from the applicant's institution.
        • Applicants may send a WES evaluation to SOPHAS and we will use it for review by the MPH Admissions Commitee; however, should you be recommended for admission, you will still be required to submit official transcripts directly to the MSU Office of Admissions.
    • Official MSU Transcripts must follow the steps below for electronic transcripts.
      • You will need to request your transcript using MSU’s online request for an electronic transcript at https://reg.msu.edu/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx.
      • You must complete all the steps in MSU’s transcript request form and under recipient email enter the e-mail address: documentexceptions@liaisonedu.com.  Use this e-mail address for electronic or mail-in requests.
      • You must upload your transcript ID form from your applicant portal with your MSU transcript request or the request cannot be processed. 
        • To find your transcript ID form:
          • Access the "Academic History" section of the SOPHAS application.
          • In the "Colleges Attended" section, where you've added Michigan State University, there will be a link under "Transcript Types" that says, "Order".
          • Once you click on that, in the pop-up, you will need to click on "Option 2: Order a Mailed Paper Transcript" (whether you are requesting electronic or mail-in transcripts) in order to find the option to download the transcript ID form.
          • Click on the blue button that says, "Download Transcript ID Form".
      • The transcript request from MSU will be sent within 1-3 business days.  Processing time for the recipient from documentexceptions@liaisonedu.com is a minimum of 3 business days as well. 
    • All Other Domestic Transcripts:
    • International Transcripts:
      • International transcripts must be submitted via mail to: Michigan State University Office of Admissions, 426 Auditorium Road, Room 250, East Lansing, MI 48824
        • Hard copy transcripts must arrive to our office in an envelope sealed by the institution's registrar.  Transcripts that have been opened by the student are deemed unofficial and will not be accepted.
           

Three letters of recommendation

    • Academic or professional references only. We do not accept letters written from personal references.
      • The Admissions Committee encourages applicants to request letters from multiple sources if possible. Although this is not a requirement, the committee prefers not to see all three letters of recommendation come from the same place of employment or the same academic program.
      • If the applicant has a potential letter-writer who may qualify as both a personal and professional/academic reference, they should encourage their letter-writer to omit any discussion of their personal relationship as it has no bearing on the Admissions Committee's decision.  Discussion of personal relationships in a professional or academic recommendation may disqualify the letter from use.
    • Recommendation letters must be written within one year of the date of application.
    • The Admissions Committee looks for letters of recommendation that address the following topics:
      • The applicant’s academic or professional capabilities
      • The applicant’s leadership skills
      • The applicant’s work ethic
      • The applicant’s ability to successfully complete graduate level work
      • The applicant’s personal qualities consistent with professionalism and teamwork
      • Any significant actions or accomplishments

Personal statement describing interest/experience in the public health discipline and career goals

    • The personal statement should be a concise, well-written document discussing all of the following:
      • the applicant's interest in public health;
      • how their experiences (personal and professional) have influenced that interest;
      • how their career goals align with public health and their pursuit of an MPH;
      • how their skills and experience contribute to their candidacy; and
      • why they have chosen to apply to the MPH at MSU.
    • 500-750 word limit. The Admissions Committee expects personal statements to be of sufficient length to fully understand the applicant's interest and goals in public health.
    • The personal statement is uploaded by the applicant to the SOPHAS application as a PDF or Word document.

Resume or CV

Test scores from a standardized graduate or professional school test (optional)

Academic statement (optional)

    • Applicants are provided the opportunity to submit an academic statement if they feel they have an academic situation that they would like to explain to the Admissions Committee. This option is highly recommended if an applicant has a less than a 3.0 GPA, individual semesters with poor performance, multiple withdrawals, less than preferable standardized graduate or professional school test scores, etc.
    • The academic statement is uploaded by the applicant to the SOPHAS application as a PDF or Word document.

Supplemental Application to Graduate Study at Michigan State University (with associated application fee)

  • Application fee waiver for the MSU supplemental application is available to all applicants who complete the fee waiver request.
    • Application fee waiver is for the MSU supplemental application only.  We do not offer fee waivers for the SOPHAS application fee.
  • Please do not begin the MSU supplemental application until your application in SOPHAS is verified.  You will not be able to view our program from the "Major Preference" dropdown without a verified SOPHAS application; our program will only appear once the system has imported your information from SOPHAS.
  • Once you begin your MSU supplemental application, your personal information should automatically fill in.  Review all information to make sure it is correct.
  • You do not need to upload any documents or fill in any of the other sections in the MSU supplemental application; we have access to all your documents through SOPHAS.
  • Do not register any recommenders.
  • Select the "Signature" section and add your signature if all information is correct.
  • Select the "Review" section and click on "Finalize application and pay".
  • Close out the browser window that requests payment.  Do not pay.  Disregard the notification that your application will not be submitted until you submit payment. We can see that the application has been submitted without payment.  Payment is not required prior to deadline.
  • If you submitted an application fee waiver, the MPH program will submit application fee payment on your behalf.  This may take a week or two but will not affect your ability to be reviewed by the MPH Admissions Committee.

Additional Requirements

MSU Undergraduates Applying for Dual Undergraduate Enrollment

MSU Graduate/Professional Students Applying for Dual Enrollment

  • A letter of support from their current MSU program. 
    • The letter of support must note that the student is in good academic standing with their program, and they support the student's pursuit of dual enrollment.
    • Generally, this letter comes from an advisor or director.
    • Applicants who are unsure who to contact to obtain the letter of support are welcome to contact the MPH office at CHM.MPH_Admissions@msu.edu or 810-600-5601.  Letters must be submitted to CHM.MPH_Admissions@msu.edu by the applicant's other graduate program.

International Applicants

  • Official test scores from an English language proficiency exam
    • Test scores cannot be more than five years old.
    • Examples of test scores accepted: TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB, MSUELT, PTE A.
    • University test score minimums for English language proficiency scores can be found on the English language proficiency page of the Graduate School website.
    • A waiver for the English language proficiency test requirement may be requested for situations defined by the Graduate School. The waiver request form can be downloaded here: MPH Waiver Request Form. There is no guarantee waiver requests will be approved except in the following circumstances:
      • International applicants who earned their bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution.
      • International applicants who earned a master’s degree at an AAU institution on a U.S. campus. In this case previous English language proficiency test scores are helpful but not required.
      • Applicants may contact us with questions regarding specific situations. 

MPH Admissions Committee Requirements and Expectations for Application Materials

The MPH Admissions Committee acknowledges that applicants to our MPH program may also concurrently apply to other graduate or professional degree programs (e.g. a graduate degree complimentary to public health, a medical degree, a nursing degree, a law degree, etc.). The Admissions Committee asks that these applicants ensure their application materials (e.g., personal statement, letters of recommendation, etc.) are relevant to public health and graduate education. Please avoid submitting verbatim copies of application materials used to apply to other programs.