Ph.D. in Public Health

Admissions criteria

Due to the highly competitive nature of our doctoral program, meeting the following minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission into the program.

  1. Applicants to the Ph.D. in Public Health program must meet the following admission criteria:
  2. Must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent* from an accredited college or university, or in the case of foreign students, an accredited institution recognized in its own country as preparing students for further study at the graduate level.
  3. Must have a minimum of a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale. This GPA is calculated using the last 60 credits of undergraduate upper-division hours.
  4. Must have GRE** scores that are less than five years old.

**All public health doctoral programs require GRE scores except for the Environmental Health Sciences, Environmental Toxicology, or Brain, Behavior and the Environment concentrations.

*Students interested in the Biostatistics & Data Analytics concentration are required to have coursework completed in Calculus and Linear or matrix algebra. This concentration also prefers applicants with a master’s degree in applied math, statistics, biostatistics, data science, or computer science. Additional backgrounds or experience in computing language, upper-division statistics, and upper-division mathematical logic are preferred.

How to Apply

The application process requires time. Be sure to start this process early since several steps take time to complete including the mandatory verification process. Please review our guide below to prevent any application delays and to avoid missing a deadline.

For questions about the Ph.D. in Public Health admissions process or application procedures, please contact Fiorella Suyon, Public Health Admissions Coordinator at fsuyon@fiu.edu.

SemesterDeadline
FallFebruary 15
Spring*July 1

*Not all Ph.D. in Public Health concentrations admit for Spring terms. You may contact Fiorella Suyon for further information on your program of interest if you are not already in communication with your respective program’s department.

Domestic Applicants

U.S. passport holders or permanent U.S. residents

If you are a United States citizen or resident, but you studied outside of the U.S, you are required to submit proof of English language proficiency.

To be considered for admission, all applicants must submit the following required application materials:

International Applicants

Individuals who are in the U.S. on a visa or inquiring a visa

To be considered for admission, all applicants must submit the following required application materials: Materials

  • 1. SOPHAS application

    SOPHAS application - http://sophas.org/

    Click here to review the SOPHAS Quick Start Guide

  • 2. Statement of purpose

    Statement of purpose – uploaded in SOPHAS

    This should address the following:

    • Why you have chosen this degree?
    • What interests you about the concentration you’ve chosen?
    • How will our program help you achieve your academic and career goals?
    • What specific line of inquiry or areas of research would you like to pursue as a doctoral candidate/future scholar?
    • What faculty member do you see your research interest aligning with and why (the why part is optional).
  • 3. Letters of recommendation

    Three letters of recommendation – uploaded to SOPHAS

  • 4. Resume/CV

    Resume/CV – uploaded to SOPHAS

  • 5. Writing sample

    Writing sample – uploaded to SOPHAS

    This can be a master’s thesis or published manuscript.
    Note: If you are unable to provide these types of writing samples, be sure to contact Ms. Fiorella Suyon or the Graduate Program Director from your department of interest.

  • 6. GRE scores**

    GRE scores** – sent directly to FIU SOPHAS code 7293 (must be less than 5 years old)

    **All public health doctoral programs require GRE scores except for the Environmental Health Sciences, Environmental Toxicology, or Brain, Behavior and the Environment concentrations.

  • 7. A course-by-course WES evaluation of your transcripts if you studied outside of the United States

    A course-by-course WES evaluation of your transcripts if you studied outside of the United States – sent directly to SOPHAS. Please click here for additional instructions.

    Important: if you submit a WES evaluation, you are not required to submit official transcripts to the university.

    If you are a previous or current FIU student, you must send your official transcript to SOPHAS. Please click here for transcript instructions.

  • 8. Proof of English language proficiency

    Proof of English language proficiency – if you earned your degree from any country on our list here, you are automatically waived from this requirement.

    We accept the following exams:

    • TOEFL (minimum scores are: 550 or higher paper-based, and 80 or higher internet-based) scores must be sent to FIU SOPHAS code 5688 and must be less than 2 years old.
    • IELTS (minimum score is 6.5 or higher) scores must be sent to FIU code 5206 and must be less than 2 years old.
    • Duolingo English Test – minimum score is 110.
    • Applicants who hold an undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited institution where the language of instruction is English.
    • For updated information regarding English language proficiency requirements, please visit the FIU International Admissions page.
  • 9. FIU Graduate Admissions supplemental application

    FIU Graduate Admissions supplemental application – please click here to access.