Graduate Admissions

Our nationally-accredited Master of Public Health (MPH) prepares students to lead and work collaboratively on the assessment of health-risk factors and the management of prevention strategies. Our MPH is a professional degree and includes a greater depth of methodological approaches, combined with a skill-based aspect across the core disciplines of public health.

The MPH program offers six concentrations. Applicants must select one concentration to pursue at the time of application.

Minimum requirements for admission to the MPH Program:

• Cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (B average) or better
• Successful completion or expected completion of a bachelor’s degree (or foreign equivalent) from a regionally accredited academic institution prior to enrollment at UCI. (As the MPH program is an interdisciplinary program, we encourage students from a variety of majors to apply.)
• Demonstrated quantitative skills/abilities. Ways this can be demonstrated include, but are not limited to, grades in quantitative college coursework, scores on quantitative standardized tests, academic or professional quantitative research experience

The GRE is not required for admission to the MPH program.

The following MPH Concentrations are STEM designated: Biostatistics, Environmental and Occupational Health, Epidemiology and Global Health.

Our doctorate in public health degree prepares graduates to create new knowledge through deep understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of public health challenges, research methods, applied research, and their application to contemporary and emerging trends in public health. 

Applicants must choose one of the two three available concentrations at the time of application: Global Health, Disease Prevention, or Biobehavioral Mechanisms of Health.

Master’s level degrees in health-related disciplines are the preferred preparation for admission to the Ph.D. in Public Health.

In cases where students are admitted to the program without a master’s degree from a Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accredited program, students must take PUBHLTH 200 as part of the preparatory module. In addition, those who have undergraduate degree from other related majors may be required to take additional supplementary courses in the preparatory module on consult with advisors/program.           

Minimum requirements for admission to the Ph.D. in Public Health:

• Have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (B average)
• Successful completion or expected completion of a bachelor’s degree (or foreign equivalent) from a recognized academic institution prior to enrollment at UCI
  (As the Ph.D. Public Health is an interdisciplinary program, we encourage students from a variety of majors to apply to begin the application process early to ensure that your file is complete by the deadline.)
• Possess strong verbal and quantitative skills as reflected by GRE General Test scores (GRE required for Fall 2025 admissions cycle) 

The Environmental Health Sciences graduate programs provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary and appropriate to teach and/or conduct basic and applied research programs in inhalation/pulmonary toxicology, biochemical neurotoxicology, reproductive and developmental toxicology, chemical pathology, toxicokinetics, radiation toxicology, molecular carcinogenesis, exposure assessment, risk assessment, environmental epidemiology, environmental justice, and community-based participatory research.

Minimum requirements for admission to the Environmental Health Sciences Graduate Program:

In cases where students with deficiencies in certain areas are admitted into the graduate program, those deficiencies will be made up during the first year of residence in the program. The student will be notified of any apparent deficiency at the time of acceptance into the graduate program.

Suggested college level courses to fulfill requirements:

• Biology – One year of general biology; one quarter of molecular biology or biochemistry is strongly recommended
• Mathematics – One year of calculus and/or statistics
• Chemistry – One year of chemistry; organic chemistry is strongly recommended for environmental toxicology track

Students seeking the Ph.D. degree in Epidemiology are usually interested in a research career, often in academia but possibly in industry or government. Conferral of the doctoral degree results from demonstrations of mastery of core training, familiarity with the current state of the science in one or more areas, and capability to make important contributions to knowledge in one or more areas of Epidemiology.

Master’s level degrees in epidemiology, public health, other health-related disciplines, or clinical training are the preferred preparation for admission to the Ph.D. in Epidemiology.

However, applicants with background in other disciplines are encouraged to apply but may be required to take supplementary courses to fulfill pre-requisites for some graduate level courses in epidemiology and biostatistics.

In cases where students are admitted to the program without a master’s degree from a Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accredited program, students must take PUBHLTH 200 as part of the degree requirements.

All programs require completion of the SOPHAS Application.

The SOPHAS Application also requires an SOPHAS application fee to be paid or waived through its website at the time the application is submitted. Visit the SOPHAS Fees and Fee Waivers page for more information.

For questions related to the SOPHAS application, please contact SOPHAS directly.

All programs require completion of the UCI Graduate Application. The UCI Graduate Application requires an UCI application fee to be paid or waived at the time the application is submitted.

Note: if you are requesting a fee waiver, your application must be submitted at least five business days prior to the UCI application deadline for the program to which you are applying.

SOPHAS Application:

Submit official transcripts from each U.S. college or university where you completed one or more courses. If coursework from one institution is posted on another institution’s transcript, you must still submit a transcript from the institution where the course was completed.

If you attended a foreign institution, you must submit an official transcript evaluation from World Education Services (WES).

Visit the SOPHAS Applicant Center to learn more about submitting official transcripts for your SOPHAS Application.

UCI Graduate Application:

For application review purposes, you will be prompted to upload unofficial copies of transcripts from each U.S. and foreign college or university where you have completed one or more courses. Transcript evaluations will not be accepted for the UCI Graduate Application. Things to note:

• Front and back copies of each page of every transcript must be uploaded.
• Uploaded transcripts must include your full name, dates of attendance, grades/marks received, credits and a grade legend.
• If coursework from one institution is posted on another institution’s transcript, you must still submit a transcript from the institution where the course was completed.
• Official transcripts will be requested if you are admitted and accept your admission to UCI. Please do NOT send official transcripts to UCI until you receive notification to do so.
• UCI reserves the right to require official transcripts at any time during the admission process and rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between uploaded and official transcript(s) are found.

Information about transcript requirements for the UCI Graduate Application can be found on the UCI Graduate Division Applying to UCI webpage.

Please visit the Graduate Division Applying to UCI webpage and click on “English Language Proficiency Requirements for Admission” for current UCI requirements. 

All graduate applicants, except those who have earned an undergraduate or graduate degree from an institution at which English was the sole language of instruction according to the World Higher Education Database, are required to demonstrate English proficiency for admissions consideration. If English is not the sole language of instruction listed or if no language is listed at all, the waiver does not apply and the applicant is required to take and pass an approved English proficiency test (TOEFL or IELTS). Please see the test score section below for instructions on how to submit official TOEFL or IELTS test scores. Test scores that are two years or older are not acceptable.                  

Minimum scores for admissions consideration:

• TOEFL iBT -80
• IELTS -overall minimum score of 7 and no scores less than 6 on any individual module.

Once admitted, minimum scores for teaching assistant opportunities for PhD students:

• TOEFL: Minimum 26 on speaking section
• IELTS: Minimum 8 on speaking section

Alternatively, admitted students may be recommended for remediation or additional testing prior to teaching assistant position if they don’t meet the qualifications.

All Wen Public Health Graduate programs require a minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation. Recommendations only need to be submitted in the SOPHAS Application. The SOPHAS recommendation system requires recommenders to complete an online form with numerical rankings in addition to uploading a recommendation letter. We do not accept hard-copy letters sent to our offices.

Recommendations can come from academic advisors, professors, supervisors, mentors or anyone else familiar with your academic and professional abilities.

Within your SOPHAS application, you will need to enter the names and email addresses of each of your recommenders. Your recommenders will then receive an email from with a unique link to access the recommendation form associated with your application.

Find additional information about recommendations on the SOPHAS website.

Please note: Applications are not considered complete until all three recommendations have been submitted.

Applicants for our graduate programs are selected using a holistic evaluation system. These essays will assist both the admissions committee and fellowship review committees to evaluate your preparation for your proposed field of study and your background and motivation for graduate study.

In the Statement of Purpose, you should focus on your academic, professional and research background and interests. Please use Statement of Purpose to describe your aptitude and motivation for graduate study in your area of specialization.

A sample of topics you might address in your statement include:

• Academic plans and research interests
• Relevant experience
• Future career goals
• Why UCI would be a good intellectual fit for you

The Statement of Purpose word maximum is 1200 words. We recommend you use a document program (MS Word, Google Docs, etc.) to draft your statement and ensure you adhere to the word limit. You will be able to upload the saved document to your SOPHAS application. You will need to copy and paste the text of your statement into the UCI Graduate Application.

Applicants for our graduate programs are selected using a holistic evaluation system. These essays will assist both the admissions committee and fellowship review committees to evaluate your preparation for your proposed field of study and your background and motivation for graduate study.

In the Personal History Statement, you should focus on your personal background. Please use this statement to describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree.

A sample of topics you might address in your statement is below. However, please structure your statement in any way that you feel best represents your personal history.

• Any educational, familial, cultural, economic or social experiences or opportunities relevant to your academic journey
• Challenges and/or obligations you have had to address in order to achieve your educational goals and how you addressed them
• Prior employment, as a student or as a working professional, that is relevant to your pursuit of a graduate degree
• How your perspectives, activities, or goals have or may contribute to inclusivity and/or broaden your understanding of experiences of diverse groups of people
• Leadership, outreach, or community service experiences and goals that have or will benefit others or the community

The Personal History Statement word maximum is 1200 words. We recommend you use a document program (MS Word, Google Docs, etc.) to draft your statement and ensure you adhere to the word limit. You will be able to upload the saved document to your SOPHAS application. You will need to copy and paste the text of your statement into the UCI Graduate Application.

PROGRAM	GRE Requirement for Fall 2025
MS in Environmental Health	Optional
PhD in Environmental Health	Optional
MS in Epidemiology	Optional
PhD in Epidemiology	Optional
Master of Public Health (all concentrations)	Optional
PhD in Public Health	Required

The following the Wen Public Health graduate programs have additional questions for applicants in SOPHAS:

• Environmental Sciences, MS & PhD
• Epidemiology, MS & PhD
• Public Health, PhD

Please ensure that you have answered all questions before submitting your SOPHAS application.

In addition, all graduate programs allow applicants to upload additional supporting materials in SOPHAS should you wish to share with the admissions committee. (i.e. writing samples, copy of standardized test score report, research publications, etc.)