Public Health (Professional Program: DrPH)
Admission Requirements
- Prior Degree and Experience Master's degree from an accredited school of public health or a master's degree in a related field. Students must also have three or more years of full-time paid professional experience in public health in a leadership position (or in mid- to senior-level management positions demonstrating evidence of leadership potential).
- Grade Point Average Admitted students typically have at least a combined undergraduate/graduate grade point average of 3.00/4.00. However, all applicants are given a holistic evaluation of their application. Applicants with less than a 3.00 are encouraged to apply if they believe that their application is strong in other areas.
- Tests GRE is optional.
- Letters of Recommendation Three are required, uploaded via the SOPHAS application.
- Resume or CV Required, uploaded via the SOPHAS application.
- Personal Statement Applicants will upload a 500-800 word statement focused on their interests/experiences in public health and the program they are applying to specifically, goals with the degree, and why they would be successful in the program. For students applying to research-focused programs, the personal statement should also address potential research interests.
- Transcripts Domestic applicants must submit transcripts issued from the university for all undergraduate and post-baccalaureate work directly to SOPHAS. International applicants must upload all international transcripts directly into the UIC system after completing the Supplemental Application. International applicants may submit a course-by-course WES evaluation directly to SOPHAS, but it is not required and will not replace the upload requirement. Domestic students who have completed course work at foreign institutions must follow the instructions for international applicants for submitting those academic credentials. Students admitted to the UIC School of Public Health will need to provide sealed official transcripts to the UIC Office of Admissions prior to their second term at the university.
- Minimum English Competency Test Score for International Applicants
- TOEFL iBT 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21, OR,
- IELTS Academic 6.5, with 6.0 in each of the four subscores, OR,
- PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.
Degree Requirements
Minimum Required Hours 96 (32 semester hours from a prior master's, 43 semester hours of core courses, 18 semester hours of research, 3 semester hours of elective credit)
Prior Master's Degree Credit Credit for up to 32 semester hours given for prior master's of public health (MPH) or related degree. Incoming students without an MPH may be required to take additional foundational, core MPH courses. Although required for completion of the degree, any credits earned to complete MPH core course deficiencies and/or the field practicum will not count toward the 96-semester-hour minimum requirement for the DrPH degree. It is the student’s responsibility to take and complete MPH-level courses at an accredited school of public health and request transfer of those credits to the UIC School of Public Health.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Required Courses | ||
Foundations and Determinants of Public Health | ||
Personal Leadership | ||
Epidemiology for Transformational Leadership and Equity | ||
Approaches to Leadership, Antiracism and Equity, and Pedagogy for Transformational Systems Change | ||
Leadership Approaches to Strategic Development for Organizations and Communities | ||
Quantitative Methods for Public Health Leadership Practice | ||
Policy Change and Collaboration for Transformative Change and Equity | ||
Engaged Scholarship: Methods to Identify and Research Complex Problems | ||
Approaches and Tools for Leading Strategic Implementation | ||
Quantitative and Mixed Research Methods for Transformational Leadership | ||
Qualitative Methods for Transformational Leadership | ||
DrPH APE Proposal Seminar | ||
Systems Thinking for Transformational Change Leadership | ||
Qualitative Methods and Application for Transformational Leadership Practice | ||
Applied Research Design Seminar Scholarly-practice and Practice-based Research Design Seminar | ||
Implementation Science | ||
DrPH Integrated Learning Experience Proposal Seminar | ||
Electives | ||
Select a minimum of 3 hours of elective courses | ||
Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry (recommended) | ||
Other approved elective, selected with approval of student's program advisor. | ||
Applied Practical Experience (APE) | ||
DrPH Applied Practice Experience | ||
Dissertation/Integrated Learning Experience | ||
Research in Public Health Sciences - DrPH (18 semester hours) | ||
Individual focused hours for research in public health directed by a faculty member for the development and completion of their dissertation (Integrative Learning Experience - ILE) intended to prepare students to contribute to the evidence base of public health practice. For the ILE, students complete either a doctoral-level applied research or a scholarly practice project to emphasize building evidence in and with community and practitioners for application and impact. |
- DrPH Summer Institute All DrPH students, within the first two years, will be required to attend an annual multi-day workshop in Chicago. Additional details are available on the School of Public Health website.
Non-Credit Training Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Required Training | ||
CITI Human Subjects Research | ||
Title IX Training - Sexual Harassment | ||
SPH Academic Integrity Tutorial |