All applicants to the doctoral program are expected to submit the completed application with the following documentation: transcripts from all previously attended graduate and undergraduate institution(s); curriculum vitae or resume; scores from the GRE exam; three letters of recommendation (at least one should be an academic recommendation from an instructor or advisor); and a personal statement. For applicants whose native language is not English, the computer-based TOEFL exam is required.
Applications are considered by an admissions committee that reviews the entire application package and considers the overall balance of each applicant’s qualifications and the fit between the applicant’s career goals and the academic program. Successful candidates should possess strong analytic, theoretical and methodological skills, as well as relevant social and behavioral science and public health experience. A prior master’s degree is NOT a criterion for admissions to the doctoral program. Most successful applicants, however, have substantial experience in addition to college. Applications for the PhD and ScD programs must be submitted and completed by December 1 to be considered for the following fall.
Applicants should apply online. The fee for the online application is $45. A paper application can be requested from the Admissions Office for a fee of $150. However, applicants must demonstrate lack of access to the Internet to obtain a paper application. Questions regarding the status of your application may be directed to Matt Lohman in the Admissions Office at 410-955-3544, mlohman@jhsph.edu
Health, Behavior and Society requires that all applicants to the doctoral program submit the scores from the GRE exam.
The policy of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) is to maintain GRE scores for a 5 year period only -- after the 5 years, the scores are purged from the ETS computer system. Therefore, if your scores are older than five years, you must discuss with us whether you should retake the test.
There is no minimum score. We look very closely at test scores because we have found that to some degree, successful completion of the doctoral coursework and thesis research is highly predicted by strong scores on these tests. However, this is only one of several criteria that determines acceptance into the doctoral program. We also look closely at transcripts to ensure that applicants’ skills meet the demands of the program. If an applicant feels the test scores do not accurately reflect their potential, they may want to provide additional evidence of readiness in key areas prior to applying - for example, a refresher coursework in mathematics or statistics.
The Department is committed to seeking opportunities that will allow it to provide financial support to its students. At the time of admission, as well as throughout the training period, scholarship monies are available on a merit basis at both the Departmental and School level. Most departmental scholarship decisions are made during the admissions process and communicated to students in their letters of acceptance. For most School-level awards, eligible accepted applicants will be forwarded by the Department to the School for consideration, and notification of School-level awards will be issued by the School as decisions are made. Continuing students work closely with the School’s Office of Graduate Education and Research as well with the Department to identify funding opportunities at appropriate time points during the training process, such as the individual NRSA awards from the NIH.
The Department invites predoctoral and postdoctoral students who are interested to apply for training and support in the cancer control track of the Cancer Epidemiology Prevention and Control Training Program, an NCI-sponsored pre and postdoctoral training program shared with the Department of Epidemiology. Contact Dr. Ann Klassen, aklassen@jhsph.edu. The Department collaborates with the School of Nursing in offering an NIMH-sponsored pre and postdoctoral Interdisciplinary Fellowship in Violence Research. The Department also collaborates with the Department of Health Policy and Management on an NIAAA-sponsored predoctoral training program in Alcohol, Injury and Violence Prevention. For either of these training grants, contact Dr. Andrea Gielen, agielen@jhsph.edu.
Students interested in financial aid should contact the School of Public Health Office of Student Financial Services at 410-955-3004 or finaid@jhsph.edu.
Both the PhD and ScD degrees represent outstanding achievement in the scholarship of discovery, signify a capacity for independent research, and are primarily degrees for those individuals with research and/or teaching as their goal. A university-wide Graduate Board oversees the granting of the PhD degree for all divisions of the University.
The doctoral program offered in Health, Behavior and Society is a traditional, full-time degree program. All incoming students are required to fulfill the residency requirement defined as four consecutive terms of full-time (16 credit) registration.
The School of Public Health does not offer credit for courses taken at other institutions. However, if you have completed coursework at another institution that is of similar content as a course required for the degree program, you would be able to request a waiver of the required course, with substitution of elective or more advanced coursework as appropriate. Students should begin the waiver process by discussing the issue with their academic advisor.
The Admissions Office schedules Open Houses for prospective students in the fall. Campus tours can also be arranged through the Admissions Office. If you would like to arrange a visit to the Department of Health, Behavior and Society, to sit in on classes and meet with current students and faculty, contact Barbara Diehl, the Academic Coordinator at 410-502-4415, bdiehl@jhsph.edu. If you can offer us at least one week notice of your preferred visit date, we will best be able to schedule time with faculty for you. Faculty web pages at the School’s main website offer publications and research interests of faculty, and are a good mechanism to identify faculty with whom you would want to meet.
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