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Information for Prospective and Current Students
ADMISSIONS AND
QUALIFICATIONS
The Department of Community Health Sciences accepts
applications for Fall quarter admission only. The application deadline is
December 1 for the subsequent enrollment year. Applicants must complete
both the UCLA Application for Graduate Admission as well as the School of Public Health
Supplemental Application. Applications are available on-line at either
http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/gasaa/admissions/admisinfo.html
or
https://www.gradadmissions.ucla.edu/newapp/
Applicants to the masters programs must meet the University minimum requirement of an acceptable bachelor’s degree
with a B (3.0) average in upper division courses and/or prior graduate study, as
well as satisfactory performance on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
taken within the last five years. Most applicants for the Masters degree have a
bachelor’s degree in the biological or the social sciences. As a guideline, the
average GRE scores for those offered admission to the Department are 550 Verbal
and 640 Quantitative. A satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL) is required for international applicants whose primary language
of instruction is not English.
In addition to minimum University requirements for
admission, applicants to the doctoral programs must have a masters degree in
Public Health or an appropriately related field with a minimum grade point
average of 3.5 for their graduate studies. Although not required for admission,
work experience in the field is viewed favorably when competing applications are
judged.
All applicants are required to submit the following
supplemental items along with their online application:
- Official
transcripts from every school attended beyond high school,
- Statement of
purpose outlining goals and career objectives as they relate to the graduate
program,
- Official report
of GRE scores,
- Official report
of TOEFL scores for international applicants,
- 3 letters
of recommendations from former professors (preferably two of the
three) and employers.
- For applicants to the doctoral programs only:
An example of published or other written work such as a term paper where
applicant is sole author.
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For
specific application instructions, please review the Graduate Admissions
Application Check List and Submission Instructions page.
For
working professionals who are interested in an executive-style MPH program,
please refer to the MPH for Health Professionals website for further
information:
http://www.ph.ucla.edu/emph. The program allows professionals to maintain
their full-time careers while attending weekend classes each month. The
application deadline for the MPH for Health Professionals (only) is April 1 for the
subsequent Fall quarter.
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ESTIMATED COST OF THE PROGRAM FOR 2007-2008
2007-2008 Professional Student Fee
Rates for Residents
2007-2008 Professional Student Fee
Rates for Non-Residents
FINANCIAL AID
UCLA
Graduate Division offers funding opportunities for both incoming and continuing
graduate students. Prospective students may apply for Graduate Division funding
by completing the fellowship section of the online graduate admissions
application before the December 1 deadline. Need-based student
loans and work-study awards are available through the UCLA Financial Aid office.
The Department of Community Health Sciences has a small amount of funds
available for recruitment purposes. These funds are very limited and are
awarded to a few incoming students on the basis of scholarship and financial
need. Department fellowship recipients will be notified of their awards a few
weeks after receiving their official admission letter. School of Public Health
has a limited number of interest-based fellowships and scholarships for incoming
and continuing Masters and Doctoral students. Formal announcement and fellowship
applications for School funding opportunities are sent out to students via email
upon availability throughout the academic school year. Many students also obtain
part time academic personnel positions as Special Readers, Teaching Assistants
or Graduate Student Researchers with faculty either at the School of Public
Health or elsewhere on campus. Students who are appointed to academic personnel
positions for at least 25% time and enrolled in a minimum of 12 units are
eligible to receive fee remissions. Full time graduate students participating in
the regular daytime masters and doctoral programs cannot be employed at over 50%
time at UCLA. Students in the executive-style MPH for Health Professionals
program generally are not eligible for or awarded financial aid.
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ADVISOR

Each incoming student is assigned to a major advisor. In the first year of
the program, consultation with the major advisor about the student's course
schedule is highly recommended. Periodic meetings over the course of the
two-year program often help to prevent problems as the student works toward the
masters degree. More frequent meetings are highly recommended for doctoral
students.
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CURRENT MASTERS AND DOCTORAL PROGRAM HANDBOOKS
The Masters program handbook
has an in depth description of course and degree requirements, policies followed
by the department, information about comprehensive exams and Masters thesis, and
information about internships.
The Doctoral program handbook has an in depth description of admission
requirements, course requirements, differentiation between DrPH and PhD
programs, advisement, committee formation, qualifying examinations, and the
dissertation proposal.
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COURSE
ENROLLMENT

All students enroll for courses online through the graduate division.
University Records System Access (URSA)
gives UCLA students the easiest way to enroll in classes and to gain real-time
access to
academic, financial, and personal records. However, for some courses with limited enrollments
and/or prerequisites, permission to enroll needs to be obtained by the student before
registration can take place. Contact the department office for further
assistance.
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THE CHES CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
For those who wish to pursue a career in health
promotion and education, passing the CHES (Certified Health Education
Specialist) exam qualifies graduates for a nationally recognized certification
program. Many CHS MPH graduates work in this field.
Many employers now require CHES for health education positions.
Click here for details about how the CHS MPH program
helps you with CHES.
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AWARDS

The school gives out a number of
awards annually for academic excellence.
Students are nominated by the faculty of their department and compete most often
with students throughout the school. Awards are given out in June of each
year. There are awards for both Masters and Doctoral students. A
limited number of awards include scholarship aid for continuing students.
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GRADUATION
Graduation takes place once a
year in June. Masters students who have completed all requirements
including coursework, internship, and comprehensive exam are eligible. Doctoral students
who have completed dissertations are also eligible. For both Masters and
Doctoral students, appropriate paperwork must be filled out prior to graduation date
in order to be considered for graduation.
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WHERE OUR
STUDENTS WORK AFTER GRADUATION
Masters degree graduates work in governmental public health agencies at the local,
state, and national levels, nonprofit organizations, domestic and international
voluntary organizations, health maintenance organizations, corporate wellness programs,
foundations, schools, and other health and human services organizations, the
private sector and academia.
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ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR NEW STUDENTS
Click here for great
tips on navigating life at UCLA.
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updated
10/07/2007 |