How to Apply: Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

We welcome applications from candidates with an MPH or other relevant graduate degree (e.g., in epidemiology, medicine, nursing, social work, or public administration).

Students entering the program with a graduate degree other than an MPH are required to complete the five pre-requisite courses in epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy and management, environmental health, and social and behavioral science, before matriculating into the program. 

The GRE is not required nor considered as part of your application.

Applicants must have completed at least 3 years of full-time public health or other relevant work experience after earning their graduate degree. Successful candidates will have relevant public health work experience, a demonstrable potential for leadership in public health, and a clear sense of why they wish to pursue a DrPH.

Applicants must select DrPH in Global Health from the list of active NYU GPH programs.

Applicants must submit official transcripts for all coursework from each college or university attended. If multiple schools were attended, official transcripts from each post-secondary institution must be submitted in SOPHAS. Applicants with international educational credentials are required to submit a WES evaluation to SOPHAS.

For all international transcripts that are not verified by SOPHAS, GPH requires a course-by-course academic International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP) evaluation submitted to SOPHAS by the World Education Service. Evaluations provide the Admissions Committee with US degree and grading equivalency which is required to make a decision on your application. SOPHAS will only accept WES ICAP evaluations; no original transcripts should be submitted.

Applicants whose native language is not English must provide official results of the Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Only official score reports submitted using the appropriate reporting code through SOPHAS will be accepted. Photocopies of test scores or unofficial records will not be accepted.

This requirement may be waived if the applicant received the equivalent of a US Bachelor's degree from an institution where English was the primary language of instruction for four or more years. 

Required Minimum Scores

TOEFL iBT: 100 or higher
IELTS – Academic Exam: 7.0 (total band score) 

Reporting Codes

TOEFL: 5688
IELTS: Report score through SOPHAS, using one of the following options

• Inform your IELTS test center that you wish to send your results to SOPHAS. You can do this during the test booking process by selecting SOPHAS or asking your test center to select SOPHAS after you receive your results. IELTS results are sent electronically.
• Send your results to SOPHAS using the IELTS test taker portal. You can send your IELTS results to as many organizations as you wish with no additional fee. IELTS. Online results are provided in an electronic format.

A current résumé or curriculum vitae is required. This document should be uploaded to the SOPHAS application. 

Applicants are required to provide a statement of purpose which addresses the following questions (maximum 1200 words).

• Describe how your education and experiences have prepared you to join the NYU DrPH program and to pursue a career in public health. 
• What do you perceive as your major strengths and weaknesses with respect to your current public health-related knowledge and skills, and how do you expect graduate study in the DrPH program to affect these attributes? 
• What are your current career goals and how will you use the education and training acquired from the DrPH to address or advance them? 
• What does it mean to you to be a global health or public health professional? 
• What do you view as an important challenge facing global health or public health at present or in the foreseeable future, and why?

Three letters of recommendation are required for an application to be considered complete. Note that SOPHAS requires only two letters of recommendation to proceed, so please be sure to submit three letters. Each of your three references should include a recommendation form and an accompanying letter of recommendation. Applicants who have graduated within the past three years must submit at least one academic reference. SOPHAS provides an electronic submission process for all letters of recommendation.

The final stage of the application process is an interview. Interviews are offered on an invitation-basis only.