Prospective DrPH Students

• The letter of intent is one of the several documents that need to be submitted in order for the registration package to be considered complete.
• Each applicant should submit a letter of intent to enroll in the Doctor of Public Health ( DrPH ) Degree Program at CSULB to the director of the DrPH program:
• The letter should be sent to:

• The letter should specify the following:

1. Reason/(s) for selecting CSULB HSC's DrPH program.
2. Whether you will enroll as a full time or part time student.
3. The year of enrollment in the DrPH program.
4. The selection of concentration.

Candidates seeking admission to the DrPH Program must meet CSULB’s requirements, and the Department of Health Science’s requirement for admission.  More information on university admission requirements can be found here: CSULB Admissions

Applicant seeking admission to the DrPH program must have:

• A graduate degree in public health from an accredited institution or equivalent (such as health service administration, environmental health, MBA with a health services focus) will be considered eligible to apply for the program; or the applicant has completed equivalent academic preparation as determined by the department e.g., graduate professional degree in health-related sciences such as MD, DO, DNP, DPT, DAUD, etc; or have completed equivalent academic preparation (6 MPH foundational core courses).
• A Minimum graduate school GPA of 3.0 or above, in work completed in highest degree completed. 
• A minimum of one year of field experience in the field of public health 

Documents to be submitted for DrPH application

1. Official transcripts from all institutions (including community college and graduate coursework).
2. TOEFL scores form all applicants whose native language is not English and who did not receive the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s or master’s degree at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction. Minimum TOEFL 90
3. Completed CSU application
4. Completed DrPH application
5. Submitted Curriculum Vitae
6. Three recommendation (e.g., letters, interviews, rating sheets) which addresses the candidate’s suitability for doctoral level study and leadership abilities. 
7.  Statement of purpose and personal history statement describing the applicant’s background and experiences, rationale for seeking degree and intentions for applying the newly obtained knowledge and skills to meet the needs of underserved populations. 
8.  A personal interview; and either
   1. a statement from the applicant's employer, indicating support for the applicant's doctoral studies; or
   2. a statement from the applicant, describing the applicant's plan for meeting professional responsibilities and the demands of the program.

Admission by Special Action
An applicant who does not qualify for admission under the provisions of Article 2.1 may be admitted with conditionally classified graduate standing with the appropriate authorities' approval and recommendation. Students with deficiencies in prerequisite preparation or GPA may be rectified by specified additional preparation, including examinations and if the applicant is judged by the appropriate campus authority to possess sufficient academic and professional potential pertinent to public health leadership, may be admitted with conditionally classified graduate standing. The number of applicants admitted by special action shall not exceed fifteen percent of the applicants regularly admitted to the program in any one academic year.
 

Admission with Conditionally Classified Graduate Standing
Classified standing is normally granted when all prerequisites have been satisfactorily completed, the official study plan formulated, recommendation made by the appropriate Graduate Advisor to the Associate Vice President, and the Academic Programs Office gives final approval.

A student is not officially classified until an approved study plan is on file in Office of Graduate Studies. The student will be sent a copy of the approved study plan. Copies will be filed in the academic unit, university records, and Office of Graduate Studies.

Advanced Standing & Transfer Credit Policy

Students may apply for admission with advanced standing, based on previous graduate work and be allowed up to 30 units applied to the DrPH. Transfer courses must be graduate-level courses, from an accredited institution authorized to grant graduate degrees, appropriate content to equivalent course, and completed with a grade of B or better. Courses for transfer credit will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

At least 42 semester units shall be completed in residence at the campus or campuses awarding the degree. The appropriate campus authority may authorize the substitution of credit earned by alternate means for part of this residence requirement. The campus may establish a transfer policy allowing application to degree requirements of relevant coursework and credits completed as a matriculated student in another graduate program, on the condition that the other program is appropriately accredited.

Foreign Language

The DrPH will not have a foreign language requirement. However, students with language skills other than English are highly encouraged to apply, including those for whom English is a second language. Language skills such as Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Armenian, and other languages relevant to underserved populations in Southern California are highly desired.
 

Tuition and Fees

The cost per semester is $9,450

Cost for the entire DrPH Degree Program is $56,700

There is no difference in tuition between full time and part time enrollment in the DrPH degree program.

Pleas refer to Financial Aid

Financial Aid

Financial assistance is available from the university. Students are referred to the Office of Financial Aid to explore opportunities for support of graduate education.  Among the listed opportunities are the following:

• Perkins Federal Loans
• Graduate Equity Fellowship
• University Scholarships
• State Graduate Fellowships
• Federal Staff Loans (GSL)
• Student Part-time Employment

In addition, there are several scholarships and employment opportunities within the Health Science Department. These include:

• Gaines Award: provides scholarships to women health science majors, undergraduate or graduate, who are of Native American heritage.
• Marion Pollock Scholarship Award: provides scholarships to enrolled students who are advanced to candidacy for the Master of Science Degree in Health Education and are actively engaged in thesis development.
• Employment of faculty research projects.
• The university scholarship website is:  https://www.csulb.edu/divisions/students/scholarships/ 

• The Director of the DrPH program will hold monthly orientation session both in person and/or via zoom for prospective DrPH applicants.  The day and the time is to be determined).
• The orientation will cover he following topics:

1. information about the program of study for the DrPH program, 
2. Application to the university
3. Application to the Department of Health Science for admission to the DrPH Program
4. Admission criteria and requirements
5. Overview of the progression of the study
6. Overview of the advisement  process
7. Overview of the tuition, fees and Financial aid
8. Answering frequently asked questions
9. Any other pertinent information as appropriate at the time (e.g. Covid, etc)

TBD