Application, admission, and degree-granting requirements and regulations shall be applied equitably to all individuals, applicants and scholars regardless of age, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or national origin.

All applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation and a personal statement. The letters of recommendation must come from individuals who can speak to applicants’ leadership abilities. Personal statements must include detailed responses to a list of questions provided in the application instructions.

A degree in public health is not required to be admitted. However, individuals must have a master’s degree or earned doctorate to be eligible for the program.

Individuals without a master’s degree in public health from an accredited school of public health will also need to complete core masters-level courses in epidemiology, health policy and management, biostatistics, social and behavioral science and environmental health science or document their equivalencies before a DrPH degree can be conferred. We strongly recommend completion of these courses prior to beginning the DrPH program, though it is also feasible to complete the MPH core courses concurrently with the doctoral coursework.

In addition to completing the SOPHAS application, you are also required to submit the following supporting documentation directly to SOPHAS: 

Statement of Purpose and Objectives 
Each applicant needs to submit a written personal statement. The personal statement will be weighted heavily in the application process.  

While there are no set guidelines for the length or format of the personal statement, we encourage applicants to submit statements no greater than five single-spaced pages in length. Responses, however, should be detailed enough to give the admissions committee a thorough understanding of the applicant's background and motivations for pursuing this particular program. 

Personal statements should address the following questions: 

• Why are you interested in this particular DrPH program? 

• Why do you care about the public’s health? 
• Students in this program will learn as much from each other as they will from faculty and guests. What will other students learn from you? 
• What are your career goals? Be as specific as possible. 
• What has been your most significant professional leadership accomplishment to date? Please explain. 
• What are some risks you've taken in your career? 

• What is the biggest disappointment or failure you've had in your career? What did you learn from this experience? 
• Anything else you would like to tell us about your background, personality, work style, or other points? 

Résumé or Curriculum Vitae (CV) 

Official post-secondary transcripts from all U.S. institutions attended (must be sent directly from the institutions to SOPHAS). This includes previous study at Indiana University. 

• • It is strongly recommended that all transcripts be submitted no later than 15 days before the application deadline to allow SOPHAS adequate time to verify transcripts. Please note it can take up to four weeks for transcripts to be verified. 
    Transcripts must be sent from institution in the institutions sealed envelope directly to SOPHAS. 
  • World Education Services (WES) ICAP course-by-course evaluation for all post-secondary foreign institutions attended. Please Note: U.S. applicants who studied at foreign institutions as part of a study abroad experience at their U.S. college or university, do not need to provide a WES evaluation of their study abroad coursework. 
  • Three letters of recommendation from persons qualified to assess your academic work; clinical, public health, or professional experiences; or, leadership potential in public health. These letters should be from professional sources who can provide an unbiased, current and critical assessment of your abilities, skills, strengths and weaknesses related to successfully completing a doctoral program. 
  • GRE test scores  – GRE scores are not required for admission. You are strongly encouraged to submit GRE scores with your application, since some funding sources require current GRE scores (less than 5 years old) in order for students to be eligible. Applicants must submit GRE scores to SOPHAS using the following designation DI Code 0167. 

Applicants will need to submit three letters of recommendation. Letters should be from qualified individuals who can comment on the applicant's leadership abilities. Qualified individuals include supervisors and colleagues who can provide a critical assessment of the applicant's abilities. It is preferred that letters of recommendation come from professional sources rather than academic references.