Marlyn Delva
Dean of Students
Mailman School students are part of a world-renowned university—an intellectual powerhouse comprised of 16 schools, providing access to state-of-the-art research facilities and special events featuring prominent national and international leaders.
Academic Programs and Resources
- What types of degrees are offered?
- Do you offer any joint degree programs?
- Do you offer any part-time or evening programs?
- How long does it take to complete the MPH or MS program?
- Do you offer any certificate courses?
- What support systems are available for disabled students?
- What career services are available?
Admissions Process & Requirements
- What is required for admission to the Mailman School of Public Health?
- What are the admissions deadline dates?
- What tests do you accept and can I waive test scores? Is their a time limit on my test scores?
- What type of undergraduate degree do I need to apply to the School of Public Health?
- What is the student’s profile?
- Can I check the status of my application?
- Can I transfer in any credits toward the MPH?
- Can I schedule an appointment to discuss admissions?
- I am interested in medicine and public health. Should I do the MPH first or attend medical school?
- Do I have to begin study in the Fall? What about the Spring?
- When can I expect to receive a decision on my application?
- I want to take courses at Columbia that I can transfer back to my own school.
- I only want to take a course. What do I have to do?
Financial Aid
- What is the cost of attendance?
- When should I apply for financial aid?
- What sources of financial aid are available?
- What documents do I need to submit to be considered for "need based" financial aid?
- Are part-time students eligible for financial aid?
- Are there any types of financial assistance that are not restricted to "need based" criteria?
- What kinds of financial aid are available for international students?
- What types of degrees are offered?
- Do you offer any joint degree programs?
- Do you offer any part-time or evening programs?
- How long does it take to complete the MPH or MS program?
- Do you offer any certificate courses?
- What support systems are available for disabled students?
- What career services are available?
- What is required for admission to the Mailman School of Public Health?
- application (online preferably)
- application fee
- 3 letters of recommendation
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (School Code 2159; Department Code 0616)
- 500 word personal statement
- official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions
- resume or CV
- International students must also submit TOEFL scores (School Code 2159; Department Code 50)
- some departments have additional academic pre-requisites and/or minimum work experience requirements (pdf)
- What are the admissions deadline dates?
- What tests do you accept and can I waive test scores? Is their a time limit on my test scores?
- What type of undergraduate degree do I need to apply to the School of Public Health?
- What is the student profile?
- Can I check the status of my application?
- Can I transfer in any credits toward the MPH?
- Can I schedule an appointment to discuss admissions?
- I am interested in medicine and public health. Should I do the MPH first or attend medical school?
- Do I have to begin study in the Fall? What about the Spring?
- When can I expect to receive a decision on my application?
- I want to take courses at Columbia that I can transfer back to my own school.
- application cover sheet
- application fee of $60.00
- personal statement indicating desired course(s)
- transcript from their present university indicating they are a student in good standing
- copy of their undergraduate transcript
- letter from their advisor showing approval for the course(s)
- I only want to take a course. What do I have to do?
- What is the cost of attendance?
- $1212 per credit hr
- $75 One time Transcript Fee (New Students Only)
- $990 Health Service Fee (Fall charge)
- $2365 Medical Insurance Health Premium (Fall charge)
- $100 Student Activity Fee
- $90 Computer Fee
- Living Expenses are estimated at $15336 annually
- Estimated Book Budget of $1200
- Estimated Personal Expenses of $2300
- When should I apply for financial aid?
- What sources of financial aid are available?
- University General Income Awards
- U.S. Public Health Service Traineeship Awards
- Federal Loans:
- Perkins Loans
- Stafford Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized)
- Graduate PLUS loans
- Federal Work-Study
- If you reside in New York State and will be attending school full-time, you may apply for the New York State TAP award
- What documents do I need to submit to be considered for "need based" financial aid?
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) School Code is E00127.
- Mailman School Financial Aid Application
- Are part-time students eligible for financial aid?
- Are there any types of financial assistance that are not restricted to "need based" criteria?
- Merit Based Scholarships. Require completion of the Mailman School Financial Aid Application.
- Teaching Assistantships. Provided by academic departments (limited number available).
- Graduate Research Assistantships. Provided by academic departments; usually not available to students during their first semester.
- Department Based Training Grants. Contact your academic department program administrator for details.
- Public Health Scholars Program for those employed by the New York City or the New York State Department of Health. For more information please contact the Financial Aid Office.
- Community Scholars Program- Applicants must be accepted to the School’s Department of Sociomedical Sciences (SMS) and have demonstrated commitment to community-based public health. For an application please contact the SMS Department.
- What kinds of financial aid are available for international students?
- Teaching Assistantships
- Graduate Research Assistantships
- International students are also encouraged to ascertain if support is available from their country or from international agencies such as the World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization, or Rotary International.
- Alternative Loans
| Degree | Departments Offering Degree |
| Master of Public Health (MPH) | ALL |
| Master of Science (MS) | BIO, EPI |
| Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) | BIO, EHS, EPI, SMS |
| Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) | Administered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences BIO, EHS, EPI, SMS |
| Department Acronyms | |
| BIO | Biostatistics |
| EHS | Environmental Health Sciences |
| EPI | Epidemiology |
| GPH | General Public Health |
| HPM | Health Policy and Management |
| PFH | Population and Family Health |
| SMS | Sociomedical Sciences |
Yes, the school currently has ten dual degree programs. Applicants must apply separately to each of the two collaborating schools and must meet the admissions requirements of each. For more detail information about these opportunities, please click here.
The Department of Health Policy Management offers a part time evening program (COTJ) leading to the MPH degree. The Department of Sociomedical Sciences also offers a part time program in Health Promotion with courses offered during the day and evening but it is not possible to take all of the required courses for the degree in the evening alone.
On a full-time basis, the MPH or MS are typically completed in one-and-a-half to two years. Students who qualify for the General Public Health track usually complete the program in one year. Full and part-time students are expected to complete all program requirements within five years.
No.
Mailman School of Public Health works directly with the University’s Office of Disability Services (ODS) to help make personalized accommodations for students with disabilities.
For a comprehensive look at career services at the Mailman School, please visit the web pages of the Office of Career Services.
To view our current admissions deadlines please click here.
PHD applicants must apply through the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, different deadlines apply.
We require the (GRE) Graduate Record Examination General Test but will consider GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, or DAT. A written request for a waiver of test scores will be reviewed but is only appropriate if your transcripts provide clear evidence of all of these strengths. When reporting GRE scores from ETS, students should use Institutional Code 2159 and Department Code 0616. The Admissions Committee does not exclude GRE's based on test date. However, the Admissions Committee does reserve the right to ask an applicant to retake the GRE exam.
Because public health is a broad multi-disciplinary field, applicants to the School come from a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs including the social sciences, business sciences, and clinical programs. All applicants must have a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Graduate program degrees will also be considered.
Admitted Student Profile for Academic Terms Fall 2007 and Spring 2008
Application Process
| Total Applications | 1619 |
| Total Accepts | 1029 |
| Total Enrolled | 435 |
Accepts
| Average GRE Verbal | 581 |
| Average GRE Quantitative | 671 |
| Average GRE Analytical/Writing | 4.8 |
| Average GPA | 3.4 |
Student Body Profile
| Total Enrollment | 1022 |
| Average Age of Entry | 28 |
| Age Range | 20 – 66 |
| States Represented | 39 |
| Countries Represented | 58 |
| Non- U.S. Citizens | 18% |
| Ethnic/Racial Minorities | 34% |
| African-American | 10% |
| Asian | 16% |
| Latino | 8% |
You may check the status of your application for admission at any time by visiting https://admissions.columbia.edu/. In order to protect confidentiality, we cannot accept status check requests over the phone.
The M.P.H. degree at the Mailman School of Public Health requires a total of 45 points of academic credit. Transfer points from an accredited school may be granted toward M.P.H. degree requirements for graduate courses not counted toward another degree. Courses must be appropriate to the student’s degree program, meet Mailman School academic standards and be approved by the student’s department. The grading should be letter grade and the grade earned should be B+ and higher. No more than 15 points may be transferred.
Core course requirements cannot be fulfilled with transfer points. Students who have taken similar courses elsewhere may either repeat the course(s) at MSPH or take and successfully pass the department’s Core Course waiver exam. Successful completion of a Core Course waiver exam exempts students from the course requirement but does not carry course credit or reduce the number of points needed for the degree.
Requests for transfer credit must be made in writing by the student and approved by an academic advisor in the student’s department or program and by the Dean of Students. Requests must be accompanied by adequate documentation (official transcript showing successful completion of course, course syllabus, etc.).
If you have questions after reviewing our website, you may call the admissions office at 212-342-5127 to make an appointment or email your question to ph-admit@columbia.edu.
You may decide to do either depending on your particular needs and goals.
Only the Programs in General Public Health and Environmental Health Sciences offer Spring admissions.
Decisions on applications for Fall enrollment will be sent in early March.
Students in graduate programs at other schools and universities are considered for admission for select courses when space allows.
Students must complete the following:
Deadlines dates must be observed.
File an admissions application to the School as a "special student" (non-degree), and submit all regularly required supporting documents (GRE scores are not required). You only have to submit two letters of recommendation, not the normal three. You must specify in your personal statement which course(s) you are interested in taking. A maximum of 12 credits are allowed as a special student.
2008-2009 Tuition & Fees
Master of Public Health
Financial Aid applications can be filed as early as January 1st. Your completed financial aid file must be in our office by February 1st in order to be given full institutional aid consideration for the forthcoming Fall semester.
Most of the financial support awarded through MSPH is available only to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and other eligible non-citizens. It includes:
It varies, depending on the source of financial aid requested. At a minimum, a part-time student must register for at least six credits to be considered for financial aid.
Yes, these types of support include: