Your Steps to Apply: Public Health (MPH)

Personal Statement

The personal statement should be 800-1000 words in length using 12-point font and double spacing. The admission committee considers both the quality of content and written communication skills. The personal statement should address the following:

• How did you become interested in public health in general and global health specifically?
• What areas of public health are you most interested in? For example, is there a specific population or health topic that interests you most?
• How will an MPH in Global Health help you meet your career goals?
• Why is St. Kate’s MPH in Global Health the best fit for you?

If you are an applicant who does not meet one or more of the following requirements, please include an explanation of factors that affected previous academic performance, as well as your plan to ensure academic success in a graduate program. This statement should be limited to 400 words and is in addition to the personal statement described above.

• Cumulative GPA
• Prerequisite GPA
• Completion of prerequisite courses

MPH in Global Health Mission Scholarship

This is an optional topic — it is not required as part of the application process for admission into the graduate program. PLEASE NOTE: current undergraduate students applying for the dual degree are not eligible. Only entry-level applicants who wish to be considered for this scholarship should address the topic below (one page, included as a separate topic in the personal statement).

The vision for the Master of Public Health in Global Health program is a world where underserved communities, locally and abroad, have achieved health equity. Our mission is to: 1) diversify the public health workforce 2) prepare students to engage and collaborate with communities both locally and abroad, and 3) advance health equity. The University awards scholarships to new students who are committed to advancing this mission. To aid the committee in determining your eligibility for MPH in Global Health Mission Scholarships, please comment on how you have applied these principles in your own work and life in the past, or your goals for applying them in the future.

COVID-19 Impact Statement

This is an optional topic — if you feel as though your pathway to a graduate education was educationally, personally, or professionally impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, please describe the impact you experienced (one page included as a separate topic in the personal statement).  

Some impacts you may want to consider when responding include: 
Educational: Moving to online or distance coursework; effective interaction with your professors; moving to a Pass/Fail grading system;
Personal: Changes in your living situation; caring for yourself or a loved one who was directly impacted; seeking out new volunteer opportunities that arose from the crisis
Professional: Loss of a job or needing to seek new opportunities; other professional or financial barriers.

If you have already submitted the MPH application form, you may upload your personal statement via your Application Status page (instructions for accessing the status page were provided at the time you submitted the application). Please include your full name at the top of the statement.

If you wish to submit the personal statement prior to the MPH application, or if you are unable to upload the document to your Application Status page, you may send the statement as an attachment via email to graduateadmission@stkate.edu with “MPH Personal Statement” in the subject line.

Résumé

Submit a current résumé. Please differentiate between paid work experience and volunteer activities. Indicate whether the experience/activity was part-time or full-time in nature, specify the dates of employment/volunteering and list the responsibilities involved.

If you have already submitted the MPH application form, you may upload your résumé via your Application Status page (instructions for accessing the status page were provided at the time you submitted the application).

If you wish to submit the résumé prior to the MPH application, or if you are unable to upload the document to your Application Status page, you may send the résumé as an attachment via email to graduateadmission@stkate.edu with “MPH Résumé” in the subject line.

Recommendation Forms

Two recommendations are required for MPH applicants.

MPH recommendation forms must be completed by individuals who can attest to the intellectual ability, professional competence and leadership ability of the applicant. Only professional or academic references will be considered; personal references are not acceptable.

A link to the recommendation form will be sent when the Recommendations section of the MPH application form has been completed. Please alert your references in advance to expect an email from St. Catherine University. These are confidential recommendations submitted directly from the references to the Office of Graduate Admission; applicants who wish to view the recommendations are responsible for making the appropriate arrangements with their references.

Transcripts

Transcripts are required from each post-secondary institution attended (including PSEO coursework), even if courses are recorded on another transcript and regardless of the number of credits earned. For the initial review of your application, we will accept official transcripts sent directly from the institution or scanned copies of official or unofficial transcripts. All documents must be up-to-date and include your name, institution name, all courses taken with grades and degrees received (if applicable). Screenshots from your institution’s website or degree evaluations from your student portal will not be accepted. Unofficial transcripts may be uploaded using your applicant status page (a link is sent once you’ve started an application) or sent as an attachment to graduateadmission@stkate.edu.  

Upon an offer of acceptance, applicants are required to submit official transcripts from any institution where prerequisite course(s) were completed, as well as baccalaureate and graduate (if applicable) degree granting institutions, before registration for courses is allowed. Paper transcripts must be mailed in a sealed envelope directly from the registrar of each institution to the Office of Graduate Admission at St. Catherine University. Transcripts that do not meet these criteria will be considered unofficial and will not be used to complete the applicant’s file. Electronic transcripts must be sent directly from the institution to St. Catherine (graduateadmission@stkate.edu); electronic transcripts forwarded by the applicant will not be accepted.

GRE Scores

Applicants who do not meet the academic performance requirement (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) may be asked to submit official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The test date must be within five calendar years prior to the term of intended enrollment. To have official scores submitted to St. Catherine University, applicants completing the GRE should use the institution code 6105.

Test scores are not required for applicants who have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher, or who have completed a graduate degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

TOEFL/IELTS Scores

Applicants whose native language is not English are required to complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test or 80 on the iBT, or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 6.5.

This requirement is waived for applicants who have completed a baccalaureate or graduate degree in the United States.

Credential Evaluation

Applicants with a college or university degree completed outside of the United States must submit an official course-by-course evaluation from World Education Services (WES), as well as original transcripts and official translations of all documents not in English. All costs related to document translation and evaluation are the applicant’s responsibility.