Master of Public Health (MPH)

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Master of Public Health Program must:

1. Complete an online application for admissions.  
2. Participate in an interview with a University Admissions Advisor.  
3. Complete an enrollment agreement, consisting of program policies, costs, completion requirements, and other student obligations.
4. Have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a 2.7 cumulative GPA or higher.
   1. Applicants with an undergraduate degree GPA of 2.00-2.69 may be considered for probationary admission after meeting the following admissions requirements:  
      1. The applicant must provide a letter of intent.  
      2. The applicant must be approved for admission following an interview with the Program Dean/Director.  
      3. The applicant must satisfy program prerequisites and achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on all coursework attempted over the first trimester (two terms).  Students failing to meet these requirements following the first trimester (two terms) will be withdrawn from the university. 
5. Provide official undergraduate transcripts of a baccalaureate degree prior to the end of the add/drop period of the first term.
   
   1. Applicants submitting non-U.S. or non-English transcripts will be required to have their coursework evaluated by a transcript evaluation service to determine the equivalency to a U.S. degree/coursework.  If the transcript evaluation is unclear as to the equivalency to a U.S. degree/coursework, the Program Dean will review the transcript (translated if necessary) and transcript evaluation to determine if a minimum of 3 academic years of undergraduate coursework has been met for admission.
   2. Applicants submitting advanced degrees will be reviewed by the Program Dean to determine if a minimum of 3 academic years of undergraduate coursework has been met for admission.
6. Master of Public Health Transfer Credit Evaluation:  Only graduate level courses in which a grade of B- (80%) or better was received, taken in a program similar to the Master of Public Health will be evaluated for transfer credit.  A maximum of nine (9) credit hours will be considered for transfer and must reflect the same content and course credit as the course for which transfer credit is requested.  

Students who request to transfer credits from previously attended institutions must submit sealed official transcripts to the Registrar's Office from originating institutions prior to their first day of class.  If students are unable to submit transcripts or transcripts are unavailable, students may be conditionally enrolled for a period of one (1) term through the submission of unofficial transcripts, submitted no later than four (4) days after the start of a student's first term.  Students failing to submit official transcripts prior to the final day of the first term may be denied transfer credit for prior courses.  In addition to official transcripts, copies of course descriptions, school catalogs, and course syllabi may be requested for evaluation purposes.  

Individuals who are concurrently enrolled at another institution at the time of their matriculation to West Coast University, may be allowed to request transfer credit for courses that are in-progress.  In this situation, official transcripts must be received by the end of the first term of matriculation to receive transfer credit.  

Please note all veteran students are required to submit all postsecondary transcripts.  Please see the Veterans Educational Benefits policy in the Financial Policies and Information Section of the Catalog. 

Eligibility for Reentry

A student who has been academically dismissed from West Coast University may apply for reentry to the University's MPH program if:

The applicant was in good standing with the University excluding previous Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) or GPA requirements at the time of their dismissal.  If any other "good standing" issues exist, the individual would be admitted to the university on probationary status.  If a student in probationary status is not in "good standing" after completing their first trimester of coursework in the MPH program, they would be dismissed from the University.  If an applicant was previously dismissed from West Coast University for any conduct violations, he/she would not be admitted into the program.  Please refer to the "Good Standing" policy for specific information on the terms.  

Individuals granted reentry would have their successfully completed WCU credits, and credits previously transferred from other institutions, considered for applicability to the MPH degree.  Decisions regarding transferability of credit are made by the MPH Program Dean.  

Public Health Progression Requirement

A minimum grade of a “C-“will be required to receive course credit in the MPH Program. Should a student receive a below a “C-“ grade, it will not be considered a passing grade for the MPH program and the student will be required to retake the course. The earned grade will be counted into the student’s CGPA and will be replaced once the course is repeated with a passing grade.  The student will be placed on an academic action plan to repeat the course and may be required to meet with the program Dean.  

Public Health Curriculum

To achieve the graduation requirement of 42 credits, all students must complete 42 credits of core courses.  Core courses provide students with the specific discipline experience required for the degree. 

Core Courses:

Core Courses to be completed by all students (42 credits)