UM SPH Department of Health Behavior and Health Education - Admissions

Admissions Information Guide

This guide describes the admissions process and application procedures for the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education. It provides an overview of the nature of the review process generally and how an application is evaluated.

In evaluating admissions applications, the Admissions Committee examines a variety of information and materials that are relevant to the applicant and speak to their promise and potential for completing the program and contributing to the field. Materials such as college transcripts, grade point averages, and the Graduate Record Examination Scores, provide us with objective information regarding the applicant's aptitude and past academic accomplishments. Letters of Recommendation provide critical information from individuals who have had the opportunity to interact with the applicant in different settings (e.g., academic, work). Letters of Recommendation provide the Admissions Committee with pertinent information regarding the general character and aptitude of the applicant. In addition, Letters of Recommendation solicited from persons who are knowledgeable of the applicant are most useful in identifying the particular strengths and abilities of the applicant as they pertain specifically to the chosen field of study.

Relevant prior work experience (paid or volunteer) indicates a basic familiarity with the field and the methods and procedures employed by health educators, as well as exposure to the types of settings and organizations such as The Peace Corps, Planned Parenthood, Peer Education and Counseling Programs on college campuses, hospital settings, and community health clinics.

It is often useful for the applicant to discuss how these experiences have shaped their career goals and aspirations. Experiences of this sort often reflect commitment to the field and familiarity with the requisite skills and knowledge areas involved in health education.

The Statement of Purpose also provides important information for evaluating an application. The Statement should clearly specify the applicant's prior experiences that are pertinent to the application, specific interests and commitment in pursuing the degree and areas of application, and future career goals and objectives.

Frequently, the Statement of Purpose does not sufficiently specify the areas of health education that are of particular interest to the application. There are several professional journals that are focused on health behavior and health education which will help familiarize you with the arenas health educators are involved. These include Health Education and Behavior, Patient Education and Counseling, Health Psychology, Social Science and Medicine, and the American Journal of Public Health. If the applicant's career goals are in line with training in the area of health behavior and education, a detailed personal statement to that effect is always beneficial to the application.

It is important to emphasize that no one document or perspective dominates the review process and we evaluate an application on the basis of all relevant materials that have been submitted. Taken together, these materials provide the Committee with an overall and balanced assessment of the applicant's background and potential. The relative merit of each application is evaluated within the context of overall applicant pool for any given year.

Lastly, we recommend that you apply to the Department early (admissions applications start arriving in November). We receive numerous applications for a limited number of spaces and it is usually the case that the majority of available slots have been filled towards the end of the application period (April through June).

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