How hard is it to get into a top MPH program?

<p>What does it take to get into a top MPH (Masters in Public Health) program? What kind of GPA do you have to have to get into a top MPH program such as Berkeley or UCLA? Also what good programs are known to accept students with just a bachelor's degree?</p>

<p>Public health programs seem to focus quite a bit more on experience and motivation than GPA or test scores. That said, all the people I have known who went into MPH programs, had 3.0-3.5</p>

<p>la and berk are both tied for 8th according to usnews–albeit not the best/adequate ranking, but it’s the only one published</p>

<p>that said, they are two of the most competitive as they are in ideal locations in california. the acceptance rate is around 20-25%, which may seem like a lot, but not when compared to average 50-80% a lot of the other schools of ph in the us accept.</p>

<p>the average gpa for both schools are around 3.5-3.6 and the average gre seems to hover around 1250-1300 aggregate. mph programs are not hugely numbers based as they want work and research experience that would imply a serious interest in public health. as of the last few years, mph recipients have just been using them as glorified post-bacc programs before med school and thus schools are almost wasting resources teaching students material they wont need after becoming a physician.</p>

<p>with all this being said, shoot for a 3.5 gpa, minimum 1200 gre, and get solid letters of rec (most schools prefer 2 academic letters and 1 from a public health professional, if possible), and you should be fine.</p>

<p>California is the ideal location? News to me.</p>

<p>I am sad to hear that the obnoxious premed students from college are taking spots in MPH programs but for the ones that do become physicians, these skills would be useful. Outcome based research, health care policy, patient advocacy are just a few areas that would be directly improved by a physician with an MPH.</p>