Public Health Research Center

Graduate Admissions Information

Thank you for your interest in graduate study at the Arnold School of Public Health. The graduate admissions process at the University of South Carolina is a joint effort between The Graduate School and the academic units. The Graduate School sets minimum standards that are upheld throughout the University. However, individual departments retain the right to raise these standards to fit their program, as well as to require additional materials as part of the application process.

SOPHAS Applicants

If you are applying to one of the following departments or programs, you will need to apply through SOPHAS (Schools of Public Health Application Service), the on-line centralized application service for schools of public health:

  • Environmental Health Sciences
  • Epidemiology and Biostatistics
  • Physical Activity and Public Health
  • Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior*
  • Health Services Policy and Management*
  • General Public Health*

Please go to www.sophas.org for further details. In addition to the SOPHAS instructions, International applicants will need to have any transcript from a non-US institution verified and submitted to SOPHAS by World Education Services (WES) or equivalent evaluation service. WES is an organization that provides international credential evaluation and checks documents for validity and accuracy. WES also offers analysis of an individual's degrees and transcripts and will provide equivalents for each credential. Please submit a comprehensive course-by-course evaluation. For more information contact WES at: www.wes.org or 212-219-7330.
NOTE: Only the SOPHAS application is required. Do not submit a second application to the USC Graduate School.

*If you are applying to one of the following degree programs within the departments asterisked above, you will need to apply through the University of South Carolina Graduate School only:

  • MSW/MPH, Health Communication Certificate Program (in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior)
  • MSN/MPH, MSW/MPH, JD/MHA (in the Department of Health Services Policy and Management)
  • Preventive Medicine Residency track, MD/MPH (MD/MPH applicants must provide evidence of admission to USC School of Medicine or MUSC College of Medicine.) (in the General Master of Public Health program)

USC Graduate School Applicants

If you are applying to one the following departments or programs, you will need to apply through the University of South Carolina Graduate School only:

  • Communication Sciences and Disorders
  • Exercise Science
  • Physical Therapy
  • Public Health Certificate Program
  • Masters students currently enrolled at the Arnold School of Public Health who wish to apply to an Arnold School of Public Health doctoral degree immediately after the masters degree is earned (paper application only)
  • Students who are currently enrolled in a USC Arnold School of Public Health degree or certificate program who wish to transfer into a different Arnold School of Public Health major (Update Request Form).

You may prefer to look at our listing of degrees offered / deadline dates for clarification about the correct application procedure for the program in which you wish to apply.

Only single program applications are accepted so you may only apply to one program at a time unless you are applying to a dual degree program. Once all the required documents are received, your application and credentials are sent for review by the faculty of the program to which you wish to be admitted. This process is coordinated by a faculty member who serves as the graduate director for that program. After reviewing your credentials, the program makes a recommendation to The USC Graduate School which can officially grant admission. Your program may inform you that it has recommended your acceptance, but official notice of your admission can come only from The Graduate School.

You are encouraged to review carefully the information provided on this site before beginning the application process. You may also call or e-mail the Arnold School of Public Health Office of Graduate Student Services with questions at 803-777-5031 or sphstsrv@mailbox.sc.edu.

Required Materials Once Admitted

The following are items that were not required to be considered for admission, but are required for enrollment into classes.

  • Immunization Requirements. The University of South Carolina requires all students born after 31 December 1956 to be immunized against, or provide proof of immunity to, measles (rubeola) and German measles (rubella). You may establish such proof by sending documentation of one of the following:
    (1) Two measles and one German measles (MR or MMR) shots after 1967 (not before first birthday), or
    (2) Positive serum titers (blood antibodies) to measles and German measles, or
    (3) Physician diagnosed measles illness and either shots or positive serum titer for German measles. A history of German measles illness does not meet the requirements.
    Please send photocopies of shot records, not originals. You will find a link to the immunization document in the website listed below. Send the immunization documents directly to:
    Thomson Student Health Center - Immunizations
    University of South Carolina
    Columbia, SC 29208
    Tel: 803-777-9511; Fax: 803-777-3955 Internet: http://www.sa.sc.edu/shs/tshc/immunizations.shtml
  • Legal Residency. Proof of legal residency is required for obtaining in-state tuition. For instructions on providing the necessary documentation go to http://www.sc.edu/bursar/residency.shtml. (NOTE: International students with assistantships and out-of-state students with assistantships automatically qualify for instate tuition.)
  • Student Health Insurance. All graduate students and international students are required to have health insurance. Under this University requirement, graduate students enrolled in 9 or more hours, all graduate assistants, and international students must purchase the University sponsored student health insurance plan (offered by Pearce and Pearce) OR provide documentation of enrollment in a comparable health insurance plan. If you choose to purchase the University health insurance, the insurance cost will be included in your tuition and fees. If you are a graduate or international student and have comparable health insurance coverage and do not wish to obtain the University’s sponsored health insurance plan, you MUST complete the waiver process on-line by the waiver deadline in order to have the health insurance fee removed from your tuition. Graduate and international students that have not waived out of the University sponsored student health insurance by the deadline will be automatically enrolled in the health insurance plan sponsored by the University and billed by the Bursar Office for the health insurance premium. DO NOT WAIT TO MAKE SURE YOUR COVERAGE IS IN PLACE. All full-time graduate students (enrolled in 9 hours or more), all graduate assistants, and all international students are required to have health insurance coverage. For more information go to: http://www.sa.sc.edu/shs/tshc/insurance.shtml.
  • Official Transcripts. Official transcripts must be on file with the USC Graduate School. If the degree was not posted on your transcript at the time you submitted your application, you will be required to submit an updated official transcript with the degree posted to the USC Graduate School before you will be eligible to enroll in classes. In addition, SOPHAS applicants will also be required to submit an official transcript to USC. Official transcripts are those sent by the registrar of a college directly to the USC Graduate School.

Columbia, SC 29208 • 803-777-5031 • sphstsrv@mailbox.sc.edu

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