Applications for admission to the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences are processed through the Office of Student Affairs at Pitt Public Health. You must apply for the MPH and PhD programs through SOPHAS, the centralized application service for graduate schools of public health. Please note, SOPHAS submits applications to Pitt Public Health only after all required materials are received. Applicants who have submitted applications may track their status online.
Review the Pitt Public Health requirements for admission before applying.
MPH Prerequisites:
- Applicants should have an undergraduate quality or grade point average of at least 3.0.
- Applicants must have completed and earned a C or better in a three-credit math or statistics class taken in a math or statistics department. They must also have completed six credits of social sciences (anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, social psychology).
- Applicants must address the three prompts below in their statement of purpose when applying through SOPHAS:
- Tell us why you think you are prepared for graduate study. Please provide us with a general overview and specifics addressing your verbal, quantitative and analytic skills.
- Tell us the story of how you "discovered" public health and decided on Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at Pitt. What experiences in life have brought you here?
- Tell us how the MPH fits into your career plans.
- International applicants: spoken and written English language proficiency. See more details.
PhD Admissions:
For BCHS faculty that are willing to advise new students in the 2026-27 academic year, click here
Admissions Requirements
The Doctoral Committee uses a holistic approach to decide on admissions. This means that the Committee considers all aspects of the application, including the personal statement and goals; letters of reference; CV (jobs, volunteer activities, awards); and grades. The Behavioral and Community Health Sciences department requires the following from PhD applicants:
- A Master's degree in Public Health or a relevant discipline (i.e., social work, anthropology, health policy) or an MD/DO. International post-baccalaureate degrees must be equivalent to a U.S. Master's or medical degree, as determined by a WES ICAP evaluation. Degree must be awarded before matriculation into the BCHS PhD.
- A clear statement that details: (1) your background, (2) your research goals, (3) how the program of study will contribute to achieving your career goals, and (4) potential BCHS Advisor(s). Demonstrating your potential fit with our department is important.
- Three letters of recommendation from individuals in a position to judge both your professional and academic abilities. At least one academic letter is suggested.
- Completion of school-wide prerequisites:
- Three credits (one class) of college-level mathematics or statistics, with a grade of "C' or better
- Six credits (two classes) of college-level behavioral and social sciences, with a grade of "C' or better
- Spoken and written English Language proficiency. International applicants must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test. Although the University of Pittsburgh requires a minimum TOEFL score of 80 on the Internet test, BCHS requires scores of 100 on the TOEFL IBT, Band 7.0 on the IELTS, or 130 on Duolingo for consideration. Applicants with a score lower than there requirements are not eligible for admission. Test must be taken within two years of application.
The following are not required, but highly recommended:
- Graduate quality or grade point average of at least 3.3. You must submit transcripts for ALL college-level study.
- Evidence of experience conducting public health research.
- Evidence of experience participating in public health practice.
Additional Application Requirements
In addition to the SOPHAS-required documentation of official U.S./Canadian transcripts and C.V./Resume, please provide the following additional documentation with your application.
- Official U.S./Canadian transcripts for ALL education submitted directly to SOPHAS
- World Education Services (WES) ICAP Course-by-course evaluation of academic records from institutions outside of the U.S. and English-speaking Canada (if applicable).
- optional Items
- Writing sample
- Publication
- English proficiency test scoress (if applicable):
- TOEFL: have ETS send scores to SOPHAS using code 5688
- IELTS: Self-report your test scores under the Standardized Tests section and include the TRF number. Then, request official IELTS scores be sent to SOPHAS.
- Duolingo: have official scores sent to University of Pittsburgh - School of Public Health
The University will waive the English Language Test requirement only if:
- Applicant has obtained a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from a U.S. accredited institution located within the U.S.
- Applicant is a citizen of a specific country in which English is the official language
- Applicant has completed a degree program at an institution within a specific country outside of the U.S. where the language of instruction is English and where the official national language of the country in which the institution is located is English
If none of these circumstances applies, the TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo exam is required. The department reserves the right to request TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo scores if they feel it is necessary for the evaluation of the application, even if the applicant meets one of the criteria above.
*The GRE is no longer a prerequisite for either degree program.
For more information about applying, tuition and financial aid, please visit Pitt Public Health admissions, or contact Paul Markgraf by phone at 412-624-3107 or email.
