Applying for Admission to Pitt Public Health

If You Are Applying for a Degree Program

All new degree-seeking applicants, except those applying for non-degree study, only a certificate program, Genetic Counseling MS, and/or dual-degree Genetic Counseling MS/MPH, must apply through SOPHAS, the online, centralized application service for CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health. SOPHAS submits applications to Pitt Public Health only after all required materials are received.

1. Apply online through SOPHAS
2. Pay application fee directly to SOPHAS
3. Submit personal statement through SOPHAS
4. Submit three recommendations directly to SOPHAS
5. Submit official transcripts for ALL education in the United States directly to SOPHAS
6. Submit a course-by-course WES evaluation for ALL education outside of the United States (not including study abroad) directly to SOPHAS
7. Submit official GRE scores (if applicable) to the School of Public Health code 4234, with no department code. Program-specific requirements can be found here . 
8. Submit official TOEFL scores (if applicable) to SOPHAS code 5688. IELTS or Duolingo scores may be substituted for the TOEFL. 
9. Track the status of your completed application online through SOPHAS

If You Are Applying for Genetic Counseling MS or dual-degree Genetic Counseling MS/MPH Programs

All new Genetic Counseling MS and/or dual-degree Genetic Counseling MS/MPH applicants must apply through SOPHAS Express.

1. Register for the Genetic Counseling Admissions Match through National Matching Services Inc. (NMS)
2. Apply online through SOPHAS Express
3. Pay application fee directly to SOPHAS Express
4. Submit personal statement through SOPHAS Express
5. Submit three recommendations through SOPHAS Express
6. Upload unofficial transcripts for ALL education in the United States and/or in Canada directly to SOPHAS Express under Documents
7. Upload Genetic Counseling Experience Tracking form to SOPHAS Express under Documents - Program Form
8. Submit a course-by-course WES evaluation for ALL education outside of the United States (excluding study abroad but including non-English speaking Canadian institutions) directly to Pitt Public Health Office of Student Affairs
9. Submit official TOEFL scores (if applicable) to University of Pittsburgh code 2927. IELTS or Duolingo scores may be substituted for the TOEFL.

If You Are Applying for Non-Degree Study

Interested applicants may enroll in 12 credits of non-degree study before applying to a degree-seeking program.

1. Apply online through SOPHAS Express and complete required sections only 
2. Pay application fee online directly to SOPHAS Express
3. Submit official transcripts for all education in the United States and/or Canada to Pitt Public Health Office of Student Affairs
4. Submit a course-by-course WES evaluation for all education outside of the United States (excluding study abroad but including non-English speaking Canadian institutions) to Pitt Public Health Office of Student Affairs
5. Submit official TOEFL scores (if applicable) to the University of Pittsburgh institution code 2927, with no department code. IELTS or Duolingo scores may be substituted for the TOEFL.

Note: Non-degree applicants are not required to submit recommendations, upload transcripts through SOPHAS Express, submit test scores, or submit any non-required sections of the SOPHAS Express application.

More information about the non-degree option can be found here.  

If You Are Applying for a Certificate Only

If you are only applying to a Pitt Public Health certificate, you may apply through the abbreviated application below. If you also plan to apply for a degree program, do not apply through SOPHAS Express for the certificate. You will only be required to apply through SOPHAS following the instructions above.

1. Apply online through SOPHAS Express
2. Pay application fee online directly to SOPHAS Express 
3. Submit a personal statement through SOPHAS Express
4. Submit three recommendations through SOPHAS Express
5. Submit official transcripts for all education in the United States and/or Canada to Pitt Public Health Office of Student Affairs
6. Submit a course-by-course WES evaluation for all education outside of the United States (excluding study abroad but including non-English speaking Canadian institutions) to Pitt Public Health Office of Student Affairs
7. Submit official GRE scores (optional) to the University of Pittsburgh code 2927, with no department code
8. Submit official TOEFL scores (if applicable) to the University of Pittsburgh institution code 2927, with no department code. IELTS or Duolingo scores may be substituted for the TOEFL.

Note: Applicants who are interested in only pursuing a certificate should contact the program before applying to confirm the availability of courses. International applicants are not eligible to apply for only a certificate program due to the full-time registration requirements of the student visa. 

Current Pitt Public Health Students Applying to a New Degree or Certificate Program

Current degree-seeking students interested in transferring to another program or adding another academic program/certificate must:

1. Email a brief statement including name, current program, details on the plans to transfer or add a program, and the term in which you would like to begin the program to the Office of Student Affairs, PHAdmissions@pitt.edu.

Further instruction will be forwarded to you once the admissions office receives your email of intent, depending on the department’s requirements.
 

Note: Pitt Public Health non-degree students are required to apply through SOPHAS if they are interested in being considered for a degree program. See above for the application instructions.

Admissions Review Process

Once the school has received your verified application from SOPHAS or SOPHAS Express and has processed internally, you will be notified by email. If your application is complete by our school-specific requirements, it will be sent to the department for their review. If your application is incomplete, you will receive an initial email about the missing items and then you will be sent periodic email reminders about the incomplete status. Applicants are not considered for admission until all required application materials have been received. Please be sure to add donotreply@webadmit.org to your safe senders list in your email account.

Your application will be reviewed by the departmental committees. Departmental review generally takes four to six weeks, but the timing may vary by department or by season. As soon as the department has submitted a decision on your application to the Office of Student Affairs, you will be notified of the admissions committee’s decision by email. 

Note: A departmental committee evaluates applications and makes a recommendation to the associate dean for enrollment in the Office of Student Affairs. Admission is not final until the associate dean for enrollment issues a letter of acceptance.

In the following circumstances, application materials will be kept for one year from the date the application was received and then be destroyed:

1. Application remains incomplete
2. Application is not accepted
3. Application is accepted, but the applicant does not respond
4. Application is accepted, but the applicant declines admission

Mailing Address

University of Pittsburgh
School of Public Health
Office of Student Affairs
1100 Public Health
130 DeSoto Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
(412) 624-3088

Note: Pitt Public Health holds its applicants and students to the high ethical standards expected of public health professionals. Any form of misrepresentation or plagiarism discovered in an application will result in immediate rejection of the applicant. The incident also will be reported to SOPHAS or SOPHAS Express, the public health shared application service, which will notify other participating schools.