Public Health Certificate
The mission of the Public Health Graduate Certificate is to give students a basic, yet robust understanding of all of the aspects of public health. The Graduate Certificate in Public Health consists of the core curriculum for the Master of Public Health degree and is intended for those people who:
- are interested in learning more about the field of public health without committing to a full degree
- are currently public health professionals and want to be eligible to take the certifying examination in public health; or
- are interested in a degree in public health but are not sure what specific area of expertise they might want to pursue.
The certificate program is 15 credits and can be applied to an MPH should a student decide to pursue a degree program. The Public Health Graduate Certificate program can be completed in-person or online to allow students maximum flexibility while maintaining personal and professional commitments. Online courses are taught in 10-week online modules across the calendar year (four modules per year); residential courses are taught in 14-week modules on campus. The certificate must be completed within two years of matriculation.
Admissions Requirements:
- A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university.
- International students must provide certified, translated transcripts showing the equivalency to the U.S. bachelor's degree. World Education Services (WES) is the preferred provider of such translations.
- Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate schools attended.
- A 1,500-word (maximum) letter of interest stating your reasons for wanting the certificate and including a description of your relevant work experience.
- A resume.
- Two letters of recommendation.
The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required to apply for the certificate program. International students must submit a TOEFL score when English is not the native language. A minimum score of 100 is required on the internet-based test. IELTS is also acceptable. An overall score of 7.0, with no individual score below a 6.0, is needed for admissions.
Admissions requirements and application procedures for the graduate certificate program are identical to those of the master’s degree programs. Please visit our Admissions page to learn more.
Funding
- 15 credit certificate programs are not currently eligible for Title IV funding. Contact gwsphfinaid
gwu [dot] edu (GWSPHfinaid[at]gwu[dot]edu) for questions about funding.
Course descriptions are available in the GW Bulletin.
See the program guide and the SPH Graduate Student Handbook for additional information.
- Required Courses
PUBH 6002 | Biostatistical Applications for Public Health (3 credits)
PUBH 6003 | Principles and Practice of Epidemiology (3 credits)
PUBH 6007 | Social and Behavioral Approaches to Public Health (2 credits)
PUBH 6009 | Fundamentals of Public Health Program Evaluation (2 credits)
PUBH 6011 | Environmental and Biological Foundations of Public Health (3 credits)
PUBH 6012 | Fundamentals of Health Policy (2 credits)REQUIRED TOTAL: 15 CREDITS
- Non-Academic Requirements
Professional Enhancement
Students in Milken Institute School of Public Health degree programs must participate in eight hours of Professional Enhancement. These activities may be Public Health-related lectures, seminars, or symposia related to your field of study.
Professional Enhancement activities supplement the rigorous academic curriculum of the SPH degree programs and help prepare students to participate actively in the professional community. You can learn more about opportunities for Professional Enhancement via the Milken Institute School of Public Health Listserv, through departmental communications, or by speaking with your advisor.
Students must submit a completed Professional Enhancement Form to the student records office.
Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Training
All Milken Institute School of Public Health students are required to review the University’s Code of Academic Integrity and complete the GW Academic Integrity Activity. This activity must be completed within 2 weeks of matriculation. Information on GWSPH Academic Integrity requirements can be found here.
All students are required to complete the Basic CITI training module in Social and Behavioral Research. This online training module for Social and Behavioral Researchers will help new students demonstrate and maintain sufficient knowledge of the ethical principles and regulatory requirements for protecting human subjects - key for any public health research.
Academic Integrity Quiz
- Past Program Guides
Students in the Public Health Graduate Certificate program should refer to the guide from the year in which they matriculated into the program. For the current program guide, click the "PROGRAM GUIDE" button at the top of the page.