Application Instructions

LSU Health Sciences Center
School of Public Health

Please refer to the Admissions page of this website for GRE and GPA admission requirements. Note that specific programs may establish requirements that surpass the minimum standards of the School of Public Health.

Checklist of Application Materials

• Application Form
• Application Fee
• Official Report of Graduate Record Examination Scores
• Transcripts from All Colleges and Universities Previously Attended
• Original Goal Statement or Statement of Purpose
• Resume or CV
• Recommendation Forms (3 required; letters optional)

  International Applicants Must Submit Additional Materials Listed Below.

Please download the Application and Recommendation forms you will find on this page. You may begin the application process immediately by completing the Word-document application on line and emailing it to SPH@lsuhsc.edu. Please follow this submission with a signed original of your application, goal statement, and application fee mailed to the address listed below.

Complete the application form on this website and specify which MPH concentration you wish to pursue. Print an original prior in addition to sending the electronic version. Send the signed original along with a $30 application fee to the School of Graduate Public Health at the address noted below. Make checks or money orders payable to "LSU Health Sciences Center.” NOTE: A fee of $30 must be submitted for each graduate program for which you have applied. For example, if you apply to two concentrations, you must submit $60.

You should request that the Educational Testing Service send this office an official report of your Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores. The codes are: 1316 for LSUHSC institution code and 0616/GRE for Public Health School department code. It takes six weeks — and sometimes longer — for the official GRE reports to reach us. You may submit a photocopy of your "Student Copy" of the scores; however, official reports are needed for admission.

Request one copy of your official transcript from each college or university you have attended. Transcripts that show transfer credits from other colleges you have attended are not acceptable. We require that the transcripts be sent from the Registrar's Office of your University directly to this office. Transcripts issued to students are not considered official.

All programs require a goals statement of your long-term and/or short-term goals in relation to your program of study. The statement should be brief – not more than one page – but written in your own words. If using a phrase or longer text from other sources (such as the internet or books) you must credit the original source. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism, which is immediate cause for rejection of an application.

You must also include a current resume or CV.

Arrange for three recommendations to be sent to this office, using the "Admissions Recommendation" forms provided on this website. Additional recommendation forms and/or letters may be sent; however, three forms are required.

International Applicants must present a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based, 213 on the computer-based or 79 on internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Use the DI Code of 1316 Dept. 50 for TOEFL reporting. Official reports from the Educational Testing Service are required. Foreign Nationals must provide a copy of their passport and a signed letter (on bank letterhead) of adequate funding or a letter of sponsorship from a recognized sponsoring agency (on letterhead) in order to obtain a visa. Please note that the process of obtaining a visa may take 90 or more days. Therefore International Student applications must be submitted by March 31, 2008.

The World Education Services (WES) or the Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) report is also required. Both the WES and the ECE reports convert educational credentials from any country in the world into their U.S. equivalents. Either report describes each certificate, diploma or degree that you have earned and states its academic equivalency in the United States.

Please note that individual programs may require higher GPAs and examination scores. Check individual program web pages for this additional information, when applicable.

Each of the above items should be sent to:

After submitting your application, check with the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs 504/568-5700 to track whether all materials have been received. Please do not assume that letters of recommendation or transcripts have arrived.

NOTE: Public Health students who apply for admission to the LSUHSC School of Medicine, or any other LSUHSC professional school or training program, shall not be enrolled in the professional school or training program until they have completed the public health degree toward which they are working.

Applications for admission to fall 2009 admissions must be complete by the end of May, 2009.
For international students, applications for admission to fall 2009 must be completed by the end of March, 2009
PLEASE NOTE: Applications must be complete by these deadlines; no materials may be missing.

Information on Available Assistantships and Fellowships

STUDENT LOANS: Information about Student Loans is available from The Student Financial Aid Office, 504-568-4820.