Admissions

Admissions Requirements

To be considered for admission to the SDSU-UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health, students must meet the general requirements for admission to both universities with classified graduate standing as outlined in the respective current catalogs. These include:

• an acceptable baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by a regional accrediting association or equivalent academic preparation, as determined by the deans of the two graduate divisions;
• a GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted;
• good standing at the last institution attended;
• Full consideration of the admission application can take place only after all required documents have been received

Preference will be given to applicants with an MPH or MS degree in public health.

Applicants for admission to the doctoral program must present evidence of capacity for graduate study in public health. A multidisciplinary field such as public health draws from a wide variety of undergraduate majors, but the student is expected to have a strong grounding in the quantitative, behavioral, and biological sciences.

Application Process

Applicants must submit an application to both to UC San Diego (UCSD) and San Diego State University (SDSU) during the same application window. Please follow the information below for each university accordinly. Three applications must be submitted to be considered for admission:

1. SOPHAS
2. Cal State Apply (SDSU Graduate Application)
3. UC San Diego Application

The Joint Ph.D. program admits students for the Fall semester/quarter only.

San Diego State University Application Process (2-Step Process)

• Applicants for the Joint Doctoral Porgrams (JDP) in Public Health must submit two applications in order to be considered for admission to San Diego State University (SDSU). Please see the separate instructions for each application. The deadline to submit the SOPHAS application and SDSU Graduate Application is December 1, 2024.
• Please apply early and allow sufficient time for all required supporting materials (such as the statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, official transcripts, and test scores) to be received. All supporting materials must be received by December 1, 2025 for both the SOPHAS and SDSU Graduate Applications to ensure your application will be reviewed by the admissions committee.
• The application instructions provided below must be followed carefully. It is important to send the required materials to the separate addresses exactly as specified. Applicants should not send materials for the SOPHAS application to SDSU Enrollment Services, or the other way around; sending materials to the wrong address will jeopardize meeting the file completion deadlines and may result in non-consideration of the application. Materials cannot be shared between the SOPHAS and SDSU Graduate Applications; therefore, applicants must be sure to send test scores and official transcripts separately for each application.
• Only complete applications will be reviewed by the admissions committee. Application review will begin in January and we anticipate that applicants will be notified of the decisions on their applications beginning in February, and no later than early April.

UC San Diego Application Process

• Applicants for the Joint Doctoral Programs (JDP) in Public Health must also submit an application to UC San Diego, in order to be considered for admission to the program. 
• All supporting materials such as the statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, unofficial transcripts, and language test scores must be included in the application.
• Acceptable English language proficiency tests include the TOEFL, IELTS or DET. 

Only complete applications will be reviewed by the admissions committee. Application review will begin in January 2026 and and we anticipate that applicants will be notified of the decisions on their applications beginning in February, and no later than early April.

Required Documents

In addition to the application forms, we also require the following documents:

• Statement of Purpose
• A copy of your most recent academic transcript(s)
• CV or Resume
• 3 letters of recommendation
• English Languge Proficiency (if applicable)
• ** GRE scores are not required for the Fall 2026 cycle. Please note that if you submit a score, it will be taken into consideration with the rest of your application.