Integrated BS/MPH Program

Information for Prospective Students

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  Eligibility Requirements
  Must be declared as a current BYU public health undergraduate major with an emphasis in health promotion or health science (not currently available for environmental science or epidemiology).
  

  • Undergraduate GPA of 3.5
    
    • In exceptional circumstances, students may be accepted into the integrated program with lower than a 3.5 GPA. Students with a GPA lower than 3.5 will be required to provide an explanation in their admissions application, explaining their GPA and why they feel they would be successful in the integrated curriculum.
  • Must be in the third year of study or considered a junior at BYU by the February 1st application deadline. If admitted, students will begin the integrated program during their senior year by taking the MPH level coursework with the rest of the traditional incoming MPH cohort.
  • Interested students must meet with undergraduate academic advisor, Beth Liechty (beth.liechty@byu.edu), to carefully map their public health coursework for each semester. This will determine whether the BS and MPH degree can feasibly be completed within two additional years.
  • Undergraduate and graduate level department approval to apply to the integrated program. The Integrated BS/MPH Grad Plan Approval Form, listing the approved coursework plan, must be signed by undergraduate advisor, Beth Liechty (beth.liechty@byu.edu) AND the MPH director, James Johnston (james_johnston@byu.edu), or a designated MPH curriculum committee member.
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  Application Requirements
  Students applying to the Integrated BS/MPH program will have a two-step application process:
  
  

  STEP 1: Junior Year - Application to Integrated BS/MPH Program

  
  
  Application Deadline - Submit the Integrated BS/MPH Department Application by the February 1st application deadline of your junior year.
  
  Statement of Intent - Upload four short essays in PDF format explaining the following (each essay should not exceed 400 words in length):
  

  • Essay 1: In your own words, explain your understanding of the public health profession. Explain why you want to study public health. Describe at least one of your public health interest areas (e.g., topics or skills), what you hope to do with an MPH, and life or personal experiences that have led to your interest in public health and that equip you for working in this field.
  • Essay 2: How would the BYU Integrated BS/MPH (4+1) program advance your career and personal goals? Be specific about why the 4+1 would be of value to you instead of the traditional MPH at BYU or another university. Please frame your response beyond just "saving money" or liking the "church/spiritual" atmosphere of BYU. We want to understand how the 4+1 will promote your career goals. Please note: your explanation for why you are pursuing a public health graduate degree generally should be articulated in your answer to Essay 1. Essay 2 focuses on why the 4+1 is a good fit for you.
  • Essay 3: The BYU Department of Public Health has a stated priority to create an environment that honors diversity and belonging for all people. How can you support or enhance our ability to achieve that priority/ What could you uniquely contribute to the cohort? Applicants are encouraged to share their experiences relating to cultural background, special skill sets, academic perspectives, linguistic and international background, socioeconomic background, adversity, first-generation college student, life experiences or anything else that you feel you uniquely bring to the program. We do not make decisions based on gender or race.
  • Essay 4: List up to three courses you have taken (with course #'s) on your transcript that demonstrate your experience with qualitative or quantitative data. Discuss specific details and examples of relevant coursework, employment, research, volunteer, or other professional experiences that involved analyzing quantitative data; you can also discuss experiences working with qualitative data. If you do not have data analysis experience, explain your aptitude for working with quantitative data.

  
  Recommendation Form - Include two Integrated BS/MPH Recommendation Forms from those who can attest to your academic and/or work ability. At least one form should be from a BYU public health faculty member (not including adjunct faculty). Applicants are encouraged to ask their recommenders to discuss the following in their form: leadership skills, ability to work well with others, grit, dependability, writing, and academic ability. Recommenders should email recommendation forms directly to mph@byu.edu.
  
  Resume - Upload your resume to your online application.
  
  Transcripts - Upload your undergraduate transcripts demonstrating coursework completed to date. In general, students must have a 3.5 GPA in their undergraduate courses when applying to demonstrate that they can handle the added rigor of completing MPH and BS requirements simultaneously. In rare exceptions, students may be accepted who have a GPA lower than 3.5 They should include a statement explaining their lower GPA and why they can manage completing MPH and BS requirements simultaneously.
  
  Integrated BS/MPH Grad Plan Approval Form - Upload the signed Integrated BS/MPH Grad Plan Approval Form, indicating how you will complete MPH and BS requirements in your senior year and plus one year. You must use the form that will be made available on this website. The form must be signed by an undergraduate academic advisor, Beth Liechty (beth.liechty@byu.edu), and the MPH director, James Johnston (james_johnston@byu.edu), or a designated member of the MPH curriculum committee.
  
  Note: It is strongly recommended to have the required statement of intent essays, qualitative/analytic skills essay, resume, transcripts, and Integrated BS/MPH Grad Plan Approval Form completed and ready for individual upload before starting the Integrated BS/MPH online application form. Please submit documents in PDF format.
  
  To access the Integrated BS/MPH Department Application, click HERE. (Application opens January 1, 2025.)
  
  

  STEP 2: Senior Year - Application to BYU MPH Program

  
  
  Application Deadline - Submit the BYU Graduate Studies Application by the February 1st application deadline of your senior year.
  
  Maintain a 3.2 GPA for courses taken during senior year (first year of Integrated BS/MPH curriculum).
  
  Statement of Intent - Include four short essays explaining the following (each essay should not exceed 400 words in length):
  

  • Essay 1: In your own words, explain your understanding of the public health profession. Explain why you want to study public health. Describe at least one of your public health interest areas (e.g., topics or skills), what you hope to do with an MPH, and life or personal experiences that have led to your interest in public health and that equip you for working in this field.
  • Essay 2: How would the BYU Integrated BS/MPH (4+1) program advance your career and personal goals? Be specific about why the 4+1 would be of value to you instead of the traditional MPH at BYU or another university. Please frame your response beyond just "saving money" or liking the "church/spiritual" atmosphere of BYU. We want to understand how the 4+1 will promote your career goals. Please note: your explanation for why you are pursuing a public health graduate degree generally should be articulated in your answer to Essay 1. Essay 2 focuses on why the 4+1 is a good fit for you.
  • Essay 3: The BYU Department of Public Health has a stated priority to create an environment that honors diversity and belonging for all people. How can you support or enhance our ability to achieve that priority? What could you uniquely contribute to the cohort? Applicants are encouraged to share their experiences relating to cultural background, special skill sets, academic perspectives, linguistic and international background, socioeconomic background, adversity, first-generation college student, life experiences, or anything else that you feel you uniquely bring to the program. We do not make decisions based on gender or race.
  • Essay 4: List up to three courses you have taken (with course #'s) on your transcript that demonstrate your experience with qualitative or quantitative data. Discuss specific details and examples of relevant coursework, employment, research, volunteer, or other professional experiences that involved analyzing quantitative data; you can also discuss experiences working with qualitative data. If you do not have data analysis experience, explain your aptitude for working with quantitative data.

  Letters of Recommendation - Include two letters of recommendation from those who can attest to your academic and/or work ability. Applicants are encouraged to ask their letter writers to discuss the following in their letter: leadership skills, ability to work well with others, grit, dependability, writing, and academic ability.
  
  Resume - Upload your resume to your online application.
  
  Transcripts - Upload your undergraduate transcripts demonstrating coursework completed to date.
  
  To access the Graduate Studies application for the Master of Public Health Program, click HERE.
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  MAP Sheets
  The MAP sheets below provide one possible course flow option to help students graduate in five years. There are other possible substitutions for health promotion and health science students.
  
  Health Promotion MAP Sheet
  Health Science MAP Sheet
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  Additional Information
  The Integrated BS/MPH program allows up to 12 credits to be counted toward both the BS and MPH degrees. These 12 credits must be graduate level courses (e.g., an undergraduate course cannot be substituted in place of a graduate course, but a graduate course can be substituted in place of an undergraduate course). For example, a health promotion student would take HLTH 614 in place of HLTH 494, HLTH 624 in place of HLTH 434, and HLTH 688R in place of HLTH 494R. HLTH 614, HLTH 624, and HLTH 688R would count toward their undergraduate and graduate degree. For a list of possible course substitutions, click HERE.
  
  Students accepted into the integrated program will:
  

  • Be admitted as a graduate student at least two semesters prior to graduation.
  • Take MPH courses and finish their undergraduate requirements during their senior year and plus one year.
  • Pay undergraduate tuition during their senior year and graduate tuition during their plus one year.
  • Pay at least two semesters (or one full-time semester and two full-time terms) of full-time graduate student tuition.
  • Complete a Notification of Integrated or Joint Program Status (GS Form 5).
  • Receive both the bachelor's degree and the master's degree simultaneously (the same semester and year/term).
    

  
  For more information, please email mph@byu.edu.