Program Director

Stephanie Benjamin, PhD, MPH



Public Health
MPH Academic Lead for Online Community Health Education

Phone: (818) 677-6415

Send email

MPH Graduate Coordinator for Applied Epidemiology

Lawrence Chu


Public Health

Phone: (818) 677-2485

Send email

MPH Graduate Coordinator for Community Health Education

Suzanne Spear


Public Health

Phone: (818) 677-6991

Send email

How to Apply

MPH Info Sessions 


The California State University, Northridge (CSUN) Master of Public Health (MPH) program admits students who demonstrate professional and academic excellence. The Admissions Committee evaluates applications on a number of factors, including GPA, work experience, statement of purpose, and letters of recommendation. Holistically, we look at the total person, and not just a GPA or GRE score. Applicants must meet the requirements for admission to the University's graduate programs and those additional requirements of the MPH program.

The filing period for admission is October 1 through May 1 for Applied Epidemiology and for Community Health Education is May 28. All required application materials must be submitted by May 1 at 5:00pm PST for Applied Epidemiology and for Community Health Education is May 28th at 5:00pm. Please do not send any paper materials to the department office - all application materials are to be submitted online. Instructions and application details can be found in the Application Checklist link below.

Application Priority Deadline is December 1, 11:59pm PST: Early applications are encouraged, to ensure timely receipt of all required documentation (including the three letters of recommendation). Complete applications received after December 1st, 11:59pm PST may be considered, but will have reduced opportunities for program admission. Incomplete applications (including those missing letters of recommendation) received after 5pm (PDST) on May 1 will not be considered.

Degree options (you may only apply to one):

  • Master of Public Health in Community Health Education (MPH)
  • Master of Public Health in Applied Epidemiology (MPH)

Carefully select your concentration. Once admitted into the program, switching concentration involves another application process and could delay graduation (if approved).

Steps to Apply:

Please use the assistance guide for additional assistance on how to submit your online application.
 

Step 1. Create Account & Start Application

  1. Go to https://www2.calstate.edu/apply; select “Apply Now” from the homepage to start the application process.
     
  2. Click the “Create an Account” button. Once all of the required fields are completed and you agree to the terms and conditions select the “Create my account” button. Select “Continue” to complete your account and begin the application.
     
  3. Complete your profile. Fill in the education field with “Graduate” for level of degree, “Master’s degree or higher” for type of degree, Fill in all other questions and save changes. 
     
  4. Select “Start Your Application” to launch the application.
     
  5. Select the following for each of the fields: “CSU Northridge” for campus, “Face to Face” for delivery format, “Main campus” for location, and the start term you are applying for.
     
  6. Scroll down to view the full list of programs. Results may be longer than one page. Locate and click on Master of Public Health program.
     
  7. Scroll to the top of the page and click “I am Done, Review My Selections.”
     
  8. Click “Continue to My Application.”
     

Step 2. Personal Information Quadrant

Begin by clicking on the Personal Information Quadrant. For the Personal Information Quadrant some information is required while other information is optional. You are required to fill out all fields unless they have the word in tiny grey italic print following them. Click the “Save and Continue” button after completing each section.

 

Step 3. Academic History Quadrant

For the Academic History Quadrant, some information is required, while other information is not required. Begin by entering all of the colleges and universities you attended.

  • If you are currently attending CSUN or earned your bachelor’s degree from CSUN, you are not required to enter transcript information. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click “I Am Not Adding Any College Transcripts.”
  • Applicants who completed their bachelor’s degree and are not currently taking courses can scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “I Am Not Adding Any College Transcripts”
  • If you currently have coursework in-progress and/or have planned coursework for next semester, please scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “Start” and then begin entering your transcript information for each school you have attended. Enter courses under the institution where you originally took the course. Include any in-progress or planned coursework.

Please provide your GPA information for each college or university you have attended.
Include test scores, if necessary. Here are the guidelines:

  • If your overall undergraduate GPA is 3.0 or higher, the MPH program does not require you to submit GRE scores. Please scroll down and click on “I Am Not Adding Any Standardized Tests”
  • If your overall undergraduate GPA is lower then 3.0 and your last 60 units GPA is 3.2 or higher, the MPH program does not require you to submit GRE scores. Please scroll down and click on “I Am Not Adding Any Standardized Tests”
  • If your overall undergraduate GPA is lower then 3.0 and your last 60 units GPA is lower than 3.2, you must submit GRE scores. Please scroll down and add your GRE test scores. 
  • If you are an international student and received your bachelor’s degree outside of the U.S., please submit TOEFL scores. Please scroll down and add your TOEFL test scores.

 

Step 4. Supporting Information

Click “Continue to Next Section” to move forward. It will continue you to the Supporting Information Quadrant.

Supporting Information will be entered into the supplemental application (Step 2 below). Therefore, it is not required, however you do need to go into each section and indicate that you are not adding any information. To do this click on the “I Am Not Adding Any Experiences,” “I Am Not Adding Any Achievements,” and “I Am Not Adding Any Documents” buttons on each section.

For the Statement of Purpose, type “Not Applicable” in the box. You will be uploading your personal statement or statement of purpose in the supplemental application. Click “Save and Continue” and “Continue to Next Section.”

 

Step 5. Submit Application

Click on “Submit Application” when all of the above steps have been completed. Click “Submit All.” Click “Continue to pay the non-refundable application fee, which cannot be transferred to another term. Specific payment instructions follow.

 

Step 6. Mail Required Materials

Submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities (including community colleges; but not those already on file at CSUN), GRE or TOEFL scores (if applicable) that you have attended. Mail your official transcript(s) (in their original sealed envelopes) to CSUN Admissions and Records at 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330. Processing time can take some time, so we recommend requesting transcripts be sent as soon as possible.

 

Step 7. Complete the MPH Program Application

Please move on the MPH Program Application (below)

All information must be submitted for the CSU application (above) and the MPH program for the application to be considered complete. The information provided below will be used by the Admissions committee to make an informed decision.

 

Step 1. Create Account & Start Supplemental Application

  1. Go to https://www.applyweb.com/cgi-bin/app?s=csun; select “Create Account” from the homepage to start the process. Input information and click “Create Account.”
     
  2. Login using the account information that you created. 
     
  3. Click “Online Application” under Apply Online to begin the application process.
     
  4. Please note: the application on ApplyWeb requires a $30.00 fee.

 

Step 2. Personal Information

Add your personal information and click “Save” followed by “Next Page.”

 

Step 3. Program Selection

Select either “Public Health: Community Health Education” or “Public Health: Applied Epidemiology” and the Fall term you are applying for.

 

Step 4. Recommender Information

Add the name, organization, position, and email for each recommender. An email request will automatically be sent to the evaluator on your behalf. This email will have a specific link to complete a supplementary recommendation form in addition to a standard letter of recommendation. Please advise your evaluator to look for this email in their inbox, as well as their spam or junk-mail folder, as emails do occasionally get filtered out. Give appropriate time to allow your recommenders to complete the form and submit the letter. We require three (3) letters of reference.

Here are some basic guidelines to help your evaluators write their letters of recommendation:

  1. Must be specific to the MPH program at CSUN (addressed to the MPH Admissions Committee)
     
  2. Written on official department or institutional letterhead
     
  3. Answer the following questions:
     
  4. How long and in what capacity do you know the applicant?
     
  5. Based on your interactions with the applicant, what are your personal impressions of his/her intellectual capacity, character, professional skills, and ability to do academically succeed and advance their career?
     
  6. Provide concrete example(s) 
     
  7. Submitted directly to the link provided in the email
     

Note: If your recommender cannot find the evaluation form, it is located in the original email they received from the application website.

Note: All 3 letters of recommendation must be completed for the application to be submitted for review. It is your responsibility to ensure all of your letters of recommendations are in and that the application has been submitted. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed by the admissions committee.

 

Step 5. Statement of Purpose

Upload a personal statement of purpose. Click for the Statement of Purpose Instructions for the Community Health Education and Applied Epidemiology concentrations. Statements should be no longer than 3 pages double-spaced! Read instructions carefully!

 

Step 6. Educational Background

Add all colleges/universities (including community college) unofficial transcripts, starting with the most recent. CSUN students or graduate MUST also include unofficial transcripts from CSUN.

 

Step 7. Test Scores

If you were required to take the GREs (based on your GPA), please submit your GRE scores here.

 

Step 8. Resume

Please upload a current resume which demonstrates your work experience related to public health. Be sure the descriptions provided are accurate and relevant information. Your experiences should be in reverse chronological order (most recent experiences should be first).

 

Step 9. Pledge

This last page includes a pledge that indicates that all information provided is complete and accurate.

International students, who do not have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. university, are required to submit official TOEFL scores. Be mindful that international students have to apply through the Office of International Admissions but MUST ALSO submit the supplemental materials to the CSUN MPH program via ApplyWeb.

Please do not send any paper materials to the department office – all materials are to be submitted online!

For additional information, please email mph@csun.edu

Program Director

Stephanie Benjamin, PhD, MPH



Public Health
MPH Academic Lead for Online Community Health Education

Phone: (818) 677-6415

Send email

MPH Graduate Coordinator for Applied Epidemiology

Lawrence Chu


Public Health

Phone: (818) 677-2485

Send email

MPH Graduate Coordinator for Community Health Education

Suzanne Spear


Public Health

Phone: (818) 677-6991

Send email

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