Graduate Admissions FAQ
College of Health
General FAQ
Effective October 20, 2020
With this decision our graduate admission process becomes more aligned with the values of the college. We join many other programs at Oregon State and other peer institutions across the country who have eliminated this structural barrier to promote a more equitable, diverse and inclusive student body.
Our faculty will continue to review all applications holistically, taking into account all materials, including personal statement, letters of recommendation, and academic achievement.
We understand that some universities may have changed their typical grading systems temporarily in response to COVID-19.
The inclusion of pass(P) or satisfactory (S) grades on transcripts for Spring 2020 will not be viewed negatively in the evaluation of applications for Fall 2021 admission.
The following programs participate in the Western Regional Graduate Program:
You may be eligible to save around $8,000 a year in tuition.
The WRGP is an agreement between participating public universities in 18 western states and territories providing admitted students from these states and territories the opportunity to attend a graduate program at 150% of resident tuition instead of the full nonresident fees.
For more information on participating states and how to apply for WRGP, visit the graduate school's Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) page.
View the listing of materials required to apply for each graduate program.
A personal statement is your opportunity to speak directly to the faculty reviewers. Please clearly and directly address the following:
- Why are you applying to Oregon State, and the specific program/option/concentration you chose?
- How will earning this degree help you achieve your professional goals?
- What have you learned from successes and/or challenges in your past educational, professional, and/or personal experiences? Please use specific examples, as applicable.
Yes!
If you are a current graduate student at OSU, you can apply to add a concurrent degree to your existing program of study by filling out this the Graduate School’s Change of Degree/Major/Certificate form.
Fill out the “Work on Concurrent Degree/Certificate” section and submit the form. This will prompt the Graduate School to send over your initial graduate application.
Please send a personal statement reflecting your goals for the concurrent degree to the College of Health director of graduate student recruitment and admissions once you have submitted this concurrent degree form. There is no deadline for this process, and you can add a concurrent degree in any term.
The minimum TOEFL score for directly entry into a graduate program at OSU is an 80, with a score of 18 in each section. For the IELTS, it’s a 6.5. Scores must be no more than two years old at the time you start the program. See Graduate Admissions - International Applicants for more information about international graduate student requirements.
The MPH program has rolling admissions from December 1 to June 1.
For PhD in Public Health applicants, if all materials are received by the first deadline (December 1), and you have submitted your supplemental application, you should expect to receive your decision by mid-February. March 1 applicants will receive their decision by early May.
For MPH applicants, you can expect a decision within 4-6 weeks of submitting your supplemental application.
The MPH online degree program in Public Health Practice has a final deadline of June 1, and applicants will receive their decision by early July.
For Kinesiology and Nutrition applicants, even if applying at the priority deadline, you may not receive your decision until as late as mid-April.
Deferrals may be granted on a case by case basis. In general, deferrals will only be granted for applicants in the military or those facing extreme circumstances (e.g., major medical issues). The Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs will consider deferral requests for MPH applicants. School Heads will consider deferral requests for applicants from all other degree programs.
For questions about funding, please contact the School Head for your program.
School of Exercise and Sport Science
- Adapted Physical Education
- Athletic Training
- Kinesiology
Contact Megan MacDonald, PhD
School of Human Development and Family Sciences
- Human Development and Family Studies
Contact Marc Braverman, PhD
School of Public Health and Nutrition
- Nutrition
- Public Health
Contact Peggy Dolcini, PhD
SOPHAS FAQ
All application materials should be sent directly to SOPHAS. You should not be sending anything directly to OSU if you are applying through SOPHAS first (unless you are an international applicant with IELTS scores).
Do NOT send official transcripts to Oregon State University.
Send ALL official transcripts to:
SOPHAS Transcript Processing Center
P.O. Box 9111
Watertown, MA 02471-9111
If you have taken ANY courses at an institution, you are required to submit the transcript from that institution (even if credits have been transferred and appear on other transcripts); otherwise SOPHAS will not be able to verify your application.
The verification process can take quite a while, so we recommend submitting your transcripts as soon as you begin your application. If you wait until the deadline to request your transcripts, it is extremely unlikely that your application will be considered for that deadline. Your application cannot be reviewed until all transcripts are verified.
Students who have completed a degree in a foreign country (other than Canada): you will need to submit a foreign evaluation through World Education Services. This process can take up to a month from when WES receives your official transcripts from your international university. For more information and instructions on how to get started, visit Credential Evaluation for Centralized Application Services and select SOPHAS from the dropdown list.
Once you submit the order for your evaluation, be sure to designate SOPHAS as a recipient of the results. SOPHAS only loads foreign evaluations once a week, so we recommend getting this process started as soon as possible in order to meet the deadline for which you are applying.
If you are a domestic student and you participated in study abroad as part of your undergraduate program, you do NOT need to complete a foreign evaluation.
SOPHAS offers a limited number of financial-based fee waivers, as well as service-based fee waivers for participants in AmeriCorps, McNair Scholars Program, Gates Millennium Scholars. SOPHAS also waives fees for active or veteran military service members, and there are a limited number of financial-based fee waivers. You can check to see if you qualify for a fee waiver at SOPHAS Specialized Fee Waivers.
Yes, there is an OSU Graduate School supplemental application.
After you submit your application through SOPHAS, the supplemental application will be sent to you via email.
Your SOPHAS application must be submitted before we can send the supplemental application.
Yes, the fee is set by the OSU Graduate School. The fee is $75 for domestic students and $85 for international students. Learn more about requesting a fee waiver for the supplemental application.
If your question was not addressed in the FAQ, please email COH graduate student admissions.