Graduate Certificate in Public Health

The College of Public Health offers the Certificate in Public Health for graduate students. The certificate program is designed to improve public health practice and public health workforce capacity in Iowa and the upper Midwest. It is intended primarily for individuals in public health practice, those in the workforce, and those interested in strengthening their knowledge and skills in basic public health competencies.

A recent edition in the College of Public Health InSight Magazine featured a Certificate graduate – check it out here (page 25)!

Graduate Certificate in Public Health

The graduate certificate requires 18 s.h. of credit and can be completed online or on campus. Applicants to the graduate certificate program must hold a bachelor’s degree and must have a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 2.75.

How to Apply

Step 1: SOPHAS Express

Applicants must apply through SOPHAS Express. You will be required to:

  • Complete an application
  • Provide transcripts: Official transcripts* should be mailed to: UI Graduate Admissions, 108 Calvin Hall, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242. For a speedier review process, unofficial transcripts can be optionally uploaded in SOPHAS Express while you’re waiting for official transcripts to be sent to Graduate Admissions. *University of Iowa transcripts and other transcripts already on file with the Office of Admissions do not need to be submitted.
  • Provide Two (2) Letters of Reference. These letters are submitted by your letter writers through SOPHAS Express. Detailed instructions on how these letters are submitted can be found on SOPHAS Express. We recommend letters of reference from your academic experiences, but we also accept professional references.
  • Upload your resume or CV
  • Upload a statement of purpose

Step 2: Set up UI account

  • We will email you letting you that your application is nearly complete once we have confirmed SOPHAS has received all of your materials. Within two business days of this confirmation, you will receive an email from the University of Iowa which will provide you with detailed instructions on setting up a University of Iowa account. Your application will be reviewed once this final step is complete.
  • All students (except those whose undergraduate degree was conferred at the University of Iowa), will need to send their final transcript (showing degree conferral) to the Office of Graduate admissions.
  • Upon registering for classes for the first time, you will be charged a one time application fee of $40. This does not happen during the review process.

At this time, we are unable to admit international students who reside outside of the United States.

Application deadlines are as follow:

  • March 15 – Summer Session
  • June 15 – Fall Session
  • December 1 – Spring Session

Certificate Completion Requirements

Successful completion of the Certificate program requires that the overall GPA for the Certificate courses be 2.75 or above and that the course work is less than 5 years old upon successful completion.

Required Courses (18 s.h.)

Course No.Course TitleCourse hours
CPH:5100Introduction to Public Health3
BIOS:4120Introduction to Biostatistics3
CBH:4105Introduction to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention3
EPID:4400Epidemiology I: Principles3
HMP:4000Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System3
OEH:4240Global Environmental Health3

The course delivery schedule is as follows:

Course Number & NameSummerFallSpring
CPH:5100 Intro to Public HealthWebIn-personN/A
BIOS:4120 Intro to BiostatisticsWeb

 

In-person

Web

 

In-person

Web

 

In-person

CBH:4105 Intro to Health Promotion & Disease PreventionN/AWebIn-person
EPID:4400 Epidemiology IWebWeb

 

In-person

Web
HMP:4000 Intro to US HealthcareWebN/AIn-person
OEH:4240 Global Environmental HealthN/AIn-personWeb

Frequently Asked Questions about the Certificate in Public Health

Please contact cph-admissions@uiowa.edu with admissions questions.