Admissions Requirements

 

1. BASIC ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL CANDIDATES

• PhD-Epidemiology
• MS-Epidemiology
• PhD-Biostatistics
• MS-Biostatistics

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL PhD or MASTER'S DEGREES

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TRANSCRIPTS

• Submit one official transcript from every college or university attended. Transcripts are considered official when mailed by the institution directly to Michigan State University. Please have them mailed to:

Michigan State University
Office of Admissions
426 Auditorium Road, Room 250
East Lansing, MI 48824

 

GRE

• Recommended but not required.
• If you have GRE Scores less then 5 years old, you may submit them at your discrection. Scores should be submitted to MSU electronically. Our institution code is 1465. 

 

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

• 3 letters are currently required.
• These should come from 3 academic or professional references. The Admissions Committee suggests applicants to request letters from multiple sources. Applicant’s will include the email addresses of their recommenders, while in the GAMS application portal. This allows the recommenders to upload their own letter. We look for letters that include the following topics:
  • The applicant’s leadership skills
  • The applicant’s capabilities in academics or professional settings
  • The applicant’s potential to successfully complete our program
  • Any specific achievements the applicant has obtained

 

ACADEMIC STATEMENT

• Your Academic Statement should be a concise statement of your plans for graduate study, your career goals, and how MSU's graduate program will help you meet your career and educational objectives. Your Academic Statement must include the following statement: "My intended area of specialization in the graduate program in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Michigan State University will be in _________________." If you have already been in contact with faculty or staff at MSU regarding your application for graduate studies, please list these contacts in your Academic Statement.

 

PERSONAL STATEMENT

• An 800-1000-word personal statement addressing the applicant’s research goals, career plans and research interests. Applicants should also include any additional experience in epidemiology or biostatistics, and discuss what they have done to prepare for an advanced degree in our program.
• Your Personal Statement should concisely describe how your background and life experiences - including social, economic, cultural, familial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges - motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree.
• For more help on guidelines for the Academic and Personal statements click here 

 

2. PREFERRED BACKGROUND FOR ADMISSION

• All PhD Degrees
• All Master's Degrees

 3. APPLICANTS WITH PRIOR GRADUATE DEGREES OR OTHER ADVANCED GRADUATE-LEVEL COURSEWORK
(All PhD or Master's degrees)

 

TRANSFER CREDITS

• A maximum of 9 credit hours from Non-MSU graduate courses can be transferred toward credits for the PhD. These courses must match existing course options in this MSU program and be approved by the department.

COURSE EQUIVALENCIES

• Students must obtain departmental approval for any previous graduate coursework they wish to use as fulfillment in the Epidemiology or Biostatistics Master’s course requirements. This is to ensure courses taken as part of their previous degree are equivalent to our MSU Master’s course requirements. Any deficiencies will require enrollment in the MSU course and if equivalency is approved, students will still need to take additional credits to fulfill their total MS credit requirement.

 

4. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS (All PhD or Master's degrees)

 

TOEFL

• If you are not a citizen of the United States or if your native language is not English, you are required to demonstrate your level of English proficiency by taking and submitting scores from one of the MSU-accepted language tests. TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, MSUELT or MELAB are accepted. MSU’s Institutional code is 1465. When scheduling testing, note that it may take a month or longer from the time of the request to send scores until they are received and recorded in the Office of Admissions.
• Click here to learn more about acceptable minimum scores for international graduate applicants.

 

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Financial proof must be provided in order to comply with U.S. Government regulations. Final admission will not be granted until the Office of Admissions is satisfied that all documents are complete and correct. At that time, your immigration document will be issued.
• Estimated funding requirements for international students annually from the Office of Financial Aid can be found here.
• International Applicants will need to complete this Affidavit of Support form (PDF).
  Note: Proof of sufficient funding is not a factor in the admissions decision”

 

INTERNATIONAL TRANSCRIPTS

• Request that one official copy of all previous schooling (mark sheets, transcripts, diplomas, certificates, etc.) be submitted in an official sealed envelope directly to MSU from the institution. In addition, where the original documents are not issued in English, also provide an official English translation of each document. Please note that translations certified by a notary are not acceptable. Transcripts are considered official when mailed by the institution directly to Michigan State University. Please have them mailed to: