Early Deadline: July 15th | Final Deadline: November 15th

The Department of Health and Kinesiology offers a joint Bachelor of Science + Master of Public Health (BS-MPH) degree program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Students can earn a BS-MPH in either MPH Concentration - Health Behavior & Promotion or Epidemiology. 

This degree option is only available for current University of Illinois undergraduate students majoring in Community Health, Kinesiology, and I-Health. Those who eligible and interested should apply before the start of their final year at the University. 

Apply here!

For more details on the joint degree specifics, visit BS-MPH Information.

BS-MPH applications are accepted at two times each year:

July 15th: Students who are admitted begin taking courses that count towards both their BS and MPH degrees in that fall semester.

November 15th: Students who are admitted begin taking courses that count towards both their BS and MPH degrees in that spring semester.

• Applicants to the BS-MPH program should submit their application through the Graduate College.
• Only students who are in their final year of undergraduate study during 2024-2025 in Community Health, Interdisciplinary Health, or Kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign may apply for this application cycle.
• Applicants must be able to complete all BS requirements by the end of the UIUC summer session in 2025 in order to advance to the MPH in Fall 2025.

Online Graduate College Application

• Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Please specify early in your statement whether you are applying to the BS-MPH in Epidemiology or the BS-MPH in Health Behavior & Promotion.
• Resume
• Three Letters of Recommendation
• Unofficial Transcripts

Pre-requisite requirements: Before applying for the BS-MPH program, all Community Health and Interdisciplinary Health major applicants are required to complete the course HK 207 Introduction to Epidemiology, and MUST obtain a B or higher grade in it. This pre-requisite does NOT apply to Kinesiology majors. HK 416 is also recommended.

Online Application: Once you log in, the BS-MPH application is located under the Health and Kinesiology (HK) section.

Please state which BS-MPH program you are applying for in your personal statement (Epidemiology or Health Behavior and Promotion). This will help us expedite your application.

Proposed Program Information section:

• Select "Health and Kinesiology" as the proposed program
• Select "Master of Public Health-BS/MPH Joint program" as the degree
• In the "Specialization field," please write in your desired BS-MPH program: Epidemiology or Health Behavior & Promotion
• Select "Fall 2025" - this will be the term that you start your MPH portion.

Academic History section:

• Fill out the requested information on all of the universities you have attended or are currently attending.
• Upload unofficial transcripts (your own copies) from all colleges you have attended, including community colleges

Test Scores section:

• Test scores (ex: GRE) are not required

Resume section:

• A detailed resume must be submitted for admission consideration. While experience is not required, previous health experience is beneficial to the application and will be considered by the admission committee. Please limit resume to 1-2 pages.
• Applicant's professional resume should include: personal information, educational background, work experience (start and end dates for each position and brief description of responsibilities), internship experience (start and end dates and brief description of responsibilities), educational training, professional associations, leadership experience.

Academic Statement of Purpose section:
All applicants will be required to respond to a series of short personal statements. Exact essay prompts can be found within the application. Each short personal statements should be a maximum of 1,500 characters (roughly 250-500 words). Applicants should be prepared to answer the following questions: 

• Question 1: Why are you interested in an MPH degree? Why are you specifically interested in the MPH at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?
• Question 2: How do your past experiences make you an excellent fit for this program? How do your education & skills set you up for professional & academic success?
• Question 3: A) As an MPH student concentrating in Epidemiology, what past experiences do you have with quantitative work? What do you hope to gain from the MPH program relevant to this concentration? How will the training you will receive during this program prepare you for your career goals? OR B) As an MPH student concentrating in Health Behavior & Promotion, what past experiences do you have with health promotion or education? What do you hope to gain from the MPH program relevant to this concentration? How will the training you will receive during this program prepare you for your career goals?
• Option Essay: Please use this optional essay to discuss any abnormalities in your transcript that you would like the admissions committee to consider when reviewing your application. 

References section:

• The MPH requires three letters of recommendation. At least one letter must be from a professor or instructor who can attest to the applicant’s capability to pursue graduate studies. The admission review committee prefers, if possible, that this letter come from a professor/instructor who taught the applicant within their final 60 credit hours. 
• The other letters may come from academic or professional sources who can speak to the applicant's educational endeavors, work history, internship experience, and/or team building and leadership skills. Those applying to the Epidemiology tract should make sure their recommender can attest to the applicant's quantitative, analytical or research team building and leadership skills.
• You do not have to wait for your letters to be complete to submit your application. Letters will automatically update when they are sent to the online system. It is recommended to submit your application well before the deadline, even if your letters of recommendation have not been submitted yet.
• If your application is waiting for letters, it will not be sent to our admissions committee for review until all letters are received. If your application is still waiting for letters when the deadline approaches, any application with letters requested less than 10 days in advance of the due date will not be considered.

Application Fees

After you submit your online application, you will be prompted to pay a non-refundable application fee ($70 for domestic applicants, $90 for international applicants). Your application will not be reviewed until this fee has been paid. If you do not pay your application fee within 3 weeks of submitting your application, your application will be not be submitted. The University of Illinois does offer application fee waivers for certain applicants.