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Application to Epidemiology from Another UW Department

Students who are currently in a graduate or professional degree program in another department at the University of Washington, and who wish to transfer to, or earn a concurrent degree in, the Epidemiology Department, must apply to the Epidemiology Admissions Committee following the directions below.

 

WHEN YOU MAY ENTER EPIDEMIOLOGY:

Students May Start Only in Summer or in Autumn Quarter
Entry in Spring Quarter may be possible only if you are a postdoctoral fellow at UWMC or a related teaching hospital, and have already completed both EPI 512 and 513. If you meet these criteria, you may petition for entry in Spring Quarter.  The petition should include the reasons for entering Spring Quarter and be addressed to Professor Stephen M. Schwartz, PhD, Professor and Graduate Program Director. It should be sent to epiapply@u.washington.edu. The result will depend on the reasons and room in the program. Winter Quarter entry is not allowed.

APPLICATION DEADLINES:

   PhD Applicants and Master’s Applicants without a U.S. Doctorate

  • December 1: We must receive the following items by this date in order for your application to be considered: Epidemiology Department Application, copy of previous UW Graduate or Medical School application including transcripts, reference letters, prior GRE scores (See Medical Student Application, if applicable) and TOEFL scores (if applicable), a new statement of purpose, new CV or resume, and new Optional Diversity Statement, if desired. See Do I Need to Apply to the Graduate School? and Application Procedures for detailed information.

  • December 15: Applications must be complete, including new UW reference letters, new unofficial UW transcripts, and new test scores (if applicable). See Application Procedures for detailed information.

   MS or MPH Applicants Only with U.S. Doctorate

  • December 15: By this date we must receive the items listed above under “December 15”.

  • January 1: Applications must be complete, including new UW reference letters, new unofficial UW transcripts, and new test scores (if applicable). See Do I Need to Apply to the Graduate School? and Application Procedures for detailed information.

DO I NEED TO APPLY TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL?
If you are already enrolled in the UW Graduate School, then you do not need to re-apply. See Application Procedures for Students Currently Enrolled in the Graduate School.  If you are a UW graduate student, but have let your enrollment in the UW Graduate School lapse, through not being registered or officially on leave any quarter (except Summer,) then you must re-apply to the UW Graduate School. (If you are not sure, you should check your current status through MyUW.) All UW Medical students must apply on-line (unless already admitted to the Graduate School). See Application Procedures for Students Not Currently Enrolled in the Graduate School.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR STUDENTS CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN THE UW GRADUATE SCHOOL

Submit these items to the Epidemiology Program Office by email by the appropriate deadline above to epiapply@u.washington.edu.

  • New Statement of Purpose: See Statement of Purpose Instructions. If applying for the PhD, please discuss your Master’s thesis in about one paragraph (if applicable). You should have thought carefully and done some background research into potential areas of research for the PhD.  
  • A current unofficial transcript: Obtain one at no cost from MyUW. It should include the most recent Autumn Quarter grades, if applicable. This applies to all applicants at the UW.
  • New References
    For MS or MPH: at least one new reference letter
    For PhD: three new reference letters
    All letters should be from faculty and/or research supervisors who know your work well. No special form is required. See Recommenders for the appropriate content. Ask your recommenders to send their letters to epiapply@u.washington.edu. Each letter must include the recommender’s name, degrees, contact information and title in the letter itself, not just in a cover email. Also indicate which letters to use from your previous application. You have submit at least three letters and no more than six.
  • Items from your current department: Ask your current department to send one copy of the following items from your previous application to the Epidemiology Program Office, Box 357236: 1) transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate institutions, as applicable; 2) reference letters, and 3) GRE scores. An applicant with a U.S. doctorate applying for only an MPH or MS need not provide GRE scores. All UW MD/MPH and UW Medical Scientist Training Program applicants must provide copies of their MCAT scores to Epidemiology instead of GRE scores.  Other MD applicants to either a master’s or a doctoral program must provide GRE scores. See Medical Student Application below. An international applicant must also request that his/her current department send a copy of the previous TOEFL score.
  • The Epidemiology Doctoral Preliminary Examination score will be considered for a PhD applicant who has taken the exam. The Epidemiology Program Office has the scores, so you do not need to submit yours. Applicants who have taken the examination, but have not passed will not be considered for the doctoral program.

  • Medical Students: See also Medical Student Application below.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR STUDENTS NOT CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN THE UW GRADUATE SCHOOL

Apply on-line to the Graduate School as explained in On-line Application Submission. Submit the items below on-line unless otherwise instructed.

  • New GRE scores, if applying from outside UW or if not previously taken. See Medical Student Application, if applicable.

  • New Statement of Purpose: See Statement of Purpose Instructions. If applying for the PhD, please discuss your Master’s thesis in about one paragraph (if applicable). You should have thought carefully and done some background research into potential areas of research for the PhD.  When you apply online to the UW Graduate School, submit this document on-line following the instructions in On-Line Application Submission.
  • New CV: Submit your CV on-line when you apply to the Graduate School.
  • New Reference Letters
    For MS or MPH: at least one new reference letter
    For PhD: three new reference letters
    All letters should be from faculty and/or research supervisors who know your work well. No special form is required. See Recommenders for the appropriate content. Ask your recommenders to submit their references on-line as described in Recommenders procedures. Also indicate on-line which letters to use from your previous application. You have submit at least three letters and no more than six.

  • Submit the Items Below by Campus Mail to the Epidemiology Program Office, Box 357236.

    • Items from your current department: Ask your current department to send one copy of the following items from your previous application to the Epidemiology Program Office, Box 357236: 1) transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate institutions, as applicable; 2) reference letters, and 3) GRE scores. An applicant with a U.S. doctorate applying for only an MPH or MS need not provide GRE scores. All UW MD/MPH and UW Medical Scientist Training Program applicants must provide copies of their MCAT scores to Epidemiology instead of GRE scores.  Other MD applicants to either a master’s or a doctoral program must provide GRE scores. See Medical Student Application below. An international applicant must also request that his/her current department send a copy of the previous TOEFL score.

    • A current unofficial transcript: Obtain one at no cost from MyUW. Submit this by email to the Epi Program Office at epiapply@u.washington.edu

  • The Epidemiology Doctoral Preliminary Examination score will be considered for a PhD applicant who has taken the exam. The Epidemiology Program Office has the scores, so you do not need to submit yours. Applicants who have taken the examination, but have not passed will not be considered for the doctoral program.
  • Medical students: see below also.

MEDICAL STUDENT APPLICATION TO EPIDEMIOLOGY

  • Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) MD/PhD Applicants:  Follow the Procedures for Students Currently Enrolled in UW Graduate School above (if you have been admitted to the Graduate School). GRE scores are not required for applicants who are part of the UW MSTP. It is your responsibility to find guaranteed funding from a faculty mentor at the basic science level for your entire PhD program. During your first year in the PhD Program, your mentor must supplement your MSTP stipend to the basic science level. During your second through fourth years, your mentor must provide full basic science-level funding. Securing such a commitment may be difficult because faculty in the Department of Epidemiology are dependent on NIH grant funding of limited duration and Epidemiology faculty usually pay the standard UW RA rate, which is lower. Consult Funding for Graduate Students for more information. The Epidemiology Program Office may be able to assist you with your search.
  • MD/PhD Applicants who are not enrolled in the UW MSTP: Apply using the same method as the MD/MPH applicants above. GRE General Test scores are required. You are not required to locate funding prior to admission, but it would be wise to try to do as early as possible.  Consult Funding for Graduate Students for more information.

CONCURRENT DEGREE PROGRAM RULES

  • Both degrees must be at the UW. (A student may earn a concurrent degree at another institution, but the requirements are completely separate.)

  • A Concurrent Degree Form must be completed and approved by both departments and the Graduate School. (Obtain the form from either department.)

  • Concurrent students in the following programs may count 12 UW credits toward both degrees:

    • A UW doctoral student in one department earning a UW master’s degree in another department, including, but not limited to the MD/MPH, PhD/MPH or PhD/MS.

    • A master’s student enrolled in formal concurrent master’s programs, including the MPH/MAIS and MPH/MPA. (We do not have a formal concurrent MSN/MPH in Epidemiology at the present time.)

    • A student earning informal concurrent master’s degrees may not count 12 credits for both degrees according to Graduate School regulations. However, if a student earns more than the credits required by the Graduate School, it may be possible to count certain relevant courses toward both degrees with the approval of both departments. Consult epiapply@u.washington.edu and your current degree program office for more information.

    • Some non-thesis master’s programs in other departments will allow an Epidemiology thesis to count for the final paper or research component.  For more information, consult the other department. Epidemiology does not have a non-thesis option and a thesis from another department will not count in Epidemiology.