Selection Criteria

Admission priority is given to applicants who have graduated from a master program with high academic standing. Students with only a bachelor's degree with health services research experience are occasionally admitted. Generally these students are admitted to the Master of Science Program and then to the Doctoral Program.

Applicants who have a bachelor, master, or professional degree in a field related to health services are given preference over applicants who do not have such experience. For example, candidates who have a graduate degree in fields such as Health Administration, Public Health (e.g. epidemiology, environmental health, health services), Math/Biostatistics, the Sciences (e.g. biology, genetics), the Social Sciences (e.g. psychology, sociology), Economics/Business, Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Nursing are particularly competitive. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 is recommended.

Applicants with research experience and publications are typically rated more highly.

Students admitted to the program generally have GRE scores in or above the 80th percentile.

International applicants must submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), unless they are a citizen of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand or the United Kingdom OR have earned a bachelor's or higher degree from the U.S. or one of the countries listed above. A minimum score of 580 (paper based) or 237 (computer based) on the TOEFL is required to be considered for admission to the UW.