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CRITERION IX – STUDENTS
A. RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSIONS
In support of Goal I – to educate individuals for professional careers in public health and
for research careers – the Rollins School of Public Health seeks to recruit and admit
qualified and committed students with a wide range of academic backgrounds, as well as
those who have been employed in the public health workforce or as health professionals.
In its recruitment and selection process, the school acknowledges and values the span of
skills and knowledge appropriate for the diverse areas of public health.
IX.A.1 Student recruitment policies and procedures
Recruitment Policies
The RSPH admits qualified students regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, national origin, age, disability, or veteran’s status. The school seeks students
with qualities that include the motivation and ability to achieve in a graduate academic
program along with a firm commitment to public health, as evidenced by their interests,
backgrounds, and experiences. The school attempts to reach a wide audience of
prospective students in its recruitment efforts and adheres to Emory University’s
Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity policies in all its recruitment activities.
Department chairs, in consultation with the school’s administration, set annual
“enrollment targets” (numbers of MPH and MSPH students that each department
desires). The enrollment targets are based on the current quality of students, the capacity
of the current faculty complement to provide quality instruction, and fiscal requirements
for sustaining faculty support through tuition revenue.
Organization of Recruitment Activities
Recruitment of MPH and MSPH students is under the supervision of the RSPH Associate
Director for Admissions. The RSPH Associate Director of International Student Affairs
assists in the recruitment and admission process with students from outside the US. Both
are housed in the RSPH Office of Student Services, which is directed by the RSPH
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.
Under its new strategic plan for student recruitment, the Office of Student Services has
achieved improved coordination of activities, while retaining its focus on recruiting
minority students to the MPH and MSPH programs. (See Appendix IX.A.1 for a list of
recruitment fairs.) The new recruitment strategy brought the debut of an online
application, which has received wide acceptance (900 of 1,000 applications in 2004-05).
Prospective students receive a compact disc (CD), which features newly designed
recruitment materials and a promotional “view book” of the school and its academic
programs, along with a link to the online application and other key documents, such as
the school’s catalog.
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Departments with doctoral programs initiate their own recruitment efforts under the
direction of each department’s Director of Graduate Studies. Doctoral programs reside in
the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, which provides funding for recruitment
materials and campus visits by prospective students.
Recruitment Activities
The Office of Student Services participates in recruitment fairs throughout the year (see
Appendix IX.A.1). In addition, some departments recruit at meetings associated with
their specialties, e.g., Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). RSPH sponsors two
major recruitment events on campus each year – an Open House in the fall for
prospective students and Visit Emory! in the spring, for accepted applicants.
The fall Open House, begun in 2002, is designed to stimulate interest in public health,
and specifically in the RSPH programs, among prospective students. The event attracts
more than 200 attendees. (See Table IX.A.1). The school advertises the event via its web
site and sends invitations to area colleges and universities and to students who have
requested application information. The open house follows several college recruitment
fairs in which the school participates. The day-long program includes speakers on public
health, employment opportunities in public health, and the school’s degree programs.
Students have an opportunity to meet with RSPH students, faculty and the Assistant
Director of Academic Programs (ADAP) from any area of study in which they have an
interest.
Each spring, the school hosts Visit Emory! for all applicants accepted for admission to the
school to assist them in making a decision about whether to enroll at Emory/Rollins. All
interested individuals are welcome to attend. This program focuses on the school and its
academic programs, as well as its setting within Emory University and the value of its
proximity to the Centers for Disease Control, American Cancer Society, CARE, and
health agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. Prospective students have an
opportunity to meet with school administrators, faculty, department/program ADAPs, and
current students.
Table IX.A.1
Attendance at Recent Open House and Visit Emory! Day Events
Academic Year
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
Number of Prospective Students in Attendance
Open House (Fall)
Visit Emory! (Spring)
N/A
150
208
147
260
177
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IX.A.2
Admissions policies and procedures
Application
Departments normally admit applicants for the fall semester. The deadline for the receipt
of the completed application and all required supporting documents for fall semester is
February 1. For those who wish to be considered for merit-based scholarships, the
deadline is January 15. The school currently charges an application fee of $60 that may
be waived in cases of financial exigency.
Required application components include:
1. Application form
2. Narrative essay
3. Two official transcripts from each post secondary institution attended
4. Two letters of recommendation
5. Graduate-level entrance examination score report when required by the
department (normally the Graduate Record Examination)
6. TOEFL scores (international students)
Admission Requirements for the MPH and MSPH Programs
Minimum requirements for admission include the following:
 Satisfactory completion of a four-year baccalaureate degree or its equivalent
 Strong interest in a public health career
 Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores
o Applicants who have completed doctoral-level degrees are not required to
submit GRE scores.
o Applicants who took the Medical College Admissions test (MCAT) may
submit these scores as alternatives to the GRE, except for the departments
of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. Physicians may substitute the MCAT
for the GRE in Epidemiology.
o GRE or MCAT scores are required for internationally trained physicians
in the department of Environmental and Occupational Health.
o Departments participating in the dual-degree programs accept the
entrance examinations required by the other degree program.
o Minimum scores desired (considered in the context of complete
application)
 Undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0
 GRE: combined verbal and quantitative score of 1000; analytical
writing score of 3.5
Desirable attributes:
 Work or academic experience in the health field is highly desirable but not
required
 Preference is given to students who have advanced training and applied
experience
The program encourages applications from international students who are proficient in
speaking, reading, writing, and understanding the English language. All applicants
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whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL) and to earn a minimum score of 550 (computer-based score of 213).
International applicants must submit Financial Certification forms ensuring that they have
available funds to pay tuition and living expenses.
Admissions Decisions for the MPH and MSPH Programs
Upon receipt of an application, the Associate Director of Admissions and staff enter the
information into appropriate databases and forward the application file to the department
to which the student has applied. Each department has a process by which the faculty
(typically as members of a committee) review applications and the department makes
admission decisions. If a department rejects an applicant and the applicant has indicated
a second preference, the application materials are forwarded to the second department.
When an admission decision is made, the department forwards the information to the
Associate Director of Admissions who formally notifies the student of the outcome.
Applicants who apply by the deadline are normally informed of their admissions status
no later than March 15.
Scholarship Awards for MPH and MSPH Applicants
The school allocates a limited amount of merit scholarship support for master’s level
applicants. Departments rank their most academically qualified applicants and forward
them to the Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, normally by March 1. An
ad hoc committee with representation from each department ranks this pool. Merit
scholarships are awarded to those most highly ranked until the budget is expended.
Additional need-based grants are assigned by the Emory University Office of Financial
Aid and are reflected in the financial aid package of students who apply for this support.
The Emory University Office of Financial Aid also oversees the awarding of student
loans. Available merit scholarships are listed in the school’s catalog (both hard copy and
on the web).
Four special RSPH programs provide scholarship support to students from outside the
United States:

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is a Fulbright Scholars Program
sponsored by the US State Department which brings mid-career professionals
from developing countries to the US for a year of professional development and
academic studies. RSPH is one of only two schools of public health to receive
this distinction. This year, RSPH was designated as the only HIV/AIDS campus
in the Humphrey Fellowship Program.

The William Foege Fellowship Program was established by the William Gates
Foundation to honor the global health contributions of Dr. William H. Foege. The
Foundation selected RSPH to initiate this fellowship program in 2003. Scholars
are nominated by Atlanta-based public health agencies from a pool of individuals
in developing countries who have demonstrated the potential for public health
leadership in their home countries.
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
The Edmund S. Muskie/Freedom Support Act Graduate Fellowship Program is a
US State Department funded program that provides citizens of Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan with the opportunity to pursue
graduate study at the master’s level in the United States.

The John E. Fogerty AIDS International Training and Research Program builds
multi-disciplinary biomedical and behavioral research capacity for the prevention
of HIV/AIDS-related infections and for the integration of prevention with therapy
and care for those adults and children affected by HIV/AIDS in the collaborating
country. Collaborating countries for Rollins School of Public Health are Mexico,
Republic of Georgia, Armenia and Vietnam.
The school also offers half scholarships to medical students entering the MD/MPH
program and partial scholarships to students entering the MPH or MSPH program while
enrolled in Emory-related medical residency programs and the Preventive Medicine
Residency Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Application and Admission to Graduate School Programs (Doctoral Programs)
Students apply to doctoral programs through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Each RSPH department (Director of Graduate Studies and faculty members) selects the
students for admission to its doctoral programs on the basis of an applicant’s prior
academic record, standardized test scores (Graduate Record Examination), professional
plans, recommendations from others familiar with the applicant’s work, and the
availability of an appropriate course of study.
IX.A.3
Examples of recruitment materials and other publications and advertising
that describe, as a minimum, academic calendars, grading, and the
academic offerings of the school. The most recent catalog must be
included. References to website addresses may be included.
A copy of the school catalog is included with this document. The recruitment CD and
examples of other recruitment materials are available on site in the resource file. A wide
range of information is also available on the school’s website at www.sph.emory.edu.
IX.A.4
Quantitative information on number of applicants, acceptances, and
admissions by program over past three years
Data on applicants, acceptances and matriculants for the past three years are presented in
Table IX.A.4.
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Table IX.A.4
Number of RSPH Applicants, Acceptances and Matriculants
Fall 2002
Applied
Accepted
TOTAL MPH/MSPH
Behavioral
Sciences/Health Ed.
Biostatistics
Career MPH
Env. & Occupational
Health
Epidemiology
EOH/Epidemiology
Gobal Environmental
Health
Health Policy and
Management
International Health
General
994
171
770
145
Accepted%
77%
85%
Enrolled
309
57
Enrolled%
40%
39%
32
57
46
25
46
36
78%
81%
78%
9
31
15
36%
67%
42%
203
5
24
153
5
23
75%
100%
96%
57
1
9
37%
25%
39%
155
138
89%
51
37%
297
4
199
N/A
67%
N/A
79
N/A
40%
N/A
TOTAL PHD
Biostatistics PhD
Epidemiology PhD
Nutrition and
Health Sciences PhD
225
101
84
40
38
16
11
11
17%
15%
13%
28%
13
4
4
5
34%
25%
33%
45%
Fall 2003
Applied
Accepted
TOTAL MPH/MSPH
Behavioral
Sciences/Health Ed.
Biostatistics
Career MPH
Env. & Occupational
Health
EOH/Epidemiology
Epidemiology
Gobal Environmental
Health
Health Policy and
Management
International Health
General
934
180
749
160
Accepted%
80%
89%
Enrolled
321
80
Enrolled%
43%
52%
37
69
27
28
59
14
76%
86%
52%
5
30
3
18%
51%
21%
3
192
19
2
136
17
67%
71%
89%
2
73
9
100%
54%
53%
150
137
91%
51
37%
255
2
196
N/A
77%
N/A
68
N/A
35%
N/A
TOTAL PHD
Biostatistics PhD
Epidemiology PhD
Nutrition and
Health Sciences PhD
228
111
75
42
40
10
18
12
18%
9%
24%
29%
23
5
10
8
58%
50%
56%
67%
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Fall 2004
TOTAL MPH/MSPH
Behavioral
Sciences/Health Ed.
Biostatistics
Career MPH
Env. & Occupational
Health
EOH/Epidemiology
Epidemiology
Gobal Environmental
Health
Health Policy and
Management
International Health
General
TOTAL PHD
Biostatistics PhD
Epidemiology PhD
Nutrition and
Health Sciences PhD
IX.A.5
Applied
1000
201
Accepted
709
155
Accepted%
71%
77%
Enrolled
320
80
Enrolled%
45%
52%
33
69
33
20
47
25
66%
68%
78%
9
37
10
45%
79%
40%
5
200
26
4
118
20
80%
59%
77%
2
44
8
50%
37%
40%
169
149
88%
61
41%
264
N/A
171
N/A
65%
N/A
69
N/A
40%
N/A
224
91
96
37
31
13
11
7
14%
14%
11%
19%
19
6
7
6
61%
46%
64%
86%
Quantitative information on the number of students enrolled in each
degree program including full-time, part-time, and full-time equivalent
conversions, over the last three years
Table IX.A.5 indicates the number of students enrolled in full-time or part-time academic
work by all students seeking each degree type, and total numbers of students. A full-time
student is defined as a student who is enrolled in 9 or more hours of coursework, or as a
graduate in residence who is completing a thesis or special studies project. This table
also indicates the translation of full-time and part-time students to FTEs by this formula:
[FT + (PT HRS/9 HRS per full-time equivalent)] = #FTEs. For example, in fall of 2002
there were 152 part-time MPH students enrolling in a total of 789 credit hours which
translates into 87.67 FTE students. As a result, the school had 651 individual students
enrolled in the fall of 2002, but only 586.67 FTE MPH students.
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Table IX.A.5
Number of Students Enrolled Part-time (PT), Full-time (FT) and Full-time Equivalent
by Degree Program
2002-2004
MPH
MSPH
PHD
TOTAL
MPH
MSPH
PHD
TOTAL
MPH
MSPH
PHD
TOTAL
IX.A.6
FT
499
20
82
601
FT
526
32
81
639
FT
524
35
95
654
PT
152
6
0
158
PT
152
9
0
161
PT
137
10
0
147
PT HRS
789
26
0
815
PT HRS
782
46
0
828
PT HRS
713
55
0
768
PT HRS/9
87.67
2.89
0.00
90.56
FALL 2002
TOT (FT + PT)
651
26
82
759
FTE (FT + PT HRS/9)
586.67
22.89
82.00
691.56
PT HRS/9
86.89
5.11
0.00
92.00
FALL 2003
TOT (FT + PT)
678
41
81
800
FTE (FT + PT HRS/9)
612.89
37.11
81.00
731.00
PT HRS/9
79.22
6.11
0.00
85.33
FALL 2004
TOT (FT + PT)
661
45
95
801
FTE (FT + PT HRS/9)
603.22
41.11
95.00
739.33
Outcome measures of success in enrolling a qualified student body
The school uses four indicators of its success in enrolling a qualified student body in its
MPH and MSPH Programs:
 Acceptance rate
 Highest previous degree earned by enrolled students
 Mean undergraduate grade point average
 Mean Graduate Record Examination score (for those who take them)
Individually, each indicator is not fully satisfactory as a measure of the quality of the
student body but they are, collectively, suggestive. The proportion of students graduating
within five years and employment data are presented in Section V.D.2.
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Acceptance Rate
Prospective MPH students apply for admission to individual departments. The
application form allows students to indicate up to two departmental preferences on their
applications. If an applicant's primary departmental choice rejects their application, the
application is automatically referred to and reviewed by their secondary departmental
choice. If an application is wait-listed by the primary departmental choice, the applicant
is asked if they would like to have their application reviewed by their secondary
departmental choice. The school calculates its acceptance rate based on the percent of
MPH applicants ultimately accepted by any one department in the school. Hence, those
applicants accepted by their secondary departmental choice are counted as one
application and one acceptance (100% acceptance rate) rather than one acceptance out of
two applications (50% acceptance rate).
Table IX.A.6.1 reports the school’s acceptance rate for MPH and MSPH candidates for
the past three academic years using the method described above. Enrollment targets set
during the school’s annual planning process may impact acceptance rates. This table
indicates that the school has maintained a relatively stable acceptance rate (between 71%
and 80%) over this time period. While this rate is higher than the 58% average
acceptance rate for all accredited schools of public health, the rates are not comparable
for two reasons. First the average rate published by the ASPH includes students who
have applied to both master’s and doctoral programs, and master's students are normally
accepted in higher proportions than doctoral students. Second, the RSPH method of
calculating acceptance rates may be different than the methods used by other schools of
public health. Because of difficulties in benchmarking acceptance rates, the school also
uses other measures (highest previous degree, grade point average and mean Graduate
Record Examination scores) as alternative measures to evaluate the quality of students.
Table: IX.A.6.1
Proportion of Applicants Accepted by the RSPH
Seeking MPH and MSPH Degrees
Academic Year
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
% of Applicants Accepted
77%
80%
71%
Highest Previous Degree
Table IX.A.6.2 provides a summary of highest degrees of those entering the school’s
MPH or MSPH programs over the past three years. The table indicates that the
baccalaureate degree was the highest prior degree for 78% to 83% of RSPH master’s
students. The table also indicates that there has been a decline in the percent of students
with doctoral degrees.
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Table IX.A.6.2
Number and percentage of highest prior degree earned by enrollees
Academic Year
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
Baccalaureate
N (%)
241 (78%)
265 (83%)
265 (83%)
Master’s
N (%)
15 (5%)
15 (5%)
16 (5%)
Doctoral
N (%)
53 (17%)
41 (13%)
39 (12%)
Mean Undergraduate Grade Point Average
The mean undergraduate grade point averages (GPA) of students admitted to the school’s
MPH or MSPH programs for the past three years are included in Table IX.A.6.3.
Undergraduate GPAs have remained relatively stable.
Table IX.A.6.3
Mean GPA of Accepted MPH and MSPH Students
Academic Year
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
Mean GPA
3.33
3.39
3.29
Graduate Record Examination Scores
Table IX.A.6.4 includes the mean Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores of
students enrolling in the MPH and MSPH programs for the past three years. GRE scores
have trended upward since 2002-03.
Table IX.A.6.4
Mean Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score by enrollees.
Academic Year
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
M.P.H. or MSPH
1707
1771
1762
Success in Doctoral Programs
Outcome measures indicating successful enrollment of students in doctoral programs are
primarily mean GRE examination scores and employment. The mean GRE scores for
doctoral students entering each doctoral program for the past three years are as follows:
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Table IX.A.6.5
Mean Cumulative GRE Test Scores for PhD Enrollees
with and (without) Analytical Score
Biostatistics
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2102 (1402)
2122 (1360)
2182 (1412)
Epidemiology
2068 (1318)
2065 (1313)
2184 (1437)
Nutrition and
Health Sciences
1976 (1306)
1948 (1263)
1947 (1328)
All Emory PhD
Programs
1960 (1280)
1975 (1295)
1956 (1281)
Compared to doctoral students entering 26 other doctoral programs at Emory University
in 2004-05, the mean aggregate GRE scores for RSPH students are, in all but one case,
significantly higher.
The current positions of students completing doctoral degrees in Biostatistics,
Epidemiology, and Nutrition and Health Sciences in the past several years are provided in
Appendix IX.A.6.
IX.A.7
Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met
Strengths
 The school expanded its outreach to prospective students with the online application
and CD.
 The school has established policies and procedures for student admissions.
 The school attracts sufficient numbers of qualified applicants.
 The student body is qualified and the quality is increasing, according to available
measures.
Weaknesses
 Enrollment targets set during the school’s annual planning process may impact
acceptance rates.
 Scholarship support for MPH and MSPH applicants is insufficient to attract highly
qualified, low-income students.
Recommendations
 Invest additional resources in targeted recruitment efforts to increase the pool of
qualified applicants, particularly targeting those with interests in low-enrolled
departments and those in the public health workforce.
 Evaluate the effectiveness of various recruitment strategies.
 Increase resources for scholarships for MPH and MSPH students.
 Request the ASPH data committee to collect acceptance rates using comparable
methods for comparable programs.
This Criterion is met.
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