Admissions

Upcoming Term

You have three opportunities to begin the program each year. For our annual academic calendar and application deadline information, please contact an enrollment specialist at HEBonline@hhp.ufl.edu.

The standards described below apply to all students — domestic and international. However, additional requirements apply to international applicants.

Admissions Requirements

Ideal candidates for the online Master of Science in Health Education and Behavior will have:

• Graduated from an accredited college or university with a minimum 3.0 grade-point average (GPA) for all undergraduate coursework beyond 60 credit hours
• Gained experience in the industry
• Strong interest in the Health Education and Behavior industry
• Clear short- and long-term career goals

Note: The Department of Health Education and Behavior is not currently requiring or reviewing GRE scores as part of admission decisions.

Application Materials

Application

If you’re ready to apply, start here. Once you begin, you can start the application, save it, and return to work on it at any time. To help ensure your application is processed smoothly, please be sure to:

• Enter your GPA for your last 60 completed credit hours in the self-reported GPA section (this step cannot be skipped).
• Select “Distance Education” as your location when applying for the online program (the term “online” won’t appear as a choice).

Statement of Purpose

All applicants are expected to provide a thoughtful and thorough statement of purpose. A strong statement may offset deficiencies in other areas of the application, and a weak one may diminish an otherwise strong application. Please review the information below and contact an application coordinator if you have any questions.

Your statement of purpose should describe in detail:

• Why you are interested in the University of Florida’s online Master of Science in Health Education and Behavior
• What you hope to learn and gain from the program
• Your long- and short-term career goals and how you plan to achieve them
• Relevant experiences and achievements (even if they are listed on your resume)
• Other personal and professional experiences that may translate to the industry
• Skills and qualities you bring to the program that will enhance the experience of your classmates

Resume

Your resume should be current and highlight previous professional and academic experience, as well as achievements and awards.

Pursuant to Florida Statute, your application requires inclusion of all post-high school education and employment, as well as information about ongoing international affiliations and research funding. Please ensure this information is included on your curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.

Three letters of recommendation

Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation that meet these criteria:

• At least one letter must come from an academic source, such as a prior college instructor or academic advisor. Exception: This requirement is waived if the applicant has been out of school for five or more years.
• The remaining letters should come from professional sources, with a preference for supervisors or managers over peers. Letters from family members, friends, spiritual leaders, or other non-professional sources are not acceptable.

Recommenders should use these letters as an opportunity to discuss the applicant’s written and oral communication abilities, work ethic, analysis and problem-solving skills, and competency in health education and behavior.

Official academic transcripts

Official transcript should be sent directly from the institution to graduate@admissions.ufl.edu or:

Mail to:

Questionnaire

For both domestic and international applicants, a health education interest questionnaire will be emailed to the applicant once an application has been submitted. An application will not be considered complete until the online questionnaire responses are submitted.

Application fee

The application fee is $30.

Application Status

You may submit your application any time before the deadline. Applicants are encouraged to submit supplemental material as soon as possible to avoid a delay in processing.

You can check the status of your application at any time here.

Admissions Decision

Applicants typically receive an admissions decision — accepted or denied — via email within two weeks of submitting a completed application.

Admitted students will receive further instructions regarding orientation, how to register for courses and where to obtain textbooks and other materials.

Transfer Credits

Students can transfer up to 9 credits of previous health education graduate coursework at the discretion of the department. Speak with an enrollment specialist for details.