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What is the Admissions Review Process?

Once your application packet is deemed complete by the Bloomberg School’s Office of Admissions, your application is sent to the MHS program faculty who review your application. Faculty look for solid academic performance and letters of recommendation, a strong link between the applicant’s stated career goals and mission of the MHS program, and previous relevant experiences.

Applicants are highly encouraged to participate in one of the visitor days organized by the Bloomberg School.

What Types of Certificate Programs are Available to Students?

Our Department sponsors several certificate programs. HBS students may also pursue any of the certificate programs offered in the Bloomberg School for which they qualify. 

For more information about certificate programs, please visit the School’s certificates program page.

Can I Complete the Master's Program on a Part-Time Basis or Online?

The MHS program offered in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society is a traditional, full-time in-person degree program.

What is Available By Way of Financial Aid or Departmental Scholarship?

The Master’s Tuition Scholarship is available to students in good academic standing in a two-year, full-time master’s program. The MTS is a 75% reduction in tuition for year two of an eight-term program.

For more information, visit the School’s tuition and fees page.

Students interested in financial aid should contact the Bloomberg School's Office of Financial Aid.

What Will I Need to Do for My Master's Research Paper?

The student will work in a mentored research activity for a minimum of 600 hours, most typically beginning in the summer after completing the first year of coursework and concluding during the first and second terms of the second year.

The specific content of the paper is to be developed by the student in close consultation with the faculty advisor (and research project mentor, where these are not the same person). The research paper must:

1. Be based on original research
2. Address a public health problem with a social and behavioral focus
3. Represent original work conducted by the student in conjunction with the research advisor
4. Include a rigorous and scientifically defensible analytic component
5. Be based on a conceptual model that relates the work to existing knowledge
6. Be acceptable to the Department of Health, Behavior and Society. It is possible, but not required, that the research be worthy of peer review publication.

Can I Transfer in Credits from a Previous Degree?

The Bloomberg School does not offer credit for courses taken at other institutions. However, if you have completed coursework at another institution that is of similar content as a course required for the degree program, you would be able to request a waiver of the required course, with substitution of elective or more advanced coursework as appropriate. Students should begin the waiver process by discussing the issue with their academic advisor.

How Do I Get an Adviser?

Students are assigned a faculty adviser at the time of admission to the program. Adviser assignments are based, in part, on compatibility of the student and faculty research or practice interests.

As students move through their degree programs, they may elect to choose a different adviser, depending on their chosen area of concentration and the dissertation topic selected, or for other reasons. 

Can I Schedule a Visit?

The Admissions Office schedules open houses each fall for prospective students, and HBS faculty and students are available to speak to visitors at that time. To view and register for HBS’s open house events, please visit the School’s information sessions and open house page.

Campus tours can also be arranged through the Admissions Office. If you are unable to attend the open house and would like to arrange a visit to the Department of Health, Behavior and Society before or after a campus tour, please contact the department's Academic Program Administrator.