Frequently Asked Questions

Please review these helpful resources to learn more about coterminal programs at Stanford:

• The Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education
• Stanford Bulletin
• Stanford UNDERGRAD Information

If you are interested in applying to the M.S. in CHPR and would like to receive information about upcoming information sessions and program updates, please fill out the following form.

Applications for the M.S. are accepted only once per year. Learn more about our application deadlines on the Admissions Page.

To be eligible, applicants must satisfy the below criteria. 

• Applicants must be current Stanford undergraduate students.
• All applicants must have earned 120 units toward graduation (UTG) as shown on the undergraduate unofficial transcript. This includes allowable Advanced Placement (AP) and transfer credit.
• Applicants must have a major(s) declared.
  
• Applicants must have completed six non-summer quarters at Stanford (or two non-summer quarters at Stanford for transfer students)

CHPR accepts coterm applications once per year. Per university policy, coterm students must not confer their undergraduate degree before matriculating into their graduate career. Coterm students should contact the CHPR office before applying to graduate from their undergraduate program.

No. You must decide which courses will count toward your undergraduate degree and which courses will count toward the M.S. degree. You cannot double count courses between two degrees. After admission, you can request that eligible courses be transferred from your undergraduate career to your graduate career by filing a Course Transfer Request, which is an eForm in the Axess eForm portal.

For more information on course transfer, please see Student Services' Coterm Course Transfer page.

As a coterminal student in the M.S. in CHPR, you may count eligible courses taken no more than three non-Summer quarters back from your first graduate quarter.

Courses eligible for transfer:

1.     All CHPR subject code courses or their crosslistings taken for a letter grade within the eligible three quarters back term;

2.     No more than one Biostats and Methods pre-approved course listed on the CHPR Preliminary Program Plan (tab 2 “Other Biostatistics and Methods”) taken for a letter grade within the eligible three quarters back term. The CHPR program plan is on the CHPR Forms page.

Please note that you cannot double count courses between your undergraduate and master’s degree. To count eligible previously taken courses toward the M.S. degree you will file a Course Transfer Request, which is an eForm in the Axess eForm portal. The form will be routed for approval to your undergraduate major department(s), the CHPR Office, and the Registrar's Office.

Please see Student Services' Coterm Course Transfer page for more information.

The GRE is not required for coterm applicants.

No.

Your transcript should show that you are ready and able to handle graduate work successfully, but there is no minimum GPA required to apply.

No. All majors are welcome to apply.

No. All students who complete the M.S. in CHPR receive the same degree (i.e., Master of Science degree in Community Health and Prevention Research)

There are many MPH programs offered across the country and not all are the same. Researching specific MPH programs of interest will help you better understand the key differences and areas of overlap between our Master of Science program and any MPH programs you may be considering.

Yes, the master’s thesis is required for all CHPR students. Please see more information on the Program Requirements Page.

The CHPR mentor matching process begins in late summer/early autumn quarter. At that time we ask students to let us know three things: 

1. what area of research they are most interested in getting exposure to during their CHPR career, 
2. the populations they are most interested in working with, and 
3. the skill set they would most like to enhance during their internship or thesis. 

Ideally, we will match you with a mentor that hits all three of your interests above, but it is more likely that we will match you with a mentor that hits one or two. CHPR students are placed in a wide variety of internships, with no particular one being typical. Most of our mentors only take on one or two students for the year, and mentor research may change from one year to the next due to the variable nature of research in academia. First and foremost, it is important for students to understand that we cannot match you with research that is not being done at Stanford. Finally, we work with our mentors to ensure that students have the best experience possible as they go through the program.

No. The required community-based research internship must take place after you officially enroll in the M.S. program. Your internship must take place over 2 consecutive quarters (not including Summer) and must be supervised by your CHPR mentor.

In that situation, your mentor must be willing to and agree to supervise you as you work on an internship project with that specific community partner. This is less likely to take place if your internship project does not fall within your mentor's general area of expertise or it is unclear how this community partner will allow you to apply the CHPR curriculum within a 2-quarter long internship.

Most students are not matched with their mentor until well after Autumn quarter begins, and it is not possible to start the internship at that time. Also, the focus of the first quarter is on coursework to help provide the CHPR students with an intellectual basis to inform their internship. For these reasons, most students should plan to do their internship during winter and spring quarters.

The program is designed to be completed in one academic year, typically Autumn through Summer, with the summer quarter used to finish the thesis.

All requirements for a master's degree must be completed within three years after the student's first term of enrollment in the master's program. Students pursuing a coterminal master's degree must complete their requirements within three years of their first quarter of graduate standing.

We highly recommend admitted students have taken basic college statistics before beginning the program. if that is not possible, Khan Academy or similar online courses for health sciences may be helpful for those who do not have a grounding in statistics. If you take these types of online courses before applying, you should mention it on your application.

The Stanford Prevention Research Center has no funding/financial aid available for M.S. students. To learn more about graduate financial assistance, please visit the Stanford Financial Aid Office. All financial aid information must be confirmed by the Financial Aid Office. The CHPR program does not have any authority or responsibility regarding financial aid.

Please note: Stanford undergraduates who have received financial aid should check with the Stanford Financial Aid Office before applying to determine the impact of enrolling in the coterminal M.S. on their financial aid package.

Please see Stanford’s policy on auditing courses.