Community Health and Prevention Research (CHPR)

Master of Science

CHPR is proud to welcome the incoming cohort for 2024-2025, pictured above at New Graduate Student Orientation (NGSO) on September 20, 2024. This year's cohort is comprised of students from 14 different countries, 40+ undergraduate institutions, 15% first gen, and 38% identifying as under-represented minority.

The diversity of the CHPR program and student body is highlighted in the Department of Medicine's 2021 Annual Report, Meeting the Moment.

CHPR’s home is within the Stanford Prevention Research Center, which values diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).

The CHPR program recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision.

The CHPR program welcomes graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. The review process is holistic and individualized, considering each applicant’s academic record and accomplishments, letters of recommendation, prior research experience, and admissions essays to understand how an applicant’s life experiences have shaped their past and potential contributions to their field and how they might enrich the learning community at Stanford.


External Applicants (Global)

Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year are open. See the External Applicants page for more information.

Current Stanford Fellows on a MCHRI or T-32 grant please contact TO Preising for information on how to apply.


Coterminal Applicants (Stanford)

Applications for the 2025-2026 are open. See the Coterminal Applicants page for more information.


Current Graduate and Professional Student Applicants (Stanford)

Students pursuing a PhD at Stanford are eligible to count up to 45 units from the CHPR Master’s degree towards the PhD requirements (135 residency units). See the Stanford Bulletin for more information.

Current Stanford graduate and professional schools students may apply to the program on a rolling admissions basis.

See the Stanford Graduate Student Applicants page for more information.

About the program

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Community Health and Prevention Research (CHPR) consists of a minimum of 45 units and is designed for students pursuing health-related careers focusing on chronic disease prevention, health and wellness promotion, and the pursuit of health equity. Most students complete the program in one academic year, from Autumn through Summer quarter.

The growing and increasingly recognized and valued fields of community health and prevention research are concerned with expanding and enhancing disease prevention and control efforts in communities at local, state, national, and international levels. The Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC), a world-renowned research center founded in 1972, recognizes that community health and prevention research play an increasingly vital role within the field of medicine, the study of global health, and population-level efforts to prevent and reduce chronic diseases. The purpose of this program is to:

  • Engage students from a range of backgrounds in didactic and experiential learning opportunities with the goal of gaining an in-depth understanding of community health and prevention research applications in diverse practice settings
  • Prepare future public health professionals to responsibly and effectively address health challenges faced by diverse communities across the life course.

 

Why Complete a Master of Science in Community Health and Prevention Research?

Students who complete the Master of Science in Community Health and Prevention Research will:

  • Study patterns of chronic diseases in diverse communities and settings and examine how prevention can optimize health and promote health equity at the individual, family, community, and population level
  • Critically interpret and evaluate research on community health and prevention
  • Become involved in research teams that encourage health equity promotion and social responsibility
  • Gain and hone methodological skills including research study design, study implementation, and data analysis related to community health and prevention research
  • Utilize translational research and applied science in a community-based research internship with the expectation that they design, implement, and assess health and wellness solutions addressing preventable community health challenges
  • Complete a master’s thesis.

 

What is CHPR?

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Community Health and Prevention Research (CHPR) consists of a minimum of 45 units and is designed for students pursuing health-related careers focusing on chronic disease prevention, health and wellness promotion, and the pursuit of health equity.