Westminster College and Juniata College
Westminster students in the Pre-Public Health Program must complete their undergraduate degree to continue in the MPH program, but they don't need to complete their bachelors just to be accepted to the program. The Juniata MPH program requires two additional terms of study (or 1 year). Upon successful completion of all requirements, students in the pre-MPH program will attain a bachelor's degree from Westminster and a Master of Public Health from Juniata.
Each Pre-Public Health student from Westminster who declares an intent to complete the MPH program at Juniata shall be advised by a Westminster faculty member who is familiar with the program. The applicants will be required to meet with the MPH Program Director at Juniata College prior to final acceptance into the program. Successfully applicants must also provide Westminster College with academic progress reports following the completion of each semester of the Juniata MPH program.
Admission Requirements for Juniata's Accelerated MPH Program
Westminster College undergraduate students may apply for the early acceptance to the MPH Program at Juniata College during their junior year if they meet the following criteria:
- Credit requirement: Students must have successfully completed a minimum of 60 undergraduate semester hours, thereby achieving junior standing prior to commencing any graduate course work under this program. In addition, 48 of these semester credit hours must consist of in person courses completed at Westminster College.
- Grade Point Average (GPA) requirement: Students must demonstrate academic readiness by maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00, inclusive of any transfer credits accepted by Westminster College.
- Advisory Approval: Written approval must be obtained from the student's academic advisor at Westminster College to confirm the student's qualifications for the program and ensure the integration of the MPH coursework with the student's overall academic plan
- Approval Meeting: Applicants will be required to complete a formal approval meeting with the MPH Program Director at Juniata College.
Graduate course Enrollment:
- Students accepted into the Early Acceptance MPH program enroll in graduate courses at the 500-level or above.
- Students are limited to a maximum of 12 graduate credits under this program.
- Graduate courses must be completed with a grade of B- or better to qualify for the Juniata graduate degree program.
- Students accepted into the pathway must provide Westminster's Director of MedPAC with an academic progress update after each semester in which the student completes coursework applicable to the pathway. The academic progress update must include the student’s term grade point average for such coursework and a list of any courses not successfully completed.
Credit Applicability and Transfer Credit Requirements:
- Double-counting of credits for both undergraduate and graduate degrees is prohibited.
- Graduate courses taken at Juniata may count as electives for the undergraduate degree, but only the courses that are not used for the MPH graduate program.
- Graduate courses are not eligible for a pass/no pass (C/NC) grading option.
- Credits must exceed the 120 undergraduate credit requirement to be applied toward the advanced degree.
- Credits are subject to transfer policies of other graduate programs, which may have additional requirements.
- Internal (within Juniata programs) transfer of credits is subject to specific Juniata graduate program regulations.
Financial Aspects
- Respective tuition and fees are determined separately by Westminster College and Juniata College.
- Students pay tuition and fees for courses taken at Westminster during their years at Westminster College.
- Students pay tuition and fees to Juniata for courses taken in the MPH program.
- Students apply for any applicable financial aid at Westminster College while enrolled at Westminster and apply for applicable financial aid at Juniata while enrolled in the Juniata MPH program. Westminster and Juniata administer their financial aid programs according to their own policies, guidelines, and regulations.
Note: Students pursuing this program should visit the Juniata website to verify current MPH admissions requirements and for more information about required volunteer/work experiences.
Option for entering the graduate MPH program during senior year. Westminster seniors who want to being the Juniata MPH program after completion of their undergraduate career may apply and be conditionally accepted into the Juniata MPH program during their senior year, while the student is still enrolled at Westminster. However, full matriculation into this graduate program and eligibility for graduate financial aid will not begin until after the student has been conferred a bachelor's degree by Westminster College.
For More Information
Please contact Dr. Joshua Corrette-Bennett.
