How to Apply to Public Health at Georgetown University: There Is No Undergraduate Major Named “Public Health,” the Closest Is the BS in Global Health in the School of Health, There Is Also a Public Health Minor, You Apply Directly to the School, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Georgetown University has no undergraduate major named “Public Health.” The closest program we found is the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Global Health in the School of Health (founded in 2022): the website calls it a four-year program that blends public health and health systems management, with an emphasis on how the environment, culture, economics and politics affect the health of whole populations. The School of Health’s other two undergraduate majors are Health Care Management & Policy (HCMP) and Human Science, and there are a Public Health Minor, a Global Health Minor and a Health Promotion & Disease Prevention Minor. This guide focuses on Global Health and covers fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students; it does not repeat our general life-sciences guide for Georgetown.

1. Degrees and programs

• Global Health (BS): the bulletin says it has been one of the first undergraduate global health programs in the country (since 2002), giving academic training in health-related subjects and field-based research experiences at health and research institutions around the world. The curriculum blends public health and health systems management and studies the interaction of environment, culture, law and the political economy of health. The first three years cover the underlying science and fundamental concepts in global health, with public health research methods including epidemiology, data collection and statistical analysis; in the junior and senior years students can focus on topics such as COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS, health care financing, access to medicines, communicable and non-communicable disease control, urban and environmental health, gender, demography and food insecurity.
• Senior-fall experiential semester: in the fall of senior year every Global Health student completes a semester-long course, Global Health Research and Practice (GLOH 3950), an internship focused on program, policy or research issues, usually involving underserved populations, with an on-site preceptor and a scholarly paper. The School of Health page lists placements in Tanzania, Indonesia, Ghana, Mexico, Kenya, Australia, Alaska and West Virginia; the bulletin lists Australia, Bangladesh, Japan, Peru, Mexico, Ghana and Tanzania abroad, and Alaska and West Virginia in the U.S. The two lists differ, and sites vary from year to year. Prerequisites for a placement abroad: senior standing, good academic and disciplinary standing (GPA 3.0 or above), the core courses GLOH 2177 and GLOH 3303, at least 90 credit hours, and faculty approval. The School of Health page says more than 300 students have taken part in this semester-long practicum since 2003.
• Language requirement: all Global Health majors must reach proficiency in a modern language through the intermediate level; placement exams are offered during New Student Orientation.
• Honors: full-time Global Health students with at least a 3.5 GPA at the end of the second year may apply during the fall of the junior year (application due November 1 of junior year, thesis proposal due mid-March); a 3-credit thesis research course in the junior spring and a 0-credit honors thesis course in the senior spring; the transcript carries the notation.
• Combined bachelor’s-master’s: Global Health BS students can apply to the Accelerated MS in Global Health (MSGH), earning both degrees in five years (two MSGH courses in the senior year, up to two courses counted for both degrees), applying by January 15 of the junior year. The GPA requirement is stated as “greater than 3.5” on the School of Health page and “a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major” in the bulletin. An accelerated MS in Global Infectious Disease (any undergraduate program) and an accelerated MS in Epidemiology (School of Health students) also exist. Whether these accept international students is not stated; ask the department.
• The other two majors: HCMP has Health Policy Analysis and Health Management tracks and a required senior-year internship (at least 16 hours a week in the Health Management track); Human Science emphasizes translational science and a senior research-based internship.
• Public Health Minor: 18 credits. The bulletin says it draws on faculty in human science, global health and health management and policy, and the School of Nursing; students first contact the School of Health’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and declare with their academic dean; courses required by a major cannot count toward the minor. Required: HLTH 1195 (Population Health Concepts), one epidemiology course (GLOH 2177, HCMP 2004 or HSCI 3660), and HLTH 4460 (Population Health Capstone), plus 9 credits of public health electives.
• STEM designation: not stated on the pages we read.

2. How you enter the major and what it takes

• You apply to a school, not a major: Admissions says applicants must apply directly to one of the six undergraduate schools. The School of Health writing supplement asks applicants to address their intended related major: Global Health, Health Care Management & Policy or Human Science. The pages do not mention an enrollment cap or admit rate for Global Health.
• Conditions to be in the major: the pages we read give no GPA or prerequisite threshold for entering Global Health; at school level, students in Global Health, HCMP and Human Science must reach the university’s required quality point index in every course, major or not, to progress. A grade below D is failing and a failed required course must be repeated, which may delay graduation.
• Transferring in: the School of Health bulletin says “transfer to the Global Health major is selective and generally limited to students with an overall GPA of 3.0” (the same for HCMP; Human Science “will vary from year to year, based on availability”). The sentence does not say whether this means internal or external transfer; ask the School of Health.

3. Prerequisites and courses

• High school courses: the Admissions pages list no high school prerequisites by major; they say applicants to science, health or mathematics programs should have at least one recommendation from a science or math teacher, recommend the ACT Science section for those planning science majors, and “highly recommend” submitting AP scores.
• Global Health BS course list (bulletin): HLTH 1010 SOH First-Year Colloquium; MATH 1040 Probability and Statistics (4 credits); GLOH 1140 Intro to Global Health; HSCI 1000 Human Body Systems (or HSCI 1030 Human Biology I, fulfilling the Natural Science core); GLOH 2177 Introduction to Epidemiology; GLOH 3360 Comparative Health Systems & Policy; GLOH 2202 Global Maternal & Child Health; GLOH 2260 Intro to Health Economics; GLOH 2281 Global Health Promotion; GLOH 3303 Research Methods in Global Health (4 credits); GLOH 3356 Globalization & Health (or GLOH 4415 Data Analysis & Visualization with R); GLOH 3950 Global Health Practice & Research (listed at 12 credits); GLOH 3925 Global Health Capstone; one introductory sociology, psychology or anthropology course; global health electives; language proficiency; and liberal arts electives to total 120 credits. The list gives no total for the major, and we do not add one up.
• School of Health core: the colloquium, human biology/human body systems or epidemiology, health promotion/disease prevention, probability and statistics, research and an internship; the Georgetown Core Curriculum also applies (two philosophy, two theology and religious studies, two writing courses, one humanities, one science, one quantitative reasoning and data literacy and so on; see the bulletin).
• Pre-matriculation credit: the School of Health lets students transfer at most 12 college credits taken before matriculation (for example in high school) if they meet its Dual Enrollment criteria. Whether AP or IB credit can replace Global Health courses is not stated on the pages we read.
• Pre-med: the Global Health page mentions an option to pursue a pre-med track within the major; the pre-health curriculum itself is not a major (see section 8).

4. Rounds, fees and materials (first-year)

• Dates (Admissions): Early Action (non-binding) closes November 1, decisions by December 15; Regular Decision closes January 1, decisions by April 1; financial aid application February 1; reply date May 1. The Georgetown Application opens June 1 and the Common App August 1; the midyear report is due February 10. The School of Health’s program page lists Regular Decision as January 10; the sources contradict each other, so rely on the latest word from Admissions.
• Platforms: the Georgetown Application or the Common App.
• Application fee: not stated on the pages we read (the Admissions FAQ lists a question on requesting a fee waiver, but the answer was not shown on the page we retrieved).
• Essays: two short essays (250 words each: the significance of the school or summer activity you have been most involved in; an experience with someone who holds different viewpoints), one personal or creative essay (650 words; a Common App personal statement may be used), and a school-specific essay (500 words). The School of Health prompt asks about the factors that influenced your interest in studying health care and your intended related major.
• Recommendations: a school counselor letter and one teacher letter (a second teacher letter is optional); teachers should have taught you a core academic subject, preferably in the last two years of high school.
• Testing: SAT or ACT scores are required (“Georgetown requires submission of either SAT or ACT scores”), as official scores; codes: SAT 5244, ACT 0668.
• Interview: alumni interviews are an important part of the process and Georgetown aims to offer one to every applicant; some internationally based students may not be assigned an interview due to availability, which the page says has no negative effect.

5. Three kinds of readers

U.S. applicants

• The cost page lists one tuition figure with no in-state or out-of-state distinction; in-state preference is not mentioned.
• Aid: Georgetown offers only need-based aid and meets 100% of demonstrated need for U.S. citizens and permanent residents; applicants submit both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile.

International applicants

• English proficiency, the international application fee, transcript and proof-of-funds requirements: the Admissions FAQ has an International Applicants section (with questions such as whether English proficiency testing is needed and what the financial aid policy is), but the answers were not displayed in the page we retrieved, so we cannot report them; not stated in what we read. Check the FAQ page or call 202-687-3600.
• Aid: the financial aid office says aid for international students is “extremely limited”; to be considered you must indicate your interest on the admission application and complete the CSS Profile. If you receive no scholarship in your first year you will not be offered one later, and if you do receive aid you must reapply every year. International students may consider private education loans (a U.S. co-signer may be required), and aid recipients may be subject to U.S. taxation.
• Limits on internships or work for international students, and how international students take part in the Global Health practicum (GLOH 3950): not stated; ask the department.

Applicants from China

• The pages we read have no China-specific guidance and do not say whether the Gaokao is considered or list transcript or Huikao requirements by country (not stated). Contact Admissions (202-687-3600) or read the international section of the Admissions FAQ.
• What applies to everyone: all applicants, international included, must submit the SAT or ACT, and some internationally based applicants may not receive an alumni interview.

6. Costs and scholarships

• 2026–2027 first-year student (financial aid office cost table; non-nursing columns): full-time tuition & fees $74,732; average housing $13,944 (living on or off campus); food $8,236; books and supplies $1,000; estimated transportation $780; personal expenses $2,132; loan fees $40; the page gives a total of $100,864 (and $87,740 for living with parents). No Global Health surcharge is listed on the cost page.
• Aid is covered above; the financial aid office says more than half of Georgetown’s undergraduates receive some form of financial aid.

7. Transfer students

• Programs open to transfers: transfer applicants apply directly to one of the six undergraduate schools and must select a major; the only majors transfers cannot apply to are American Studies, Business and Global Affairs, and International Business, Language, and Culture, so the School of Health majors are open.
• Deadlines: fall 2027 entry March 1, 2027 (financial aid also March 1), decisions by June 1 and reply June 15; spring 2027 entry (January 2027) November 1, 2026, with decisions December 1. Spring entry is generally reserved for rising sophomores because Georgetown requires four semesters on campus to graduate; the School of Health also requires transfer students to complete at least two years of residency and 60 credits at Georgetown.
• Materials: only through the Georgetown Application (two parts: the application and the Transfer Application Supplement); an official high school transcript (GED accepted); all college transcripts; a Dean’s Report (an academic official at the current or most recent institution confirming good academic and disciplinary standing); a Professor’s Report (a recommendation from a college professor, ideally in the proposed area of study); for spring entry also a mid-term grade report due November 1; and SAT or ACT scores for anyone who graduated from high school within five years of the intended matriculation date. Transfers from two-year, four-year and international institutions are welcome.
• Prerequisites and GPA: entering Global Health is “generally limited to students with an overall GPA of 3.0”; specific prerequisite courses are not stated on the pages we read.
• International transfers: Admissions says international citizens applying for transfer admission are not eligible for need-based financial aid.

8. Pre-health and graduate school

The bulletin says the pre-health curriculum is not a major and any Georgetown undergraduate can follow it; students aiming for medical school usually work with the Georgetown Pre-Health Recommendation Committee, in which the School of Health is a full participant. To qualify for a committee review, students must complete the core pre-med coursework as real college courses (a semester of AP credit may be used for mathematics). The School of Health also has an agreement with the Georgetown medical school under which a select number of students are assured admission at the end of sophomore year, contingent on junior- and senior-year work; whether international students may take part is not stated. The Global Health page lists public health schools and medical schools among alumni destinations; for more pre-health advising see our general life-sciences guide for Georgetown.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Apply directly to the School of Health; Early Action November 1, Regular Decision January 1 (School of Health pages say January 10); SAT or ACT required; at least one recommendation from a science or math teacher
• The essay includes a School of Health prompt naming your intended major; a semester-long global health practicum in senior fall

International applicants (including China):

• SAT or ACT required for everyone; aid is extremely limited, so indicate your interest on the application and complete the CSS Profile
• English requirement, fee, Gaokao use: not stated; contact Admissions

Transfer students:

• Fall March 1, spring November 1; Global Health “generally limited to students with an overall GPA of 3.0”; no need-based aid for international citizens

Sources: Georgetown University, School of Health: bachelor’s programs; School of Health: BS in Global Health; School of Health: BS in Health Care Management & Policy; School of Health: BS in Human Science; Bulletin: School of Health; Bulletin: Global Health, BS; Bulletin: Public Health Minor; Admissions: first-year applicants; Admissions: application requirements; Admissions: transfer applicants; Admissions: transfer requirements; Admissions: schools and majors; Admissions: FAQ; Financial aid: undergraduate costs; Financial aid: international students. The first-year deadline pages show no year, and the transfer page gives the fall 2027 transfer deadline as March 1, 2027; the bulletin and costs are the 2026–2027 edition. The School of Health pages give a Regular Decision deadline of January 10 while Admissions gives January 1; rely on the latest word from Admissions.