Pre-Registration Guidelines for ALL MPH Students
The following are suggested guidelines for MPH students. Please remember this is pre-registration and you will have time to adjust and refine your schedule during Orientation, after you meet with your advisor, and during the first two weeks of classes, which is known as the "shopping" period. Registration printouts will not be signed until after Orientation.
MPH students must take core courses required by the accrediting agency for public health (CEPH). In addition, each of the seven MPH concentrations may have some concentration-specific requirements and/or recommended electives. Full information for the MPH Program and for your concentration is accessible via the MPH Curriculum Guide. You may also refer to the HSPH Degree Planners.
The FALL SEMESTER includes a number of required classes, so options for choosing electives are limited in this semester. Below are some general guidelines that apply to all concentrators. The MPH Curriculum Guide provides some additional specifics for each concentration and for part-time students.
1. For FULL-TIME students, you register for courses for the whole semester, not just half of a semester (that is, both Fall 1, Fall 2, and Fall). Full-time students typically register for 20-22.5 credits per semester. For PART-TIME students, your schedule has greater variability. Please see the Pre-Registration Guidelines for Part-time Students (at the bottom of this page) for more information or contact Roberta Gianfortoni in the MPH Office (Kresge G-29; 617-432-0090) with questions regarding your schedule.
2. Be sure to review the core requirements for the degree; some requirements will only be offered in the fall and you must take them as they won't repeat in the spring.
3. Look across the courses in departments that interest you. Identify courses that will be of greatest importance to you and check on any prerequisites. Create plans that will accommodate courses that are key to the development of new skills and that will be important to you when you graduate.
4. Remember, you won't be able to take everything, so try to plan thoughtfully, but also be flexible as things may change including your own plans and goals.
5. Ask questions, seek opinions and advice, but be sure to check with the MPH Program for accurate guidelines regarding any graduation requirements or questions. Please do not rely on friends to answer questions about requirements.
6. By the end of the year, you must have 30 ordinal credits, a minimum total of 42.5 credits, and a minimum GPA (grade point average) of 2.7.
7. Pay attention to the Academic Calendar and to all deadlines-- this is essential.
Pre-Registration Guidelines for Part-time Students
Part-time students in the MPH Program have flexibility in completing their degree program. Ordinarily, part-time students have up to three (3) years to complete their program. (The following guidelines do not address issues for students enrolled in the Summer-only MPH program.)
Students, who are completing their programs within one year and are adjusting their schedules because they have attended the Summer Session or the Program in Clinical Effectiveness, should check with the MPH Office about guidelines as you are not typical part-time students.
International students, who are on a student visa, may not, ordinarily, be part-time students. However, special rules may apply in the very last semester of a student's degree program. Check with the Harvard International Office (HIO) and with the HSPH Registrar's Office for these guidelines.
1. Registration: Part-time registration is considered 15 credits or less. (Full-time registration is 15 credits or more.) Part-time MPH students may register for as few as 1.25 credits and up to 14 credits.
a. If you plan to adjust your credit load, you must notify the Registrar's Office.
b. A $125 registration fee is charged each semester, regardless of the number of credits you take.
c. The semesters are Fall, Spring, and Summer.
2. If adjusting your credit load, you should be sure to check with:
a. The Registrar's Office regarding health insurance. All students are billed for Blue Cross Blue Shield and the University Health Services (UHS) fee, regardless of their credit loads. Any student may waive Blue Cross Blue Shield under certain circumstances. Only students who are registered for 10 credits or less may request to waive the University Health Services free through UHS.
b. Student Financial Services regarding potential financial aid adjustments (such as federal loans) and billing changes.
c. MPH Program Office regarding requirements.
3. Students, who do not register for any credits in the Fall or the Spring semester, must apply for a Leave of Absence or risk being withdrawn from degree candidacy.
4. Students registered for Fall or Fall 1 or Fall 2 are considered registered for the Fall. Students registered for Wintersession or Spring or Spring 1 or Spring 2 are considered registered for Spring.
5. Part-time students are welcome, but are not required, to register for Summer Session or Wintersession.
6. Part-time students are responsible for knowing and meeting all deadlines. The School's Academic Calendar is posted on the Registrar's website. Not knowing is not an excuse; therefore, part-time students are also expected to read their HSPH email and check their school-assigned mailbox periodically.