The Department of Emergency and Disaster Health Systems (EDHS), in cooperation with the School of Public Policy, is excited to offer study specializations in Emergency and Disaster Health Systems as part of the Ph.D. degree in Public Policy. Student can choose from specializations in emergency & disaster management, public health emergency & disaster management, or healthcare emergency & disaster management. Student may enroll in a concurrent graduate certificate as part of the specialized study.
Potential candidates apply to the School of Public Policy and should specify they are interested in the EDHS study specialization. Students will be co-advised and mentored by faculty from the School of Public Policy for the PhD degree and the Department of Emergency and Disaster Health Systems Graduate Program for their EDHS focus.
The School of Public Policy admits both full and part-time students. Public Policy classes are held once a week, at either 4:30 pm or 7:10 pm, allowing students who work full time to enroll in the program. All EDHS courses are available in both Hybrid and Online formats.
Admission decisions are based on the match between the program and applicant’s interests, academic record, and recommendations from professors (preferred) or others who can speak to the potential for success in graduate school.
For the most current Admission information, please see the Public Policy Website.
For English Proficiency test requirements(TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE) please visit Graduate School International Admissions as these requirements are subject to change.
Formal Admission to the Ph.D. Program
- Apply Online: create an account, submit your application information and pay the application fee by credit card over a secure Internet connection. If you are a Peace Corps volunteer, McNair Scholar, Meyerhof Scholar, Horizon Participant, UMBC employee, or Accelerated Pathways Program participant, contact us for the application waiver code.
- Submit your application form, application fee ($50 USD), 3 letters of recommendation (at least two from academia), statement of goals, official transcripts, and official GRE scores*, TOEFL scores, if applicable, and current resume to the Graduate School.
- If you wish to submit a research paper (recommended), send it to the School of Public Policy, to Shelley Morris, gradpubpol@umbc.edu.
(*Please see the Public Policy website for current requirements on GRE)
Deadlines for Formal Admission
For up to date detailed Admissions deadlines, please see the School of Public Policy’s website
Admissions Resources
Need to take the GRE exam?
UMBC offers a GRE test preparation workshop at our South Campus. Click this GRE Test Prep Link for more information.