March 27 – April 3, 2026
Congratulations on your admission to the University of Minnesota School of Public Health! We’re excited to welcome you to our community and look forward to helping you learn more about what it means to become part of SPH.
Our 2026 Admitted Student Days will offer a multi-day experience designed to help you get to know our school, connect with the SPH community, and explore what your graduate journey could look like here. Programming will take place both in person and online to ensure all admitted students can participate fully—no matter where you’re joining us from.
Agenda
In-Person Kickoff Day: Friday, March 27, 2026
Join us on campus in Minneapolis for an engaging kickoff to Admitted Student Days. This in-person experience will give you a first look at life at SPH, opportunities to meet members of our community, and a sense of what it means to learn and grow here. A finalize agenda will be available soon, but students can expect to be on campus roughly 9:00am – 3:00pm.
8:00 AM – Check-In & Mingle
Meet at Coffman Memorial Union and start the day by connecting with fellow admitted and current students. Students will be escorted to another location for the Welcome. Final escort at 9:00am. Coffee and light refreshments will be available.
9:00 AM – Welcome to SPH
Join Assistant Dean for Enrolled Student Experience, Jennifer Porter, and Student Senate President, Hope Nixon, to learn more about how the SPH community is here to support your success.
9:15 AM – Campus Tour with SPH Ambassadors
Explore campus through the eyes of a current student.
Where will you have classes? Where do students gather and study? How do they navigate Minnesota winters? Our SPH Ambassadors will show you how they experience campus life.
10:00 AM – Interactive Case Exercise
“When Disaster Hits: How Public Health Responds—and Why It Matters Now”
Featuring Mickey Scullard (UMN-SPH Alum, Minnesota Department of Health)
Public health professionals are called upon when the unexpected happens. In this engaging, interactive session, you’ll step into the role of a public health professional and work through escalating disaster scenarios — from personal to global response. No matter your concentration, this session shows how your future work makes real-world impact.
11:30 AM – Welcome from Dean Melinda Pettigrew
A chance to hear directly from SPH Dean Melinda Pettigrew about the School’s vision, commitment to public health impact, and what makes the student experience at the University of Minnesota unique.
12:00 PM – Lunch with Students, Faculty & Staff
Connect with the SPH Community! Faculty, staff, and current students look forward to learning more about you and answer your questions.
1:15 PM – HSEC MakerSpace & Virtual Reality Activity
Get hands-on experience and explore the innovative tools available in the Health Sciences Education Center (HSEC) MakerSpace. This session will include a demonstration of the MakerSpace resources, followed by an introduction to how Virtual Reality (VR) is being integrated into health science and public health education.
2:15 PM – Closing Remarks
Conclude your Admitted Student Days with a final wrap-up. We’ll review key takeaways and cover essential next steps: accepting your offer, important deadlines, and resources to prepare for your SPH journey.
Please note: Admitted Student Day is currently planned to include this date as an in-person component. We are monitoring local conditions, and event details may change. Any updates will be shared on this page and with admitted students directly.
Virtual Admitted Student Days: Week of March 30 – April 3, 2026
Following the on-campus kickoff, we’ll continue the experience with a series of virtual sessions throughout the week. These online events will build on what you learned during the in-person day and offer additional ways to explore SPH, engage with our community, and dive deeper into topics that matter to you. Virtual sessions are designed to complement—not repeat—the on-campus content, so we encourage all admitted students to participate in the full series. Additionally, not all sessions will be recorded/shared to protect the privacy of participants. These sessions are best experienced live.
12:00 PM – Student Engagement at SPH
Graduate school is more than coursework. Learn how students balance academics, leadership opportunities, networking, work, and social life. Hear directly from current students about how they build community and make the most of their SPH experience.
11:00 AM – Applied Practice Experience (MPH Students)
The Applied Practice Experience (APEx) is where classroom knowledge meets real-world impact. Learn how students secure placements, what kinds of organizations they work with, and how APEx strengthens career outcomes.
12:00 PM – Financing Your Education
Investing in your MPH is a big decision. This session covers scholarships, loans, payment options, and assistantships — and gives you direct access to financial experts who can answer your questions.
12:00 PM – Career Services & Alumni Panel
An SPH degree opens doors across sectors — government, nonprofits, healthcare, research, consulting, and more. Learn about personalized career coaching, internship support, and employer connections. Hear recent alumni share how they transitioned from SPH into their current roles and what their day-to-day work looks like.
1:30 PM – Graduate Assistant Employment
Graduate Assistant Employment (GAE) is a common way graduate students are able to financially supplement their education as well as gaining work experience on campus. The Office of Human Resources (OHR) Graduate Assistant Office and Health Benefits will be presenting more information on the different types of assistantship appointments, employee benefits, health benefits, and strategies for finding opportunities throughout your academic career.
Program Sessions
Program Coordinators, faculty, and current students will offer sessions throughout the day to present information about individual degree programs, next steps in the matriculation process, and answer any questions admitted students may have about the degree programs they have been admitted to.
- Biostatistics (MS) at 9:00am-11:00am
- Community Health Promotion at 12:00pm-1:00pm
- Environmental Health (MPH) at 2:30pm-3:30pm
- Environmental Health Sciences MS and Occupational Hygiene MS at 12pm-1pm
- Epidemiology (MPH) at 9:00am-10:00am
- Maternal & Child Health at 11:00am-12:00pm
- Public Health Administration & Policy (Traditional Program) at 11:30am-1:00pm
- Public Health Administration & Policy (Distance Program) at 1:30pm-2:30pm
- Public Health Data Science at 11:30am-12:00pm
- Public Health Nutrition at 3:30pm-4:30pm
Have lingering questions? We’re here for you.
These informal drop-in sessions allow you to meet one-on-one with staff. No presentation – just personalized answers.
9:00 AM – Financial Drop-In
12:00 PM – Admissions Drop-In
3:30PM – Financial Drop-In
Contact Us
Please let us know if you have any questions regarding Admitted Student Day via email at sph-admissions@umn.edu.
Why Attend?
Students who participated in Admitted Student Days share with us:
- It helped them feel confident in their decision
- They met future classmates and built early connections
- They gained clarity about financing and assistantships
- They better understood career pathways
- They could envision themselves at SPH
This is your opportunity to move from “admitted” to “future public health leader.”
