Waiver Requests

With relevant prior experience and/or graduate education, you may be able to request waivers.

Students must submit waiver requests at least one full semester before their final MPH semester. Failure to do so may delay graduation.

  • EEH 520 Biological Basis of Public Health
  • EEH 544 Field Training

Students waiving EEH 520 or Field Training must replace credits with additional MPH electives.

Biology Course Requirement Waiver Request

Students with college-level coursework in human biology, or anatomy and physiology may be approved to waive the biology course required in the MPH program, and can take an additional elective. For more information, contact your program director.

Field Training Waiver Request

If you are a public health professional with relevant prior experience, you can request a field training waiver by completing the Waiver Request for Field Training based on previous public health experience.

To be eligible for a waiver, your prior experience must:

  • Have public health practice experience. This may include assessing, monitoring or conducting surveillance of health problems or services in a population; establishing health objectives and priorities for populations/groups; conducting research on population-based health problems; developing policies and intervention strategies to meet public health needs; participating in disease-prevention and health-promotion programs; or studying the natural history of disease- or health-related effects in a population. Individual patient care in a hospital, clinic or physician office setting is not sufficient to be considered public health experience.
  • Meet all requirements of MPH field training including developing at least two products that demonstrate a minimum of five MPH competencies. Learn more about MPH field training requirements here.
  • Be at least 120 hours for a three-credit waiver.
Current students can visit the UB Learns MPH Student Resources portal and click Field Training to determine if they are eligible for a waiver, and access the Waiver form.