Apply for a PhD in Prevention Science

Application Deadline

Applications for fall admission to the Prevention Science PhD program open September 15 and are accepted through December 1.

Only complete applications are considered. The online application form must be completed and all letters of recommendation, transcripts, and payment must be RECEIVED for the application to be considered complete. 

All applicants will receive an email notification of their application results.

Acceptance Rates

Admission to the Prevention Science doctoral program is highly competitive. Each year, our cohort size is typically 2–6 students.

Admissions decisions are based on a careful review and assessment of the submitted application materials.

Applications for fall admission to the Prevention Science PhD program open September 15 and are accepted through December 1.

Applications are reviewed after close of deadline and applicants will be notified of within 1 month about whether they will be offered an interview. Interviews for selected applicants will be conducted remotely (via videoconferencing) and are scheduled for January 17, 2025.

Admissions Requirements

Items and benchmarks considered when making admission decisions, include:

  • Compelling purpose statement with the goals and purpose for seeking admission into the program
  • Previous coursework, research, and work experience in areas related to prevention science is strongly encouraged (e.g., psychology, counseling, social work, communications, human development, medical science, education, sociology, political science)
  • Strong letters of recommendation
  • Strong undergraduate GPA (3.0 or higher preferred). A masters’ degree is not required for applying to the PhD program
  • Academic transcript(s)
  • GRE scores are not required
  • Writing sample

We encourage individuals from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds, first-generation college students, LGBTQ students, international students, undocumented immigrants, and all other underrepresented groups to apply.

Admissions Instructions

Complete the online Division of Graduate Studies Admission Application; select Prevention Science as your major within the College of Education. The application will launch September 15, 2024.

Nonrefundable Application Fee: $70 (Domestic Students)/$90 (International Students), paid by credit card or eCheck. You will need to pay the application fee before you are able to submit the application.

  • You do not need to complete the online application in one sitting.
  • You will be able to log in and work on different sections of your application until your payment is made.

Your application is not considered complete until all requested items have been received and payment has been submitted.

Once you complete the information and submit payment, you can log back in to check the receipt status of your letters, transcripts, and test scores. 

If you have questions concerning the application form or application fee, contact the Division of Graduate Studies at 541-346-5129.

In the application, you will be asked to upload:

Résumé or Curriculum Vitae

Your vitae should include the following information, beginning with most recent education, including degree and institution (with dates of graduation):

  • Education
  • Work experiences
  • Presentations at conferences or workshops
  • Publications, if any
  • Organizational affiliations
  • Any other relevant professional information

Purpose Statement

The personal statement should describe your goals and purpose in seeking admission to the program. This document should be no longer than 3 pages, double-spaced, with one-inch margins.

Writing Sample

The writing sample should be recent and independent. Examples include a class/course assignment but not a published paper. 

You must also provide the following items:

Letters of Recommendation

  • You must provide the email contact information for three sources for letters of recommendation, preferably:
    • at least one from a professor or someone able to judge the quality of your academic work
    • at least one from a research supervisor
  • Once you enter and confirm this contact information, you cannot change it
  • An email will automatically be generated and sent to your referees requesting a letter of recommendation for you
    • The email will provide instructions on the information to provide and how to upload the recommendation letter
    • You will receive an automated email notifying you when each of your references uploads their letter

Transcripts:

At the time of application, applicants must submit unofficial transcripts from all colleges or universities previously attended, including the University of Oregon. Unofficial transcripts are uploaded as part of the online application. Applicants who accept their offer of admission and matriculate must submit official transcripts from all colleges or universities from which they received a bachelor’s degree or higher. Detailed information about submitting official transcripts is available here.

English Language Proficiency:

All applicants for whom English is not a native/primary language must satisfy one of the following English Language Proficiency criteria in order to be eligible for admission.

Confirmation of Complete Application

Once your payment is submitted, transcripts receipt information is manually updated every Friday.

Once you have paid, you can log back in and check the status of your application, including status of your letters of recommendation.

All applicants will receive an email notification of their application results.