Summer Session for Public Health Studies
The Summer Session for Public Health Studies allows non-degree students to take one or more courses in a range of different public health areas.
Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
677 Huntington Ave, Kresge G-29
Boston, MA 02115
“The Summer Session was a great way to learn core principles of public health from world-renowned experts in the field.”
2025 Summer Session for Public Health Studies
2025 Dates: July 7 – August 15, 2025
Orientation: July 7, 2025
Summer Session 1: July 8 – July 25, 2025
Summer Session 2: July 28 – August 15, 2025
About
Non-degree applicants: Please review all information on the Requirements Section of this website before you start your application. All non-degree applicants must apply for the Summer Session via SOPHAS Express.
The deadline to complete and submit the application is March 1, 2024.
Current degree students: All current Harvard Chan School degree students will receive an email from the Registrar’s Office in early Spring with details for Summer Session course enrollment and deadlines.
New degree applicants: All degree applicants must apply for the Summer Session via SOPHAS Express. The deadline to complete and submit the application is March 25, 2025.
Additional information
The Summer Session is intended for health professionals in training or those who are considering a mid-career change into public health and feel the need to strengthen their skills. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree to be eligible to apply. Applicants are public health professionals, primary care practitioners, physicians engaged in the evaluation of health care delivery and management and physicians in training.
- Statement of purpose: The statement of purpose should describe your interest in public health, reason for applying to the Summer Session, and career plans. This statement should not exceed 500 words.
- Transcripts: Applicants should submit copies of transcripts for each post-secondary institution where they received a degree. Unofficial copies of transcripts are accepted.
- Standardized test scores:
An English Proficiency exam is required for applicants who did not receive their prior degree from an English-speaking institution. Accepted exams are TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo.- GRE Scores are strongly recommended for applicants who wish to take quantitative courses in the summer.
- Letters of recommendation
- Resume/CV
Courses, times and term offered are based on Summer 2024. Possible changes can be made for Summer 2025.
| Course Title | Term Offered | Time Offered |
| BST 202: Principles of Biostatistics | Summer 1 | 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM |
| BST 203: Principles of Biostatistics II | Summer 2 | 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM |
| *BST 209: Machine Learning: Collaborative Data Science in Healthcare | Summer 2 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
| *BST 215: Linear and Longitudinal Regression | Summer 2 | 3:45 PM – 5:15 PM |
| *BST 224: Survival Methods of Clinical Research | Summer 2 | 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM |
| *BST 225: Introduction to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Methods | Summer 2 | 3:45 PM – 5: 15 PM |
| EPI 202S: Epidemiological Methods 2: Elements of Epidemiologic Research | Summer 2 | 9:45 AM – 11:15 AM |
| *EPI 236: Analytical Clinical Epidemiology | Summer 1 | 8:00 AM – 11:15 AM |
| *EPI 253: Effectiveness Research with Longitudinal Healthcare Databases | Summer 2 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
| EPI 500: Fundamentals of Epidemiology | Summer 1 | 9:45 AM – 11:15 AM |
| GHP 213: Global Cardiovascular Disease Prevention | Summer 1 | 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM |
| GHP 532: Introduction to Global Health Care Delivery | Summer 1 | 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM |
| HPM 209: Economics for Health Policy | Summer 1 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
| *HPM 253: Improvement in Quality of Health Care | Summer 2 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
| *HPM 284: Implementation Research in Health and Healthcare | Summer 1 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
| *HPM 299: Research with Large Databases | Summer 2 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
| *HPM 512: Medical Informatics | Summer 1 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
| *HPM 576: Improvement by Design: Using the Sci. of Design, Test, and Spread to Innovate and Improve Healthcare | Summer 1 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
| NUT 217: Global Nutrition | Summer 2 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
| *RDS 286: Decision Analysis in Clinical Research | Summer 1 | 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
Courses marked with an * have priority enrollment for students in the Program in Clinical Effectiveness.
Deposit/Registration Fee
Once admitted to the Summer Session, a $350 deposit is required from all students. This deposit is due by April 15, 2025 and will only be refunded if we cannot accommodate your course selection. In addition, participants are responsible for all other expenses associated with attending courses and/or living in Boston (i.e., food, housing, transportation, health insurance coverage).
Tuition
Current and historic per-credit tuition rates are published on the HSPH Tuition & Fees and Annual Cost of Attendance site. If you have questions regarding tuition and fees, please contact registrar@hsph.harvard.edu.
Please note: There is no financial assistance available for the 2025 Summer Session.