Roanoke College teams up with Tulane University for expedited path to public health graduate school

Roanoke College students will qualify for expedited admission, with a scholarship guarantee, at one of the nation’s leading public health graduate schools under a new partnership with Tulane University.

In addition to priority admission, Maroons will benefit from mentoring and professional development events organized by Tulane and its Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

That two-year Master of Public Health program has the distinction of being the first school of public health ever established in the United States. It continues to rank in the top 10% of public health programs nationally.

“This partnership brings our students’ talent and commitment to a highly respected graduate program and facilitates their transition to that next level of education,” said Kathy Wolfe, Roanoke’s vice president of academic affairs and dean of the college. “We're thrilled to connect with Tulane in this way."

The new partnership allows Roanoke students to join Tulane’s Public Health Discovery Program, an initiative that offers passionate undergraduates a chance to connect with active public health practitioners and explore career paths in health policy, epidemiology, disaster management, population sciences and more. Benefits include:

• Panels and webinars on pressing public health issues;
• Networking opportunities with public health faculty and professionals in the field;
• Mentoring from a current graduate student who can offer firsthand advice on navigating the next step in their education.

Discovery Program students also enjoy a streamlined admissions process for graduate school that comes with a guaranteed 35% tuition discount.

“Here at Roanoke, we are always looking for opportunities for our students. This partnership with the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine adds another incredible option for our students looking to explore and expand their education in public health,” said Professor Shannon Anderson, senior director of strategic health initiatives and coordinator of the public health studies major. “Tulane operates in a unique location, both geographically and academically, offering entrée to world-class research and practice that will open doors for a lifetime.”

The Tulane program is open to students of all majors. Public health is a diverse and growing field that can take people into research, policymaking, community health, environmental health, education and more. Roanoke established itself as a leader in public health studies when it launched an undergraduate major in the subject in 2017.

To learn more about the Tulane partnership, Roanoke students should contact Dr. Anderson at slanderson@roanoke.edu or Dr. Kristen Rapp at schorpp@roanoke.edu.