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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Master of Science in Health Professions Education

How to Apply

Deadlines

Applicants to the Master of Science in Health Professions Education (MS-HPE) program must apply to begin in the summer quarter. The deadline is April 1, 2025, for all applicants. Admissions are made on a rolling basis, and we strongly recommend that applicants submit their materials well before the deadline. All applications should indicate summer as the quarter of entry.  

Applications are submitted through The Graduate School’s Online Application Portal, and GRE scores are not required. Please note that if an applicant starts to enter information in the test score fields on the application, they will then become required. All fields should be blank if you are not submitting scores.

Prerequisites

Applicants should have a professional degree in a health profession awarded prior to The Graduate School deadline of June 6, 2025. Applicants must seek exemptions through The Graduate School. Applicants without a healthcare degree will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on education experience and career goals.

Application Requirements

Academic Statement (Statement of Purpose)

In the academic statement, applicants should respond to the essay prompts required by The Graduate School. Applicants should also state their objectives for pursuing graduate study and describe their professional goals and qualifications. Applicants should detail their previous teaching experience and describe a preliminary concept for their capstone project*. 

*Capstone projects are a requirement of the program. The admissions committee understands that the scope of the project may change after the completion of some MS-HPE coursework.

Personal Statement

In 500 words, applicants should respond to the personal statement prompt provided by The Graduate School:

  • The Graduate School values diverse backgrounds, approaches, and perspectives, understanding them as essential ingredients for true academic excellence. As a Northwestern graduate student, how could you contribute to an intellectual community that prioritizes equity, inclusion, belonging, and cultural humility? Your answer may draw upon past or present experiences, whether in academic work, extracurricular or community activities, or everyday life.

Letters of Recommendation

Applicants are required to submit two letters of recommendation. 

  • One letter should be from the applicant's division chief, program director, or other supervisor and should detail reasons for support of the application.
  • The second letter can be from a colleague or other professional highlighting the applicant's achievements and interest in health professions education.

Letters should be submitted electronically via The Graduate School online application. In the recommendation section of the application, applicants enter the details for each letter provider and the system will send an email prompt to that individual with a link to upload the recommendation letter.

Transcripts

Upload one set of transcripts from each postsecondary institution attended. Applicants should upload unofficial transcripts to the online application (unofficial transcripts are either electronic copies from the institution or digital scans of official transcripts). Transcripts should document all courses taken, grades received and (if applicable) degrees earned. All admitted students are required to have their previous institutions send official, sealed transcripts to The Graduate School prior to registration for their first quarter. The 2025 transcript submission deadline is June 6, 2025.

CV

Applicants must submit their most recent curriculum vitae via the Resume section of The Graduate School online application. 

 

Contact Us

For additional questions about applying, please contact mshpe@northwestern.edu.

 

International Applicants

While the new Health Professions Education MS program has been approved by Northwestern, the University is currently unable to issue F-1 or J-1 documents for the Health Professions Education MS program while the program undergoes review by the federal government. As a result, we cannot currently review applications for anyone that requires these immigration documents during this 2024-2025 admission cycle.

All international students not needing an immigration document from Northwestern should complete the application for the program following these instructions on page 2 of the form:

  •  For "Citizenship Status" question: Select “Non-U.S. Citizen”.
  •  For "If you are offered admission, select the U.S. visa type you plan to use or obtain" question under the Visa Information section: Select "Other".
  •  For "U.S. Visa type currently held:" select from the drop down the U.S. Visa type you currently hold and will use.