Student Success

Connect with Student Success

The student success team is your first point of contact for help or questions about the online program, including the online campus, registration and more. You will receive two separate calls from your student success adviser (SSA) during your onboarding experience about orientation and student success planning, in addition to receiving ongoing support from your SSA throughout your time in the program:

  • Welcome Call: Your orientation process starts with a welcome call from your SSA. During this call, you will go over the basics for getting started and receive an overview of the orientation process.
  • Student Success Planning: This will begin with a 30-minute conversation with your SSA to help your adviser get to know you better as a person and student so that they can best support you while you work towards your Master of Public Health degree. You and your SSA will discuss your goals for the program and your future career in public health, talk through your commitments outside of the program and discuss your organizational plan for the first quarter.
  • Ongoing Support: Support from your SSA does not end after onboarding and orientation. You and your SSA will have the opportunity to check in regularly throughout your time as a UNC student to discuss progress towards your goals, solve any issues that may arise during your program and reflect on your experience. Be sure to save your SSA’s information to your contacts so you can stay in touch each term.

Academic Coordinator

Your academic coordinator will be a Gillings School Student Affairs professional. This person will serve as your primary academic adviser. You can rely on them for assistance in navigating the MPH curriculum, academic policies, procedures, program requirements and campus resources.

Your academic coordinator will also work closely with your SSA to track your progress in the program and coordinate necessary paperwork including, but not limited to:

  • Drop/add requests
  • Policy exceptions
  • Transfer credit requests
  • Leave of absence requests

Your academic coordinator will be available via email, appointment and/or group/cohort academic advising sessions.

Faculty Mentor

You’ll also be paired with a faculty mentor, who will provide expert, discipline-specific career guidance, networking and conference opportunities, and professional development advice. Faculty mentors often write letters of reference and support students who are seeking specific funding, awards or employment opportunities.

Once you’ve been paired with a faculty mentor, you should contact them by email to request a meeting and introduce yourself. If you do not receive a reply to the first message within two business days, please feel free to follow up.

Call the Student Success Team at (877) 864-9972.

Email the Student Success Team at studentsupport@onlinemph.unc.edu.