Associate Eligibility & Requirements

Overview

PHAP seeks candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to public service through volunteer or school experiences, and who have a desire to pursue a career in public health. Applicants to PHAP must demonstrate academic achievement, flexibility, social and cultural inclusiveness, and a desire to be of service.

Eligibility

Beginning in 2025, applicants must meet the following academic requirements.

• Completion of an associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree, or a certificate from a qualifying educational institution or a qualifying career or technical education program (including Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Job Corps, and Registered Apprenticeships) within the past two years.
• US military veterans who are unable to apply within two years due to military service obligations have up to six years after graduation to apply.
• Currently enrolled students must graduate by July 1 of the application year to be eligible.
• Official academic transcripts showing at least a 2.95 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) on an eligible degree.
• For GS-5/7: Major study -- any field.
• For GS-9/11: Major study -- public health or other field of study with course work directly related to the work of the position to be filled.

Non-U.S. citizens and international students can apply to PHAP. If you are not already a U.S. citizen, you must be lawfully admitted to the United States as a permanent resident or otherwise authorized to be employed to be a viable candidate for PHAP. In addition, you must possess full U.S. citizenship by the end of the program to be eligible for consideration for non-competitive conversion to permanent federal employment in the competitive service.

Applicants must also be willing to:

• Commit to full-time work for two years.
• Relocate anywhere in the United States and US territories at their own expense.
• Work in any public health subject area.
• Work in a state, tribal, local, or territorial public health department, or nongovernmental organization (i.e., community-based organization, academic institution).

General Experience Requirements

For GS-5 positions: Experience that demonstrates the applicant's potential to learn and perform public health program work, including the abilities to:

• Collect and evaluate facts.
• Understand and apply guidelines and specifications.
• Use analytical methods and processes to draw conclusions.
• Express ideas and concepts in writing, speech, numerically, and visually.
• Deal effectively with people.

Specialized Experience

For positions above GS-5: Experience that provided:

• Knowledge of organizational, operational, and programmatic concepts and practices used by public, private, or nonprofit agencies and organizations in public health or other health-related activities.
• Knowledge of the methods and processes to create and deliver public health or health-related programs in state and local settings.
• Knowledge of specialized public health programs.
• Knowledge of, and skill in, applying administrative or analytical processes within a public health or related organization to carry out program functions.
• Skill in spoken and written communications, including gathering and presenting information, making presentations, and preparing reports and other written materials. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:
  • Public Health Advisor positions -- providing advice and assistance to state and local governments, and to various public, nonprofit, and private agencies and organizations on improving their public health activities.
  • Public Health Analyst positions -- conducting studies and performing analytical work related to the planning, development, organization, administration, evaluation, and delivery of public health programs.

Before applying

PHAP's "BEST FIT" model can help interested applicants decide whether PHAP is an appropriate program to advance their public health career.