4 yr northwestern md/mph

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Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if anyone who's considering going to northwestern has any thoughts on the four year md/mph? I'm happy to hear that it doesn't require an extra year because it'll be nice to save money on housing etc for a fifth year. I was accepted to the straight MD at NW since I hadn't applied as an MD/MPH, but i know that i can still apply for the additional mph if i'd like. I'm wondering if anyone knows how the four years go, i know there must be a lot of extra classes squished in, but do the students still have time to enjoy themselves, go out, and hang out with the rest of the MD students? do any current northwestern students have any thoughts about md/mph students there?

Thanks!

bump

Acceptance into the MPH program is pro forma for MD students at Northwestern. The program participants take evening classes a couple days a week. None of them seem to have any problem keeping up with their regular coursework.

Although I'm not a student at Northwestern, I was accepted to their MD/MPH program and seriously considered attending the school because of the 4-year program. The profs in charge of the program seemed genuinely interested in cultivating leaders in public health and I had interesting discussions with them. I think the program has much to offer and it's great that you can complete two degrees in 4 years--albeit the extra MPH tuition tacked on the already >50k MD fees/tuition. In the end, I decided not to accept my place in the class because of the cost and location. I was offered a place at a UC after my acceptance to NW and decided to go there instead. I am still considering getting my MPH, though I haven't decided when. The great thing about the MPH degree is that you can pretty much do it any time-- and it usually only takes a year if you have an MD. I'm interested in international health/infectious diseases, so I wanted to do my MPH at a school where such program is strong-- NW did not strike me as a powerhouse in the field, so that's one of the reasons I wasn't swayed by the program. Also, last time I checked, its program is not accredited-- this is not important but there are certain government-related jobs that may require an MPH degree from an accredited institution. I'm not clear about this, but you should look into it. Anyway, I've written enough. Let me know if I can be of any help. Congrats on your acceptance.
RB

I have similar questions about the program. I was also accepted for just the MD program, but am possibly interested in the MPH too. I think I read that they have to do a summer externship or something as well as the evening classes. Would this occur over the summer between M1 and M2? I am also interested in doing research that summer, so I don't want to be stuck. Are there any current MD/MPH Northwestern students on SDN? If so, speak up!

thanks for the info, i know that they were pre-accredited a couple of years ago, does anyone know how the progress is going and whether or not they will be accredited soon? thanks!

bump... same question as above.

Hey. I"m also considering this option, and as an older applicant the possibility of completing both degrees without an extra year is especially attractive to me. Mt Sinai also has a 4-year MD/MPH, but the students who were doing it thought it was pretty intense and a lot of work. I got the impression at NWern that the MD/MPH students weren't particularly overloaded, which makes me question how thorough the MPH part is.

As for the summer experience, I think that it involves research-- either policy or clinical research, so you wouldn't have to view it as an either/or choice.

Originally Posted by priscy921

thanks for the info, i know that they were pre-accredited a couple of years ago, does anyone know how the progress is going and whether or not they will be accredited soon? thanks!

I don't think any program that doesn't add on at least one extra year will be accredited. There is a lot of variety in the quality of MPH programs.

Originally Posted by sprinkibrio

I don't think any program that doesn't add on at least one extra year will be accredited. There is a lot of variety in the quality of MPH programs.

Sprinkibrio, do you have any advice on how to judge how good different MPH programs are? This is something I don't know a whole lot about since my focus has been on getting into med school. What should I be looking for in the programs, and what do the USNWR rankings reflect?