MPH Addressing Common Questions and Anticipated Questions

[Pudu2009]

Hi everyone,

I have been receiving several alerts, mostly based on the Fall 2016 AAWR thread, and have noticed that a lot of people seem to have similar questions. I thought instead of replying to them individually, I would address them in a separate thread so that it is easier for everyone to access. I'm going to use a multi-post format so that it is easier to read.

The questions I am going to address are:

1. I submitted my application a couple weeks ago, but it hasn't been verified yet. Will schools still receive my application before the deadline?
2. What concentration should I choose?
3. What schools should I apply to?
4. Everyone posting seems to have amazing stats, but mine are low/average. Am I doomed?
5. Which schools offer financial aid?
6. I have been accepted into multiple schools, which one should I choose?
7. I will not be ready to submit today. Am I too late?
8. I don't have any direct public health experience (but lists a ton of ECs under their stats). Will I get accepted anywhere?
9. I need to get into a top ten school so it will look good on my CV and have better job prospects. I also need scholarships since I can't afford an expensive school? Can anyone help me?
10. Do I need to do an MPH, or can go directly into a PhD program?
11. What major is best for MPH programs?

These are just the ones I can think of now. If I think of any others, I will post them later. If you have any other questions, feel free to respond to this thread and I will get to them as soon as I can, or refer them to someone else with more experience.

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[Pudu2009]

I submitted my application a couple weeks ago, but it hasn't been verified yet. Will schools still receive my application before the deadline?

This seems to be a very common concern. The answer to this question is really that it depends on the school. Some will view your application as soon as it is completed, others will refuse to view it until it is verified. Because the majority of applicants are submitting around the same time to make the priority deadline, it may take four to six weeks for SOPHAS to verify your app. This means that you have to plan accordingly. Start writing your SoP in August, and studying for the GRE so that you can take it by early October, giving you a couple weeks to get your score reports in. If you must, submit only one designation first; once your application is verified, your other designations will be ready as soon as you submit them.

 

[Pudu2009]

What concentration should I choose?

I have seen this question pop up a couple times since August, and while it is not a common question, it causes me some concern. If you do not know what concentration to choose, then why are you applying for an MPH? Not being able to decide between two concentrations is one thing, and I had this issue myself last year. It is another thing to not know at all what you want to do. This is not a problem, as I didn't know what I wanted to do either, just don't apply until you know. This is why I waited two years after graduating college to start my program.

Please do not use an MPH degree just to pad your resume. It will take up one to two years of your life and put you in tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
Only take on this degree if you know that you want it. To find out if you want it, get a job in one of the public health sectors (epi, program development, policy, etc) or volunteer in some capacity. I had a summer internship in a healthcare company doing research, and I volunteered with a global health organization for three years. This is how I became interested in epidemiology and global health. If you enjoy the work, and have the mental stamina to pursue a graduate degree, then an MPH may be just right for you, and it will be easier for you to choose a concentration because you have the added experience.

 

[Pudu2009]

What schools should I apply to?

Go onto the CEPH website to see which programs and schools are accredited. Do not apply anywhere that is not accredited; you may not be employable in the field otherwise. Note the differences between programs and schools. Most schools of public health have multiple departments, which means they offer multiple concentrations for their MPH programs, in addition to multiple MS, PhD, possibly DrPH, and dual degrees. MPH programs on the other hand, typically either offer a generalized curriculum, one particular concentration (SJSU for community health education), or have a very limited amount of concentrations. These programs can usually be found in schools of medicine, social work, dentistry, veterinary (I kid you not), etc. Just beware of this distinction when you keep your concentration in mind.

Here is a suggestion that I have offered a few applicants who have asked me about this in the past. Keep an Excel spreadsheet of all the schools/programs you want to apply to. Add columns for institution, location, minimum stats, average stats, cost of attendance, concentrations offered, and any other information that is important to you. This will help you narrow down your options. If you have average stats, my rule of thumb is to apply to one top 10, 2-3 top 20s, and about 5 safeties. Avoid applying to more than 10 schools as app fees are expensive, unless of course you can afford to apply to more (I could only afford 5 ).

 

[Pudu2009]

Everyone posting seems to have amazing stats, but mine are low/average. Am I doomed?

I have noticed a trend that people are more likely to post their stats on SDN if they are way above average. Do not get discouraged by all the 3.8, GPA 330 GRE, tons of experience posts. If it makes you feel better, I got in with a 3.0 GPA, no research experience, and barely any related work experience (I don't consider three months at Kaiser Permanente to be a huge deal experience-wise). What helped me was having lots of volunteer experience and enough time off to study for the GRE so I could rock it the second time around. So, if you are concerned about your GPA, you can always take a year off to get some experience and retake the GRE, but don't let a low GPA stop you from applying entirely. An MPH is just two years of you life, and there is someone in my biostats class who is in his forties, so you have plenty of time. Take as much time off to strengthen you application as you need; I took two and it was good enough for me. And for crying out loud, a 3.4 GPA is good; stop complaining about it.

 

[Pudu2009]

Which schools offer financial aid?

I saw this question a lot when people first started applying. The answer is go onto the programs' websites and find out yourself.

 

[Pudu2009]

I have been accepted into multiple schools, which one should I choose?

With a lot of people applying early and getting their acceptances, this has been a very common lately. Unfortunately, we cannot answer this question for you. What school you attend is based on many factors including location, cost, rank, what the program has to offer. Some people visit a campus and right away say, "Wow, I want to go here." Others struggle with the decision for months before deciding. I took me two months to decide between GWU and USF; I ultimately chose GWU because I thought I would be happier living in DC than Tampa, FL. It was a tough decision due to the cost differential, but in the end, I chose the place where I thought I would be happiest. My suggestion is to do as much online research as you can, visit as many schools as you can, and talk to as many current students and professors as you can. This should help you make a decision. Also remember that rank does not matter much; every CEPH accredited program is a good program.

 

[Pudu2009]

I will not be ready to submit today. Am I too late?

t

As today is the priority deadline, I am anticipating that this will be a concern. Remember that this is a priority deadline; there is still another regular deadline, and submitting your application then will not affect whether you are accepted or not. The only advantage of the priority deadline is that you may be considered for scholarships if your stats are high enough. If your stats are not high enough to receive scholarships, then applying by the priority deadline will allow you to be accepted or rejected sooner than the regular applicants. I applied by the priority deadline to UC Davis and was rejected in January . For the rest of my applications, I applied by the regular deadline because you had to have a 3.5 GPA to be considered for scholarships. It was not worth it to rush my application to make the priority deadline when I new it would not benefit me in the end. The only disadvantage to waiting till April to submit was that I only had two weeks to accept/reject the offer of admission.

 

[Pudu2009]

I don't have any direct public health experience (but lists a ton of ECs under their stats). Will I get accepted anywhere?

I often see people with high GPAs, decent GRE scores, and several bullet points of research experience that lament on not having any public health experience and worrying that it will ruin their chances. Here is what you need to know about this: you are a strong applicant. Many people apply directly out from college and have no public health experience at all. It is okay. Now stop worrying and apply already .

 

[Pudu2009]

I need to get into a top ten school so it will look good on my CV and have better job prospects. I also need scholarships since I can't afford an expensive school. Can anyone help me?

This question got asked a lot in August/September, and it is one of my least favorite questions. I am going to answer this question with a few questions of my own. Why do you need to get into a top 10 school? Are you under pressure from your parents to go to a top school? Are you trying to prove to your folks that you decided not to apply to med school not because of your academic performance (this happened with a couple classmates of mine whose parents wanted them to go to med school for the prestige and they compensated by aiming for a top 5 MPH program)? Are you unable to access the internet to do your own research on which schools are higher ranked and which ones offer scholarships?

Another thing you have to keep in mind is that the majority of top programs are private schools, which tend to be very expensive. Even Berkeley OOS is pretty crazy. Can you believe that it would cost me more to stay in-state at a UC than it would for many OOS schools? Pretty crazy, right? Even the top programs that offer scholarships only offer meager amounts, so you'll be paying through one nostril instead of both. Your still paying through the nose though, so if money is an issue for you, consider applying to a cheaper, lower ranked program. Remember, as long as its CEPH accredited, it is a good program.

 

[Pudu2009]

Do I need to do an MPH, or can go directly into a PhD program?

I actually don't have an answer for this question, but I see it asked so often and patiently answered so often that I felt like I needed to include it in here. Based on the many responses to this question, it seems that it is better to do an MPH first, as many of the learned members of this forum have done themselves. Think of it this way, what if you discover something during your MPH program, and decide that you would rather work at the State Health Department rather than do research? A PhD would not be necessary. Of course, if you absolutely know that you want a career in research and feel that you have sufficient experience in undergrad to be competitive for PhD programs, go ahead and apply. Just make sure you apply to MPH programs as a back-up, and don't write the same SoP for both types of programs, as one is more research based and the other is more experience based.

If anyone else wants to add to this or refute this, go ahead and do so. As I said, I do not have any experience with this being a first year MPH student, I am just going off the responses I have seen to the many times this question has been asked.

 

[Stories]

Great thread. I'm sticking this so people will see it.

 

[Pudu2009]

I want to preface this post by saying congratulations to everyone who has been accepted to 1-5 choice programs. That being said, please use the search function before asking someone what their stats are, what program they applied to, or when they submitted/were verified. Chances are they made a post on the first page of the thread listing all of that and more.

For newer users who are unfamiliar with the search function, here is what you do if you want to see someone's posted stats. First, go to the Fall 2016 AAWR thread, or any of the older threads if you want to look up older stats. In the search function, type in the user's name in the "posted by member" space, and then check the box that says "search this thread only." You'll be able to see all of the member's posts from a single thread this way. If you can't find a particular thread, you can also check the box that says "search titles only."

 

[Pudu2009]

Here is another question I've been seeing lately now that people are starting to get acceptances:

I see a lot of people have gotten accepted into Emory/GW/other MPH school/program. I haven't heard anything yet. Is that a bad sign? Does this mean I've been rejected?

First of all, have you received a rejection letter yet? No? Then why do you think you've been rejected yet? Wait till you are officially rejected before you get upset. Until then, wait, remember to breathe, and hope for the best. Worst comes to worst, you don't get in anywhere this year and you have to try again next year. It's not the end of the world. Some factors that can influence decisions for a particular school.

1) Concentration: Different concentrations may have different decision times. Do a search to see what programs admitted people have applied to so you can get an idea of when you'll hear back.
2) Application submission: Some schools do admissions on a rolling basis, so if you submit later than everyone else, you will hear back later than everyone else. Oh, and before you freak out, you will not be rejected for applying later than everyone else as long as you are within the deadline, so make sure you take your time on those applications.
3) Problems in the admissions department (cut backs, malfunctions, ect.) that just happen sometimes.
4) Not because of the current snowstorm we are having on the East Coast (yay, another 5-day weekend)

 

[Pudu2009]

What major is best for MPH programs?

The answer is any major that interests you and you know you will do well. Your major does not influence what concentration you can choose so long as you complete the necessary prerequisites. If you want to major in the humanities and are interested in epidemiology, make sure you take introductory biology (maybe chemistry too) and at least Calc 1 if not Calc 2. Most colleges require science and math gen eds anyway, so you can kill two birds with one stone. Always check the websites for programs that interest you to make sure you fulfill all of their prereqs.

 

[impervious0ne]

Hi @Pudu2009,

I have several questions regarding public health programs:

Does it matter to admissions whether you took the MCAT or GRE? (I get the vibe that MCAT might be perceived as the applicant failed to stick with med so now he's using public health as a backup)

If you took public health classes in undergrad how is that perceived?

Outside of epidemiology and bio statistics, is higher-level recommended? (I took stats, calc 1, and calc 2)

If you're interested in policy and management side, would you recommend econ classes?

For students with poor grades, what remedy is recommended? (I am taking post-bacc classes and getting 3.6's)

Does it matter when you enter the program? (GWU asks your intended enrollment semester)

Regarding applying to multiple schools, how do we find out which tier these PBH schools belong? (I only see USNWR which might not be relevant for certain programs)

 

[Pudu2009]

Since I don't work in admissions, I probably won't be able to answer your questions to the fullest extent possible, and may not even have the answers, but I'll do my best.

Does it matter to admissions whether you took the MCAT or GRE? (I get the vibe that MCAT might be perceived as the applicant failed to stick with med so now he's using public health as a backup)

I don't have the answer to this question, so you will have to call up the schools you are interested in. If you took the MCAT and have a decent score, it seems a shame to have to take the GRE too.

If you took public health classes in undergrad how is that perceived?

No idea, but major usually isn't a factor when applying for MPH programs. Major is more likely to be a factor for MS programs, especially biostatistics.

Outside of epidemiology and bio statistics, is higher-level recommended? (I took stats, calc 1, and calc 2)

There are no prerequisites for MPH programs. The exceptions are epidemiology where they want you to have basic biology and biostatistics where they want you to have a year of calculus. Don't worry about taking higher level classes to try to impress programs and instead take electives you enjoy. MS programs are a completely different story (of which I have no knowledge) and if you want to do biostatistics you will need multivariate, linear algebra, a programming background and probability at a minimum.

If you're interested in policy and management side, would you recommend econ classes?

I can't help you here as I haven't gone beyond the core HPM course.

For students with poor grades, what remedy is recommended? (I am taking post-bacc classes and getting 3.6's)

As long as you have at least a 3.0, you have a shot at getting somewhere. If your GPA is on the lower side of the scale, as I was, compensate by gaining valuable experience and getting higher than average test scores. The same goes for a lower than 3.0 (there are many sub-3.0 success stories on this site). Apply broadly.

Does it matter when you enter the program? (GWU asks your intended enrollment semester)

GWU asks for your enrollment semester because we accept applications for Fall, Spring, and Summer, and the deadline for Summer and the Fall priority deadline are the same. I don't think it matters what semester you begin.

Regarding applying to multiple schools, how do we find out which tier these PBH schools belong? (I only see USNWR which might not be relevant for certain programs)

I'm not really sure how to answer this. I don't take too much stock in rankings, and feel like you should pick a school based on where you can see yourself living for the next two years. If living in a big city makes you feel claustrophobic, don't go to GW, Columbia, etc. If you want small class sizes, look closely at Yale. If you hate the idea of having your entire masters education crammed into one year with little opportunity for R&R, don't go to Hopkins. Maybe there is a professor at Podunk university that is doing the exact research that you want to do. There are so many factors to consider when making your school list, and rank falls in the middle.

I hope I was able to help.

 

[impervious0ne]

@Pudu2009,

Thanks for your candid reply.

I have more questions (lol).

How important is it to attend a CEPH accredited school?

If academia (like teaching at a university which I assume requires PhD) is my goal, is there an explicit benefit to attend "tier-1" Public health program?

As far as subfields of public health goes, do you have any predictions as to which field will have strongest demand in the near future (10 years?) Would infectious diseases (with the rise of antibiotic resistance and new viruses) offer good research topic/fundings?

Aside from SAS (that's the one taught at Emory) is it vital to learn other programming languages in public health? (SPSS, STATA, R, etc)

 

[Pudu2009]

How important is it to attend a CEPH accredited school?

Extremely important

If academia (like teaching at a university which I assume requires PhD) is my goal, is there an explicit benefit to attend "tier-1" Public health program?

While it is beneficial to attend top programs for the connections they provide, I don't think that there is any explicit benefit to attending a "tier-1" public health program. You have to weight other factors, such as tuition and living expenses (do you want to be $120k + in debt on an academic's salary?) and location (think about climate, living spaces, etc.) Let's just say that not going to a top school isn't going to prevent you from getting into a PhD program, you just may have to work a little harder to find connections (if it keeps your debt low and you're happy where you are it will be worth it).

As far as subfields of public health goes, do you have any predictions as to which field will have strongest demand in the near future (10 years?) Would infectious diseases (with the rise of antibiotic resistance and new viruses) offer good research topic/fundings?

Biostatistics jobs pay the best and are always in demand. In terms of epidemiology, look at chronic diseases, as they are overtaking IDs in this rapidly developing world. That doesn't mean ID epi is sinking; I'm working in HIV and enjoy the work that I do. Health policy may be on the rise as well with the new administration, who knows!

Aside from SAS (that's the one taught at Emory) is it vital to learn other programming languages in public health? (SPSS, STATA, R, etc)

I came into my program knowing SAS, and learned R and GIS throughout my coursework. I am currently teaching myself python so that I can use that function of GIS to geocode addresses more easily as part of my culminating experience. The more hard skills you know, the more employable you will be.

Are you no longer planning to attend medical school? Just wondering since your status says pre-med but you referred to PhD programs. You can still be an academic at a public health school as an MD/DO; in fact many of the professors in our school have a medical background, and most are heads of their respective departments.

 

[impervious0ne]

Dear @Pudu2009

I am still interested in attending medical school; it's just that I've done very poorly in undergrad because I had to work while studying. Thus I figured it might be more productive to engage in course/work of my interest, build up my resume, and then pursue it later.

Even though I majored in Biology, I took lots of medical anthropology and public health classes (mostly EPI and HPM) and found them very interesting (although epi could be a tad bit dry; damn those 2x2's). I am at a cross road right now and I am not really sure what to do. Of all the fields, I like EPI and HPM the best, but my math background is very weak (B+ in calc I, II, and stats but no higher level math like foundations, analysis, multivariate, diffyq, linear). Many of my professors who taught EPI also come from very strong math background (I believe Kleinbaum did both BS and MS in Applied math) and mathematics is not one of my strongest suits. I've asked information from many users (thank you kindly) but their field of expertise/interest does not align with mine so it's very difficult to come to a decision. Also, it seems like the common expectation from these programs are that you have to have significant and/or meaningful work experience. Since my major isn't really related to public health, it's difficult to find paid position relevant for public health work. My only internship in my CV was a clinical research work 4-5 years ago (physician performance and hospital safety).

Biostatistics jobs pay the best and are always in demand. In terms of epidemiology, look at chronic diseases, as they are overtaking IDs in this rapidly developing world. That doesn't mean ID epi is sinking; I'm working in HIV and enjoy the work that I do. Health policy may be on the rise as well with the new administration, who knows!

Based on my coursework, I think ID epi is making a comeback as well; infection and antibiotic resistance is on the rise. I imagine people who work with TB, MRSA, and/or VRE is going to be busy.

My apologies if my post comes across as a sob story. I have lot on my mind and not sure what to do.

 

[sj123]

i got accepted at usf for spring 2018 intake and i dont know what to do, i am not able to decide whether to go for it or not. i have 3.31 gpa 308 gre and an 7 band in ielts exams. i am going to apply in tulane university and icahan school of medicine. most of the universities dont offer courses in spring, should i wait for other colleges or should i accept admission at usf, i am a dentist from india.

 

[Pudu2009]

I would never advise anyone to forgo an acceptance. I would also never advise anyone to apply to a school they do not wish to attend. Why did you apply for Spring admission if you knew your choices were limited?

 

[sj123]

my internship completes in october so i was not elligible for fall intake and i dont want to waste a year waiting for next fall intake and my ultimate aim is to take admission in DDS by clearing NBDE exams....

 

[Pudu2009]

If your goal is to become a licensed dentist in the US, an MPH will not help you. The only way an MPH would be useful is if you're planning on going into public health dentistry. Keep in mind that this degree will put you in $60k to $120k debt.

 

[AbeWoodhull]

What level of stats do I need to have in order to be considered for merit/ leadership scholarships? I have a 3.6 overall/ 3.89 major GPA, 160V & 160Q GRE, and 3+ years of professional experience in tech industry with numerous volunteer experiences. Are these stats going to put me into consideration or should I not think about it?

 

[n3t]

What level of stats do I need to have in order to be considered for merit/ leadership scholarships? I have a 3.6 overall/ 3.89 major GPA, 160V & 160Q GRE, and 3+ years of professional experience in tech industry with numerous volunteer experiences. Are these stats going to put me into consideration or should I not think about it?

It really depends on the program. From my experience following last year's threads and going through the application process, I believe those stats could lead to merit scholarships at many schools. Every program has different requirements. For example, Columbia is very rigid in GRE percentile cutoffs to be considered for merit scholarships, but many other schools take a more wholistic approach.

 

[skcolley]

Hi all,
I know I saw this in a thread somewhere, but cannot find it now for the life of me.

I just want to confirm that if we submit an application to one school, the other schools that I already have added will not be affected by this submission other than locking down the sections that are common to all your schools (e.g. "experience" section, resume/CV etc.).

For example, I have everything filled out in the common sections and have 2/9 SOPs written. Should I go ahead and submit those two completed applications? From what I remember, this will begin the verification process and then the rest of my applications will be officially submitted much more quickly. Is that correct, or am I misremembering? Are there any downsides to submitting one or two apps earlier than the rest of your schools?

Thank you! (And I apologize, because I know this answer is somewhere on these threads!)

 

[n3t]

Hi all,
I know I saw this in a thread somewhere, but cannot find it now for the life of me.

I just want to confirm that if we submit an application to one school, the other schools that I already have added will not be affected by this submission other than locking down the sections that are common to all your schools (e.g. "experience" section, resume/CV etc.).

For example, I have everything filled out in the common sections and have 2/9 SOPs written. Should I go ahead and submit those two completed applications? From what I remember, this will begin the verification process and then the rest of my applications will be officially submitted much more quickly. Is that correct, or am I misremembering? Are there any downsides to submitting one or two apps earlier than the rest of your schools?

Thank you! (And I apologize, because I know this answer is somewhere on these threads!)

Definitely submit now if you have a few done! Just know that you cannot go back and edit certain sections after you submit one, as you seem to know. You can continue working on the school specific sections. SOPHAS takes time to verify after you submit your first application, but once it is verified for one, you will not have to wait for verification for other schools. It is best to get one in quickly to start the verification process so that you can apply to other schools faster later. I see no downsides, just benefits are you speed up the process. I applied to some schools in October, November, and December last year, and the submissions do not affect each other.

 

[skcolley]

Definitely submit now if you have a few done! Just know that you cannot go back and edit certain sections after you submit one, as you seem to know. You can continue working on the school specific sections. SOPHAS takes time to verify after you submit your first application, but once it is verified for one, you will not have to wait for verification for other schools. It is best to get one in quickly to start the verification process so that you can apply to other schools faster later. I see no downsides, just benefits are you speed up the process. I applied to some schools in October, November, and December last year, and the submissions do not affect each other.

Perfect, thank you so much! Just submitted one to get the ball rolling!

 

[Pudu2009]

Perfect, thank you so much! Just submitted one to get the ball rolling!

You may need to remove the extra designations before submitting, as you may not be considered complete if you have missing SOPs. Also, you may not be able to submit more designations until your app is verified (it's been a while since I've done this so I don't remember exactly). It's early though so you should be fine to do this.

 

[skcolley]

You may need to remove the extra designations before submitting, as you may not be considered complete if you have missing SOPs. Also, you may not be able to submit more designations until your app is verified (it's been a while since I've done this so I don't remember exactly). It's early though so you should be fine to do this.

Ahh, thanks for the additional insight. The FAQs on SOPHAS's website are really unclear about all of this, I appreciate the help!

 

[n3t]

Ahh, thanks for the additional insight. The FAQs on SOPHAS's website are really unclear about all of this, I appreciate the help!

Last year, I was able to submit more apps before SOPHAS was verified as I completed the SOPs, so I wouldn’t be too concerned! And I always had 10 schools open in SOPHAS but only applied to 4 in the end, so having those extra ones there never hurt anything.

 

[JakZ95]

I entered my MPH program as a Community Health concentration (or its equivalent). However, now I'm having doubts about sticking with it because I'm afraid that it's not as marketable as other concentrations (ex. Epi/Biostats). I was considering switching into Epi/Biostats, but community health is a little more interesting in me (though I do appreciate aspects of Epi/Biostats). Has anyone else been in a similar situation and can offer some advice?

 

[grapesandstrawberries]

I entered my MPH program as a Community Health concentration (or its equivalent). However, now I'm having doubts about sticking with it because I'm afraid that it's not as marketable as other concentrations (ex. Epi/Biostats). I was considering switching into Epi/Biostats, but community health is a little more interesting in me (though I do appreciate aspects of Epi/Biostats). Has anyone else been in a similar situation and can offer some advice?

Just found this on a whim while looking through this thread. It would depend on your interests. What part of community health are you interested about? Maybe you could look into social epidemiology. You could study Epidemiology and study health disparities... I've explored this a lot so feel free to PM me, I'd be happy to answer any questions

 

[Gliabelle]

I entered my MPH program as a Community Health concentration (or its equivalent). However, now I'm having doubts about sticking with it because I'm afraid that it's not as marketable as other concentrations (ex. Epi/Biostats). I was considering switching into Epi/Biostats, but community health is a little more interesting in me (though I do appreciate aspects of Epi/Biostats). Has anyone else been in a similar situation and can offer some advice?

I don't have direct experience in the field, but my closest friend of 20 years got her MPH in Community Health about 12 years ago, and -- at least in my area -- it is a very in-demand degree. My best advice is, do what you love. Take some of those epi/biostats classes if you want those skills, because they're marketable and useful regardless of what degree title is attached to them, but pursue a degree in the field you're most interested in; you're the one who has to go to work in that field every day.

 

[GuevaraMD]

What's up fellow public healthers, here for advice from those who may know better. I saw the original post and saw that one of the FAQs is "what program should I go into" so I thought I'd post this question here. If this is the wrong place feel free to tell me to kick rocks and/or move it.

I am a physician (Internal Medicine) working for the federal government right now and I am looking to get into public health as a career. I'm interested in epidemiology and outbreak investigations, and in a lesser way, public health policy. My dream job would be working at either the WHO or the CDC in disease eradication/global health.

I am getting a lot of acceptance to schools (more than I expected) and am not sure who to choose. I have been accepted to:

- University of Maryland, MPH in Public Health Practice and Policy
- George Mason University, MPH in Public Health Practice
- University of South Florida, MPH in Epidemiology
- SUNY-Albany, MPH in Public Health Practice
- EVMS, MPH in Epidemiology

I was originally leaning heavily on South Florida because of the cheap tuition ($525 per credit hour or $22,100 for 42 credit hours) but I'm concerned about the job market and how easily it is to break into the field and that makes me lean towards Maryland, which while more expensive ($836 per credit hour or $35,100 for 42 credits) seems to be more "famous" than South Florida and likely have more of an alumni penetration in the health agencies around DC/North Bethesda (HRSA, FDA, NIH, etc.)

George Mason I'm neutral about. Same as SUNY. EVMS is dead last in my list because it’s brand new, still seeking CEPH accreditation and (to add salt to the wound) more expensive than all the other programs ($909 per credit hour or $41K over two years).

Any advice? Have any of you heard of particular strengths in those programs that I may be overlooking? Is "name recognition" important at all in public health practice and the job market?
Help a brother out.