Interested in getting an MPH

[Bikeage]

Hey all, I have a few general questions regarding the MPH.

I'm currently in my third year as a microbio major but am planning on switching to either health care admin or business management. I'll I've done thus far is taken a majority of the pre-med reqs & GEs, so thankfully I haven't technically "lost time." However, I was curious as to what degree out of the two would be more pertinent when applying to MPH (specifically Epidemiology) programs, or would either of them work equally well? I plan to, in all likelihood, attain my MPH before med-school, and have my sights set on ID later in life. My ultimate career goal is to work for the CDC (or other institution's such as USAMRIID if possible).


Also, what are some examples of things that would classify as public health experience? Thus far, I'm only close to completing a year long internship at a local hospital (with about 3 months leadership experience) but plan on at least doing a few months of bio research. If I declare business as a major, I also plan to join a business frat and maybe get a leadership position in this as well. I'm sort of at a loss for what else I could possibly do or what would suffice, so i appreciate any ideas.

Sorry for the long winded post, and I appreciate the help

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[thedelicatessen]

For the MPH it's really important to have experience in healthcare for admission and to solidify what you learn in the program. Unless you plan on opening a business on the side or something, I don't see how the business management major is going to be beneficial for your career goals. The healthcare management degree seems to be more geared towards the MPH.

As for adequate public health experience, I can tell you that the vast majority of my classmates in my MPH classes have extensive healthcare employment. Unlike medical school where most people are pretty new to the field, the people getting the MPH are quite knowledgeable about how "the system" works.

 

[HrvatskiDoktor]

Hey all, I have a few general questions regarding the MPH.

I'm currently in my third year as a microbio major but am planning on switching to either health care admin or business management. I'll I've done thus far is taken a majority of the pre-med reqs & GEs, so thankfully I haven't technically "lost time." However, I was curious as to what degree out of the two would be more pertinent when applying to MPH (specifically Epidemiology) programs, or would either of them work equally well? I plan to, in all likelihood, attain my MPH before med-school, and have my sights set on ID later in life. My ultimate career goal is to work for the CDC (or other institution's such as USAMRIID if possible).

I was a microbio major, graduated with a BS in 2002 and then started my MPH in Maternal and Child Health/Epi in fall 2004.

In my experience, it all depends on what you want your MPH to be in. A BS in Micro is a wonderful background to get into an EPI program. Most EPI programs don't require that much clinical experience. For example, I have a friend who got an MPH in EPI but had originally applied to the Community Health Education program but did not have enough community health volunteer experience.

I also know that there are MPH degrees in Health Care Admin so it all depends what you want to do with the MPH. If you are passionate about EPI, but want experience in Health Care Admin, I would switch to that one. It all depends on your passions and what you want to do with that.

[/QUOTE] Also, what are some examples of things that would classify as public health experience? Thus far, I'm only close to completing a year long internship at a local hospital (with about 3 months leadership experience) but plan on at least doing a few months of bio research. If I declare business as a major, I also plan to join a business frat and maybe get a leadership position in this as well. I'm sort of at a loss for what else I could possibly do or what would suffice, so i appreciate any ideas.
[/QUOTE]

For the MCH programs, I had volunteered at a Crisis Pregnancy Center for 1 year and that counted as enought experience.

My suggestion would be to contact the department chairs or recruiters from the programs you are interested in and find out what they say. Most PH people are wonderful and will do whatever they can to help you find your fit---even if it means a different program than theirs!