possible to get into 1 year mph program without advanced degree?

[question25]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, so I apologize if this question has been asked already.

I've been looking into 1 year accelerated MPH programs and they all seem to favor people with advanced degrees or advanced degree students. How difficult/possible is it to get into a 1 year program without an advanced degree?

I have a BS in biology and have done public health related work since I graduated from undergrad (Spring 2013). By the time I matriculate to an MPH program, I would have two years of experience in my work. Am I eligible for these programs- or not really? I am also planning to submit an MCAT score with my application, I'm not sure if this will hurt me. I want to apply for an advanced degree in the future after the MPH.

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[themmases]

Even accredited schools can be really idiosyncratic in how they admit to their MPH programs. For example, although I heard they are changing it in the future, Harvard's MPH is primarily for people who already hold an MD or JD, and their masters-level public health students who come in with a BA go to the SM program. Then they further break up the SM into credit hour tracks, because people who do that with some other advanced degree can take less.

My impression is that accredited 1-year MPH programs are not common, because there is so much required coursework and an internship/capstone project to pack in. This is why it's usually only possible to offer those programs to people who come in with some other advanced training. There are related programs out there, such as Notre Dame's 1-year MS in global health: http://globalhealth.nd.edu/ but from the research I did when I was applying, I think you'll find that these programs either require an advanced degree, or are not accredited by CEPH.

Work experience in public health will help you a lot in admissions, and I've never heard of an MCAT hurting anybody unless, I suppose, it was a bad MCAT. It just might not help you get into 1-year programs that you would want to attend.

 

[question25]

@themmases thanks for the great insight! I was looking into JHU's 1 year full time masters program, and they don't explicitly say that their program is only for people with advanced degrees, but do you think it's kind of an unwritten expectation? Do you think I should even bother applying there?

 

[NeurosciTMS]

JHU's one year MPH is for individuals with advanced degrees or two years of post graduate full time work experience. MCAT scores will not hurt your application. Do well in the science sections which demonstrate the quantitative and analytic abilities that programs look for. Harvard does not accept MCAT scores for individuals without advanced degrees. They only accept the GRE.

 

[themmases]

You know, I have to admit that I wasn't interested in JH so I didn't look into them when I was choosing where to apply. My comment was true of the places I looked at and general advice that I read about applying, but obviously I was incorrect about JH, which is a major one. The admissions page for their full-time MPH says that 2 years of full-time work can substitute for a doctoral degree: http://www.jhsph.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/mph-application-instructions/ or can be waived if you're applying to a joint degree program. If you're worried about it, there's no harm in inquiring with the department directly. I did this during my application process and got really valuable feedback from most places.

 

[NJIM88]

I went to the JH 1 year program and you must have an advanced degree. If you don't, you are a candidate for a 2 year progra. (Unless things have changed, but most 1 year programs are the same- it's usually MDs, JDs, DVMs)