Is an MPH better than an MSPH?

I'd personally say that either would be fine. If anything, people know very generally what an MPH is, but having the MSPH might raise more questions as to how it is different from the MPH (which I assume may be the difference in a few extra classes, or some different ones). Either way, I don't think that the extra letter is an impressive addition. What matters it whether or not the MSPH will offer you anything more significant at this specific program - ask yourself "Will the MPH give me everything I need - or will the MSPH afford me more?"

Well, my understanding from going through the epi dept at UNC is that the MPH is a "terminal degree". It's what clinicians (med students, doctors) get. The MSPH is what the students who want to go on to get a PhD get. At UNC the MPH/MSPH core coursework was the same, but because clinicians/clinicians in training were on the MPH track, they really did have the option of cramming everything into a year long program. Most people (MPH and MSPH) were doing it in more than a year, but I think the MSPH's were told that they really should plan on taking some extra classes, because they were going to go on to get PhD's.

Perhaps it is not the same everywhere though.

Sohalia said:

Well, my understanding from going through the epi dept at UNC is that the MPH is a "terminal degree". It's what clinicians (med students, doctors) get. The MSPH is what the students who want to go on to get a PhD get. At UNC the MPH/MSPH core coursework was the same, but because clinicians/clinicians in training were on the MPH track, they really did have the option of cramming everything into a year long program. Most people (MPH and MSPH) were doing it in more than a year, but I think the MSPH's were told that they really should plan on taking some extra classes, because they were going to go on to get PhD's.

Perhaps it is not the same everywhere though.

Click to expand...

At Minnesota they described the MPH as a terminal degree in that you were prepared to enter the professional public health workforce afterwards, yet it is also the "preferred degree" (these are the DGS's words) for those entering the PhD program in Epi. The program director explained that their PhD program values the "project" plus community experience in the MPH more than just the "thesis" in the MS - although many of the "projects" are equivilant to a thesis (we all had to go through what we called a thesis defense, so I'm not really sure what the difference was for most of us). Our program was also described as a "liberal arts" public health program, so that may contribute to the difference between the MPH and other schools' MS (U of MN only offers an MS in biostats; everything else is an MPH).