Accredited MPH Programs and Certification

nishakg said:

I had three questions:
1) Does anyone know how hard/easy it is for people who receive a degree from an public health program that isn't accredited to find a job?

Click to expand...

What kind of job would you want? Currently there isn't any credentialing in public health (there might be a voluntary credentialing exam coming down the pike in a few years -- stay tuned). If there is an exam, access to the exam might be limited to graduates of accredited programs. So, it might be best to seek out an accredited program. It is an assurance of at least a minimum level of quality that you can't be sure of with a non-accredited program.

2) Secondly, Drexel University (which is going to be accredited by 05/13/06 according to apha.org)

Click to expand...

Technically, no one can say that a program is going to be accredited by a certain date. They were "preaccredited" (this is a short, tentative approval and graduates of a preaccredited program are counted as having graduated from an accredited dprogram) when reviewed in 2004 and are up for another review -- most likely later this year -- with the hope that they will be accredited next spring.

now offers a certification in public health that can be obtained completely through online courses. This option is very appealing to me but I was wonding what sorts of jobs this would qualify me for, if any.

Click to expand...

What kind of job do you want? Start with what job you'd like and then determine the education that will get you there.

3)Has anyone ever started taking public health courses, enrolled in M.D./M.P.H. school and transfered some of those credits?

Click to expand...

You might be able to transfer some credits from an MPH program toward an MD/MPH but I wouldn't count on it. Each MD/MPH is different from all the rest and will have its own rules. Take public health courses because you are interested in the subject matter. If you get into an MD/MPH the knowledge you gain will be valuable but it is unlikely that it will shorten your program of study.

Drexel is accredited by the CEPH. You might miss out on a few of the super highly competitive ASPH fellowships, but CEPH is all that is needed for a lot of gov jobs.

I wouldn't worry about this at all, it will probably never be an issue for you.

drexel is listed as an accredited school by ASPH: http://www.asph.org/document.cfm?page=200

i went to drexel, and no one in my class (class of 2005) had any problems with job/school placement as far as i'm aware. we get tons of real-world experience during the program, and i think they outweighs any technical objections anyone might have.

i heard about a girl in the class above me who had issues with her law school applications because at the time she was applying, drexel hadn't even gotten its pre-accreditation yet. however, that was just a rumor and it doesn't really make sense to me.

people from my class and the class above me have gone on to med school, law school, NIH fellowships, HRSA summer internships, pharmaceuticals, and local/state health departments, among other things.

The last semester of my undergrad I finished up my honors project while taking 13 credits (I think) in what was my future SPH. I had to get special approval from each course director, but for the most part they were all really cool about letting me in to the class considering that I was applying to their program and really wanted to learn the material. After I officially matriculated in the fall I then transfered those credits in - 12-13 is the max (I think) they allow transfered in, and since they were taken at the same university I was "transfering" them into, it wasn't a problem at all. Having the credits transfered in allowed me to take some more classes outside the SPH at the greater University, allowed me to take a lighter course load to do other things (research, earn money). I could have pushed it and tried to graduate a semester "early," but my thesis took a while, my research assistantship required me to be a full time student, I was planning a wedding, and it wasn't like medical school would let me start early.