BS in Public Health vs MPH

[zanwar]

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Is a stand alone BS in Public Health useful, or would I be better off pursuing a MPH? I ask because it seems that admissions for MPH programs don't require a BS in Public Health and can be done from practically any major (while some other majors such as economics and geology usually require a prior BS in that field). Would it be best to major in something else and then leave options open for either a MPH or a masters in something else?

 

[cerealrhapsody]

You're right that MPH admissions do not require (or even necessarily prefer) a BS in public health. However, majoring in public health might be a great choice if you're sure you want to pursue an MPH because it may give you a lot more knowledge about the field. It might also help you decide which subfield of public health to pursue (e.g epidemiology vs. health policy vs. behavioral science).

Would a major in public health also give you more opportunities to get involved in public health related internships or work experience? This is something to consider.

That being said, if you're really interested in say, psychology, there's no reason you can't major in that instead. I majored in music, and now I'm starting an MPH in epidemiology. So you really can't go wrong. (Just make sure to take some basic science and math electives if you major in something totally unrelated like music.)

ETA: A BS in Public Health is not really useful on its own. If you want to be a public health professional you will really need a master's degree.

 

[mezmerized7]

Since you are asking, I think it might be better to major in something else. But try to ensure that you have a good quantitative background. If you think you might be interested in studying social behavior, ensure to take social sciences. If you're interested in the more biological aspects of public health, try to take more "hard science" courses. Once you have a well-rounded background, along with some experience, then you should be a good candidate for MPH programs. You would more than likely need a master's degree to have more options as cereal stated.

All the best!👍

 

[Kevin36]

I majored in public health as an undergrad and enjoyed it. It will give you a good grounding in public health. I would agree that a master's is required to do anything substantial in public health though. If I were to do it again, I would have minored in statistics or math. Doing the undergrad in public health allowed my to do a MS in epidemiology and skip the MPH core (I already had them).

 

[zanwar]

The reason I asked is because I'm thinking about changing my major from public health (from a university that has a public health school) to geology + public health minor. My previous plan was a public health major + economics minor. If I want a to pursue a top MHA/MPH (preferably a 1 year program), should I stick to my original plan - or would it be doable with my new plan?