Getting Back on right Path to MPH

[obi0688]

So I have been out of school since 2011 when i graduated with a B.S. in Biology. I was one of those that couldn't decide on a career path until late. I have been mostly in IT field the past 2 years and now want to get back on track to doing an MPH. I feel like I need to do a training program (Nursing, etc.) with a few classes to be prepared before going for masters program. I really want to go for MPH but I need to get back into the medical field and gain some experience. Any tips or advice?

 

[Naruhodo]

Hey obi,

My 2 cents is that a B.S. in Biology should be adequate preparation to get into an MPH without undergoing another training program beforehand. Are you feeling like to have to demonstrate your interest in public health since you've been working in IT the past couple of years? In that case, I'd recommend volunteering for a cause you care about (childhood obesity, needle exchange program, planned parenthood, whatever it may be) will be as worthwhile as any classroom.

I graduated undergrad in 2009 and after working as a teacher for a bit I started a PhD in molecular biology. A few years in I was yearning to work on something relevant to human health (and living with the consequences of a poor lab choice) so I applied to 3 MPH programs in 2014. I had only done basic science and did not have any public health background (not even undergrad classes) at the time, and yet got into MPH programs at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and UC Berkeley.

It was tempting but in the end I chose to stick out my PhD and am now in a much more fulfilling postdoc position. The tricky thing with the MPH is how do you finance the degree (it's not a PhD so no research grants will be paying your way). Berkeley was the most generous of the three programs, but even they could only offer tuition remission and a $18k teaching stipend, which would be really tough to get by on in the Bay Area. I think MPH programs can be fantastic but plan carefully and don't feel like you need to get extra training to get into what should be an entry-level graduate program.

 

[wholeheartedly]

Agree with the above. The BS biology is enough from a degree standpoint for most MPH programs. Now the trick is you are going to need to answer why MPH or how do you know MPH is right for you?

You don't necessarily need to change jobs to be able to answer those questions, but you will need to have good answers and volunteering or something would be a good way to demonstrate that you have some clue what you're talking about.

That can be answered a lot of different ways though, with a variety of experiences. Since the MPH is an incredibly diverse degree, it's really going to depend on what your focus is going to be, such as epidemiology, biostatistics, public health informatics, community and health education/promotion, health administration and policy, etc.


Also, in case you didn't know, we do have a public health forum on here where you can get more info as well. But you're also still always welcome here in the nontrad forum.

 

[obi0688]

Thanks guys! Yes, that has been one question that has been gnawing at me. My major area that I want to concentrate on is Global Health/Infectious Diseases. I did set up a visitation to Emory so far next month. And you definitely have a point in terms of funding. One thing also that has been on my mind is ROI (Return of investment); especially having to deal with loans these days. And thanks, I will also see if I can post in the public health forum as well!