GIS useful for MPH in epi - what other undergrad coursework might be helpful?

[jlittlej]

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So I've decided on pursuing an MPH, probably in epi but maybe in international health, with the intention of that being my final degree and work area. I'm signed up for the fall semester and have tuition assistance from work. I was planning on taking some upper-level bio electives when I was trying to strengthen my med school app, but now I'm less concerned about that. I've got the pre-med pre-reqs plus genetics, A&P and biochem.

I'm definitely taking a "Stats for Life Sciences" course that includes biostatistics and a little epi. And I either want to take an Intro to GIS or two graduate classes that lead to a five-course graduate cert in GIS. I've heard that it can be helpful in epi, and I'm interested in the material as well. Maybe microbio? There are a few geography classes that look interesting in terms of development and demographic studies, but they're all full save an urban planning course, which looks fascinating but isn't really related. I'm planning on re-taking Calc I and then taking Calc II next summer before martriculating in a MPH program next fall.

 

[bbas]

I'm starting an MPH program this fall in epi, and did alot of work with GIS in undergrad. From what I have gathered mapping is becoming increasingly popular in both chronic and infectious disease epidemiology. If you're interested in epidemiology and international health, I recommend taking a look at this site: http://www.healthmap.org/en

As far as other courses, microbiology would certainly be helpful along with immunology and molecular biology if your interest is in infectious diseases. Seems like you have the math requirements covered, maybe even throw in another upper level biostats class if possible. My impression is that a good background in statistics would come more handy than calculus in most programs. Other than that, some social science courses like psychology, health economics, or sociology may come in handy since you will be required to complete core courses in all of the public health disciplines.