MHA How do most fund their degree?

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joshua22897

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I'm a first gen college student, so I have absolutely no idea how funding grad school works. I've been accepted to a few schools already so now I can think about funding my degree. I've been working while going to school to pay bills & tuition since my senior year of high school and I really want to finally be able to strictly focus on my academics without worrying about how I'm going to pay tuition or rent or other expenses.

It's hard for me to believe that most people just take out loans to cover tuition and all of their living expenses.. or am I wrong about that?

I wonder how the process to receive assistantships usually go. I'm assuming that it varies depending on the school, and that public colleges are probably more likely to give their students assistantships, but just how competitive are assistantship opportunities? (especially for GWU or Cornell's MHA programs, if any of you are current students/alumni).

Any funding information/advice/resources would be great!

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A lot of schools have small grants to help. Otherwise, loans + working seems to be most common.

I'd recommend working while in school because 1) it helps pay the bills, but equally important 2) you get work experience.
 
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A lot of schools have small grants to help. Otherwise, loans + working seems to be most common.

I'd recommend working while in school because 1) it helps pay the bills, but equally important 2) you get work experience.


Thanks for the reply. Do most programs help their students find work? & I'm guessing most work part time while pursuing their masters right? Again I've been working full time during my entire undergrad and that was difficult, so idk if I'll be able to handle graduate study with a full time job.
 
Thanks for the reply. Do most programs help their students find work? & I'm guessing most work part time while pursuing their masters right? Again I've been working full time during my entire undergrad and that was difficult, so idk if I'll be able to handle graduate study with a full time job.
Most programs I've spoken to not only try to dissuade you from working full time, but schedule classes in a way that would make it really hard to do so.

Alot of current students I've contacted have worked 20-30 hours a week to support themselves as much as possible and take loans for tuition and to cover the rest
 
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Thanks for the reply. Do most programs help their students find work? & I'm guessing most work part time while pursuing their masters right? Again I've been working full time during my entire undergrad and that was difficult, so idk if I'll be able to handle graduate study with a full time job.
I'd like to know about this too. What kinds of jobs do many MPH students have in school? Are those jobs easy to get?
 
I think it depends on the program. A lot of health management and policy MPH programs I've seen (as opposed to epi, biostats, etc.) schedule evening classes, because they understand many students are working professionals (e.g., clinicians going back for a management-related degree).

I'm sure most have career centers and will help you fix your resume, etc. But your mileage will vary on how much they'll help you find a job (outside of graduate/research assistantships). I wouldn't put too much faith in that. Assume you're on your own. Anything the school helps with is a bonus.
 
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As a followup, do most students still have debt from undergrad when they enter these programs? I'm terrified of biting off more than I can handle by piling on graduate debt to my undergrad student loan debt :(
 
As a followup, do most students still have debt from undergrad when they enter these programs? I'm terrified of biting off more than I can handle by piling on graduate debt to my undergrad student loan debt :(
I'm only a year out of undergrad and will still have debt
 
I actually worked full time throughout my graduate degree. Not only was it for the income, but also for the much needed hands-on experience in the field. I just graduated this past summer debt free :) It's definitely tough, but possible, since a lot of programs do offer evening classes.
 
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I actually worked full time throughout my graduate degree. Not only was it for the income, but also for the much needed hands-on experience in the field. I just graduated this past summer debt free :) It's definitely tough, but possible, since a lot of programs do offer evening classes.
Thats awesome! Where did you go ?
 
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