how important is "emphasis" in mph? & UCI question

[paristokyo]

after being some kind of pre-health for many years, i finally realized mph degree would be the closest thing to what i want to do. a few questions i came across as i started looking into the programs were..

1) how important is your "emphasis" in this degree? i'm heavily interested in studying both epidemiology and international health policy. it confuses me a lot because you only get to apply to one emphasis - what if you change your mind after you enroll? is it as easy as changing your major in college?

2) i haven't seen too many threads in regards to UC Irvine's new MPH program.. i know they're not accredited yet, but the school being a UC and all.. i'm sure they're on their way to be accredited?? is there a merit to attending unaccredited school, then having it accredited after you get your degree?

thanks in advance guys!

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[milosavljevic]

2) i haven't seen too many threads in regards to UC Irvine's new MPH program.. i know they're not accredited yet, but the school being a UC and all.. i'm sure they're on their way to be accredited?? is there a merit to attending unaccredited school, then having it accredited after you get your degree?

Hi paristokyo,

I have one friend graduating from the first class in the MPH program in December. Her degree will not be accredited, and they do not retro-actively accredit degrees that were earned before the program receives accreditation. I myself haven't decided about whether I am going to apply to the MPH program at UCI, but you can read the following information about what I have learned so far:

After speaking with her, she said that UCI is on track to be accredited by Spring 2012...which means if you graduate during Spring 2012 or later, you are likely to obtain an accredited degree. I am fairly confident that UCI will receive CEPH accreditation, since it is a fairly large UC and is recognized to have a rigorous MPH program, however no one can really say this for certain until they actually are accredited.

The one disadvantage I have read about regarding having a non-accredited degree is that some jobs and specific positions in public health require an accredited MPH degree. However, if you are planning on going into some other health field such as medicine, nursing, or allied health, I'm not sure if accreditation would be a deal-breaker or not.

My friend in the MPH program at UCI has enjoyed her time, although the entering class was quite small. For the required internship, she did work at a local hospital system branch in Orange County. She is unsure of what to do after she graduates, and does not have any jobs lined up as of yet (although it's November so she does have a month). I'm not sure how well the UCI MPH program prepared her for the workforce.

Hope this helps! Sorry I don't know much about your first question.