How important is my concentration for my MPH?

[vonmiller]

I'm deciding between schools and ideally I would like to concentrate in epidemiology. I got into UVA and while it's a small program I came away impressed. The main issue I have though is they don't have a specific concentration in epidemiology. They do cover it a bit in their core classes along with biostatistics and SAS & Data Management. They also of course offer a field placement as well, which ideally I would push toward gaining experience in a setting related to epidemiology. But, I still fear it won't be as in-depth in comparison to a program with a strict concentration in epidemiology.

So the question is, if I don't go to a school with a concentration in epidemiology am I severely hurting my chances to pursue that career option professionally?

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[wwmmkk]

Yes and no--

The "no" is that your concentration may not show up on your transcripts/diploma at all, and you are not obligated to put in on a resume. What matters are the skills you walk away from your program having developed. Do you feel like UVA will give you the same research, data analysis, surveillance, writing, survey creation, etc. skills as graduates from programs that have specific epidemiology concentrations will have? If so, don't worry about it. Go to UVA because it's a good fit for you and can teach you what you need to know. However, if you feel like the epidemiology options at UVA are limited because they don't have a formal concentration, then choose a different program. Epidemiology (and biostats) are more about hard skills than the other concentrations, and if you don't have "epidemiology" on your resume or the skills to thrive in an epi position, then you will be at a significant disadvantage on the job market.

I think others will be more knowledgeable than me on what epi specific classes/skills a competitive program should offer, but if no one else chimes in, I'd recommend talking to someone in the field to get their perspective on UVA's curriculum and internship/research opportunities.

 

[She-Hulk]

I'm deciding between schools and ideally I would like to concentrate in epidemiology. I got into UVA and while it's a small program I came away impressed. The main issue I have though is they don't have a specific concentration in epidemiology. They do cover it a bit in their core classes along with biostatistics and SAS & Data Management. They also of course offer a field placement as well, which ideally I would push toward gaining experience in a setting related to epidemiology. But, I still fear it won't be as in-depth in comparison to a program with a strict concentration in epidemiology.

So the question is, if I don't go to a school with a concentration in epidemiology am I severely hurting my chances to pursue that career option professionally?

Some people do the MPH as an add-on degree to clinical practice, such as doctors and nurses, some people do the MPH straight out of college as the degree provides a good degree of flexibility, however, a drawback is that an MPH doesn't automatically signal broad competence in a specific field like Epidemiology. If I wanted to do Epidemiology, and was 100% sure that is what I wanted to do, then I'd get an MS in Epidemiology and Biostats, quite simply that would catch somebody's eye (or the eye of the computer program looking for certain things when flagging resumes for review by humans).

Obviously people can and do go into Epidemiology careers after getting an MPH, but their background wouldn't be as strong as somebody getting an MS specifically in Epidemiology. It would be cool to get an MPH, and interesting, and help some people gain direction, but I feel that it is a generalist degree that tries to cover perhaps to much, which might be hard for most schools to do properly outside of the top schools.

 

[deleted462159]

If you wanted to be a serious epidemiologist, 1 or 2 core classes in epi/biostats won't prepare you enough for it. I would say that's one public health area I would specifically want a degree (or at least concentration) in. Now if you were doing health management or health promotion... those are probably more flexible as to whether you *need* a concentration. You can also get lots of experience on the side to make up for it, but I would ask then what's the point of the MPH.