I'm just starting...thus, few questions on MPH

[the Undergrad]

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Hey guys,

I'll be a junior at UCI in fall 2004. My major is Psychology. I'll hopefully be graduating from UCI by next June. Hence, I'm thinking of doing MPH after graduation. Earlier, I had planned of applying med school, but after some research, I think public health is interesting and I want to explore more options. But I have few questions:

1.) When is the GRE offered? Do MPH programs require you to take the subject test or the general test? If so, whats the exam about? Is it like the MCAT? Whats the highest score...and what score is competitive to get admission into MPH?

2.) After reading many threads, I learned that MPH is only 36 units (1 year). But whats the financial cost overall? I'm interested in the UC schools btw.

3.) Those of you who are already into MPH programs: Are your classes generally science (bio, chem, physics, etc) based or is it more theoretical in nature, relating to topics like medicare and economics?

4.) Finally, why an MPH program....instead of Post Bacc? Are there any drawbacks of doing an MPH that you've realised NOW that you didnt before starting it? Please be honest.

And btw, I'm interested in doing MPH before med school and only the one year program. 🙂

Thanks a lot guys!

 

[Heal&Teach]

Hi Undergrad,

Since there are many threads around that answer some of these questions, I'll give you the quick and dirty version. I would strongly encourage you to do a search on some of the specific topics that you've mentioned and also look back through the threads from the past few weeks.

1.) When is the GRE offered? Do MPH programs require you to take the subject test or the general test? If so, whats the exam about? Is it like the MCAT? Whats the highest score...and what score is competitive to get admission into MPH?

Check out this thread:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=119124&highlight=gre

2.) After reading many threads, I learned that MPH is only 36 units (1 year). But whats the financial cost overall? I'm interested in the UC schools btw.

Don't know about the UC's, but most MPH programs are one and a half to two years (between 42-60 credits). It all depends on the program and the specific department that you'll be entering. From what exmike has said, the UC Berkeley tuition for the MPH was pretty cheap. DrMom's was also pretty inexpensive. Mine from the University of Michigan, on the other hand, cost $40K. MPH costs are variable.

3.) Those of you who are already into MPH programs: Are your classes generally science (bio, chem, physics, etc) based or is it more theoretical in nature, relating to topics like medicare and economics?

Depends on the area of public health that you're thinking about going into.
http://www.asph.org/document.cfm?page=301

For example, in epidemiology, you'd probably take sciences such as immunology, pathology, or toxicology. In behavioral science/health education, you'd take courses on behavioral theory (similar to the stuff you're taking in psych and sociology classes). Health management would involve policy (if a separate deparment doesn't exist at a particular school), and courses that are similar to what MBA students take (e.g., accounting, finance, organizational management, etc.), except the examples are related to health and healthcare. The other important thing to remember here is that in any public health program, you are required to take core courses that cross-cut each discipline within a school.

4.) Finally, why an MPH program....instead of Post Bacc? Are there any drawbacks of doing an MPH that you've realised NOW that you didnt before starting it? Please be honest.

The MPH and post-bacc are two distinct entities. You are more likely to see people who have no science background, career changers, or persons with a poor science GPA entering a post-bacc programs. Some people with poor science GPAs may even consider a hard science Master's program in order to show their aptitude for more advanced science coursework. Post-baccs are generally comprised of a variety of science courses, and may range from a basic program that gives people the background for the MCAT (with general bio, physics, and chem, and organic) to a more advanced science curriculum that directly prepares a person for basic science coursework in medical school (e.g., anatomy, histology, embryo, etc.).

Public Health is an independent entity, not just a stepping stone for people to get into medical school. Check out the ASPH website for more information on public health. http://www.asph.org/document.cfm?page=300


Best of luck,
H&T

 

[Adcadet]

4.) Finally, why an MPH program....instead of Post Bacc? Are there any drawbacks of doing an MPH that you've realised NOW that you didnt before starting it? Please be honest.

This thread is pretty good, IMHO 😉

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=49027&highlight=Post+Bacc

 

[Adcadet]

if you want an MPH to serve as a post-bacc, then a 1-year program is probably OK if 1 year is all you need (I'm not sure how some people can pull together an MD application in a year if you are pretty far behind the curve, but whatever). But if you want what is considered to be the gold standard for many things (i.e.-running clinical trials or moving up the a public health agency as an MD, MPH) then I would highly recommend the full 2-year programs. I know there are some schools and programs that offer a 1-year MPH, but I really am not sure what they offer. Learning how to think like a public health person takes time. A thesis or final project worth doing takes time. Electives take time. Upper-level courses take time. Also, from what I've seen many 1-year programs have you go through "baby epi", "baby stats", etc, leaving you with a number of low-level courses across the various PH areas (which is just fine for supplementing your major), but no area of concentration that you've mastered. If you want to have an idea of what PH is, then a 1-year program is great. But I don't see how this counts as a *masters* degree - what did you master, exactly?

And yes, I might be biased, having done 2.5 years on my MPH in epi (started my last semester of undergrad).

 

[Adcadet]

3.) Those of you who are already into MPH programs: Are your classes generally science (bio, chem, physics, etc) based or is it more theoretical in nature, relating to topics like medicare and economics?

My PH classes (in epi in particular) were NOT natural science (bio, chem, physics, etc). We had to do physiology and basic pathology, and our upper-level epi courses did cover the basic biology and pathophys of the diseases of relevance. I happened to take some "science classes" (virology, and toxicology) as electives, however. The basic science you have to know is very applied. I don't think we really ever had to know how diphtheria caused disease, though we certainly did have to understand it's transmission.

As Heal & Teach mentioned, Public Health is it's own area. Unfortunately, most people never encounter much PH seriously in undergrad so it's hard to get people to understand exactly what it is. It's kindof like pathology or pharm - many undergrads get a little bit of these subjects but they're rarely systematically and fully taught because they are part of the field of medicine, not biology. Any old undergrad professor can mention an odds ratio, cost-effectiveness, ischemia, or a beta blocker during one of their lectures, but very few actually know jack about these topics or have the background to fully understand them and use them properly.