Is MPH worth the large debt?

[mphstudentfall2017]

I applied to 8 MPH schools and only got accepted to two, East Tennessee State and UMiami. ETS is in the Community Health sector and UMiami is a general MPH, so I'm leaning towards UMiami as I want to explore all the concentrations. However, UMiami is private and I would be about $130K in debt after two years, tuition and living expenses included. I have heard horror stories of some MPH graduates not being able to find decent jobs or jobs paying higher than $40-50K. Any input?

I currently work in an unrelated field making $30K/year. I'm not happy with my job and really want to pursue a master's degree, but will it be worth it?

Side note: I've been given advice to apply to more schools, but I have a low GPA (like it's not even 3.0) and an average GRE score--I think it's my letters of recommendation and statement letter that got me in.

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[heybrother]

I graduated in 2008 with an MPH. Economy was terrible - found a very tolerable job, but never broke $50K after 4 years. My classmates who were able to get jobs with Chevron/BP started in the $60-80K range, but all faced various degrees of oil-price/Gulf blowout stress. My total loan debt was $17K and I had $3K in hand when I finished. I picked my program because it was convenient and where my girlfriend lived. I did no research and had no ideas what doors they could open for me - I suspect I hoped it would make me more competitive for MD school (which it did not). Whether my choice was a mistake or not - I paid it off easily and later moved on. The same cannot be said for $130K in debt which is also same amount of debt I'm currently in for my DPM degree.

Do not just "fall" into an MPH program because its convenient or because it is where you got in. What is this going to do for you. My school (and probably all schools) required me to take some variation of an introductory class in all the fields of public health. When all was said and done I found myself feeling like we hadn't spent nearly enough time in my own concentration which I had thought was going to be technical and provide new skills, but really just made me aware of the skills I didn't have.

Last of all - be pitiless in your skepticism. You don't have a track record of academic success, for whatever reason - I didn't either. Schools need butts in seats to keep the lights on. $130K is a fortune. It is a mortgage. It will be a rock around your neck for years to come.

 

[She-Hulk]

I don't think that doing the MPH for 120+K in debt is worth it, unless you have a good chunk of the tuition saved up. If you go to a top 10 school it might not even matter as people have said here in this forum that when hiring MPHers they most likely don't care where you got the degree from as some people work their tale off during the degree and others don't.

If you are a working professional and want the degree to add to your work, that makes sense, but as a terminal degree it might not work out.

Public health schools can be predatory when it comes to getting warm bodies to pay the tuition. I think Tennessee is charging a ridiculous amount. Public health schools know this and often give 50% scholarships or more as they know at some point they're admitting people right out of college with not a lot of public health experience and they get a watered down degree that is just more college. I think "hard skills" degrees make sense, as the MPH can be an overview of public health.

Though some people do well with their MPH, it is more of a calling to get an MPH and do public health work, rather than a clear career path, you probably have to take a lot on faith.

Don't get me wrong, I really love public health and if I had 100 K+ then I'd love to park myself in a lecture hall and learn stuff, but it's kinda a game with tuition and public health students can be very competitive.

I applied to 8 MPH schools and only got accepted to two, East Tennessee State and UMiami. ETS is in the Community Health sector and UMiami is a general MPH, so I'm leaning towards UMiami as I want to explore all the concentrations. However, UMiami is private and I would be about $130K in debt after two years, tuition and living expenses included. I have heard horror stories of some MPH graduates not being able to find decent jobs or jobs paying higher than $40-50K. Any input?

I currently work in an unrelated field making $30K/year. I'm not happy with my job and really want to pursue a master's degree, but will it be worth it?

Side note: I've been given advice to apply to more schools, but I have a low GPA (like it's not even 3.0) and an average GRE score--I think it's my letters of recommendation and statement letter that got me in.

 

[deleted462159]

I hate to make broad statements without knowing the particulars, but in my opinion $130k is not worth it regardless of school. Many state school MPHs are in the $15k-30k range. At 130k you might as well attend a clinical program and know what your market value will be. At the end of the day, an MPH is an MPH. It's definitely helpful, but not a degree that will llicense to do anything you couldn't do without it.

Also salary varies widely across concentration (e.g., epidemiology pays more than health promotion) and even within concentration across settings (e.g., in health administration, health systems will pay more than community clinics). So it's hard to say whether your degree is "worth it," but if I were you, I'd steer clear of the $130k program.

Let's do some rough math. You mentioned making $30k now, after taxes let's say you take home ~$24k. Even if you get a $60k job upon graduation... let's say take home on that is ~$42k. The good news is you have $18k/year more to spend. Now the bad news... Assuming you don't repay any during your 2-years of grad school*, you're looking at ~145k upon graduation. At 5% interest, you're paying 7k/year in interest alone. Of course, that amount will go down as you pay down your principal. But your remaining "extra" 10k/year - most of it will prob go to paying off debt.

*I know your 130k includes living costs, so realistically you might allocate it differently. And you may continue to work and pay back loans as you go. But that's my two cents - hope it helps.

 

[AlmostJesus]

It is not worth it. Public Health by nature is low paying, going to an expensive school is just going to add more stress to you when you get done. Im staring down $80k in debt from undergrad and grad school, and it is an elephant in the room when I consider jobs.
Despite having decent opportunities and some success in my MPH program, I realize now that it was largely a waste of money. If you want a master's degree, look into a MS or MA, as the tuition tends to be much more affordable, and you likely will be just as competitive for jobs.