JHSPH V UNC? Which is better?

[[email protected]]

I have heard Johns Hopkins was a degree mill. Is this true? I sit really the very best--say for healthcare management/health policy/health economics etc?

Where does UNC fit in? I know it's ranked #2 per US News--tied with Harvard. The distance program is about 23k with Hopkins being about 51k for the internet mph. What gives?

It would seem one could leverage some career aspects of the UNC program with the research triangle in NC. UNC also has the DRph in a distance format.

I have a friend who is doing her Drph at Loma Linda in California and she says that she hears about UNC most in terms of research. She advised to go to chapel hill.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[fantasty]

I can only offer some advice based on a relatively small pool of ancedotal evidence. But, I would say it depends on the discipline within public health. Epidemiology is very strong at Hopkins - they have some of the best methodologists on their faculty, and the program is huge (aka, lots of opportunities). UNC, on the other hand, I think is very strong in environmental health. And, I've heard UNC is a good place to gain hands-on research experience.

But I'm only basing this perception on the few folks I know at those programs.

 

[tara14]

Well you really can't go wrong with either school - they are both highly ranked and excellent schools of public health. It's really what you do with your experience there - whether you take advantage of the opportunities available at the school.

I don't know all that much about UNC personally, but I do know about JHSPH. I went to JHU undergrad and was a public health major so I had the chance to take classes at JHSPH, and I have friends that got their MPH and MHS there. It's a great school - the student body is very mixed - people come in from all different types of backgrounds, ages and cultures which is great. And there are great opportunities for networking. Plus if you are interested in healthcare - right next door is Hopkins Hospital. There are multitudes of research performed both at JHSPH and the hospital. As for being a diploma mill - well I really don't know how to answer that. What exactly is your definition of a school that is a diploma mill? I had never really gotten that impression of the school.

Both schools are great and you are very lucky if you have to make the tough decision between the two - because a world of opportunities await you at both.

 

[USArmyDoc]

Without knowing anyone who has gone to either, I highly doubt JHU is a diploma mill. They are ranked number one in the USNews right? If I W\were given the choice I would go to JHU.

 

[namazu]

Hi there,

All of the people I know who are attending Johns Hopkins' on-campus programs (MPH, MHS/MSc, DrPH/PhD) are working really, really hard, and most seem to be involved in research projects of various sorts. For non-MPH students, even master's students, there is a required comprehensive exam after the first year. So "diploma mill" doesn't seem like a good description. I can't speak to the Hopkins online program (though I know that on-campus students frequently enroll in the same online courses due to scheduling conflicts, etc.).

You're probably right about there being good opportunities for research and internships in the Research Triangle area. Also, if you're interested in Environmental Health (which doesn't sound like your main interest, but is certainly tied to policy), there's the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/), a branch of NIH, in Reserach Triangle Park. Near Hopkins, there's the main branch of NIH in Bethesda, various military research centers, lots of nonprofits in DC, and of course, tons of policy people.

I agree with others that both schools are very strong -- you can't really go wrong with either school in terms of program quality and resources. I recommend looking into the work that's being done in the departments of interest to you and trying to talk to faculty and/or current students to get a feel for which place meets your needs and matches your preferences most closely.

If you're thinking of doing an online program, check out the offerings carefully. I've taken several online courses from a couple of different schools, and the quality varied widely. Some were basically correspondence courses with online quizzes and homework assignments. Others were truly full courses, with recorded lectures and slides, interaction with other students, etc. It made a big difference for me as far as motivation and learning. Make sure you know what you're getting into!

Good luck making your decision!

 

[jkruh]

I know that Hopkins is ranked #1, but I personally don't know if going to a #1 school is worth the 28K extra when you can go to a #2 school. It really depends on what your interests are, because each has its own advantages.

I don't know much about that Baltimore area, but the research triangle does offer a plethora of resources. I don't know anyone who had a hard time finding a job or assistantship, and most students have jobs lined up well before they graduate. UNC has an excellent alumni network so if you know where you want to go, you can be sure there will be UNC alumni there that are happy to introduce you to people. Also, unless you are determined to live in a big city, Chapel Hill is simply a beautiful place to live. It has a lot of character and is a relatively safe place to live.

I would also ask each of these schools about what kind of financial support is available. At UNC, many out-of-state students get tuition remission (pay only in state tuition) simply by getting a job on campus making a minimum of a specified amount per semester, or a tuition waiver for in-state students. I'm not sure if Hopkins has anything like this since it's private but you may want to check.