Johns Hopkins vs Berkeley

[kate03]

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Hi all! I was recently fortunate enough to get accepted to both Bloomberg and Berkeley (MSPH in Global Epi and Control at JH, MPH in Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology at Berkeley). I'm currently trying to decide between the two: financially, Berkeley is giving me a scholarship to go, so I'd be in less debt than if I went to Hopkins...but Hopkins is....well, Hopkins. I want to work in public health internationally (focusing on infectious diseases, vaccine campaigns). If anyone is in the same boat/has gone through this before/has any input, I'd greatly appreciate it!

 

[JoeUSA]

Both are excellent schools and excellent programs. However, I would choose Berkley. The MPH is highly recognized, respected and is the standard. The MPH is considered a practitioners degree. The MSPH is very respctable too and is considered an academic degree. The program at Berkley is very specific/highly specialized but will include the basic general coarses that all people in PH need to know. This is were you want to be. The JH MSPH will not include all the general courses that the MPH program will include. Going into a highly specialized program (MPH, ID and vaccinology) in a highly respectable school (BK) will lead to many professional contacts and growth. But, either way you will have a very nice degree to place on your resume. Good luck! Best wishes!

 

[espre]

The JH MSPH will not include all the general courses that the MPH program will include.

This is untrue. Here is the web page for the JHSPH Department of International Health MSPH:

http://www.jhsph.edu/dept/ih/globalhealthdegrees/msph/index.html

Download the Masters Academic Guide 2010-2011 to see the course requirements. They are the same as the MPH with the exception of a policy course. In fact, the biostatistics and epidemiology course requirements appear to be even more stringent - with classes more advanced than many of the MPH students take.

As a Hopkins MPH student, I share many classes with MSPH and MHS students, so the curricula for all are quite similar. This is an amazing school, and I recommend that you consider it strongly if you've been accepted. However, a scholarship from Berkeley could be a deciding factor. Keep in mind that the tuition for the second year of the MSPH at Hopkins is 25% that of the first year. This could offset Berkeley's scholarship, depending on how much they awarded you.

 

[RebecaB]

Hi all! I was recently fortunate enough to get accepted to both Bloomberg and Berkeley (MSPH in Global Epi and Control at JH, MPH in Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology at Berkeley). I'm currently trying to decide between the two: financially, Berkeley is giving me a scholarship to go, so I'd be in less debt than if I went to Hopkins...but Hopkins is....well, Hopkins. I want to work in public health internationally (focusing on infectious diseases, vaccine campaigns). If anyone is in the same boat/has gone through this before/has any input, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Hey, Kate03, what are you thinking in terms of your decision now that some time has passed? I'm looking at these two schools as well (though diff programs, I'm doing more behavioral stuff) and would love to know what others consider the strengths/weaknesses!

 

[MPHStudent2013]

Hey Kate03, it's definitely not a good way to choose but if it helps, I work for an international public health agency and I know of a couple Hopkins graduates here (highly sought after here) but no Berkeley grads. Shouldn't be your deciding factor at all but more info is better than less! Good deciding!

 

[Globalhealth85]

This is untrue. Here is the web page for the JHSPH Department of International Health MSPH:

http://www.jhsph.edu/dept/ih/globalhealthdegrees/msph/index.html

Download the Masters Academic Guide 2010-2011 to see the course requirements. They are the same as the MPH with the exception of a policy course. In fact, the biostatistics and epidemiology course requirements appear to be even more stringent - with classes more advanced than many of the MPH students take.

As a Hopkins MPH student, I share many classes with MSPH and MHS students, so the curricula for all are quite similar. This is an amazing school, and I recommend that you consider it strongly if you've been accepted. However, a scholarship from Berkeley could be a deciding factor. Keep in mind that the tuition for the second year of the MSPH at Hopkins is 25% that of the first year. This could offset Berkeley's scholarship, depending on how much they awarded you.

I second this post. The MSPH degree in International Health at Hopkins is a professional/practitioner degree and the MPH at JHSPH is more of a "survey" of public health. If you get an MSPH at JHSPH you still get the "survey" but then you go a little more in depth. Since it appears that you have focused ideas on what you want to do post graduation, it sounds like a MSPH is right for you. It appears that Johns Hopkins has a very strong faculty in the global epi/control program (I have been accepted in the same department but in a different concentration.) I am not familiar with Berkeley's program, but I wanted to echo the quote above in that I also disagree with the earlier post saying the MSPH wouldn't be right for you!

 

[RebecaB]

Hey, Kate03, I got your PM, but every time I try to reply my message keeps getting deleted! So I'll respond here (as to what I'm thinking decision-wise). Sorry!

The programs I'm deciding between are a little different -- the 2-yr MPH in Human Social Behavior at Berkeley and the 11-mo general MPH at Hopkins.

I think that for me, Hopkins makes more sense. Most of that is personal -- my family lives just outside of Baltimore, the program is shorter (allowing for less time away from good friends in New York, where I live now), and it comes out to be a tiny bit cheaper. Realistically, I will probably be looking for jobs on the east coast after graduation, so the fact a school's network tends to be strongest in the immediate area has factored into my decision as well.

I've also just been so overwhelmed by how positive students are in talking about their experience at Hopkins. So often it seems that the better a school's name, the more impersonal the education. But this doesn't seem to be the case here (hopefully!). I think that a satisfied alumni network says alot.

What are you thinking?