MD vs. MD/MPH

[futuregyn]

I want to get my MPH during medical school, but I'm deciding whether I should apply as a dual degree applicant or regular MD then apply for MPH later in medical school.

Are MD/MPH admissions more or less competitive than regular MD admissions?

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[Calizboosted76]

Following

 

[MedScat]

There's a few important things to consider to address your question
1. Does the dual degree MD/MPH program at your school require an additional year of schooling beyond the 4 years it takes to complete the MD? If the answer is yes, then read on. If the answer is no, then I would apply as a dual degree student
2. Is the university you will be attending for medical school have a MPH program of their own separately? If so, it might be worth calling their admissions office to see if any of the medical school credits. If the answer is yes, then starting this MPH program once you are in medical school is a better idea. Many of these programs can be completely online and started/stopped at your convenience if it is at the same institution you are completing your medical degree at
3. If the university does not have its own independent MPH program....this is where I would probably take the extra year and apply to the dual degree program. If you apply to another university for the MPH that doesn't accept any of your MD credits toward the degree, I feel as though you will be spending a lot of money that you don't need to spend

To address the competitive question, at my school, there are not a select number of MD/MPH spots so it does not affect competitiveness. For a program like MD/PhD on the other hand, there are only a few allotted spots making it more competitive. Again, I'm sure it differs for different institutions

Every program is different. Theres no harm in calling programs and asking questions!

Hope this helps!

 

[cookiemonster333]

It's not any more or less competitive. The way it works is that once you're accepted to the MD program, you're accepted into the MPH program automatically. Whether or not you have that box checked is 100% irrelevant to the admissions committee. You could apply as a 2nd year med student for the MPH at your institution and get directly admitted at that point too, you just may end up having to take an extra year to get that degree. So to answer your question, it is the same exact level of competitiveness as applying straight MD. I serve on the admissions committee at my medical school and when we're reviewing applications we literally do not even know whether or not the applicant is also applying for the MPH or MBA programs because we could not care less.

 

[Detailfanatic]

Every school is different. For example a Miami Miller has separate applications for MD and for MD/MPH they’re both evaluated independent of each other