Mph/dvm ?

[BuckleyGirl]

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Hi all,

I will be applying for the first time this fall , and am interested in doing a duel MPH degree alongwith my DVM. Has anyone looked into this? I know that Davis, CSU, UofI, K State, LSU, Mississippi, and a few others have programs like this....I'm a non-traditional student (post-bacc to get these lovely pre-reqs done), and I could be shooting myself in the foot - is it harder to apply for a duel degree than just a DVM? Some schools you apply after your 1st year, but others along with DVM app. Thoughts? Advice?

Thanks! All your post on the pre-vet forum have been SOOO helpful! Congrats to all those that have gotten in this year😀

 

[VAgirl]

I know that Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Colorado State also have dual DVM/MPH programs. Iowa State has one, too. (Well, it's in cooperation with University of Iowa, so maybe that was the U of I that you listed.) Also, Davis has their MPVM program, which you should check out. If you're less interested in the human public health side of things and more interested in direct animal health applications, the MPVM might be more appropriate. (This is my impression, but I was actually just discussing this with a DVM who did the MPVM program, and she said that was her precise reason for doing the MPVM over an MPH.)

I don't know if it's harder to get into the dual degree program, but I don't think it necessarily would be. Unlike the DVM/PhD programs were there are very few seats, the MPH programs seem to have the capacity to handle many more students. (But I could be wrong here.)

Some things to think about include whether you can complete both degrees in 4 years or whether it will take an extra year. (Iowa State, K State are both in 4 years; Wisconsin and Davis require an extra year to finish their programs.) Also, I know Iowa State has a tuition agreement with U of I where their students pay less (I am a little sketchy on all the details) so the MPH program comes out to only an extra $8-9K (well, using 2007-2008 tuition rates). A pretty good deal.

Also, it seemed to me that all of the schools I visited had the option to apply for the MPH program in your first (or even second) year of vet school without losing any time. This leaves me wondering what, if any, benefit there is to applying to both programs at the same time. In fact, I liked the fact that I could do a year (or so) of vet school and then decide if I still thought the MPH was what I wanted to do. Some schools with both programs also allow you to take MPH courses as electives while in vet school. (I've been told that Davis does this, and I asked about it at WI and they seemed willing to accommodate this type of thing.) That's another aspect that makes me think it could be better to wait, test things out in vet school, and see if you still want to do the MPH.

There is also reputation of the MPH school to think about. One of the public health vets that I work with told me that, in her experience, unless you've got your MPH from Harvard or Johns Hopkins, that basically no one cares from where you received the degree. But from looking into some of these programs, I did get the feeling (my personal opinion and for what I'm interested in) that they were of varying strengths. I've also heard really great things about Minn's MPH program.

Ok, those are my long and rambling thoughts. PM me if you'd like to talk about this more. 🙂

 

[hoodle]

Just clarify: does Davis have a MPH program, or only the MPVM?

When you say "One of the public health vets that I work with told me that, in her experience, unless you've got your MPH from Harvard or Johns Hopkins, that basically no one cares from where you received the degree" does that mean that if you're from Harvard or Hopkins it's a plus, whereas otherwise everyone's on the same level, or does that mean that unless you're from Harvard or Hopkins your degree doesn't really hold water?

 

[Hobiecat1642]

Yeah, post bacc!!

MN seems to have a great program, they were talking about it at the interviews. Apparently, you can complete the MPH even if enrolled in another vet school. You do have to come to MN for a few weeks (???) in the summer to complete some credits, most other courses are online. You apply seperately through the school of public health. That is all I know, you should definitely go to MN's website and check it out. Good luck with your classes!

 

[fargeese]

I applied to the MPH program at Minn because many of your credits from vet school can be used towards the degree, in fact you can't do the particular program I applied for unless you are in vet school. I liked that it finished in 4 years, and just requires 3 weeks for two summers and the rest is online. I personally am doing the program because (a) my interest in public health from a herd health standpoint and (b) it can be completed before you even finish your DVM. I do not want to go to school anymore after this! Minn also lets you take the credits as an in-state student since most of the classes are on-line.

I am sure other programs are good as well, I just wanted something that was not going to impact vet school too much (the online classes are in the summer). As I said, I am not going to go to school anymore after this (I am old!) so any degrees I want, I need to get now!

PS: the deadline for applying was March 1st and it has a whole irritating process like VMCAS, called SOPHAS. Minn let me use the GREs and eLOR that I had already sent them for when I applied to their vet school.

 

[VAgirl]

Just clarify: does Davis have a MPH program, or only the MPVM?

Davis has both the MPH and the MPVM.

When you say "One of the public health vets that I work with told me that, in her experience, unless you've got your MPH from Harvard or Johns Hopkins, that basically no one cares from where you received the degree" does that mean that if you're from Harvard or Hopkins it's a plus, whereas otherwise everyone's on the same level, or does that mean that unless you're from Harvard or Hopkins your degree doesn't really hold water?

Sorry, I was trying to say that I was told an MPH from Hopkins or Harvard might be looked at as top tier; beyond those schools, though, all MPH programs/degrees would approximately equal. It will certainly be recognized as valid, well regarded, and will open public health doors for you.

As additional info, the person giving me her opinion on this stuff doesn't have her MPH from either of the two above-mentioned schools. It's just her opinion that I'm trying to pass along (in a very confusing manner, apparently). My goal was to say that, perhaps barring a few schools with long-standing and distinguished public health programs, an MPH from anywhere will be just fine.

 

[hoodle]

Sorry, I was trying to say that I was told an MPH from Hopkins or Harvard might be looked at as top tier; beyond those schools, though, all MPH programs/degrees would approximately equal. It will certainly be recognized as valid, well regarded, and will open public health doors for you.
...
My goal was to say that, perhaps barring a few schools with long-standing and distinguished public health programs, an MPH from anywhere will be just fine.

This is what I've heard too, although never explicitly... just sort of an implicit acknowledgment that most MPH programs are much like other MPH programs, with the exception of the very few at the top. I don't know anything about the business world, but I imagine it's similar - a MBA is an MBA, unless it's an MBA from Stanford/Penn/Harvard.

I do think the MPVM at Davis is interesting as it relates to, or differs from, customary MPH programs. Since I'm doing the DVM/PhD route, I doubt I'll be looking for a public health masters, but if that hadn't come through I'd definitely be perusing the options and trying to gauge what is and is not important. I can see how the MPVM at Davis is more targeted to vet specialties, but do people outside of vet med know what it is (and does it matter if they don't?) I wish there was a clear resource that delineated what the programs are and how they compare.

 

[cows93]

U Tenn also offers MPH which you can apply to after you are in school.

 

[chris03333]

Davis has both the MPH and the MPVM.



Sorry, I was trying to say that I was told an MPH from Hopkins or Harvard might be looked at as top tier; beyond those schools, though, all MPH programs/degrees would approximately equal. It will certainly be recognized as valid, well regarded, and will open public health doors for you.

As additional info, the person giving me her opinion on this stuff doesn't have her MPH from either of the two above-mentioned schools. It's just her opinion that I'm trying to pass along (in a very confusing manner, apparently). My goal was to say that, perhaps barring a few schools with long-standing and distinguished public health programs, an MPH from anywhere will be just fine.

Columbia is in the same level as Hopkins and Harvard in the MPH world FWIW.

 

[Danaish72]

Illinois also has a DVM/MPH program. It does take an additional year which you complete at UIC in Chicago (although most students work part time since they're licensed and all. Some schools allow you to finish both programs in 4 years, but do look into whether or not these programs require you to go to school during the summer; I personally wouldn't want to lose internship/$-making time.

 

[Angelo84]

I know Tufts has a combined DVM/MPH program and I believe the MPH piece is free. There's info on the website but I don't know much about it. A few classmates of mine are doing it and one is doing the program through Minnesota.

 

[rachroo]

OSU (Ohio State) also has a Veterinary MPH program. I don't know how long it takes to complete if your already in vet school; but if your accepted to vet school after your 1st year in the MPH program you can finish it during your summer between year 1 and 2 of vet school.

 

[RazorDoc2010]

mizzou also has a dvm/mph program. I'm not too sure on the specifics so I probably can't help too much more, just fyi.

 

[VAgirl]

I can see how the MPVM at Davis is more targeted to vet specialties, but do people outside of vet med know what it is (and does it matter if they don't?) I wish there was a clear resource that delineated what the programs are and how they compare.

The vet I work most closely with (the one I mentioned before) also voiced the opinion that an MPH is more useful because more people know what it is and what it means. Which could be a valid point. But she works with the military so her primary goal is force protection. I'm less interested in that and more interested in the herd health side of things, so I think the MPVM might be much more what I'm looking for. I think it could be worth it to sacrifice recognition of degree for a more tailored fit to one's interests. But that's something I'm wondering about now.

Also, one of the girls I spoke with at Iowa State told me that there really weren't areas of concentration within their MPH program (as opposed to some others I've read about), but that she thought this was a good thing because she thought it was useful to get a big picture of the human health care system, etc. The vet I work for said similar things. But I don't think I'm interested in applications to human health care at all. So...it's probably a choice best made individually and with an eye towards what one wants to do at the end with it all.

 

[BuckleyGirl]

Thanks everyone! I've sent some emails to certain schools for some feed back, so if they tell me anything useful I will let you all know.🙂