MPH vs graduate certificate - advice?

[CoryWSU]

Hello all,

I'd like to hear some opinions, since my advisors keep telling me "it's up to you" without any real advice.

I have a BS in biology, MS in biology, and I'm a PhD student in Infectious Diseases ... however, I feel like I am at a disadvantage when it comes to public health jobs since my degrees don't have the epi or public health aspect.

Should I invest the time/money in a MPH or would a graduate certificate be sufficient in my case?

Cheers

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[Stories]

This is a tough one--I think a MS or MPH would be useful and show you have the right training, but it's not necessary if you can somehow get the knowledge and skillset without it. A certificate might prove enough? I would suggest getting the certificate if your university offers the coursework and see if that is enough to get involved with some research (if you have time outside of your dissertation work).

 

[MolBio]

Hello all,

I'd like to hear some opinions, since my advisors keep telling me "it's up to you" without any real advice.

I have a BS in biology, MS in biology, and I'm a PhD student in Infectious Diseases ... however, I feel like I am at a disadvantage when it comes to public health jobs since my degrees don't have the epi or public health aspect.

Should I invest the time/money in a MPH or would a graduate certificate be sufficient in my case?

Cheers

This is highly dependent on the specific type of work you plan to do. If your degree is a lab-based research degree, you can definitely still work in public health as a laboratorian (in a public health lab, in basic research into public health diseases, pathogen discovery, lab systems strengthening, biodefense, etc.) In that case you can probably do a fellowship (like the APHL or ASM fellowships) and get a good public health job in the lab, or even without the fellowship with the right networking and luck. A certificate may or may not help much -- I think your research project and papers matter more here. For example, this field will be more accessible to you if your thesis has practical public health applicability, like molecular markers for diseases, and such.

If you no longer want to work in the lab at all, for example become an epidemiologist, then you definitely need an MPH in epi. In my experience, there are few jobs where you get a good mix of both (maybe molecular epidemiology research? Some environmental health stuff?). More likely, one skill set (lab or epi) could help compliment or inform your main job in the other.

 

[CoryWSU]

Many thanks to both of you!

I am doing a research fellowship (short term) at the CDC and seems that even in the entomology branch most people have MPHs. I don't know the direction of my future research (who does) - lab based vs. public health focused, but I want to have the credentials for anything that comes my way. What I am certain about is trying to minimize my total years in school.