Online MPH in Biostatistics/Epidemiology

[alxemistry]

Hi all,

I was hoping to get people's opinion on online MPH programs with a biostatistics/epidemiology focus.

I'm a physician working full-time clinically and currently have a very limited knowledge of practical biostatistics. I'm thinking of returning to academic medicine in the future and this is a weak point in my knowledgebase that I've always wanted to address. One of the fields I am interested in exploring is very public-health-centric, which is why I am thinking about an MPH as opposed to an MS degree or a certificate program.

I have been looking specifically at these programs (sorry I could not include direct links to the programs, my account is too new):

1. University of Nebraska MPH (Biostatistics)

2. USC MPH (Biostatistics and Epidemiology Concentration)

3. USF MPH in Epidemiology

4. UAB MPH in Epidemiology

I know Johns Hopkins has a pretty well-regarded Online/Part-time MPH, but it seems that only very basic biostatistics/epidemiology courses are offered online.

Do any of you have any experience with these programs? Are there any other programs that you would suggest? Do you have any opinions on their educational quality? Are they a viable way of learning the skills necessary to jump-start a clinical research career?

Thanks for any help.

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[LookForZebras]

I may have some thoughts, but have a couple questions first. Are you only considering part-time programs? What type of clinical research career are you planning for?

 

[alxemistry]

I may have some thoughts, but have a couple questions first. Are you only considering part-time programs?

Yes. Due to work and family obligations, I can't move to participate in full-time or part-time in-person programs.

What type of clinical research career are you planning for?

I don't have a specific research question in mind at the moment. I have been thinking of going back for fellowship in 4-5 years, and at that time I would like to have the tools to meaningfully conduct research.

 

[LookForZebras]

I had a great experience at Hopkins. I did the full-time program, but the stats courses for the MPH program are pretty much the same in-person or online. I feel that the courses available online are sufficient for a physician wanting to begin conducting research. If you end up doing a project that requires stats beyond what is taught in those courses, I almost think you'd want to have a statistician on your team (or hire a statistician) anyway, because it's probably going to be a time-intensive aspect of the project. If you're practicing medicine too, it may not be the best use of your time to do it all yourself. With what you'd get from the Hopkins online program, you'd definitely have enough of a skill set to be able to figure out exactly what you need to ask of a statistician, as well as determine what additional concepts you need to learn on your own and how to go about learning them.

 

[chemphysicsinstructor]

Hi all,

I was hoping to get people's opinion on online MPH programs with a biostatistics/epidemiology focus.

I'm a physician working full-time clinically and currently have a very limited knowledge of practical biostatistics. I'm thinking of returning to academic medicine in the future and this is a weak point in my knowledgebase that I've always wanted to address. One of the fields I am interested in exploring is very public-health-centric, which is why I am thinking about an MPH as opposed to an MS degree or a certificate program.

I have been looking specifically at these programs (sorry I could not include direct links to the programs, my account is too new):

1. University of Nebraska MPH (Biostatistics)

2. USC MPH (Biostatistics and Epidemiology Concentration)

3. USF MPH in Epidemiology

4. UAB MPH in Epidemiology

I know Johns Hopkins has a pretty well-regarded Online/Part-time MPH, but it seems that only very basic biostatistics/epidemiology courses are offered online.

Do any of you have any experience with these programs? Are there any other programs that you would suggest? Do you have any opinions on their educational quality? Are they a viable way of learning the skills necessary to jump-start a clinical research career?

Thanks for any help.

You may be able to take relevant courses as a non-matriculating student. I would recommend contacting the particular school in question for details.