hi,
i am a foriegn medical graduate..... and i appliled for university of iowa MPH........and got accepted for this fall.....this is the only school that i applied....anyone have any idea about this programme in university of iowa? also is the online MPH in jhon hopkins very competitive? cause i was planning to apply for next year.......but if it is very competitve than may be passing this oppurtunity in uni of iowa wouldn't be wise....
i will really appreciate any inputs.
thanks.
Hello,
I cannot speak to the competitiveness of admissions for the Johns Hopkins online program, but wanted to point out that it requires 20% of your coursework to be completed "in person" at a Johns Hopkins campus. They claim that the admissions standards and coursework standards are just as high as the in-person program, but I am not sure that this is 100% true. Also, keep in mind that it will be much more difficult to establish professional contacts in the U.S. if you are enrolled in the online program, since you will not have as many opportunities to meet with professors or do work in the community. This may be a concern if you are hoping to work in the U.S. upon graduation, but not so much if you intend to return to or remain in your home country.
It is true that many "in person" Johns Hopkins students (full-time MPH, PhD, etc.) take some of the same online courses due to scheduling conflicts or personal preferences, and the quality of these courses as compared to some other online courses (e.g. UC Berkeley's) is very high.
The program at the University of Iowa is also good, although it does not have the name recognition of Hopkins. Iowa has some of its strengths in occupational/environmental health, agriculture-related health issues, preventive health care and health care assessment. Although it does not have the name that Hopkins does, it is accredited, so if you are hoping to get a job in the Midwest or pursue some of the topics above, it may be a fine choice. There may be some people on this board who have attended or are attending U of Iowa and can provide more information.
Also consider your setting and circumstances. Iowa is much more affordable than Hopkins, and you will probably complete the program more quickly if that's a priority (among other things, you already have admission and can start this fall). Hopkins would allow you more flexibility in location (as long as you can commit to finishing the required classes in person during summers or other terms) and since it's part time you may be able to work while studying.
Good luck!
