Question for MPHers...

[DannyWSP]

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There has been a lot of talk about the MPH and the different benefits and drawbacks of attaining this degree. My question is, do you need applicable work experience to gain admissions to one of these programs? If so, what constitutes applicable experience? Do any students with a 'pre-med' undergraduate major go straight into an MPH?

I am 23 (B.S. in business) and getting ready to start a post-bacc. program but have no professional work experience in healthcare or a related field. Obviously my primary goal is MD, but would an MPH be an option after the post-bacc. and glide year?

 

[lola]

many of the top mph programs require or strongly suggest work experience. i don't know much about mph programs that aren't accredited. it seems like they would be less likely to require it, but i'm not sure. i only had 1 year of work experience and got into a program that was mainly for people with work experience, so it's definitely doable. whether or not there is much value to getting an mph when you don't have work experience is another question. i would have found my classes more relevant if i had some sort of context for things.

some programs are geared toward younger people. you can usually get some sort of an idea from reading admissions criteria at different schools.

 

[DannyWSP]

Thanks lola! I appreciate the insight.

I would be working through the glide year so I would most likely have one year of experience. What was your profession for the 1 year before getting the MPH?

 

[lola]

i worked as an epidemiology intern at a local public health department. part of my job entailed making a health status report for the county and a region of the county. the rest of my job involved working on projects for a public health program at the health dept.

 

[Redbeanmochi]

Hi,

I'm a MS student at the Hopkins School of Public Health and I can give you a bit of insight on MPH since I was looking at both MPH and MS.

MPH programs at most of the top public health schools will require field experience of 2+ years; some schools requiring work experience are Hopkins, Columbia, and Harvard. BU has a one year MPH program and does not require work experience. You also don't need work experience to get into Yale's 2 year MPH program.

Many med students will take a year off after their 2nd year to do the MPH.

People say MS is more academically geared, while MPH is more professionally geared; I don't see much of a difference. My MPH friends and I have a lot of overlap in terms of coursework. My MS program also requires a field placement.

All in all, MPH or MS (in public health discipline) really doesn't matter; I spoke to my department head about this prior to enrolling at Hopkins. So, in my opinion, it's better to get an MS from a top public health school than an MPH from a public health school that is not as strong.

Hope this helps.

 

[conure]

I did an MPH at age 24 after having worked for about 2 years in different clinical health care positions. I attended BU and they have a focus on younger students who may or may not have work experience.

I really enjoyed the wide range of topics that public health encompasses. You constantly are learning about something new and different, from health law to epidemiology.

After graduating I worked at a local health department for 4 years. I worked with incredibly motivated people and directly with citizens in the community. As a result I think that my experience with public health will make me a better clinician. Basic public health practices are integral to medicine.

Many programs, like harvard, are designed for individuals who either already have an MD or are pursuing one. So make sure you find that out.

 

[Adcadet]

I was accepted to a "top 10" school of public health (in epi)without ever having direct public health experience. But I did have a lot of research and strong ECs which pushed me towards epi.

 

[one love]

Unless you feel you need an MPH to boost your med school application, you should seriously consider doing a joint degree program when you enter medical school instead of doing the MPH first. Many medical schools offer this and it would allow you to get started on your MD much sooner. It would also save you an academic year since it only takes one year to get an MPH in a joint degree program. With some schools, like Columbia's school of public health, if you're not in an MD program you have to take more time to get your MPH. Not to mention you'll need the job experience before even applying...