SM2 vs. MPH

[Epi12345]

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When I first decided to go into public health, I fell in love with the MPH degree as it gives you the chance to learn about all the aspects of public health while still choosing a focus (mine is epi). As I'm not sure if I want to do research or work somewhere with my degree, I think the MPH offers me a huge array of possibilities post-graduation. That being said, I recently got into Harvard's epi SM2 and feel that I need to strongly consider it given the strength of the school and the program. Am I crazy if I don't do the SM2 and instead do the MPH somewhere else? Can you do anything with the SM2 besides research?

 

[micromachines]

I'm on the same boat.

I may be wrong, but I feel that if you wanted to get a job right out of school for a private company or the government, they wouldn't really differentiate between an MS and an MPH because both of them are master's level degrees. Furthermore, since Harvard only offers its MPH to candidates with other advanced degrees, the line between an MS from Harvard and an MPH from another school may be even thinner. I hope employers will realize this.

More insight from someone else who knows a bit more about the SM2 program is appreciated.

 

[ratonlaveur]

You can ofcourse do things other than research w/ the SM2. As far as potential employers go, I doubt they would really differentiate between an MS and MPH. Though the focus of Epi curriculums may differ between schools, employers likely won't know the specific differences w/ specific schools or care. While finishing up my SM2 in Epi @ HSPH in 2011, I sent out my CV to a bunch of places and my 5 interviews were with 2 research groups, a private consultancy, a defense contractor, and a county public health agency. This was with zero prior Epi work experience, and 6 years of mostly basic science research work.

As far as HSPH's Epi program, they are strongly methodology oriented and not so much public health oriented. This will be clear after you take their Intro to Epi course, which is all confusingly explained in proprietary theory. They are one of the few that don't require an internship/practicum. Though if you wanted to, you could ofcourse work w/ your advisor and do your own internship type work during the summer or winter session in a more public health oriented setting. The curriculum is also very flexible, so you can allocate a good portion of your 80 units towards electives in different departments.

 

[epi3271930]

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[Epi12345]

Wow these replies are incredibly helpful! Thank you so much for the info!

Do you think the focus on non traditional epi methods is a problem or is it preparing you for the future of the field?

 

[ratonlaveur]

I don't think it matters as long as you understand traditional basic epi concepts to start with. I think it feels so methodology oriented because the school is more research focused in general and because the Intro to Epi course that everyone takes their first semester is basically an Intro to Causal Inference course. If you are doing the SM2, it really is only 2 of the required courses that focus heavily on these methods - other courses and your research typically utilize traditional epi methods.

 

[Epi12345]

Cool, this is definitely helping me with my decision, thanks again!