Schools and A Master of Public Health

Do you not know what programs are available for those who want to earn a public health graduate degree? A number of different programs can be considered by individuals who want to take up a public health masters programs. Below are the similarities and differences of master of public health versus MS in public health.

For people who are interested in learning about the basic concepts in public health, they should consider engaging in a Master of Public Health. In general, graduates from MPH programs can choose an area of concentration in one of the areas of public health, which is the focus of the coursework. Aside from epidemiology, professionals in this industry can also be tasked to deal with concerns pertaining to health policy and administration.

In public health, accomplishing an MPH program will require students to take up various courses in all major areas. Here is where students are required to complete internships or prepare a final thesis before the program can be completed. The Master of Public Health is often directly conferred by the Graduate School of Public Health at that school/university.

Even if your undergraduate discipline is not related to public health, you can enroll in this master's course. Many students directly come from undergraduate studies. For some schools, a doctorate degree is required before you get considered for an MPH degree.

When it comes to MPH acceptance rates, these actually vary from school to school. Some schools have an acceptance rate of eighty percent. You need a 3.0 GPA to qualify for this kind of masteral program but you have to maintain at least a 50th-percentile on every GRE section.

If you will be studying as a full time student, you can complete a Master of Public Health degree in two years. If you are a working professional armed with a PhD, you can engage in an accelerated program that lasts for 12 months. If you will be pursuing further education, financial assistance might not be readily available.

The Master of Science (MS, MSc, ScM, MSPH) is an academic research degree intended for those who want to obtain qualitative and quantitative skills to become expert researchers. A particular focus can be chosen at first but students can delve into things outside of their specialization. If you engage in a Master of Science in Public Health, you will be able to participate in academic research and still learn through PH courses.

When it comes to public health, if you want to pursue a career path in this field, do not pursue the Master of Science. It is because this profession requires the interdisciplinary education that only MPH can provide. What you have here may require a defense from each student before graduation.

If you will be engaging in an MS program, it will be best if you also considered taking academic doctoral programs such as PhD or ScD as the coursework will be similar. Usual programs take two years for coursework and dissertation/thesis. The MS is often conferred by the School of Art and Sciences or any applicable name at universities rather than School of Public Health and hence, the admission requirement will vary than a MPH applicant.

When you compare Master of Public Health programs with MS programs, the latter is much more competitive not to mention hard to get into especially because of the requirements for course completion. Even if this is so, variations in admission rates exist. MS students will occasionally receive financial aid or funding for their degree under a faculty member’s project grant or training grant, although is not common.