basic requirements??

[blindluck]

i've looked at a few websites and can't seem to find any sort of general requirements required for MPH programs. are the pre-reqs same as the pre-med ones? any info would be appreciated!

thanks!

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[Heal&Teach]

Hi blindluck,

You'll probably be pretty hard pressed to find basic requirements for public health programs (in general) just lying around. You'll need to check with each school to identify their individual requirements for a specified discipline (e.g., epidemiology, health policy/management, biostatistics, health education/behavior, etc.). For example, in most MHSA programs, you probably won't need any prior coursework in business, but you will need some science courses in order to get into an epidemiology program. You can find general information on stats in some of the other threads that have come up this week.

Best,
H&T

 

[blindluck]

thanks h&t.

i've been through a few schools' websites and i can't really seem to come up with any definative classes. there doesn't seem to be any specific course requirements as far as i can find. i guess i'll just stick to my biochem major-required classes, hopefully that'll be enough to land me a spot somewhere!

 

[AspiringDoctor9]

Hihi guys!

I've been looking through some websites as well - but most of them don't have any steadfast requirements. However, some of them recommend strong quantitative skills (calculus and statistics), especially if you want to go into a heavily math-related area (like biostatistics). Some others said that they would like some basic science, especially for tracks suck as epidemiology (like UCLA requires 2 courses in biology, and one in either physics or chemistry, if I remember correctly). If you're interested in Health Policy and/or Management, apparently statistics and/or accounting is supposed to be helpful.

Remember too that some programs require previous work and/or volunteer experience in a public health related area. Some programs require between 2-5 years, although most do not. Some also (like Harvard) won't take you unless you have a terminal degree already (MD, DDS, JD, etc).

Does this help any?

 

[blindluck]

yes! that definately helps.

i was thinking of epidemiology, so i think i'm covered w/ the sciences, but i might just take a stat course just in case. i was aware that some schools requried the work in the health field...so i dont think i'll apply to those schools, but i don't think its many, is it? i know jhu also requires work experience, do you know of any other schools that require it?

im really aiming for RSPH (emory), and i dont think they require any work...but i can't find anything on their website mentioning it, so hopefully i'm safe. do u know anything about admissions into RSPH?

 

[Nakhrewali]

I really wanted to do something along the lines of Health Promotion/Health Education and it was to my disadvantage that I was applying straight outta college. They like people who have graduated and have had some experience in the field. I had some solid experience at CAL which helped a lot. The requirements aren't so bad. I blindly applied to 12 schools unaware of what the application process is like and I got into most of them. Lemme know if you need an advice!

 

[AspiringDoctor9]

I really wanted to do something along the lines of Health Promotion/Health Education and it was to my disadvantage that I was applying straight outta college. They like people who have graduated and have had some experience in the field. I had some solid experience at CAL which helped a lot. The requirements aren't so bad. I blindly applied to 12 schools unaware of what the application process is like and I got into most of them. Lemme know if you need an advice!

Hihi!

I was wondering which schools you applied to? And did you think any were especially difficult or easy to get into?

 

[Nakhrewali]

I got into UCLA, UMICH, GWU, Boston University, U Illinois, San Diego State, Tufts, UPitt, Columbia.

Rejected from CAL (my alma mater..haha), Yale (after being waitlisted)

Waitlisted at UNC Chapel Hill

I narrowed it down to UCLA, UMich and Columbia and money was probably the biggest issue with the exception of UCLA which I really just didn't wanna go to after all was said and done. I had taken the MCATs already and I mailed them those scores along with my GRE scores (which I randomly took during my finals and did NOT take seriously but did pretty well on). My GPA wasn't stellar but definitely high enough to get in. Anything else I can help ya with?

 

[AspiringDoctor9]

I got into UCLA, UMICH, GWU, Boston University, U Illinois, San Diego State, Tufts, UPitt, Columbia.

Rejected from CAL (my alma mater..haha), Yale (after being waitlisted)

Waitlisted at UNC Chapel Hill

I narrowed it down to UCLA, UMich and Columbia and money was probably the biggest issue with the exception of UCLA which I really just didn't wanna go to after all was said and done. I had taken the MCATs already and I mailed them those scores along with my GRE scores (which I randomly took during my finals and did NOT take seriously but did pretty well on). My GPA wasn't stellar but definitely high enough to get in. Anything else I can help ya with?

I was wondering, you said your GPA wasn't stellar... sorry if I'm being paranoid... I was wondering, if I had a 3.6-3.7 GPA, do you think I could get into some of the ivy league schools, or maybe even UMich or Amherst? Do you know what kinda GRE I'd need? I'm kinda looking to go to the East Coast for schooling. Cal and UCLA are nice, but I spent undergrad in California, and am kinda looking to head elsewhere.

 

[blindluck]

by "solid experience" what do you mean?

would lab work count for anything?

also, do most people entering mph programs have undergrad degrees in non-science fields? thats what it sounds like, but i'm unclear. i'm a biochemistry major, will this help/hurt my chances, any comments?

 

[Heal&Teach]

To Blindluck and AspiringDoc,

Depending on the schools that you'll apply to, you most likely won't need any experience at all. The only schools that require more experience include Columbia, JHU, and Harvard (off the top of my head), but you can get into Columbia or JHU with some experience (like research) and strong GREs (meaning above 600s, probably closer to the 650-700 mark, in each section). For the most part, many public health programs are student friendly and have many people that are fresh from the undergraduate boat.

I went to Michigan right after college with a sociology/biology double major (added bio my last semester b/c I only had one class to take to fulfill the requirements), and there are plenty of people (esp in the behavioral sciences/health education) without science degrees. Biochem will not hurt you at all for epidemiology, toxicology, environmental health/industrial hygiene, or biostats (esp. if you've got a good deal of math background), even if you wanted to do something related to health education (I had a friend in my department that did a Chem major).

GPAs for public health programs can range from 3.0 to 4.0, meaning that there is no single GPA that will definitely get you into a specific public health program. I'd assume that a higher GPA and GRE scores would help at a so-called "top notch" program, but I'd think that anything around a 3.3-3.4 would be more than sufficient. I mentioned in another thread that I know people with different combinations that have gotten in - high GPA/lower GRE (meaning below 600, which is not bad) or lower GPA/higher GRE (closer to 700), and some in the middle of both categories. It all depends on the person. Of course, any experience that you can bring to the table is always helpful, but don't feel that you have to have public health experience to get into a public health school. Not many people are lucky to have an undergraduate course or major in public health are their schools, so it make sense that most schools wouldn't expect that you would be completely familiar or experienced in the field. I think that a showing of your genuine interest in the public health field will be very helpful in determining whether you gain admission (i.e., have you at least pursued avenues that show some sort of interested in public health, or researched it to the extent that you show knowledge of pertinent public health issues in your personal statement?).

I guess the inability to find adequate resources on average scores at public health programs, etc., mainly illustrates what I said above - that there is a broad range and each program tends to look at you as an individual - with your motivations for wanting to obtain a Masters degree in Public Health being one of many important determinants of whether or not you get in.

Best,
H&T

 

[blindluck]

thank h&t!

just curious, do u know what a "competitive" mcat score might be for mph programs? or is gre preferred (i.e. should i start studying for the gre)?

i have only taken mcat because it gave me the option of med school if i ever wanted it (well in the next 3 years that is).

 

[Heal&Teach]

Hmm... that's an interesting question. I don't know many people who have used their MCAT scores for grad school. Since it's not med school, I'd assume that "competitive" does not mean the same thing for grad school. I mean, I wouldn't jump off a bridge if I got less than a 40 and wanted to go to grad school. I don't think it's that deep. I guess that the best thing to do is ask the grad schools? Honestly, I really don't think that you need to sweat it.

 

[aingeal]

I really wanted to do something along the lines of Health Promotion/Health Education and it was to my disadvantage that I was applying straight outta college. They like people who have graduated and have had some experience in the field. I had some solid experience at CAL which helped a lot. The requirements aren't so bad. I blindly applied to 12 schools unaware of what the application process is like and I got into most of them. Lemme know if you need an advice!

do you recommend then applying as a regular applicant and then trying to get into the program during your first or second year?

I'm not sure if this is the path I want but I have some work/class/volunteer experience.

what exactly are they looking for?

thanks

i'm talking md/mph combined program

 

[Nakhrewali]

I'm not really too familiar with the MD/MPH programs because I'm applying to med school next year while I'm getting my MPH. I did it this way because I am fairly certain that I wouldn't have gotten too thorough of a background in PH through the combined program. I am all about the public health perspective and thought it'd help me out a lot prior to med school.

I had taken the MCATs already prior to taking the GRE. I took the GREs because CAL and UCLA required them. You should check with the individual schools as to whether they accept MCATs. I just emailed a bunch at once. Hope that helped!

 

[aingeal]

yep, thanks.
i've looked around the other posts in this area after this morning and found more info, too.