Any information about MPH?

[alwaysnew90]

Hi,

I'm in my last year of BSc undergrad and I'm really looking into applying to the Master's programs in public health.

I realized in the last few years that what I really want to do is disease prevention, health promotion, population health... all that public health stuff!

So I was looking at some of the MPH programs but I really don't get much info anywhere so I'm hoping someone can help me:(

Right now I'm looking at:

- MPH in University of Toronto

- MPH in Simon Fraser university

- MsPH in McGill

- MSc santé communautaire in UdeM

- MSc santé communautaire in Laval

- Possibly MSc Epidemio in UOttawa? (I'm not really sure if this will be much of public health stuff)

 

I have no clue what are my chances to get in (what kind of GPA/CGPA do I need to get in?)

Usually the universities websites say around 75% average but is that really the case or in reality is it much higher than that to actually get accepted?

And which university is known to be the best? I'm a resident of Quebec so I do prefer to go to a university in Qc (so much cheaper) but I wouldn't mind going to the "best known" one for Public Health in Canada.

 

I'm wondering if it's possible to do a PhD after doing a MPH if I ever want to do research in health science/population health/community health:confused:

 

Also, can I apply for CIHR scholarships if I go to MPH? Since the programs are course-based (and a "practicum") I'm not too sure if I can apply for CIHR.

 

Thank you for reading!

[Micro_med]

Hi alwaysnew90 !

 

I'm glad to see someone else interested in MPH.

 

I'm also from Québec, last semester of my Bsc and working on my application for MPH.

 

Other programs that you might want to take a look at :

University of British Columbia,

Alberta

Saskatchewan

Guelph and Queens ( not sure about these)

 

Here's a link from a the public health agency of canada ( but I think it's a little outdated) http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/php-psp/master_of_php-eng.php

 

I have decided to apply to Montréal, Mcgill and Toronto. I was on the fence for UBC and Simon Fraser but decided not to apply (I think I wanna stay on the east coast)

 

In Canada, only MOntreal and Simon Fraser are accreditated by CEPH, the organisation that accreditate schools and programs of public health in USA. I think Alberta is going to be accreditate soon and that UBC and Mcgill are looking for it. It's not mandatory to have it, but could be useful if you want to work in the US.

 

Now which school is the best known ?? I don't know... Of course Mcgill and Toronto are well known internationaly, but I heard that Simon Fraser is really good in Public health.

 

Look at the curriculum first to see if your interesting in the program and at the faculty to see if some of their work match your interest.

 

About you chance, Letter of interest and experience are very important in addition of GPA. So you can have a ''low'' GPA and compensate with experiences. However I think that most people at Toronto have at least 3,7/4 for their last 2 years.

 

I'm pretty sure that you can get a Phd after the MPH ( hey you can even have a Phd without a master...) However, if the Phd route is really what you're looking for then a research based Msc in epidemio might be a better option.

 

For CIHR scholarships... no. I think you need a research Msc (not a 100% sure about this)

 

I hope it helps you ! And if you have other questions don't hesitate !

 

PS. Mcgill deadline is Dec 15th... sooner than it seems.

[alwaysnew90]

Thank you so much Catherine for replying so fast!!

I'm especially interested in health promotion and/or disease prevention part of public health. (I'm not too sure about epidemiology)

If I ever do research, it will be on those subjects (I'm interested in Health 2.0 - integrating web 2.0 in health promotion and health education)

Now that I've been looking through some threads and "The GradCafe" I'm not really sure if I'll apply to UofT anymore.

I was going to apply for their MPH program specialized in health promotion but since many people say their cutoff is about 3.7/4?

My university works on the 10 scale and my CGPA will be about 8 at graduationg I think and for my last two years DGPA I'm thinking it will be around 8.5 or so...

I don't really have a work experience in the public health area, I've just started working at the Ottawa Public Health last August :S.

At least I'll have a research experience (for the Honours BSc) in health sciences and two strong ref letters.

But overall I don't think I have very strong experience background.

I think I'll post same question at "The GradCafe" since it looks like they have more MPH interested people.

Do you have any idea what's the average GPA of people who get in McGill MScPH or UdeM Santé communautaire?

 

I'm quite stressed out about the application deadlines approaching so fast:(

[alwaysnew90]

By the way, do I need GRE? I have never heard about this before.

[Micro_med]

I would say don't stop yourself of applying just because of GPA. I don't know how the 10 scale works, but would you say that a 8 is like a B+ ?

 

I think research is experience and even though you just started at the Ottawa Public health, it does show commitment to the field. I don't have a lot of experiences either anyway. I'm doing my Bsc in bio so most of my experience is in a lab.

 

I'm more interested in epidemio so I don't know a lot about health promotion. But for Mcgill I know that their MScPH put a lot of emphasis on epidemio... UdeM seems to leave more latitude for the program.

 

And sorry, I have no idea for the general GPA for Mcgill and UdeM.

[Micro_med]

By the way, do I need GRE? I have never heard about this before.

 

For McGill, UdeM and Toronto, no. For the other schools I will assume no also. I think UBC will require it if you did'nt do a statistic course.

 

If you want to look for school in USA, then yes absolutely.

 

I did the GRE because at first I wanted to go in the US (but was turn off by the price). It's ~200$ and as a french speaker, the verbal part was really not that easy. They changed the format in august so I don't know about the new one.

[Real Beef]

Hey Alwaysnew,

 

An MPH degree is an excellent way to enhance your credentials whether or not you get into medicine. Many PH positions state that a masters degree would be an asset and most managerial positions in PH require a masters or working towards it. So it is good. Also a good minority of MDs have an MPH, allowing you meet qualifications for a Medical Officer of Health without having to do the community medicine residency program. In that case a family med residency + MPH works nicely.

 

I am set to graduate November from my MPH program. Have everything done, just waiting for a degree audit, and the university senate meeting to accept the graduates! I did my MPH program through Lakehead University due to my living in the North, interest in the north, interest in NOSM and wishing to be a practising northern MD.

 

MPH programs are still relatively competitive or so is my understanding as many applicants have competitive GPAs and alot have professional backgrounds (MDs, nurses, chiropractors, etc.). In my class there were all of those professionals represented plus public health inspectors, dietitians (me) and so on. These people are really able to articulate why they wish to take their MPH degree which is often for career progression and/or enhanced skills. Certainly you should still apply but it is still not a walk in the park to get in.

 

I think if you apply to many schools were should get some interest back from at least one of the schools. Good luck. Let us know how you make out.

 

Beef

[keepontrying]

I'll give you my 2 cent as a MPH graduate. If I were you, I would pick a school that offers specialization routes because a general MPH degree won't be too useful as a primary degree - it's only good as a supplementary to a professional degree. There should be a specialization for health promotion/health policy, which is what you are interested in.

 

In terms of competition, RB is right - it is competitive. I believe the chance of admission is around 10%. You will be competing against professionals and even folks who have intern experience with WHO, so your resume needs to be strong. GPA on the other hand is not as important, neither is GRE. A decent score in both (3.5+ GPA and 80ish percentile for GRE) will suffice.

 

For job prospects, like I said before MPH alone isn't that great unless you specialize in epid and become an epidemiologist/fed epi, which is a pretty good career. With a MD, you can become a MHO. With a nursing degree, you can become a nurse epid or public health promoter. Some of the best health promoters that I have worked with are in fact nurses. They KNOW how to deal with the public, whereas docs are less flexible. I'm not sure if a MPH will look that much better for med application, but if you ever have the chance to work on some major public health projects (outbreak surveillance, vaccination evaluation, etc), the experience is priceless and they WILL look nice for med application, especially if you can get a publication out of them.

[Nasket]

There's nothing more exciting than coming across someone that is considering a Master of Public Health.

 

I am in the MPH program at University of Saskatchewan (U of S) and I absolutely love it. In terms of admission, your short experience with Ottawa Public Health will definitely help tremendously.

 

U of S is also allied with CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) in Atlanta, Georgia and WHO in Geneva. 5 students went to each of those centers for their paid summer practicum over the summer. They are also very flexible and supportive in terms of what you want to do with your MPH. You can also do your practicum in several places across the globe (based on your interest).

 

In terms of GPA cutoff, you will be happy to know that U of S focuses more on what you want to do with your MPH and where you see yourself rather than focusing primarily on your undergrad GPA (which most of us have clearly determined that it doesn't represent the type of professional you will be.)

 

You do not require a GRE and the cutoff on their website is 70% in your last 2 years (although, similar to most schools, I would recommend at least a 3.0 average over the last 2 years). If not, make sure your personal statement and reference letters are strong.

 

All the best,

If you have any other questions, feel free to P.M me

[alwaysnew90]

BIG thank you to everyone!

I'm not really planning to apply to med school mainly because I don't think I would make a good doctor (too emotional and very easily stressed lol)

But also what really passionates me is promotion&prevention.

(the reason why I posted this question here is because I thought I might find some people who have experience in public health - and I did!)

I'll take everyone's advice and look more into stuffs (especially U of Saskatchewan, I didn't even think of applying there).

 

If I don't get accepted in MPH next fall, do you think it will be better if I just work full-time in the area of public health or at Health Canada for a year and apply again;

Or I do a MSc health sciences and write a thesis.

What I want to do in the future is mainly working with the population in health promotion, health education and disease prevention (and maybe some kind of research in that field also).

 

Again, thanks for your help! I've been trying to talk to as many profs as I can but none of them really knows about public health sector so your feedback is very helpful to me.

[BIG_HOPES]

I am also planning on applying for MPH for upcoming September. I was wondering which universities (besides UofT) have a good health promotion/disease prevention program?

Also, I heard that your experience is really important even if your GPA is not that high. What kind of experience are they looking for? I have worked as administrative support in clinics for a long time, does that count as public health experience?

I am looking into volunteer positions which can help make my application stronger for the health promotion program. Do you guys have any suggestions?

[BIG_HOPES]

Also of the following two, who should I approach for a LOR:

-a doc who knows you well and would be happy to write a ref letter even though he wants you to attend medical school

- a doc who doesnt know you well but has completed the community medicine MPH program at UofT (and hence knows about what type of people they are looking for)

[keepontrying]

I am also planning on applying for MPH for upcoming September. I was wondering which universities (besides UofT) have a good health promotion/disease prevention program?

Also, I heard that your experience is really important even if your GPA is not that high. What kind of experience are they looking for? I have worked as administrative support in clinics for a long time, does that count as public health experience?

I am looking into volunteer positions which can help make my application stronger for the health promotion program. Do you guys have any suggestions?

 

Experience as in either research or work experience in public health. To get them, you should approach one of the public health professors and ask for opportunities. For example, in BC some students would participate in projects related to drug addictions. I find public health profs to be easier to deal with than the science folks (bio/microb/etc). Admin support in clinics wouldn't really count as public health experience, unfortunately. Remember, you are competing with not just fresh graduates, but professionals with real experience (docs, nurses, social worker, etc). Volunteering would count, but you'll have to do something as a health advocate, preferably as an organizer or some sort of leadership role.

[BIG_HOPES]

Experience as in either research or work experience in public health. To get them, you should approach one of the public health professors and ask for opportunities. For example, in BC some students would participate in projects related to drug addictions. I find public health profs to be easier to deal with than the science folks (bio/microb/etc). Admin support in clinics wouldn't really count as public health experience, unfortunately. Remember, you are competing with not just fresh graduates, but professionals with real experience (docs, nurses, social worker, etc). Volunteering would count, but you'll have to do something as a health advocate, preferably as an organizer or some sort of leadership role.

 

Thanks for the reply. Ye I read the profiles of some MPH students and it seems like a lot of them have experience working in addiction centers. I have worked at an autistic center where I had to promote exercise (I guess that would be more relevant for this program). I was thinking about shadowing a public health professional but most of the ones I came across are doing work in epidemiology. I have all the other requirements for this program but I need to do more public health related work to make my application stronger. I will look into addiction clinics and see if I can find volunteering opportunities.

[keepontrying]

Thanks for the reply. Ye I read the profiles of some MPH students and it seems like a lot of them have experience working in addiction centers. I have worked at an autistic center where I had to promote exercise (I guess that would be more relevant for this program). I was thinking about shadowing a public health professional but most of the ones I came across are doing work in epidemiology. I have all the other requirements for this program but I need to do more public health related work to make my application stronger. I will look into addiction clinics and see if I can find volunteering opportunities.

 

Yeah epidemiology is a huge part in public health, but so is qualitative research, so you can certainly find opportunities in like aboriginal health, addiction, STI awareness, etc that do not require epi work.

[Apixaban85]

Anyone happen to know how many students the MPH program at UofT takes in annually?

[Northern Researcher]

It depends on the stream (and you need to apply to a specific stream). Epidemiology takes about 30-35 people a year. About 10% of applicants get in each cycle.

[BIG_HOPES]

which one has better job prospects? epi or health promotion?

[Real Beef]

My opinion is that if you have a professional degree (nursing, dietetics, etc) have a health promotion MPH would be excellent for job prospects as it will enable you to get higher level jobs, and after some supervisory experience you will be qualified to go after middle management. Taking a MPH degree without a professional degree makes you qualified for Health Promoter jobs which require graduate level training in PH. I dont think they pay stellar (~50k-60k) compared to the same level of training with professional backgroud plus MPH (70-80k).

 

However without a professional background probably the epi degree would be best as than you can apply for epi jobs which seem to pay better/above health promotion jobs.

 

Not sure if you are in Ontario or not but the OHPE job board gives a good idea of salary ranges and employment opportunities. A lot of jobs actually have salary ranges so puruse through them even the expired listings just to get a sense of pay and qualifications required.

 

http://www.ohpe.ca/taxonomy/term/30

 

pay special attention to the Health promoter jobs (MPH, no professional background), Public health nurse/public health nutritionists (public health dietitians are not masters prepared while public health nutritionists are), Program managers of health units, and epidemiologists. Its an interesting view.

 

Beef

[Real Beef]

Hmm the OHPE job board is a little light on the jobs however with the 2 year salary freeze on provincial employees (me being one of them .. argh) I suspect that hiring has also been slowed/halted in most cases. The freeze is lifted in April 2012 so Im looking for a nice fat raise and hopefully a return to some more voracious hiring.

 

Beef

[BIG_HOPES]

Hmm the OHPE job board is a little light on the jobs however with the 2 year salary freeze on provincial employees (me being one of them .. argh) I suspect that hiring has also been slowed/halted in most cases. The freeze is lifted in April 2012 so Im looking for a nice fat raise and hopefully a return to some more voracious hiring.

 

Beef

 

Thanks Real Beef. I do not have a professional degree so I think epidemiology might be better in terms of jobs/salary. Health promotion sounded more interesting to me though. I heard epidemiologists spend a long time in front of a computer; I don't think I will enjoy that since I am a people-person. I am confused about whether I should go for something I am interested in or something that has better jobs. hmmm it sucks that you can only apply to one of these at uoft

[hope89]

I'm in the exact same boat! The health promotion specialization is more interesting to me. I have a lot of research in cancer over the past 3 years, some travelling to help in medical clinics, but i'm not sure if my research is more suitable for health promotion or epidemiology. What do you guys think? Thanks

 

 

 

Thanks Real Beef. I do not have a professional degree so I think epidemiology might be better in terms of jobs/salary. Health promotion sounded more interesting to me though. I heard epidemiologists spend a long time in front of a computer; I don't think I will enjoy that since I am a people-person. I am confused about whether I should go for something I am interested in or something that has better jobs. hmmm it sucks that you can only apply to one of these at uoft

[Real Beef]

I am resurrecting this thread as this job posting might be of interest for those considering Epidemiology as a back up plan as this has a salary scale on it.

 

http://www.ohpe.ca/node/12862

[Crane]

I am resurrecting this thread as this job posting might be of interest for those considering Epidemiology as a back up plan as this has a salary scale on it.

 

http://www.ohpe.ca/node/12862

 

I'm thinking of applying to the schools in Ontario. Do you know what the admissions prospects like for Epi programs for someone without prior research experience?

[Real Beef]

I'm thinking of applying to the schools in Ontario. Do you know what the admissions prospects like for Epi programs for someone without prior research experience?

 

Sorry I dont know. I finished an MPH degree (Health Studies stream) not an Epi degree.

 

For my MPH degree I had no trouble getting in with an undergrad GPA 3.7, extracurriculars and 1 year of work as a health professional at the time of application, no research experience at the time.

 

Although I am unsure I do feel that perhaps admissions to an Epidemiology stream/degree might be more competitive than an MPH. That is just a sense I get though no stats to back it up.

 

Good luck.

 

Beef