r/mphadmissions

Hello! I'm currently trying to decide between Boston University and the University of Pittsburgh for an MPH in Epidemiology with a MCH Certificate, and I'm honestly stuck.

Academically, I like both programs. The faculty, research opportunities, and overall fit seem strong at both schools, which is making this decision way harder than I expected. At BU, there are way more faculty doing research in my research area of interests, while there are some at BU, but not as much. 

A little context: I'm interested in maternal and child health, epidemiology, and research, and I'm hoping to eventually attend medical school. My goal is to use the MPH to build a strong foundation in epidemiologic methods and population health so that I can integrate public health perspectives into clinical practice. I hope to pursue a career where I can combine patient care, research, and public health initiatives particularly in areas related to maternal and child health and continue conducting research that informs evidence-based interventions and health policy.

Right now, some of the things I'm weighing are:

• Research opportunities and mentorship (I strongly want to go into research, and would love an environment that would be filled with resources and people who are helping me grow)
• Strength of the epidemiology training and the practical transferable public health and research skills I can carry forward throughout my career
• Networking and career opportunities
• Student culture and overall quality of life
• Graduate Outcomes
• Access to hospitals, research institutes, and public health organizations

Boston seems to have an incredible concentration of research institutions and opportunities, but the cost of living is honestly intimidating. Pitt seems more affordable and I've had really positive interactions with faculty and staff there, but I don't know as much about the long-term opportunities compared to Boston.

For anyone who attended either program (or considered both), what ultimately made you choose one over the other? Looking back, would you make the same decision again? Would especially love to hear from MPH students, alumni, or anyone who has worked in public health research after graduating.

Sorry for the long message, I am just hoping this helps get answers with context. Thanks!!!!

I'm from the middle east and have no plans of living in either country long term. I want to attain an MPH though so I can use it for my country. US MPH degrees sound more prestigious, but UK ones are much cheaper. Should I just go for the latter?

Hello. I just recently got admitted into Dartmouth Hybrid MPH with a 25k scholarship. I graduated undergrad from Cal and have decent stats but I am from FL and am considering UF as well. Without any additional help, Dartmouth would be around 55k and UF around 25k. I know people say to go where the money is for sure and that is something I am heavily considering but UF does not have the research that I exactly want. My plan is to apply to as many scholarships as possible and I even asked for reconsideration of my scholarship.

I also think a part of me is feeling imposter syndrome because someone said Dartmouth really isn’t that impressive and it has me thinking (not to discredit anyone!!)

My future goals are medical school and pursuing health policy on a national level and I want to move to a bigger city like Chicago or New York, even for med school.

My heart says Dartmouth but I also want to make a wise choice. Which school should I choose?

I'm thinking MPH in Epi would best align with my interests but I want to make sure I take a lot of quantitative classes and GIS.. Are there advantages to a masters in biostats? And how does that differ from an MPH in biostats?

Due to limits on federal loans for the MBA degree, business schools are heavily discounting the degree:

https://www.reddit.com/r/MBA/comments/1tb6f7k/wsj_there_is_a_fire_sale_on_mbas/

"Many schools, already facing financial challenges, find they have to discount their tuition significantly to fill seats, said Tim Westerbeck, co-chairman of higher-education consulting firm Eduvantis."

I figure there must be supply and demand coming to affect the tuition offered at MPH programs at some point. Maybe business schools are more savvy, or their prospective students are more savvy given the current issues with federal loan limits and the daunting and unwise prospect of taking out private loans.

Isn't graduate school sort of like an airline? Like at some point the plane is going to take off regardless if a seat is filled or not and better to fill it any a lower price the not at all?

I think the good public health schools allow you to talk to faculty, whereas some of the worst ones don't let you talk to faculty and you have to sort of work in teams and get taught by teaching assistants, so a different cost per student per school but similar issue facing all graduate programs I would think.

Hi everyone, I’m really stressed and could use some advice.

I just completed my first semester in the MPH Epidemiology program at NYU, but my scholarships were significantly reduced. I can barely cover the gap for next semester, but after that I still have three semesters left and I honestly don’t know how I’ll afford to continue.

Transferring out doesn’t seem realistic because I don’t have strong letters of recommendation yet. I’ve also looked into loans, but I have bad credit and no cosigner, so that hasn’t worked out either.

I’m starting to panic because I feel like I may have to drop out before finishing my degree. Has anyone been in a similar situation or found alternative funding options, assistantships, emergency aid, part-time work, or anything else that helped? I’d really appreciate any advice.

The above

Graduating this month with a BA in Global Public Health and Psychology. I was accepted to Michigan's MPH in Global Epidemiology with a 75% tuition scholarship and a research award (~16k), which is incredible. But it still leaves about 40k across two years after the 20k/year loan cap, so I am seriously considering deferring. I was recently offered a job as a Clinical Research Coordinator at my R1 university’s Anesthesiology dept, and I am so torn over whether to accept or not.

My reasons for wanting to defer:

• Genuine burnout after a really intense few years. I have been running on empty since 2025! I'd have a few months to recover before starting the program, though.
• The CRC role would give me clinical trials experience in investigational drug and device trials, IRB coordination, Epic, and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) 
• I am about $20k short per year on funding and wanted to close that gap, though of course the funding is sort of a gamble.

 

The problem is that Michigan's scholarship is not guaranteed if I defer. I would be reconsidered for aid so there are no promises. It’s not less likely that I’d receive the scholarship, but rather I would be considered against a new pool. 

From undergrad, I have a year of experience in infectious disease research, work with TB patients in Sub Saharan Africa, and over two years of experience as a health educator + programming assistant for wellness initiatives. 

I’m still figuring out what I want to do professionally, but I would be open to working consulting, hospital based work, or in agencies. A PhD down the line is not out of the question, but I’m not currently considering it. Would the CRC role help or hurt given my career interests?

Has anyone navigated this? Did your funding hold after a gap year? Was the experience worth the financial risk? Should I consider another gap year job? Especially curious from anyone in epi or global health tracks.

I will be attending BU for my MPH in the fall, and I am wondering if anyone can provide insight into how challenging/time consuming the classes are? I am doing the 3 semester accelerated track so I will be taking about 16 credits per semester. Know this can vary a lot by person, but just trying to figure out if I should be looking for work/internships/etc. alongside my studies.

Good morning,

Which school do you thing is better. I want to get into EHS or maybe become an industrial hygienist.

Would it be better to go with USF MPH Health, Safety & Environment or UF MPH Environment Health.

I heard USF public health school is better but this program is online while UF is in-person. Would that matter? As long as I try to put in work experience?

I’m finishing up my undergrad in public health, I’m just wondering if it’s still worth it to do an mph especially with the way things are looking? There’s an mph + mba dual program that I’m considering applying to if mph seems like a reasonable option. Or should I do grad school in something completely different? I’m really not sure which route to go, I would love some advice and new perspectives.

I am currently applying for an MPH at UMN and was previously rejected. However, UMN remains my first choice. How can I improve my SOP and CV?

Hi! Curious about anyone who has an MPH and switched into a provider role later down the line. Debating between MPH or PA school. The MPH programs I have been looking at are mostly in the UK. I was accepted into the 4+1 program as an undergrad at Boston University, but decided not to do it. I currently work in research and have had experience working as a PCT at DaVita. What are career paths people have gone on? Also, does a big name school matter?

Hi everyone I’m applying for the fall 2026 cycle but I’m curious is anybody knowledgeable on these late deadlines for certain schools?

How soon are they getting back to applicants, I’m seeing UAMS with a 07/01 deadline or even OU with an 08/01 deadline. Does anyone know how quick these late deadline schools answer and how that’s even possible?

Hi! I wanted to hear from current students/graduates of the accelerated MPH (HPM) at Columbia MSPH -

How intense is the schedule on a day-to-day basis? Anything you wish you knew before starting that could be helpful for incoming students?

Also, for those pursuing residency Match alongside the MPH:

• Were you able to make time for USCE / research / networking?
• Did the program help with connections or opportunities?
• Was balancing classes + Match season manageable?

Would really appreciate any honest advice or experiences. Thank you!

I’m a US-based 30 year old with 2 bachelors degrees and 7 years of professional experience, 3 years in hands-on patient care and 4 years in project/product management in surgical device development. I currently make $100k in salary and am in a position where I’m looking to break into more senior roles. My company is in the process of drafting a contract for me to transfer to our European headquarters, which is very exciting, but there are a lot of things that I am dissatisfied with when it comes to my company and I have been applying for other healthcare related positions in Europe with no luck. Without a Masters degree, it seems like it will be challenging to get another company to sponsor my visa despite my strong experience in clinical investigation roles.

My long term focus is on roles where I can work as a clinical implementation and policy advocate, either in the private sector for med tech companies or in a public service facing role such as coordination and implementation of medical treatment plans for underserved communities.

I am generally of the mindset that a Masters is not necessary for people who have established career experience, but most of these upper level positions that I am applying for emphasize that they prefer candidates with advanced degrees.

My first question is how much of a boost to my resume it would be to get a Masters in Public Health, and how much more valuable it could be than my existing degrees and work experience alone?

My second question is this — if I do decide to get an MPH (online curriculum so I can continue to work) does it make a difference to get it through a program like Western Governor’s vs. a more reputable school like Hopkins or Brown? I’m having a hard time rationalizing $100k for an advanced degree when I can check the box for a lot less money.

I’d love to hear your experiences related to getting a Masters as a working professional and how, if at all, it impacted your career trajectory. Thanks!

Hi everybody!

I want to get an MPH, and I am very interested in the Europubhealth+ program. I just heard a few days ago that I've been accepted as a self-funded student. Obviously there is the question about whether it's really worth it to spend considerably more than I would at a normal public university on the European mainland. But I've also been wondering in general about the prestige and general quality of the Europubhealth-program. Is it really all that? I guess one obvious upside is the higher potential for networking in an international master's program.

My other option would be a somewhat less glamorous but probably just as fine research master's at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

If anyone has any experience with either one of these programs, and their subsequent career opportunities, I'd be interested to listen!

Thanks!

Hello everyone, I am a pre med student who has finished their bachelor's 2 years ago at this point. I just enrolled in an online Maters of Public Health program and was wondering is there anything I should do to prepare? How different will it be adjusting to graduate level coming from undergrad? I would love to hear some people's experiences about their MPH program.