r/mphadmissions

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.

Hey everyone,
I recently got accepted into two MPH programs (one of them is McMaster), and I’m honestly really torn about what to do.
I did my undergrad in public health, and I used to feel super excited about this field, especially during the pandemic when there seemed to be so many meaningful opportunities. But now… the outlook feels kind of bleak? A lot of the jobs I’m seeing either want an RN background or some kind of regulated healthcare credential, which I don’t have.
Now I’m questioning if doing an MPH is even the right move anymore, or if I’m setting myself up for a tough job market.
Is anyone else feeling this way? Or if you’re already in public health / doing an MPH, what has your experience been like lately? Would really appreciate any honest insights.
Thanks in advance

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?

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.

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!

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.

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 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!

I'm having a hard time choosing between doing my MPH at McGill or McMaster. If anyone has any insight into which program is better, has better job outlook, etc. that would be super helpful. Thanks!

Hello everyone! With application season coming up I just had a couple questions about applying through SOPHAS

1: when will the cycle begin for the 2026/2027 cycle? I can’t seem to find a definitive date. I’m trying to start grad school Spring 2027.

2: do you need to communicative with the school for your application? Or do you just need to fill out the application and SOPHAS will send everything and communicate with the school?

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.

I started my MPH this past fall in a new state. moved here alone and it’s not in a part of the country I see myself holding a career. my goal after my mph is to move back to the region I came from! (didn’t realize that until l moved away) I have the opportunity to transfer to another school (where I got my undergrad) it’s an in-person more traditional co-hort style program that seems to better meet my needs. also, I’ve been having mental health struggles since moving which I’ve had before, but it makes it tough to look another year in the eye here. my credits would transfer and I’d just have to do my practicum next summer but would still walk in the spring. the major hold up is that I currently have a full time job at my current university in the public health field, so I’ve been able to get more hands on experience. money is not an issue either as I’ll only be paying in-state if I transfer for the last three semesters. If I stay at my current program they will pay for a majority of it due to employe tuition assistance. The reason I moved away from my state/alma mater is because I desired experience living in a new part of the US and diversifying my network. It felt like a moment for great growth, but now I feel like I’m crumbling and scared I’ll never be able to go back to live closer to friends and family if I don’t transfer. I have decision paralysis because I love my job and supervisor (and being able to make full time salary while my MPH is paid for) but am overall not happy with the region I live in. Help please!