University of Alabama vs. Johns Hopkins University: Royal Rumble

I'm starting to explore programs that will complement my current degrees and I'm looking at two programs (although I'm open to suggestions) from the University of Alabama and Johns Hopkins.

Here are the facts thus far:

University of Alabama Grad Cert in Environmental Health & Safety Management

Graduate Certificate in Environmental Health and Safety Management (Online) | Home

Tuition Rates:
Distance Learner* Student Tuition Rates

Undergraduate Rate: $312 per credit-hour
Graduate Rate: $330 per credit-hour

Total cost of program: $4950

The certificate in EH&SM requires a minimum of 15 hours. All classes are offered online.The criteria for admission to the Graduate Certificate program in EH&SM also applies for the Human Environmental Sciences General Studies program. This means that all 15 hours will be accepted if the student decides to pursue the full master's degree. Students will then only need to complete an additional 15 hours of course work for the master's degree in HES General Studies. See the information below for coursework information.

Required Courses for Certificate (15 hours)

Course Title
HES 512 Introduction to EHSM
HES 513 Occupational Health and Safety Law
HES 514 EHSM Regulations & Regulatory Compliance
HES 537* Developing the Leader Within
HES 525** Conflict Resolution

Master of Science in Human Environmental Sciences, General Studies

Students may apply all 15 hours of coursework from the graduate certificate in Environmental Health & Safety Management toward the Master of Science degree in Human Environmental Sciences, General Studies. The course of study may be completed by choosing an additional 9 hours of coursework in the area of Environmental Health & Safety (listed below) in addition to 6 hours of research coursework.

Courses for Degree in HES General Studies

Course Title
HES 515 EHSM Planning and Evaluation
HES 517 EHSM Epidemiology
HES 518 Environmental Law
HES 516 EHSM Organizational Communication
HES 667 Organization and Implementation of Health Education and Health

Promotional Programs
HES 530 Health Promotions Techniques
HES 509 Research Methods
HES 5XX Practicum/Capstone Experience


Johns Hopkins University Grad Cert in Environmental and Occupational Health

Certificate in Environmental & Occupational Health

Tuition Rates:

-Part-Time MPH (1) $923
-Part-Time Master's (1) $923

Total Cost: 18 units * $923 = $16,614 (ouch)

Educational Objectives:
The certificate program educates and trains students to identify major environmental health issues facing public health professionals today. Courses explore the sources of environmental agents, their distribution in community and work environments, transfer routes to humans and possible health effects; the basic biological mechanisms underlying the association between prior exposure and subsequent development of adverse health effects; and control strategies and interventions.

Intended Audience:
The program is intended for public health professionals currently practicing in environmental/occupational health or other areas of public health who seek formal training, current degree candidates in the School outside of EHS, and non-degree candidates who wish to begin formal training in environmental health. A selection of online courses is available for students who wish to pursue the certificate via the Internet.

Requirements for Successful Completion:

• A total of 18 units must be successfully completed based on the course curriculum

Core Courses:

Environmental Health

Principles of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

Public Health Toxicology

Fundamentals of Occupational Health

Principles of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene or I'm thinking about Introduction to Environmental and Occupational Health Law or Occupational Safety and Health Management

So as you can see, they are quite similar, but the Alabama degree focuses more on management (as it's also in the title). The obvious noticeable difference is total cost. Bama costs $4,950, while Johns Hopkins costs $16,614. While Bama wins this round, Johns Hopkins comes back with a right hook next round.

Johns Hopkins is just about the world leader in the field of Public Health, and there really is no contest there. Bama is a great school, but Johns Hopkins wins this round handily.

Name recognition is a close one. Bama is well known for obvious sports reasons (SEC dominance), but Johns Hopkins is again well known for its academics.

So here's what I have so far. I really like that the Bama program not only has a management component to it, but also allows students to continue and finish up an M.S. in Human Environmental Sciences, and Johns Hopkins does not have a similar setup unfortunately. The cost is also very appealing and I could easily out of pocket the entire cert. However, Johns Hopkins is such a heavy hitting name in Public Health that I wonder if looking at it on a resume would make a huge difference. Both would serve me about the same so that's not part of this debate.

So what do you guys/gals think?

P.S. One last thing. While I'm studying for the Certified Safety Professional credential, I'm also looking for which one would be a bigger help. I think Johns Hopkins would win that argument, but I'm also studying independently as well for the exam.

 

It may not be possible to complete the JHU program entirely online. You may have to take at least some classes in Baltimore, which could add substantially to the cost.

I would also check on JHU's admissions selectivity:

So admissions are only open if you happen to already be enrolled at JHU. If not, you need to apply for SSR status. Are the SSR admissions standards comparable to JHU's regular enrollment standards ? If so, there may be a significant rejection rate.

 

I've spoken with an advisor at JHU and the cert can be completed fully online. The website is kind of confusing with the language, but I made sure by actually contacting an advisor in the Public Health school. The masters degree that goes with the cert is not online at all, which is why Alabama's program is better in that regard. If I wanted to just finish up Bama's masters degree in Human Environmental Sciences, it can done completely online.

I've also spoken with an advisor at length about this because JHU is a very selective school. While she couldn't obviously tell me with 100% certainty that I would be accepted, my background along with my high graduate level (Penn State) GPA means that I would be given high consideration. I've almost killed myself these last two years to make sure I received a high GPA for reasons like this. Thanks for the advice so far!

 

Another consideration, although minor: "Does Johns Hopkins have a football team?"

 

Yes -- at the NCAA Division III level.

On the other hand, Johns Hopkins is a bigger name in college lacrosse than Alabama is in college football. JHU plays lacrosse at the Division I level, and has been invited to every NCAA Division I championship tournament since 1972. The Homecoming game is lacrosse.

 

Check the University of West Florida for a similar program under Public Health. Only 9-12 hours! UWF - Online Campus - Certificates
They appear to be offering the out of state tuition waiver for the certificates too:
UWF - Online Campus - Tuition Waiver Availability

Of the two you mentioned it would be tough to say no to JH...some pretty serious clout in the health care field. (Not to demean Alabama in any way).

 

It is most definitely one of the many considerations. Name recognition is a big part of getting your resume recognized, and having a highly ranked sports team is a plus. So while Bama is known for football, and JHU is known for Lacrosse, JHU edges Bama out because in the field of Public Health, JHU stands somewhat alone. What's really making this difficult is that Bama is a lot cheaper and still a great school academically, and you can finish with an M.S. in Human Environmental Sciences if you want. JHU is very expensive too, but you most definitely pay for the name and prestige (much like I'm doing with PSU, another highly ranked school in academics).

I'll check this out thanks! I'm not opposed to a lesser known school if the price is right and the curriculum fits. Both Bama and JHU look like great programs and I'm very interested in many of the course offerings. Like you said, JHU is the king of Public Health schools, which is making this decision tough. Thanks for responding guys.

 

The MPH program at UWF is CEPH accredited. The Certificates referenced are part of the MPH program. I still think the JHU program would be "the bomb" but for the price I thought the UWF programs deserved a mention...the admissions team is great as well!

 

9 hours is very reasonable, and the tuition for the entire program would be a whopping $2,700 with the waiver. :laughing:

This is an interesting future outlook:

Public Health
JOBS, JOBS AND MORE JOBS…Ever thought about being a “disease detective”? This is one of the options open to you in the field of public health. The prime directives in public health are to protect and improve the public’s health, to increase access to health services and prevent health disparities, and to determine the causes and distribution of disease and to use that knowledge to prevent future outbreaks of disease.
Officials with the American Public Health Association say that 50 percent of the federal public health work force and 25 percent of the state public health work force will retire in the next five years. That’s a lot of job openings, and our Certificate Programs in Public Health are a great place for you to start! Begin now to position yourself to enter a field that offers incredible opportunities for employment and advancement. You can complete the certificate programs to learn more about these fields, for promotional opportunities in your current job, or to retool for a new career path on your way to earning a Master of Public Health (the professional degree in Public Health). For the UWF MPH program, you can take up to 4 courses, including those in the Certificate Programs, while you are in the process of completing your application for admission. Specializations within the Certificate Programs in Public Health include Emergency Management (Look at Certificate Plan), Environmental Health (Look at Certificate Plan), Infection Control (Look at Certificate Plan), and Occupational Safety and Health (Look at Certificate Plan). An additional specialization in Readiness and Response is available at the undergraduate level. Go to web site for more information.



All three of these programs look pretty good:

Public Health/Environmental Health (CEH) Certificate


Department: Biology
Veterans Affairs (VA) Certified? Yes
Method of Instruction: Online
Semester Hours: 12
This certificate is designed to prepare those working in public health, health care, and environmental sectors to deal with the plethora of environmental issues that impact human health.
PHC 6005Disease Transmission in the Urban Environment3PHC 6251Disease Surveillance and Monitoring3PHC 6309Environmental Health in the Urban Community3PHC 6310Environmental Toxicology3Total Hours12

Public Health/Infection Control (CIC) Certificate

Department: Biology
Veterans Affairs (VA) Certified? Yes
Method of Instruction: Online
Semester Hours: 12

This certificate is designed primarily for health care workers concerned with infectious disease transmission in the nosocomial environment.
Choose four of the following:12BSC 5856
Bioterrorism HSC 6528
Strategies for Prevention of Infectious Disease MCB 5273
Epidemiology of Infectious Disease PHC 6251
Disease Surveillance and Monitoring PHC 6314
Design of Infection Control Programs PHC 6562
Microbiology in Health Care Total Hours12

Public Health/Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Certificate

Department: Biology
Veterans Affairs (VA) Certified? No
Semester Hours: 9

This certificate is designed to meet the needs of public health practitioners who have collateral responsibility for worker safety and health as well as those assigned primary responsibility. The student will gain a broad based foundation in occupational safety and health that enhances recognition, evaluation and control of workplace hazards. Management tools and skills are identified and explored that can be implemented in the public practice health practitioner’s work environment to bring about improvements in worker safety and health.
PHC 5351Occupational Safety and Health in the Health Care Environment3PHC 5355Fundamentals of Occupational Safety and Health3PHC 5356Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene

 

as an aside. In Alabama, the University of Alabama is not known for its health and medical fields. A sister school, the University of Alabama Birmingham (separately accredited and distinct from UA), is a prominent medical school in the state and has significant research capabilities (ranked 31st nationally I believe). It does not have the DL program you seek.

I could argue that UA has a much better name recognition overall due to national exposure, but if your intent is to look for name recognition in the health and medical fields then JHU hands down.

I would think that those folks reviewing your resume would know the caliber of the programs and weight them accordingly.

 

I would do the UWF Emergency Management Cert. in a flash if I could figure out how to pay for it concurrent with my other studies! My plan is to complete the WNMU MAIS then pic up one of these certs...of course the plan is subject to change.

 

Thanks kevin, I was unaware of that. Bama's reputation is fine, it's just not as straong as Birmingham though right? Just wanting to make sure before get deeper into looking at them. I think we all agree that JHU is probably the better choice on the resume (at least in this field), but I'm wondering if the ROI would be that much more than Bama since I already have PSU on there as a big name. JHU is so expensive, but I wouldn't mind paying more if there would be that much of a difference. If it was a full masters, I would probably say JHU would be my only choice, but since it's a grad cert, I'm not sure.

Their prices are tough to beat, but if you want better name recognition, consider Penn State (of course I'm biased). They have several options for grad certs in this field. Great professors too and I can't say enough good things about their entire program setup.

http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/degrees-and-certificates/agricultural-biosecurity-certificate/overview

http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/degrees-and-certificates/public-health-preparedness-certificate/overview

http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/degrees-and-certificates/homeland-security-defense-certificate/overview

http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/degrees-and-certificates/geospatial-intelligence-certificate/overview

 

[/quote]Their prices are tough to beat, but if you want better name recognition, consider Penn State (of course I'm biased). They have several options for grad certs in this field. Great professors too and I can't say enough good things about their entire program setup.

Penn State | Online Graduate Certificate in Agricultural Biosecurityand Food Defense | Overview

Penn State | Online Graduate Certificate in Public Health Preparedness: Bioterrorism and Disaster | Overview

Penn State | Online Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security and Defense | Overview

Penn State | Online Graduate Certificate in Geospatial Intelligence | Overview[/QUOTE]

Great looking courses, and I would love to add PSU to the resume...but there just isn't any way right now with that kind of cost.

Your thread here did inspire me to go chat with Human Resources. Looks like they will fund at least a part of my tuition for the UWF EM Cert....thanks for reminding me!

Mike

 

My humble opinion: role tide role All kidding aside, where do you currently work? Private or public sector? I know that in the public sector name recognition is normally not a big factor, but that's just my 2 cents.

 

UA is well above UAB except for the health field. Personally, I don't think the ROI for a cert warrants the JHU name unless you happen to live in an area where JHU carries enough of a difference to make or break a hire decision.

I wouldn't hesitate (I'm biased though, my daughter is in the Honors College at Bama) to do a cert at Bama if it fit my needs.

Best of luck with your decision...

 

Also, what region do you live in? Are you changing jobs/careers?

While UAB may be be known as a better in option in Alabama I'm not so sure that holds outside the state. I'm from Georgia and have lived in South Carolina for a while. The first time I heard of UAB was because it's where Roddy White (Falcons wide receiver) went to school. This was my frist time hearing that UAB's medical programs are regarded as higher than the University of Alabama. Granted I don't work in the public health sector. For the record, I'm not saying UAB isn't a good school.

Well JHU is JHU. Without question it beats every school that has been mentioned in prestige when it comes to the public health arena. I'm assuming that you aren't changing a careers since you stated you are trying to compliment the degrees you have. If that's true and you have a few years in the field. I would have to vote for the University of Alabama.

 

The University of Alabama does not have a medical school. It does have a fine law school. The University of Alabama system (UA, UAB, UAH) have different focuses with UAB focusing on medical. Hence the reason for UAB rated higher in this area. Overall, UA is a flagship school and the highest rated in the state by most publications.

 

A little of both actually. Either name will serve me well the more that I think about it. If I were battling it out with someone that graduated from a higher prestige school, the name might be an issue. Otherwise, either one of them would be great additions to my growing resume. :sombrero:

If I wasn't just completing an expensive degree program, I would probably go with JHU hands down, but I'm really not wanting to tack on that kind of debt if the ROI isn't there. I paid for some out of pocket, but I still have student loans as well. $4,950 is pretty inexpensive for a graduate level certificate from a well-known RA school. $16,600 is tough to justify.

 

But, how many championships have they won?

 

Johns Hopkins claims to have won 44 national lacrosse championships, beginning in 1891, and most recently in 2007. Details here.

At the international level, JHU has acted as the US National Team, and has won titles in both the Olympics and the World Lacrosse Championships.

The governing body of the sport, US Lacrosse, has its headquarters on the JHU campus.
The US Lacrosse Museum and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, while not part of the university, are located there too.

As far as lacrosse goes, JHU is pretty big.