MPH Programs

Discussion in 'Nursing and medical-related degrees' started by Randell1234, Dec 27, 2009.

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  1. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

    Check out this site, created by ASPH (Association of Schools of Public Health).

    I can attest to the fact that with an MPH (along w/ experience and in some, but not all cases additional educational qualifications such as a PharmD/MD/RN), one can qualify to work in many positions within a pharma/biotech company. A few examples that come to mind are: pharmacovigilance (drug safety), epidemiology, clinical trials, health economics, medical writing, healthcare compliance, etc. Considering that I work for a large, east coast pharma company (and I'm interested in many of these areas), I'm seriously considering pursuing an MPH to advance my career within my company while at the same time, break out of the mold I've been in for the past 14+ years (KM/Operations).
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    OK, this is nice, it's good. I'm starting to get the idea.
     
  3. felderga

    felderga Active Member

    OK I have over 20 years in IT with the last six years working in IT healthcare. Also I am EPIC certified in several modules. I would like to do a masters but funds are tight as I am sending kids to college. My company gives me 3000/yr so I am trying to maximize that so I'm not looking to spend more than 10k over 3 yes. So here are my options

    certs in health informatics ...UC Davis has a nice ...$7200

    Cert in applied business...managing health organization.. University of Minnesota... Its undergraduate but cheap and no pressure...$7000

    Masters from Fort Hays in Public Health Administration (MPS program) ....for little more than the price as u of Minn just under $8000....con is small school and not nationally recognized.

    I don't want to do a private pay to school.

    Also looking at Dakota State Masters in Health Informatics

    To be honest I was all set to go with U of Minn...but Fort Hays sounds intriguing.... Any thoughts
     
  4. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    If costs are really your primary criteria then I don't think you'll find a less expensive program than the one offered by the Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA). It operates as a part of the University of Limpopo.

    University of Limpopo
     
  5. dlcurious

    dlcurious Member

    What state are you in? In Texas there's a MS-Biomedical Informatics degree being offered at the UT Health Science Center at Houston that can be completed online. In state tuition is not bad at all and a lot of professionals in the medical center are taking this program, so the networking opportunities are good.
     
  6. felderga

    felderga Active Member

    I'm in California so the OOS cost are a bit much for me.

    I'm still leaning towards Minnesota and first doing a certificate in applied business - managing health organizations plus then doing MLS at Fort Hays ...MIS concentration but I will take public health courses as electives (epidemiology, biostatistics, and global health)...... Will take 4 years but I think my out of pocket will be less than 3k.

    Since I'm in the middle of a major claims upgrade project (implementing Epic Tapestry) over the next 2 years I'm a bit nervous with having time for a masters program.

    Does anyone know of a low stress program where there is not a major amount of writing? And of course at a reasonable cost....any thoughts?
     
  7. felderga

    felderga Active Member

    Okay thinking of going in a slightly different direction....

    I'm considering getting a Health Informatics Cert (goal would be a role in a Med Center as oppose to staying in IT ). My #1 choice is at U of Minn...School of Public Health -> Cert in Public Health Informatics (12 units $14000). I still would consider the MPS / MPH at Fort Hays later as I should be able to transfer 6 units. Plus with my crazy work schedule I more comfortable committing to a short program now and then doing a longer program later (if I still have the drive and energy). I know there are cheaper Certs in Health Informatics (UC Davis is just under $8000) but I think it would be cool to get my cert from a leading Public Health School (U of Minn is in the Top 10). Any thoughts?
     
  8. felderga

    felderga Active Member

    Correction....U of Minn charges in-state tuition for distance learning just as long as all of the courses for a given term are not taken on-campus. So 12 units @ $858/unit = roughly $10.5K so about $3K more than UC Davis but I think overall its a better school and I know I wouldn't have any issues transferring a class from there (as oppose to a class at UC Davis extension).
     
  9. felderga

    felderga Active Member

    Yippee...I got accepted into U of Minn School of Public Health - Grad Certificate for Public Health Informatics. Plan is to do program for the next year and if I still have the drive apply to Fort Hays for MPS in Public Health and transfer some units earned at U of Minn as electives. U of Minn may not be John Hopkins it is a top ten school in Public Health. If it didn't cost so much I would continue on for my masters...
     
  10. warguns

    warguns Member

    Ceph

    I've said this before but it's worth repeating. IMO it is a mistake to take a MPH at an institution not accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health even from a well-respected foreign university. Many agencies simply will not hire non-CEPH MHPs and, because most public health agencies are government, bureaucrats rule.

    I know an applicant to Los Angeles County Public Health with an MPH from the world-renowned London School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Not CEPH = no consideration.

    Search for a Degree Program | Council on Education for Public Health

    CEPH accredited distance programs
     
  11. warguns

    warguns Member

    I already posted about this FREE certificate program in public health on the "Free Online Courses" thread but thought I would add it here also

    Empire State Public Health Training Center

    No units toward a degree but for aspiring MPH students, it would look good on the application. Plus it would give you an idea of what public health education is like. Lots of other free online courses at "train.org"
     
  12. felderga

    felderga Active Member

    I'm not sure how much this applies to the private sector or if you are pursuing a specialization. In my case I want a degree (Public Health Informatics) that merges IT and health administration. But if wanted to disease control or to do research then I would agree that maybe you should aim only for a CEPH school.

    I would love to get a masters at U of Minn but then I'm looking at roughly $45K for MPH-PHI. However if I get the Cert in PHI it will cost me under $11K (at U of Minn) plus MPS - Public Health Admin at Fort Hays is $7K for a rough total of $18K. I will be an alumni of U of Minn School of Public Health and if I wanted I could take Biostats or Epid from U of Minn for roughly another $3K.
     
  13. warguns

    warguns Member

    cost MPH

    There are lots of cheaper options for an distance accredited MPH

    San Jose State: Total tuition for the Fall 2014 cohort is $24,150 for the 42-unit program, at a rate of $575 per unit.Alaska costs about the same. I'm sure you can find even cheaper options. You're only getting a few degrees in your life, my advice is to get quality degrees.

    A certificate does not make you an alumnus. I've got FIVE certificates (from when I was with NATO) from the earth-famous ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. It doesn't make me alumni.
     
  14. felderga

    felderga Active Member

    Full Definition of ALUMNUS

    1
    : a person who has attended or has graduated from a particular school, college, or university


    I'm a current member of UC Irvine Alumni Assoc. (where I got my BS degree) and U of Minn Alumni Assoc as well (current students are allowed to join). Also I was a former member of UCLA Alumni Assoc where I only took a couple of course thru UCLA Extension (plus I was on Staff at UCLA for several years). So yes having a Cert makes you an Alumni.


    Certificate programs are a great alternative to earning a full degree as it allows you to study the core subject areas at a reasonable price compared to the full cost of a degree. Upon completion of a Cert at U of Minn School of Public Health, Certificate candidates are treated the same as Master and PhD candidates as they are given their degrees in the same graduation ceremony (in cap and gown as well). From an academic standpoint earning a cert at a top program like U of Minn, Johh Hopkins, or UNC in a core subject areas has to to be a better education than some of the lower CEPH schools. Also in many cases admission is a lot easier (GPA and no GRE).

    For me a Masters degree is a nice to have...having to put kids thru college for the next decade I can't really afford to spend $50K. My company pays a pulty $3k/year in reimbursement so stretching the cost of Cert at U of Minn over 3 Semester I get that fully paid. If I then choose to do a Masters at Fort Hays (roughly 7K) I will get the bulk company paid if I stretch that over 2 years as well. So for me I achieve my goal of Informatics along with a Master in Public Health and I have access and exposure to a top ten school in Public Health.
     
  15. felderga

    felderga Active Member

    UCLA has a certificate in Health Care Management and Leadership that would be a possible options for me except its not on-line ( i think only or two classes are offered online). One of key benefits is access to their Health Sciences Alumni Network

    https://www.uclaextension.edu/healthsci/pages/hc_benefits.aspx

    You would be an Alumni of UCLA with enrollment (and completion) of this program.


    Here are the Certs offered by U of Minnesota (not all of them are fully on-line)

    Certificates & Licensure - School of Public Health

    Advanced Management Training for Clinician Leaders
    Aging Studies Certificate
    Applied Biostatistics Certificate (online)
    Clinical Research Certificate
    Management Fundamentals in Healthcare Organizations
    Public Health Certificate in Core Concepts
    Public Health Certificate in Food Protection
    Public Health Certificate in Informatics
    Public Health Certificate in Preparedness, Response & Recovery

    Completion of the 19-unit Core Concepts cert enables you to take the CEPH cert exam. It's expensive at $858 unit for distance learner (U of Minn charges in-state for distance learning)
     
  16. warguns

    warguns Member

    certificates

    If it's just certificates in public health you want, I recommend

    Empire State Public Health Training Center which is FREE

    also "train.org" is a clearing house for hundreds of FREE online courses in public health with certificates.
     
  17. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

    The online, CEPH-accredited MPH from University of West Florida is currently $20110.86 for out of state students (90% out-of-state tuition waiver). I believe this is the cheapest, online CEPH-accredited MPH out there. IF CEPH accreditation is not important to the OP, (and you're not opposed to pursuing a degree outside the USA), then the following program available from the University of Roehampton in the UK may be of interest: 100% online Master of Public Health (MPH) - The University of Roehampton, London. Total cost is 10k. UofR is affiliated with Laureate.
     
  18. felderga

    felderga Active Member

    Here a link of free online Public Health course

    Online Courses - School of Public Health

    I've completed the following non-academic credit course

    Intro to Biostatistics I
    Intro to Biostatistics 2
    Introduction to Management in Public Health
    Introduction to Epidemiology
    Intro to Public Health
     
  19. warguns

    warguns Member

    alumni

    Unfortunately, you are incorrect. In fact the UCLA Alumni Association allows ANYONE AT ALL TO JOIN. Why Join | UCLA Alumni And this is also true for UC Irvine Alumni Association.

    Consequently being a member of the alumni association does not make one an alumnus.

    Earning a weekend certificate from the Extension department of a university does not entitle one to call oneself an "alumnus". It is dishonest and deceptive to do so.

    As I stated, I've earned FIVE certificates (from when I was with NATO) from the ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. ETH Zurich is one of the great universities of the world with alumni like Einstein, Rontgen, and von Nuemann. I would be dishonest if I termed myself an alumnus.
     
  20. felderga

    felderga Active Member

    [/QUOTE]
    Earning a weekend certificate from the Extension department of a university does not entitle one to call oneself an "alumnus". It is dishonest and deceptive to do so.

    As I stated, I've earned FIVE certificates (from when I was with NATO) from the ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. ETH Zurich is one of the great universities of the world with alumni like Einstein, Rontgen, and von Nuemann. I would be dishonest if I termed myself an alumnus.[/QUOTE]



    I don't consider the Cert programs that I'm taking as being a weekend certificate (there are real full time classes...taught live with real professors with real reading, homework, essays and exams. There are many cert programs that require a subset of the same course required to fulfill a Bachelor or Master Degree. I'm spending $11K for the cert at Minnesota which will give the option to either continue with a MPH (fulfills 1/3 of the classes) or Master in Health Informatics (almost 1/2 of the units). And If don't decide continue forward I would still be considered by the school to be an alumnus. Again the beauty of the Certificates are they allow for individuals to take specific targeted classes without having the time or cost commitment that a full-time degree program requires.

    Now I would agree if I was taking professional or personal development course that led to a certificate wouldn't qualify for someone to be a true alumnus (i.e the Foundation for Public Health wouldn't make me an alumni of SUNY). But many cert programs (even if they are offered by the school's extension program) should allow you the privilege of being an alumni. UCLA extension has a yearly graduation ceremony for their Certificate candidates. Their grad are treated as UCLA Alumnus. Is having a Grad Cert the same as a Masters? Of course not, but it's not dishonest for one to say they are an Alumnus of a University...assuming they took real academic level courses and were honest with the disclosing the degree, certificate or just number of non-degree course work. Hey...I'm proud to consider myself a Gopher as I'm near completing my first semester at U of Minn. And next year I won't have any problems advertising myself as an alumnus of the School of Public Health Informatics Certificate program.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 17, 2014

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