Master of Public Health Degree: Everything You need to know
When you finish your undergraduate studies and begin your pursuit of a Master of Public Health degree, you realize it was only a few years ago that you were an undergraduate. This is the very brief reality of life, leaving you with the responsibility of making the most of every opportunity you have. In this article, we will be delving into the subject of the Masters of Public Health program and how to navigate this phase of life.
Read: Malpractice vs Negligence in Nursing
In cognizance of this, some universities no longer offer Masters of Public Health programs for on-campus students alone, but have now bought into the idea of online and hybrid modes of study.
Curriculum and Coursework
Despite the fact that universities have varying curricula, according to APHH, for students to complete a Master of public Health degree, they must have had at least 42 credit hours to at most 80 credit hours under their belt, which ultimately depend on the university.
Concentration
This is where as a student who is pursuing a Master of public health needs to do due diligence. Why is this so, you may ask? Well, first of all, you need to know that doing an MPH means you would need to specialize in any of epidemiology, biostatics or any of the public health core areas. In spite of this, not all schools afford you the chance to specialize in some of these core areas, and, if that isn’t the case, some schools give room for specializations in fairly unpopular areas.
Length of Study
Many of the Master of public health degree programmes are completed within a two-year window, notwithstanding, there can be exceptions to this especially with the advent of accelerated MPH programmes which allow students complete their graduate studies in as little as one year. Generally, the duration spent earning a MPH depends on the number of credit hours the student has to take.
What is MSPH and MPH?
At this juncture, we sure are familiar with the Master of public health education, otherwise, known as MPH, what then is the difference between MPH and MSPH which stands for Masters of Science in Public Health, since they are both graduate programs?
What are the requirements for Public health degree programmes?
Before you should think of putting in an application for a Masters of Public Health degree program, you must already have a Bachelor’s degree in public health. Also, you should have passed some of the standardized tests, like the GRE or LSAT. However, some schools tend to have certain standardized tests which you must find out before applying.
Read Also: RN vs License Community Nursing/Midwifery: Exploring The Difference
Useful guidelines to choosing the right Master of public health degree programme
In the following paragraphs we would outline some perspectives which are a given if you would make the right choice.
Read Also: Best Nursing Schools In Nigeria
Dual MPH vs Single MPH
Masters of Public Health degrees are generally quite expensive just to get for a single specialization, what then happens if you have multiple interests? To solve this, you can as well opt for the dual MPH which allows you to simultaneously run two specializations because it would not only save you some time and money, but also enhance academic interaction.
Check This: Nurses Salary In Nigeria
Online MPH vs On-site MPH
With the estimation that career opportunities in public health would be reaching the rooftops very soon because of their increased demand, you can now understand the massive popularity around online MPH. Your choice of one over the other depends on your personality, would you prefer to study with no human interactions or accountability? Perhaps, do you have an hectic work schedule that would leave you with little or no time for the conventional mode of classrom learning?
Conclusion
You can see from all that has been said that the route to bagging a Master of Public Health degree isn’t exactly difficult if you know the right things, which we have judiciously exposed you to. It would interest you to know that there are over 1300 CEPH-recognized MPH programs which are readily available and are given top priority by most employees. What does this have to do with anything? You have no excuse not to pursue a MPH if you are in a position to do so.
4 Comments
Comments are closed.