Public Health
*Pre-public health students do NOT need to register with the Health Professions Advisory Board*
General Advice
Whereas many health professions focus on treatment of an individual, public health has a primary focus on population with an emphasis on prevention and health promotion. There are five core disciplines that each accredited school of public health is required to offer:
- Biostatistics is the use of statistical methodology to analyze health related data.
- Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and causes of disease and disability among a population.
- Health Services Administration is the study of health care systems, health care reform, health law, financial or clinical management, and policy analysis.
- Health Education/Behavioral Science is the practice of selecting, applying, and monitoring appropriate behavioral, social, and political change strategies to enhance the health of populations.
- Environmental Health is the study of issues associated with the adverse chemical, physical, and biologic agents in the environment on human health.
Source: http://www.asph.org.
Some schools may also offer programs such as international health, nutrition, or maternal and child health, among others.
Schools of public health typically offer a Masters of Public Health, a Masters of Science, and/or a Masters of Health Administration, as well as doctoral-level degrees. The entrance requirements vary widely by school, so you should consult individual websites to guide your preparation.
Number of Schools
36 in the US, 1 in Puerto Rico are accredited by the Association of Schools of Public Health.
Curricular Prerequisites
Recommended courses can and do vary based on the school to which you are applying as well as your specific program of interest. Most schools will advise you to complete one year of college level mathematics or statistics, as well as one year of biology, chemistry, and/or physics. Beyond that, it is important to consider which courses would help to prepare you for your public health specialty area. For example, someone interested in pursuing biostatistics may find a significant mathematics background helpful, while someone interested in epidemiology may want to take higher-level science courses.
Outside of Class Experience
The experience you are encouraged to obtain prior to applying for admission will vary based on school, specialty area, and degree pursued. Some MPH programs require their applicants to have at least two years of professional experience in a health-related field (some even require a doctorate) and offer an MS for those who do not have such experience. Other MPH programs accept students directly from an undergraduate program. Regardless of pre-set limits, experience within the field of healthcare is strongly recommended for any student considering a career in public health. Not only will you be able to gain knowledge about the field and whether it is an appropriate fit for your talents and interests, but the experience(s) will make you a more competitive applicant.
The types of experiences you seek may vary depending on your specialty interest area. Volunteering to teach HIV/AIDS awareness to young children may be helpful if you are interested in the specialty of health education. If you are thinking of pursuing the environmental health specialty, you may want to work for the EPA testing water pollution, and so on.
Application Process
Application: There is no centralized application service that can be used to apply to all schools of public health. You should consult the individual website of each school to determine their application process. Some have online applications, while others maintain a paper-based format.
Transcripts: Official transcripts from every college you attended should be sent directly to each school of public health.
Letters of Recommendation: Usually three letters of recommendation are required. Check with individual schools for suggestions on the sources of these letters (i.e. some will require a letter from faculty, a work experience, etc.)
Entrance Exam: Most schools of public health require the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). However, some will also accept scores from the MCAT and/or the GMAT.
Interviews and Secondary Apllications: Please consult individual school websites to determine whether an interview and/or secondary application is a standard part of their application process.
Deadlines: Most schools set deadlines in February or March of the year prior to matriculation. However, you are encouraged to apply as early as possible, since most operate on a rolling admissions basis.
Websites of Interest
Association of Schools of Public Health
American Public Health Association
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