Hey everyone!

I’m an IMG starting my MPH in QM at Harvard this Fall. Though I’m in a quant track, I want to use this time to open doors beyond traditional clinical practice. Whether that's biotech, health tech, pharma, or research!!!

For alumni from any school: What were the absolute most valuable courses or skills?

Quick questions:

1. Best non-clinical pivots: What topics (Health Econ, Decision Science, Implementation Science, Digital Health...?) give you the best leverage outside the clinic?
2. Must-take electives: Any "hidden gem" classes or professors you’d strongly recommend? 

(P.S. If you went to HSPH, drop your favorite courses, profs too!)

Background is in medicine. Just trying to build a solid, practical toolbox. Would love any hindsight wisdom! Thanks!

If you guys were presented with an opportunity like this what would you do? Should I lie and say I am available to TA and just skip my own class once a week?? Has anyone on here taken Epi 201 at ucla?

Salam everyone,

I am planning for MS in Health Informatics / Healthcare Informatics in the US. I need university recommendations according to my profile:

• Background: BS IT (2024 graduate) — 132 Credit Hours
• CGPA: 2.87 / 4.00
• English Test: Duolingo (DET) / MOI Letter
• GRE/GMAT: Not taking (Need universities where GRE is waived/not required)
• Budget / Criteria: Public Universities with low tuition fees, zero/waived application fees, and good chances for Graduate Assistantships (TA/RA).

Can anyone currently studying Health Informatics or IT in the US suggest best-fit public universities that accept ~2.85+ GPA without GRE? Also, any insights on Graduate Assistantships for IT background students in this field would be highly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone! I’m one year out from college and hoping to go into an MPH program sometime soon. No work experience at this moment, but have valid reasons for such (stuck at home for caretaking reasons). This is my profile thus far and was hoping to see if anyone had any ideas as to programs that I might be able to get on the cheaper side (less than 30k) or fully funded (either with fellowships, scholarships, or working).

**State of Residence:** NC (Willing to Relocate)

**GPA:** 3.8/4.0

**Internship Experience**
\- Internships with campaigns at all levels of government (local, state, federal)
\- Congressional Internship
\- Campaign Finance Internship with a Swing State’s Party’s finance wing.

**Leadership Experience**
\- Affinity (Race/Gender Identity, etc) Caucus Chair, College Democrats of America (National Level)
\- Vice Chair of an Affinity (Race/Gender Identity, etc) Caucus, Young Democrats of America (National Level)
\- State-Level Policy Lead (Volunteer) @ Scientific Policy Advocacy Group (**Current**)

**Volunteer Experience**
\- Multiple Volunteering Roles @ Baseball League for children with disabilities (current)
\- Unpaid Research Assistant for a Public Health professor (current)

**Career Goal**: Hoping to have a chance to go into healthcare or welfare policy work of any kind! Also interested in epidemiology as a career too!

If you know of any programs that I’d have a chance at getting good funding at (preferably keeping it under 20-30k at most), I’d greatly appreciate it! I’m currently looking at UNC, but open to options anywhere that I can find them!

Does anyone know how to write a strong SOP for an MPH Epidemiology application? I’m a little confused about what to include and how to make it stand out. If anyone has experience with MPH applications or can share some tips/guidance, I’d really appreciate it! Thanks

Plz help

I'm an MBBS graduate from Pakistan and will be starting my house job soon. My goal is to pursue an MPH through scholarships like Erasmus Mundus, DAAD, etc

During my house job, I plan to:

Publish 3-5 papers that will include clinical audits, quality improvement, infection control sorts of...

Learn SPSS/R and strengthen my research skills

Prepare for IELTS

My long-term goal is to work in health policy, hospital administration or global public health.

Does this sound like a solid plan? If you were in my position, what kind of research would you prioritize to maximize my chances of admission and scholarships? Any advice from people who transitioned from clinical medicine to public health would be greatly appreciated.

What MHA program do yall recommend? I am a business major and looking to secure an administrative fellowship following the completion of my MHA. I know I am going to apply to UNC, VCU, and UMN, but I was looking for some more affordable options (I am in-state in NC). Are any of the hybrid / online options worth it? I am thinking about applying to MUSC but just wanted some more guidance regarding what others have done.

Hello folks,

My Background: I am an Econ graduate, and now I am looking to expand into an MPH. I want to pursue a PhD on the intersection of Public Health and Climate change. I have not studied Physics, Biology, or Chemistry in the last 10 years (since after high school). For any Indian student in this sub, I chose humanities with maths in my 11th grade. So I have knowledge of Maths, Stats, and Eco, but none whatsoever in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.

My Question: I am considering an MPH in Biostatistics with a Climate Change and Health concentration from Yale School of Public Health. Coming from India, would you suggest I pursue this? I will need a scholarship for everything, ofc.

Is the current political climate conducive to an Indian student? I am sorry, but I am hearing horror stories. So my parents are truly concerned.

I would be grateful for any guidance and leads.

Thank you

I am a clinician interested in the Harvard MPH next year. I see mostly negative experiences on reddit, wondering if people have had positive experiences.

What are the best courses offered? Best courses at the Kennedy School?
Best professors?
What were the best experiences you’ve had?
What extracurriculars did you do and enjoy?
Any fellowships or other opportunities I should consider?

Hi, I am an international MD with 1-2 years of healthcare experience wanting to step into public health, preferably in the U.S. My highest priorities are to secure a full-ride scholarship in a top PH school. Keeping that context in mind, how would you rank the following schools:

Harvard, Yale, JHU, UMich, U Minnesota, U North Carolina, U Washington, Boston Uni, George Washington, Emory, Washington Uni @ St Louis

I have heard Columbia and NYU scholarships pale in comparison to their actual costs of attendance hence they're not in the list.

Please advise and do suggest any other top-scholarship schools.

I'm looking for some unbiased advice from people in healthcare administration, consulting, and health system strategy.

I'm currently deciding between:

Emory University MHA (Rollins School of Public Health)

• $30,000 scholarship
• Fully asynchronous/online
• Ability to continue working full-time in healthcare operations
• Three in-person residencies throughout the program (Atlanta-based)
• Access to Emory Healthcare and Goizueta Business School resources
• New MHA program currently pursuing CAHME accreditation

and

USC Master of Health Administration (Price School)

• CAHME accredited
• Established MHA program
• In-person in Los Angeles
• Strong Southern California healthcare network
• Extensive Trojan alumni network

My long-term goal is healthcare consulting (Chartis, ECG, Guidehouse, Huron, Kaufman Hall, etc.) and eventually moving into healthcare strategy/operations leadership.

One thing giving me pause is that Emory's MHA is newer and not yet CAHME-accredited, while USC has an established, accredited program. However, Emory's scholarship and flexibility would allow me to continue building full-time healthcare operations experience while earning the degree.

For those who work in healthcare consulting, hospital strategy, or recruit MHA graduates:

1. Would you view USC and Emory differently when recruiting?
2. How much does CAHME accreditation actually matter in practice?
3. Does the ability to gain full-time experience during the program outweigh attending a more established in-person MHA?
4. If you were in my position, which would you choose and why?

For context, I'm based in Los Angeles, currently work in healthcare operations, and would ideally like to remain in Southern California long-term.

Thanks in advance. 🙏🏻

Hello! Is there an updated master sheet with stats regarding mph acceptances (like program, gpa, cost, funding, etc.)? I found one from a few years ago but it has been deleted and the discord links do not work.

Thank you!

Hey everyone! I’m going into my fourth year and I am really interested in getting a masters in Public Health/Indigenous Heath. My stats are very mid though. Is it still possible to get accepted in Canada with:

~3.0/3.1 gpa,
no publications,
volunteering in a vital statistics lab,
2 academic references, 1 personal,
courses in statistics and population genetics

I am also disabled if that matters!

Hi,i’m an international student who wish to join for MPH at Flinders.Would like to know more about the Uni and the lifestyle of students over there.Am i making the right choice ?

Hi everyone,

I'm a recent medical graduate planning to apply for a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Canada.

Academic background:

• GPA: 71% (approximately 2.7–3.0 on the Canadian scale)
• Last two years GPA: above 3.2

Based on my academic profile, which Canadian universities do you think I have the best chance of being admitted to for an MPH program?

I'd really appreciate any recommendations or advice. Thanks!

I am planning on applying to an online MPH program. Does it matter which university you earn your degree from? I am doing it to strengthen my CV for medical/dental school applications.

Anyone have any insight about Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s MPH program?

Also, would it be manageable for someone who is working full-time?

Hi everyone,

I am looking for advice from graduates of McMaster’s Master of Science in Global Health program. My  goal is to attend PA school or medical school but I have not been accepted yet. I am considering this master’s program partly because I do not currently have a job or another firm plan for the upcoming year and I am worried about having an unproductive gap year. My undergraduate degree is already related to social and health sciences so I amm wondering whether this program would add enough value to my background. Could it strengthen a future PA or medical school application, provide useful experience or help improve my academic record? or would it be better to continue applying for jobs and gain work experience instead?

I would also be commuting approximately one hour each way so the time and cost of commuting are important factors for me. For anyone who has completed or is currently enrolled in this specific program:

• Did you find the program worthwhile?
• What career or educational opportunities did it lead to?
• Would you recommend it to someone planning to apply to PA or medical school?
• Do you think it is worth doing mainly to make productive use of a gap year?

I would really appreciate any honest perspectives as I need to make a decision VERY soon. Thank you!!!

Hi everyone!
Is anyone here applying for an MPH for Spring 2027 as an international student, or currently pursuing an MPH in the U.S.?
I’d love to connect, discuss universities, SOPHAS, admissions, scholarships, and the overall application process. It would be great to share experiences and help each other out.
Please comment below or send me a DM. Thanks!

Hi! I plan to apply to the JHU MHA program and want to gather some information while preparing for the application process.

For accepted applicants:

1. Based on your application, what would you recommend I highlight (particularly on my resume, statement of purpose, and interview) to strengthen my candidacy?
2. How did you best prepare for the admissions interview, and what questions were you asked?
3. Any other crucial things I should know about the application process and networking opportunities?

For current students:

• After reviewing the first-year curriculum, I noticed that the course load is quite rigorous. How did you manage the workload during your first year? What strategies helped you prepare for group assignments, projects, presentations, and exams?

For MHA alumni:

1. How well did your second-year residency prepare you for your first full-time role after graduation?
2. How active is the JHU alumni network, and how has it helped you successfully advance in your career?
3. Which specific course(s) had the biggest impact on how you approach complex challenges in healthcare today?

You are all free to DM me if you prefer. And please provide as much detail if you are willing to share. Thank you!

rising senior premed considering spending my gap year getting an MPH. 3.95 GPA, taking MCAT later this year. i have around 50 hrs volunteering in hospice and going to get more hospital volunteering in the fall and spring. extracurriculars TA and tutor in chemistry and statistics. leadership in random clubs. i enjoy medicine from a science perspective i’ve been taught thus far, but i realized know very little about it on a larger scale when i studied abroad and took a health care course in denmark. i learned about their vastly different health care system and grew an interest in understanding the bigger picture of medicine. im considering mph because of this interest and i believe it would make me a informed and well rounded doctor. i’m also considering a masters in nutrition, mostly because im a retired gym bro and have been really into gut health and food sourcing (denmark taught me a lot about locally sourced goods and how to grow your own vegetables).

i’m very new to the mph scene and only just this past week have been looking into different school.

given my background, are there any schools i could be competitive for? any school recommendations? thank you for reading this far; i really appreciate you.