Share this article on...
Contact Us
- Report errors or inaccuracies topmba@qsnetwork.com
- Contribute articles contribute@qsnetwork.com
- Advertise advertise@qsnetwork.com
Improve the health of nations
Effective public health professionals also rely on a variety of practical skills that enable them to realize the public health policies and interventions they deem necessary. Metaphorically they have to be able to function as a Swiss pocket knife. For this reason students are taught how to plan, implement, monitor, evaluate and adjust programs, policies and interventions, but also how to identify, recruit, involve, commit, and guide stakeholders operating at the different levels (from international organization to the people in the communities’ streets) of the health care system. To achieve this, public health experts have to be able to communicate effectively with a diverse circle of professionals in academia, politics, bureaucracies and field organizations.
In most cases, admission to Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree programs is based upon a portfolio consisting of the following materials: completed application and fee, a personal statement describing the student’s potential to contribute to the field of public health, a resumé reflecting work and volunteer history, evidence of an earned baccalaureate, graduate degree or equivalent from an accredited institution of higher education, official transcripts of all academic work, three letters of recommendation from academic or professional references and a strong undergraduate record overall, with a grade point average of 3.0 or better in their major. Most pre-professional Masters of Public Health programs require a minimum of 42 credit hours, but program, degree and hour requirements vary by each institution.
Most US institutions require submission of standardized test scores (eg GRE) taken within the last five years. In addition, applicants whose primary language is not English or whose undergraduate degree is from a college or university in a non-English speaking country must provide satisfactory scores on the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). International applicants should speak with an admissions counsellor at each institution for school specific requirements.
For the majority of institutions accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), acceptance is not based simply on a single indicator such as the grade point average (GPA). Rather, the complete application is valued. This is particularly important if a student is weak in one area, but exceptionally strong in others. In such cases, it is important that students form direct lines of communication with admissions professionals working in the schools to which they are applying.
A myriad of job opportunities are available for public health professionals.
A myriad of job opportunities are available for public health professionals ranging from health administration to epidemiology, and from program management to laboratory research. Many public health programs emphasize the development of leadership and expertise in the broad fields of research, education and service with the aim to deliver graduates who are able to effectively apply relevant theoretical models and concepts to public health issues and, vice versa, to reflect upon theoretical developments on the basis of practical experience in the field. Because the subject area is an academic as well as a practice-oriented endeavour, it requires public health professionals to act as linking-pins between theory and practice, politics and people, and science and everyday life.
Graduates, in other words, tend to develop the critical-analytical skills that enable them to successfully play the role of leaders, policy-makers and agents of change in any public health related field, throughout the world.
Information provided by: Dr Jeffery T Johnson, Associate Dean for Graduate Admissions and Student Affairs and Director of Undergraduate Public Health Studies at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana (www.sph.tulane.edu)
