<p>Hello! So I am about to complete my B.S. in Health Sciences and I would like to pursue a masters in public health. Recently I just got accepted into a ranked (according to the U.S. News) graduate program for a degree in public health - University of Illinois at Chicago. How much weight does this actually hold? It's ranked #16. </p>
<p>I plan on getting my PhD later. </p>
<p>Side Note: If anyone is familiar with public health, only universities with 'schools of public health' can be ranked. These schools offer a more full circle education because it has a whole department dedicated to them, so they just rank those institutions with schools of public health. Only 48 universities have accredited schools of public health. Little help here =</p>
<p>The ranking will matter more for PhD admissions than it will for jobs. Most public heath jobs are in communities and so prestige is more of a regional thing. By that I mean - a Columbia MPH could move anywhere and their MPH will be recognized, but here in NYC and the surrounding area, an MPH from Hunter is almost as good and will count for a lot. But if that Hunter MPH moved to Chicago, people may not recognize the school as a solid program; same if an MPH from a smaller state school in CA moved to NYC. It doesn’t mean they won’t get the job especially since experience and background are more important in public health than pedigree, but it’s sort of like “oh, and we know they got good training.”</p>
<p>In your case, UIC’s program is recognized as a good solid program. That will be useful in admissions to PhD programs. At my university (Columbia), people in the doctoral programs tended to have earned their MPHs at top schools of public health.</p>