<p>My daughter is interest in a MPH and GWU has a Public Health Communication and Marketing division within their MPH. She is looking for any and all information on the program, from how easy/hard it is to get in, what kind of GPA and GRE do they look for, how many students are admitted, as well as information on the program itself. I do not know if she needs the clinical or research that other MPH candidates would need as this is a communication focus program. She has worked in non profit and that is where she currently is and where she sees herself down the road. With that said, she isn't as interested in the medical side of Public Health, but knows that there is a common track of courses and is prepared for that.</p>
<p>As my daughter got a a job after graduation, she put off the thought of grad school, but in the last few weeks has stated she really wants to try and go next year. Yes, it is December and she has not taken the GRE yet, not has she started the application process. I think for this year she would only apply to GWU and if she wasn't admitted, she would cast a larger next the next year. I do not think any of the other schools have this particular division, at least any in the part of the country she wants to be in.</p>
<p>As a mother, I think she is not allowing herself enough time to research the school, take the GRE and prepare a great application. Any thoughts on on GWU and/or a MPH?</p>
<p>A family member of mine got their MPH at GW with a lackluster undergrad record at U of MD, and I don’t think she even took the GREs. She did well at GW, went on to work at Georgetown Medical, and now has a great position at the FDA.</p>
<p>Public health isn’t a ‘medical degree’ and there really isn’t a ‘medical side’ to it - the whole purpose is that it’s a different approach to health than the biomedical/clinical approach. There is a common track of classes, but they are largely focused on understanding health from a macro, holistic level (how the structure of our society affects people’s health within it).</p>
<p>What does she want to do with the MPH? What are her plans? She shouldn’t undertake study in this area unless she’s got a specific reason why. I don’t know much about GWU’s program specifically, but admissions to the program isn’t super-competitive as far as grades and test scores go (I think over 50% of students are admitted). It’s more about the student’s sense of purpose and reason for obtaining an MPH.</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins also has a certificate in health communication that you can get if you are doing your MHS (which is their equivalent to an MPH for students who don’t have a clinical doctoral degree). Their public health school is also overall more well-reputed than GWU’s, although GWU’s is pretty good too. She can also consider getting a degree in communication and focus on health communication.</p>
<p>D is applying at several schools for an MPH. Deadlines vary by schools; some are in January, some in February, and some run all the way to the spring – but are rolling admissions. D has found that the MPH program emphasis varies by school – she is interested in childhood obesity & Diabetes, so is only applying to schools with those specialties. Some programs are geared more for those who are already MDs or have several years of experience. D is applying to go directly out of undergrad, so that is also a consideration for her. She researched not only the actual program but also where grads tended to end up – both location-wise and job-wise. She is taking the GRE today.</p>
<p>There is a Graduate Forum on CC where you could ask more detailed questions and you would get more detailed answers. Not that this isn’t the place to ask as well, parents are very helpful.</p>
<p>I would think long and hard about spending a lot of money for a MPH degree. A few years ago, I worked at a global health NGO that had a lot of administrative assistant level folks that had MPH degrees from Hopkins, one of the top programs in the country, far above GWU. Even with a Hopkins MPH, they could not find very well paying jobs. </p>
<p>These comments are for non MD types. MDs also get MPH degrees, but they have different career options.</p>