Our advice is simply to attend the best undergraduate school that you can get accepted to.
It depends on what area of public health you are interested in studying. Students of public health come from a variety of educational backgrounds; a quality undergraduate education will be a plus for any applicant.
However, there are some undergraduate majors that can be beneficial when applying to a school of public health. For example, if you are interested in epidemiology or biostatistics, a math major or basic science major is ideal. For Behavioral Sciences or Health Education, you might want to consider sociology, psychology or anthropology as a major. For studying Health Services Administration, you might want to consider a business background. To study Global Health, a social science degree is helpful. For those who want to study Environmental Health, you might want to study either a biology/chemistry. Maternal and Child Health lends itself to both biology or social sciences.
All schools of public health require competence in effective communication (both verbal and written); therefore, students should try to take advantage of undergraduate opportunities to hone these skills.
There are many options for individuals who are looking to get experience before applying to a school of public health.
- Working part-time or full-time at a hospital or health clinic, such as working on an immunization program, a reproductive health clinic or a health promotion program.
- Volunteering for a non-profit direct services organization such as a Whitman-Walker clinic or a local chapter of the American Red Cross.
- Working at a non-profit organization that is directly involved in public health advocacy and policy.
- Working or volunteering for a local health department.
- Taking an internship at a U.S. federal agency via the Student Educational Employment Program
- Exploring options provided by public service organizations such as www.peacecorps.org, www.americorps.org, www.idealist.org or www.teachforamerica.org
Some schools have programs for future students that offer opportuntities to get experience before applying to graduate school, so it is advisable to also contact schools of public health directly to inquire about such programs.
SUNY Albany School of Public Health
Boston University School of Public Health
Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Loma Linda University School of Public Health
Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
University of Alabama, Birmingham School of Public Health
University of Illinois, Chicago School of Public Health
University of South Florida College of Public Health
University of Washington School of Public Health
For more information about the Peace Corps Master's International programs in public health, please see:
http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whyvol.eduben.mastersint
ASPH does not rate or recommend the schools of public health or provide any type of ranking. There are private rankings (such as US News & World Report Best Graduate Schools edition) but ASPH does not endorse them. The schools of public health are all accredited based on high standards, therefore, all accredited schools offer strong public health curricula.
The accrediting body for schools of public health is the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). CEPH is an independent agency recognized by the US Department of Education to accredit schools of public health. These schools prepare students for entry into careers in public health. For more information, visit CEPH's web site at at www.ceph.org.
Accredited schools of public health periodically undergo a rigorous accreditation process and are all held to very high standards, which means students can be assured of a quality education. Attendance at an accredited school of public health offers benefits that may not be present at other institutions. For example, accredited schools of public health must offer a doctoral degree, a degree in each of the core areas of public health, and be an independent academic institution, rather than a department within a medical or other health professions school. For more information, click here.
The five core disciplines of academic public health, which all CEPH accredited schools are required to offer, are:
Biostatistics - The use of statistical methodology for analyzing health related data.
Epidemiology - The study of the distribution and determinants of disease and disability in populations.
Health Services Administration - The study of health care systems, health care reform, health law, financial management, clinic management, and policy analysis.
Health Education/Behavioral Science - The practice of selecting, applying and monitoring appropriate behavioral, social and political change strategies to enhance the health of populations.
Environmental Health - The study of issues associated with the adverse chemical, physical and biologic agents in the environment on human health.
In additional, many schools offer these concentrations:
International Health
Maternal & Child Health
Nutrition
Public Health Practice/Program Management
Biomedical Laboratory Science
While schools of public health look for high graduate entrance exam scores and GPA, other aspects of an applicant's record, such as a career achievement, professional experience, and clarity of career goals, are equally important. Admissions decisions are based on an overall assessment of the ability of applicants to successfully complete the degree track area selected. Each program or track within a given department may set additional requirements for admission, therefore, applicants should refer to the individual programs for details.
Schools of public health offer a variety of programs via distance-based technology. Schools offer degree programs leading to a Master of Public Health as well as individual courses taught via distance learning technologies. Distance learning programs vary and may include satellite-based courses, audio, print-based, or Internet-based course work. ASPH houses a search feature for Distance Learning Programs to help students find their ideal program.
In addition, there are many schools that offer non-traditional degree programs such as: executive programs, certificate programs, and summer institutes.
The average yearly cost of education including tuition, fees, books, etc in 2008-2009 was $16,236 for in-state tuition and fees and $23,518 for out-of-state tuition and fees; and the median for in-state was $12,426 and $22,134 for out-of-state. For in-state, the range is from $4,054 per year to $51,000; and $10,171 to $51,000 for out-of-state. Most master's programs are two years in length, and these figures are based on a two-year completion of degree. However, there are also accelerated programs, distance learning programs, programs for part-time students, etc.
While ASPH does not collect this information, the admissions offices of schools of public health may have information on scholarship programs applicable to their schools, and should be contacted directly. Other scholarship resources may be found at:
www.idealist.org
www.explorehealthcareers.org
www.internationalscholarships.com
www.wiredscholar.com
www.aauw.org
Financing higher education is challenging today given rising tuitions. Carefully exploring all of your financing options ahead of time will make your life during and after school much easier.
Here are some simple steps to help you get started:
- Contact the school(s) you are interested in attending to learn about the institutional financial assistance programs.
- Ask what types of assistance are available (scholarships, grants, loans, work programs).
- Ask what the eligibility requirements are for each program (financial need, academic merit, work experience).
- Be sure to find out what the application deadlines are - students miss out on assistance they would have otherwise received by applying too late.
- Are you willing to pursue your degree part-time? If so, ask about the school's tuition remission program. Many colleges subsidize or pay full tuition for employees that enroll in courses. If you are working now, ask your employer about tuition assistance. These types of programs are wonderful in helping students to reduce their reliance on student loan programs; however, you must balance that benefit against the additional time it will take to complete your degree program on a part-time basis.
- What are your plans for after graduation? The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) offers tuition assistance and living stipends for students participating in some Public Health disciplines in exchange for service in a federally mandated health manpower shortage area after leaving school. More information about this program is available at http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov or by calling 1-800-638-0824.
- Another new federal program is the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which allows for the forgiveness of college loans after ten years of continuous service in the public sector. For detailed information, please see: http://www.finaid.org/loans/publicservice.phtml.
- If you need to borrow, be sure to take your full eligibility from the federal programs first. Federal loans are the cheapest and offer the most flexibility in repayment.
- To be considered for federal financial assistance, you must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually (individual colleges may require additional information as well). Depending on your FAFSA, you may be eligible to borrow subsidized loans where the government pays the interest on the loan for you while you are enrolled, during your grace period, and any approved deferment periods. Although interest begins to accrue at disbursement, you can defer your payments until you have finished your program.
- The amount available from the federal loan programs varies based on your class year, the cost of your program and the other financial assistance you are receiving.
- Repayment begins six to nine months after you leave school (or after leaving half-time enrollment status) and the standard repayment term is 10 years. There are several provisions to assist borrowers experiencing difficulty meeting payments.
- The 2009 Faculty Loan Repayment Program provides a financial incentive for degree-trained health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue academic careers. Infividuals selected agree to serve on the faculty of an accredited health professions college or university for a minimum of two years. In return, the Federal government agrees to pay, for each year of faculty service, up to $20,000 of the outstanding principal and interest on the participant’s educational loans. To learn more about this program and for application information, please visit http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/dsa/flrp/ or contact the HRSA Call Center at 1-800-221-9393.
- The internet makes the process of searching for a private scholarship easier than ever. There are a number of search sites that collect information about you and the educational program you wish to pursue during your first visit. From then on, you will get e-mails each time a new award is put into the database that appears to match your profile. Some suggested websites are:
The best time to start searching is in November or December prior to the academic year in which you will enroll. Remember, this information is always free – disregard any websites or mailings that request payment in exchange for financial aid information.
If you still need more assistance, contact the college at which you plan to enroll for recommendations. Do not forget to carefully estimate your existing resources and your anticipated expensive before signing on the dotted line! It is important to borrow only what you absolutely need to make ends meet.
Because public health professionals work in such a wide variety of settings and are often work in multi-disciplinary capacities, the salaries vary significantly from job to job. There is currently no national data available to ASPH on the average starting salary that is representative of what a graduate can expect. However, career offices of schools of public health may be able to provide this information for their graduates. Another resource to identify current salaries is http://www.publichealthjobs.net/.
Students from Schools of Public Health have gone on to a variety of different fields after graduation. The following are statistics for 2007-2008 graduates:
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23% moved into a hospital or other health care setting
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15% work for the federal, state, or local government.
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15% remained in a university or college setting, working as faculty or staff
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13% are continuing their academic training
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9% are with industrial or commercial firms
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9% are unemployed, but seeking employment
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7% are with an association, foundation, NGO, or non-profit
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3% of graduates moved into a non-health-related field
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2% are unemployed and not seeking employment
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2% are working in an uncategorized field
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1% work for or are in the military
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1% are self-employed
*Thanks to Jill D'Amico, Director of Operations, BUMC Office of Student Financial Services, for contributing this article.
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