DrPh after MPH, requirments

May 26, 2014 9:14 AM

Hey All, I am loving my MPH, but, I hear that MPH's are a dime a dozen. And, if you want to go into a leadership role you need the DrPH. So I would like to go on, right after the MPH. I worked for 6 years in housing before starting my MPH. What are the G.P.A requirements for the DrPH? Also, is there funding for the DrPH, or just the Phd? Does Harvard have funding? I think their DrPH is a new program. Anyone have experience there? I am working and doing a fellowship, so my grades have not been as high. If I only have a 3.8 g.p.a for grad school, but have a lot of great exp, will that be enough to get into a DrPh program? Thanks
posted by TRUELOTUS to Work & Money (2 answers total)

The best answer for this, and every admissions question, is that standards vary dramatically and you'll need to do the research. Most admissions pages will have a GPA requirement listed, or offer a contact who can answer more specific questions. (They're like Mormon missionaries: there is absolutely nothing they would like to do more than tell you about this amazing book... er, program.)

I would talk to some people in your current program, too; they will have contacts in the field who will know a lot about which program does what and where. Just because a program is "the best" doesn't mean it's automatically the best FOR YOU, particularly if you're interested in a certain aspect of a future career. Some people really want to work in inner cities or rural areas; some are big on epidemiology; you sound like you're interested for the leadership and management side. Those are very different aims, and there may be other programs you haven't even heard of who are more specifically geared toward that area.
posted by Madamina at 9:26 AM on May 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

I don't know anyone in public health policy who got a PhD without having quite a lot of work experience beforehand. Most of the public health policy folk I know and work with have MPH and/or MPP degrees. The rock star I know has a PhD that she got (while working full-time) after 20some years in the field. She got to be in leadership roles because of the work she does, not (just) because of the degrees she has. This is true for every person I know in this field, and I work for a health policy think tank, so I know a bunch of them.

Does Harvard have funding?

You can find this out much more quickly and accurately by looking at their site and/or by calling the admissions office. Ditto for any specifics about required GPAs for any given program - it's going to be very program-dependent, and no one here can give you a blanket answer that is going to be right for all of them.
posted by rtha at 10:05 AM on May 26, 2014 [3 favorites]