Master of Public Health Degree in Community Health Education, wise choice or not?
Background- I wish to apply for an MPH degree in the United States for FALL 2016. Btw I don’t hail from the United States.
The deadlines to apply have already passed for most colleges. Now I’m left with only 2 safe colleges that I want to apply to based on my preferences.
I’m planning to apply to San Francisco State Univ and San Jose State Univ for MPH with CONCENTRATION in COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION (CHE).
I’m confused whether to apply for MPH in CHE or not? Should I wait until Fall 2017 to apply to other colleges with MPH in other concentrations? Are the salaries in CHE good? Are CHE candidates equally considered for employability as candidates from other concentrations of MPH? And are there any biases towards candidates with degree from an elite school (eg. preference given to ivy league candidates)?
Note: As I’m an international student, I wont be eligible for jobs in Government Sector in USA.
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The degree is fine, it’s the Bay Area you want to skip. Probably my least favorite place to visit.
And I adore the Bay Area. So don’t take either of our opinions too seriously.
The main question in my mind is what do you plan to do with the MPH since you are an international student? Are you going to try to stay in the US? Depending on where you are from, that might be difficult. If you are going back to your own country, then you need to find out what the field is like over there.
As for public versus Ivy for a Master’s, I think the snob value is only important in certain fields such as business or science. I doubt that it is relevant in the health science fields much.
Do as @janbb suggests as since you say you will not be seeking jobs here in the US, your best bet is to reach out and contact places of employment in your country that require either the MPH or CHE degrees to inquire about both salaries AND availability of job openings. You may find one degree may have either better pay and or more opportunities to actually get a job and the other may present a more difficult entry into the job market.
My point is not to get stuck in the Bay Area because those are the only 2 schools available next semester. Sit out a semester and go to a real American city.
What about the Course (MPH in community Health Education)? Is it less valuable in the USA than MPH in epidemiology, biostatistics, Healthcare Management? Will I get a decent job in USA after matriculation in CHE from state universitiy?
This is the salary range for your MPH in US
Epidemiologist 63 salaries $42,791 – $79,106
Program Coordinator, Non-Profit Organization 29 salaries $31,234 – $61,456
Clinical Research Coordinator 23 salaries $35,438 – $61,672
This Link(MPH)/Salary has a complete MPH degree profile
I have read about the salaries on a lot of websites. But I wanted to hear about the same in public health field from a real person who would have detailed knowledge about public health programs. Thank u still.
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