The Master of Public Health (MPH) program focuses primarily on public health issues and requires hands-on experience. It prepares the learners before sending them to work in various health and safety environments.
Public health experts are in high demand, which is why so many universities are offering this degree on campus. Also, like many other programs, students can now earn their MPH degree online. This article will discuss the pros and cons of both types of learning.
Admission Requirements
Even though you can join the public health workforce with a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree can improve your proficiency. Having a postgraduate degree usually results in higher pay and lower unemployment rates. To get admitted, you will need:
- GPA: A minimum GPA of 3.0 or better in your undergraduate degree. This requirement, however, varies at different universities.
- Application Materials: You must submit official transcripts, reflective essays, and all other important documents to the university you will enrol in. Application materials are a requirement for both online and traditional degrees. If you’re trying to get into a prestigious college, then you may also need a letter of recommendation.
- A Statement of Purpose: You must explain your reason/purpose to getting a master’s degree in public health. Many institutions require this to understand the students beforehand.
- Standardised Tests: This is optional, but you can also include your scores in standardised tests like the GRE or MCAT.
Curriculum
An MPH degree features a carefully crafted and refined curriculum that touches on every crucial public health-related matter. Some standard components are core courses, elective courses, thorough examinations, and competencies.
The core courses are those directly related to the medical field. These courses lay the foundation for an excellent understanding of the public health department. They cover a wide range of topics, like healthcare in the US and globally, health equity, human rights, and how racism impacts healthcare systems. Core courses focus on theory and evidence before introducing research methods.
Students who pursue an MPH degree need to sit for various exams that prepare them for their upcoming careers in this field. The CPH (Certified in Public Health) exam is a degree requirement for all MPH students. It covers ten domains, including evidence-based approaches to public health, communication, leadership, health equity, and social justice.
Many MPH programs require students to complete a comprehensive exam after finishing their core coursework. This exam evaluates students’ ability to apply foundational public health knowledge and skills. It often covers data analysis, public health solutions, and systems approaches to understanding public health issues.
Finally, after participating in all these tests, students will have to complete a supervised internship to get certified. This internship is followed by a cumulative experience report written by the students. The report reflects their newly gained insights and overall comprehension of public health.
Expenses
Depending on the institution and program type, the expenses of an MPH degree differ significantly. Traditional schools, with their research labs providing you with on-hand experience and overhead costs, are considerably pricey. Their lack of affordability makes many people choose an online degree, which is much less expensive.
Online and offline degrees cover almost the same topics and are handled by equally qualified professionals. However, the key difference lies in how the program is delivered. For a traditional course, you get multifaceted access to practical knowledge by engaging in fieldwork.
In addition, regular face-to-face interaction with peers and professors can foster collaborative learning and personalised support from academic advisors, career services, and so on, which is why these courses are more costly.
Online courses, however, can’t give students this much practical knowledge. Despite that, they offer several advantages worth mentioning. The biggest advantage is flexibility. The asynchronous nature of online courses makes them super convenient for students. Since lecturers can record classes, hand out PDF files, and don’t have to interact with the students all the time, online courses are much cheaper. So, in terms of affordability and flexibility, online courses win.
Read Also: How Online Portals Improve Learning Process
Discussing Misconceptions
Many people automatically assume that online courses are less credible than regular classrooms when comparing the curriculum and classroom experience. Firstly, an online MPH degree is just as rigorous and challenging as a traditional one. The only drawback is that online students must compensate for the lack of real-life interaction by building their own communities.
Another major misconception is that networking is limited to a digital program. You can still build communities even if you are in a different location than your peers. Networking is made a thousand times better with an online degree.
Students worldwide apply for online MPH degrees alongside students who can’t relocate or cannot afford higher studies. Building a community is entirely up to you. Even traditional classrooms can’t help you network if you lack social skills.
Many recruiters falsely believe that online students aren’t capable of doing the job like traditional degree holders, which leads them to reject online students.
Conclusion
Online courses follow an asynchronous method, so all the study materials are provided in a secure file to each student, who is advised to study them at their own pace from the comfort of their home. After a certain period, lecturers hold live classes to recap and assess the previous lecture. Online tests and discussion panels are also a huge part of the online method.
The traditional teaching method is indeed far better than an online degree. But for someone who needs to look after family, wants to keep their current job, or has a chronic illness, online courses are the best option.