UNC vs. Tufts Nutritional Epidemiology

[~Lemonmacaron]

I have become very interested in studying nutritional epidemiology after undergrad and have been looking into all the programs that offer this concentration. The two schools that I have become most interested in based on curriculum, faculty research areas, career opportunities, etc. are University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Tufts University.

 

Both schools appear to offer only partial funding; however, UNC has cheaper tuition (28K for out of state vs. 34K at Tufts). However, if I became a North Carolina resident tuition would drop to 11K per year. Neither programs offer a stipend but do have numerous scholarships; however, I don't know how competitive these would be.

 

Tufts is more prestigious but as far as public health goes UNC is widely recognized for their programs, so I don't know if choosing one or the other would affect my job chances after school. UNC is closer to the CDC, NIH, etc. but I'm sure Tufts would have opportunities also. Also, Tufts' PhD program requires a Masters before entry, but UNC does not require a Masters. The average GPA of accepted applicants at UNC is 3.4, which seems rather low to me, but I don't know how this compares to applicants at Tufts.

 

Has anyone else considered or is currently attending one of these schools and have thoughts? Thanks for the help!