Familiar Heron

No problem! I think that if a place wants a prior MPH, it's usually because they want to ensure that students have a core understanding of statistics, health policy, etc. I don't know what your program would entail, but if you could pick up some of those classes on the side (or even part time after earning your master's), that could suffice.

Disclaimer: not a DrPH student or prospective applicant, but a number of my friends/colleagues have a DrPH, are in a program, or will apply in the coming season. The short answer is "no." A relevant master's is preferred, and most successful applicants will have an MPH or MSPH, but many will enter with another type of master's degree (some of my friends/colleagues have an MS, MBA, etc.). However, the more important facet of the application is experience. Do you have professional experience in healthcare? Do you intend on returning to the workforce after the genetic counseling program and before applying for a DrPH program? Since DrPH programs tend to recruit mid-career professionals who intend to use the degree as a stepping stone, applying without much working experience may diminish your chances. I don't know your age or your experience, but if you're pretty young (<30 years) and looking to apply right away, don't rule out the PhD entirely! Of course, I would recommend contacting a few schools that interest you, talk to their professors, and gauge their reaction. Good luck!

It's not typical for students to be kicked out. Period. Echoing Eigen, there is no code word for expulsion for a research group until the PI notifies you directly. Moreover, all that we know is that you broke the equipment and that it's being repaired in-house. This doesn't give us any information regarding cost of the equipment, the potential hazards of your oversight, what protocol was ignored, etc. What sticks out to me is your paraphrase that the accident was "symptomatic of lack of attention and unsafe lab practice." Do you have any history of unsafe lab practices? If so, have you faced disciplinary action as a consequence of unsafe practice?

I looked at a lot of schools, and while most of them recommended having a master's degree (or being on track to having a master's degree prior to enrollment), none required it. Also, I think the recommendation is targeted at younger applicants with modest or no professional experience. Having a master's degree may be negligible if you have a decent amount of years in the field (5+ years). With that said, find the schools with professors whose interests align with yours, and reach out to them. Not having a master's will not put you out of the running, even if you don't have much experience.

Hey, glad to hear that you're considering graduate programs in HSR! Just to provide some context to my answer, I'm only a few years out of undergrad, I recently earned my MS in a health services-related field, and I will begin a PhD program in HSR in the fall. From my discussions with program staff, faculty, and students, admissions committees like to see some combination of relevant education and experience. If you're a young applicant with little to no professional experience, a master's degree (ideally in public health or a related discipline) goes a long way. If you have worked in a healthcare sector for several years, previous graduate education is not that important. The former demonstrates competencies in baseline health services coursework (for example, such as biostatistics), whereas the latter indicates first-hand knowledge of operations in the field. Obviously having both is ideal, but having one is good enough. With that said, applying to a HSR PhD program without graduate education or professional experience puts you at a non-insignificant disadvantage to your competition. It's not so severe that applicants in your position never receive admission (some do, but it's much harder). Reach out to faculty early in the application cycle (like in August and September), express your enthusiasm for their work, and ask them for what they want from an applicant who is fresh out of undergrad. If you can identify two or three professors with whom you really connect, then lack of experience may have less weight in their decision. Good grades, killer GREs, a compelling statement, and exquisite letters are generally par for the course (especially at top schools like Michigan, NYU, Minnesota, and Emory), so don't just rely on those. I recommend applying to the fellowship at Columbia before applying to PhD programs. You seem passionate about the topic, but – who knows? – maybe your interests will change. And if you get in, it will also give you a competitive edge when you apply to graduate programs. Good luck!

Applied: Dartmouth College (HPCP), Harvard U. (PHS), U. Michigan (HSOP), U. Minnesota (HSRPA), U. Wisconsin (PHS) Admitted: U. Minnesota, U. Wisconsin (top choices for research fit!) Rejected: Harvard U., U. Michigan Withdrawn: Dartmouth College -- I'll decide after I visit Minnesota, although I'm leaning towards Wisconsin at this point.

In general, later notifications are more likely to be rejections than acceptances or waitlists. This is particularly true for large programs that want several students to matriculate in the fall. It wouldn't make sense to notify one batch of admitted students at one point, and then to notify more admitted pool of applicants later on, given that students have visit schools, turn down offers, organize funding (if needed), etc., all by April 15. However, I know that some smaller programs that allow rolling admissions and have soft funding (that is, students are funded by faculty grants, not by the school itself) do admit, waitlist, and reject students irregularly throughout the process.

Congrats! I was admitted as well, and I figured out funding if I decide to attend Wisconsin. Just trying to gauge who else is seriously considering the program.

It's great to see all of the good news in this thread! Did anybody else apply to Wisconsin's Population Health PhD program?

Rejected from Michigan's HSOP program! It's a bummer, but with two admits in the bag, I'm not too worried. (Also, congrats on the recent acceptances/waitlists!)

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Unfortunately, I don't think that this is a question that we can answer. Contact SOPHAS and your schools of interest by phone and see if you can work something out. Depending on the submission dates, you may be okay. It may not be a big deal if this is for master's programs, but if it's for doctoral programs, my guess is that you're out of luck. EDIT: I just wanted to clarify the point regarding master's programs. These are generally professional programs that can take in a large cohort of students. As such, submitting a late application may not exclude you from the running if the program has more room, especially if your a strong candidate. That said, you probably will not be offered funding (although such support tends to be pretty meager at master's programs, anyhow).

This is correct. The international/domestic student quota for graduate programs are pretty variable across schools, and it also depends on the type of program (doctoral vs. masters). I think that your best bet is contacting the schools and asking for information that is specific to international applicants.

Consider my input with a grain of salt, but here are my thoughts: You should consider studying again for the GREs with particular emphasis on the quantitative test. Most epidemiology programs want students who can conduct statistical research. While I don't know of your coursework, your GRE quantitative score does not corroborate your preparedness for graduate level statistics classes. Since you have a TOEFL score, I assume that English is not your first language, so your verbal and writing scores should be passable. I don't think that you're totally out of luck, but considering the average competing applicant, I do think that your GRE quantitative score may give the committee an easy reason not to admit you (at least for this application cycle). That said, do not be discouraged. You seem to have a great portfolio otherwise, and improving your GRE score is almost certainly the most feasible way to enhance your application. Good luck!

No worries, and I hope that I'm not sounding like a downer! Harvard hasn't notified me, so I'm pretty sure that I'm in the rejection pool. It sucks to see the acceptances, but there are other options, thankfully.

I also applied to the SBS track, but my guess is that Harvard already notified all admitted and waitlisted students. Any number of reasons could explain this (more faculty demand for epi track students compared to other subfields, epi applicants more likely to post here, etc.).

I think that I'll be visiting Minnesota in April, and the program coordinator said that they would reimburse up to $400 in travel expenses. Unsure if that includes meals or if they'll only cover flights, gas, lodging, etc.

Is it a master's or PhD program? If it's a PhD program, that is 1) absurd and 2) a bad sign of the program's financial health. If it's a master's program, then it may be a question of how much money is left over after PhD students matriculate. Of course, this depends on what degrees are offered at this school, so I may be off the mark. This is not great advice, but just hope that you get another acceptance with funding, and use that to solicit funding info (and possibly a heftier package) from the original school. Good luck, and congrats on the admission!

Is this question directed at a particular school, or just in general? I think that most programs have a decision date of April 15.

No problem! I'm glad that I could help. Regarding the grants: If your program expects you to apply for grants that will fund your education, you probably do not have to do this until a year or two in the program. Plus, most programs will teach you how to write grant applications. Reading up on the grant process is a good idea, but it should not keep you up at night during the application process.

Hey, I'm not a PhD student currently, but I will be in the fall and I currently work at a university that has a PhD program in health policy. I'll answer some of your questions as best as I can! 1. Your assumption is correct. While the theme of your dissertation should be pretty broad, the particular research question should be specific (ex: "The utilization of mental healthcare in America" -> "Are HMO patients more likely to enter inpatient psychiatric facilities than other patients, and why?"). Like any dissertation, the question should be pretty novel and unanswered (or at least the current answer is not satisfactory/flawed by some recent knowledge). Keep in mind that the dissertation's structure will differ by school, especially since there's quite a bit of content variation across healthy policy PhD programs. Still, that's probably not crucial at the application step. Programs will want a general idea of your interests ("The utilization of mental healthcare in America"), but most will not require a very detailed dissertation question ("Are HMO patients..."). Finding a school that can support your sub-field is more important than generating a dissertation question. 2. Yes! In fact, it would be unwise to contact a faculty member or two during the application process. General questions about current research, the nature of the program, student placements, etc., are worthwhile. Like I said previously, you usually don't need to generate a detailed project right away, but think of a problem in health policy that interests you. Find a faculty member who conducts similar research, pitch the idea, and field whether he or she is interested. 3. From my understanding, that is the norm for health policy programs, given the nature of our research. Some schools encourage you to become a research assistant to a faculty member on his or her grant. Then, you can conduct research that will fulfill his/her needs and that will also become part of your dissertation. Other schools encourage you to apply for small grants to fund your research. Some schools will have a mix of both (my current institution does). Self-pay/loans are probably not the best idea for a PhD. Another note: It's great that you're thinking about this early! However, you should consider waiting to contact faculty members until 3-4 months before the application is due. Professors can forget, some might go on leave, some may have changes in funding, and so on and so forth. Other users may (rightfully) disagree, but that's the advice that I got. Speaking of which, talk to your faculty at your MPH institution! They are a valuable resource and can guide you in the application process. Plus, they might reach out to colleagues at prospective schools. Good luck!

What's your work experience? A 3.0 isn't too bad (and an upward trend is definitely favorable with that GPA), but having relevant work or research experience in the field will have a greater impact on your likelihood of admission than great GRE scores. If you don't have work experience in your favor or strong recommenders, I would suggest shooting for the 90th percentile in all GRE sections. (162 V, 165 Q, 5.0 W), and try volunteering or interning for a health organization ASAP. In any scenario, you'll want to have a great statement of purpose that is meaningful and honest. No generic template. Remember, the application is a holistic document. If you can provide a compelling reason why you want to pursue public health at Michigan and trace your journey towards that decision, the committee will be more forgiving to your early undergrad escapades. You can have killer GRE scores, but if you pitch them a mad-libs statement cluttered with boilerplate language, the odds will be stacked against you. Good luck! Thankfully, you have plenty of time to work on this.

Hey Arash, you seem to have a pretty competitive profile (I can't speak to the TOEFL though, since I'm unfamiliar with what's considered a good score). However, this may not be considered the right forum to get the best feedback, since biomechanics isn't related to public health. Maybe your specific program is housed within the public health schools at those three universities? Good luck!

I'm afraid that you and I are in the same boat, my friend! Honestly, I would be surprised if HSPH did not interview candidates on their short list. Still, you got an interview at UCSF, which is an excellent school. Congratulations on the interview, and best of luck!

Thanks for the insight!

Has anyone else applied to U. Minnesota's Health Services Research, Policy, & Administration PhD program? I was admitted about 2 weeks ago, and the program coordinator just emailed information on their admitted students visitation day. I would love to talk to any other prospective students. Also, any word on Harvard's Population Health Sciences PhD program? I've seen nothing that is specific to PHS on the results page, although a number of applicants to different HSPH PhD programs reported invitations to interviews. I'm afraid that this indicates a rejection on my end...