And1

Is your concern more so about the epi part or that Waterloo's MPH program is general (but if I recall, Waterloo had an option to focus on sociobehavioural sciences)? I did my undergraduate degree at the School of Public Health and Health Systems at Waterloo, I only have great things to say about the programs in that department and the professors. I've also run into a couple MPH Waterloo grads who worked as an epidemiologist when I worked for PHAC as a co-op student. So it's not like your epi career is completely out of the picture for going there! Certainly try to take stats/epi courses as electives when you can. I recall the UW MPH program had electives for environmental epi and also surveillance (all online), so those would be options if they still offer those.

Anyone with questions about the MPH epi program at U of T can feel free to message me Or anyone having a dilemma about their grad school decisions, really. Would be happy to give my two cents.

What you're going through is very common! I also agree that what matters most is whether the program's focus/courses are aligned with what you are interested in, and the connections to different organizations that the school has that you are interested in working for. Multiple schools could fit that description for many students. Think also long term. In 10 years, would you really say that the school you went to made a big difference in getting the job that you would be working at the time? Probably not. The pros and cons list really helps, I did that. As someone else pointed out, the most important thing is that it is your decision to make, so don't let others (friends, family, profs, us here at the forum) try to convince you otherwise if your heart is telling you something else (not saying that's actually what's happening here). You seem pretty passionate about public health, I am sure whatever decision you make it will work out for you, and in a few years you will look back at this situation and laugh. Best of luck!

Congrats to those who received an offer! Let me know if you have any questions about the MPH Epidemiology program at U of T. To others who are on the waitlist or haven't heard back yet, best of luck

I wouldn't put much weight into the CEPH accreditation. I worked at PHAC a few years ago, in a department that focused on public health education, so got to learn a bit (not an expert of course). CEPH is a US-accrediting body and basically just shows the program meets certain standards of public health education in the states. So, it would be important if you planned on working in the states. If not, then there's not much need to focus on the accreditation (certainly shouldn't be a deal breaker). There's no accrediting body in Canada so I think for some schools they still want to meet a certain standard (whether CEPH or APHEA, a European body, where USask is accredited at least last time I checked). But I assume for some schools, they wouldn't view meeting the education standards of another country as being necessary. When I was making my grad school decision for public health programs a couple of years ago, I put absolutely no weight on the accreditation. It doesn't indicate that schools with accreditation are better than those without! I would say focus more on the courses they offer, the program's focus, as well as their connections to the workforce. LinkedIn is a great resource to find current and recent graduates from the programs that you applied to and ask questions

They will likely send unofficial acceptances some time in mid-April, and then the official one typically follows about 3-4 weeks after that. Basically, the program admission committee make their decisions (and send out the unofficial offers), but since they have to go through the School of Grad Studies at U of T to make things official, that's partly where the delay is coming from. I liked this method though, because usually other schools don't send out any decisions until it has gone through their graduate studies department, which of course slow things down. At the same time, U of T also pretty much sends out the acceptances last compared to other schools anyways haha. Best of luck!

Well since I don't know anyone who did an interview, I'm really just guessing here but I suppose they would be asking the standard things like what made you apply, what you hope to get out of the program, and your career goals? I'm sure you'll have an opportunity to throw in some stuff about your skill set and how that aligns with the program's purpose and all. Best of luck!

Hmm interesting. Are you an international student by any chance? I'm a current MPH Epi student at U of T (will finish this April), and I know we never had to do interviews back when I applied. I guess things have changed! The GRE was never required/recommended back then either

Hiya! Current MPH Epi student at U of T, entering second year. MPH programs usually aren't very well funded, in comparison to MSc programs that are generally covered (most or all) by the department for at least the first year. It is true that U of T's MPH programs are eligible for CIHR CGS-M. I actually won this! But I admit that it is not common for MPH students to win this award. U of T also offers other smaller scholarships/bursaries/grants to make the program more affordable. We also have two practicum placements (one required, another optional), and at least for epi students the pay was pretty good. You're right that funding info is usually all over the place. It drove me crazy too! But I certainly took the time to make sure I found all the possible things I was eligible for that I could apply to. If you have more questions about funding at U of T, send me a message and I'd be glad to help!

Hi there! My suggestion for you is to just ask during early Fall (at least, if you know for sure which supervisor you will want to ask). Doesn't hurt to ask right now, but because it is August there is a good chance they are away for vacation and your email will just get piled up in their inbox. Always best to ask early. While it's not entirely first come first serve when it comes to finding supervisors (since you have to have the profile to be admitted to the program), if you are a good candidate then you'll get a sense from the supervisor that the partnership can happen. In this case, this prof may actually start declining other students later on that ask if the prof is taking on any students. You should make sure to ask for the contact info of the supervisor's current students so that you can ask them about what it's like working under him/her. Since you are applying to other programs, I am assuming there will be a chance you may not go for the MSc program even if you're accepted. If you end up going to a different program, always make sure to let the supervisor know as early as you can! Since they will have to find a replacement student. I found it difficult to have to tell them that I will not be attending after having sort of an implied understanding that I will be coming, but they will understand! For me, I originally thought I was going to do an MSc in Epi at Guelph, Then the UW MSc program became my top choice, and I told the Guelph prof that I will no longer be coming. And then finally, I made the decision to go to U of T MPH Epi instead (now will enter second year), so had to tell the UW prof I changed my mind. I obviously felt terrible and was super apologetic, but I was very touched by how understanding the profs were. But at the very least make sure to let them know as soon as you can and be respectful!

When you first paid the application fee way back when, you should have received an automatic email and it would have came with what's called a JOIN ID. This is basically your temporary log in ID, and you can log into ACORN this way (at least, it was like this for me last year, I'm sure it hasn't changed). Once you get your T card, then you can create an official ACORN ID and the account will roll over the temporary one. But at least this way, you can still log in and enroll in classes and such before getting your T card. Most students don't end up getting their card until September when school officially starts, but it's always nice getting it beforehand to avoid the long lineups. Hope that helps!

Current epi student here. Our cohort this past fall was about 40. Health Promotion has always been the largest program, I think they were almost 50 this year. So if they are 40 this upcoming year, I guess they have decided to shrink it back down to their previous sizes! Not sure if epi would do the same, but I can't see it being larger than health promo (unless you contacted them and confirmed). You are spot on about the OEH and Nutrition programs, they are quite small. Best of luck!

I was originally going to post on here, but I think it will be best through a personal message! Any others can feel free to message me as well.

Haha oh my goodness, this is a question that I have an absolutely loaded answer to, so prepare yourselves... For anyone else who would prefer to message me privately to ask questions about your upcoming decisions, feel free! Or just reply as a thread here, so everyone can benefit. Anyways, here goes: Funny you mention that, because I actually was going to pursue an MSc initially.. I had applied to the MSc epi program at the University of Guelph and the MSc in Public Health and Health Systems at University of Waterloo (did my undergrad there). While the degree at UW was not a formal epi degree, I was going to work under an epidemiologist and do an epi-based thesis. Now initially I had tried to sway myself to doing an MSc because they come with funding, and of course that comes to mind for many students as they make their decisions. I won OGS ($15,000) for both UW and Guelph. I was actually very set on doing my MSc at UW and was even working for that supervisor last summer prior to the start of the school year. However, I realized that the MPH Epi program at U of T was the one that I truly wanted, and I was letting money get in the way. For one, I wanted to do a formal epidemiology program. Two, before applying to any programs my plan was always to work in Toronto once I was done school. I knew that the U of T program would provide the best connections for that to happen. I also began to realize that I did not want to pursue an academic career, and wanted to work in public health, meaning the MPH was more suitable than an MSc. Of course, it doesn't mean you have to go for an academic career just because you're doing an MSc. Not at all! Just saying MPH is more geared towards working in an applied setting out of the gate. Because of all this, I made the very tough decision almost a year ago to walk into the office and let the supervisor know that I have changed my mind and will be attending U of T instead. Lastly, yes, I am very happy with the program. I am almost done this term, and will start my practicum placement soon. It's exciting to get actual work experience in an epidemiologist role, which of course is valuable as you try to obtain a job after graduating! I apologize to everyone for writing such a long post. But this is a problem that students face all the time. Not just in terms of epidemiology, but trying to make the right grad school decision. There are so many factors to consider and it can get daunting knowing that your decision can potentially make a big change in your career. Again, feel free to message me if you have any questions about grad school, and I'll try my best. I usually try my best to provide unbiased answers

Yup, I believe it was about the same. If you look at last year's thread for MPH programs in Canada, you'd be able to get a rough sense of when the offers rolled out!