[MPH Canada Fall 2017]

6 hours ago, emph said:

It was a tough decision, for sure. I ultimately decided to attend UBC because I had my roots there (I was working there at the time of applying) and because UBC professors are very well connected with the local health authorities - many hold clinical appointments at local hospitals and health organizations. That's not to say that SFU faulty aren't well connected, but my impression is that the strengths in SFU's program is that it's focused on social determinants/community-based health (depending on the stream you applied for), while UBC's program is focused on more of the quantitative aspects of public health (biostats, epidemiology)... and if you take a look at the required coursework in each respective program, they definitely reflect this! Also, the UBC Vancouver campus environment is unparalleled - it's beautiful and I live relatively close by, whereas for the SFU campus, I would have had to commute upwards of an hour to get to school, and I wasn't willing to move.

I think both programs are really, really good. As a school, UBC is more prestigious (not that this really matters when finding a job in public health), though I've heard repeatedly that SFU's program is among the best in Canada. It has a really good reputation. It goes without saying, but I think which program is better just hinges on your interests in public health - if you're aiming to become an epidemiologist or researcher then UBC is probably a better bet in terms of the opportunities and connections you'd make, but if you want to work with hands on with community organizations on social justice issues then SFU seems, to me, to offer better value in that respect. Hope this helps!

Thanks so much for that in depth answer! That is very close to the read I got as well for the two programs. Do you have any other tips on how to make the most out of your MPH degree? 

[MPH Canada Fall 2017]

7 hours ago, emph said:

Current UBC MPH student here!

I remember relentlessly browsing this forum last year - it was such a great resource when I was trying to make my decision as to which program to attend (for me, it was between UBC, SFU and the U of T social and behavioural health science MPH programs). So if anyone has questions about UBC's program feel free to shoot me a PM 

Hey! Thanks for making yourself available  I was wondering what made you choose UBC over SFU?

[MPH Canada Fall 2017]

Hello Everyone,

I just checked the status for my SFU Application and I got accepted!! Haven't received a letter or email yet but the status says approved and has a little accept/decline button next to it Waiting for UBC now...

[MPH Canada Fall 2017]

Kinda getting nervous now that I haven't heard back form SFU yet