HealthPolicyMgmtPhD

Honestly rankings for doctoral programs are fake. No way can a website or an organization can actually rate a PhD program. Take the fact that full tuition + stipend is a better indicator of the quality of the program and it’s values.
 
this is just general advice. For example, in clinical\ counseling psychology doctoral programs, Columbia university TC is a school people want to go to due to the name merit. However, it  is an unfunded program as well. Most professionals in the field say that schools matter to a certain degree but the debt one takes is much more impact on your life in the program and after.

Hi @PublicHealth2020grad! I got mine Monday morning here/Sunday evening ET. I would like to say that they did a great job in terms of matching with supervisors. I am thrilled to meet them. 
Regarding your question, I would agree that the distinction is blurring more and more but for me, I have a firm resolve that I wanted to get a DrPH over a PhD since I wanted to work on the translation side. While I did consider applying for a PhD program with a related concentration, I am convinced that Implementation Science jives better with a DrPH over a PhD. When I was doing my MPH in Sydney, I got an opportunity to continue to a PhD but I opted to defer because I believe that there is a bigger need for people who would translate the evidence at the grassroots... People with balanced research technical and managerial/leadership skills... Hence DrPH was a more logical and strategic option for me. Another important consideration is the potential for network expansion. Post-grad is not only about studying but rather it is more about creating professional networks. I believe this is where a good school, like JHSPH, would have a big advantage. Lastly, the opportunity cost of doing a full-time program versus a part-time program is also an important consideration. There is value in forwarding both your academic and professional careers at the same time especially in public health but admittedly, it could come with a heavy price in terms of work load and finances (especially for those coming in a developing country setting). At the end of the day, it's what you wanted to do out of the degree. A degree is not the end goal but rather a mean to an end.

@jace_PH @HealthPolicyMgmtPhD Received my concentration letter tonight!

I got my letter this past Thursday about my JHSPH committee and faculty advisor....did you get yours since your last message? I’m really excited with whom they fit me with, but I am still very torn about deciding between this and a tuition-covered PhD. I reached out and had the chance to talk to my potential faculty advisor via phone this Friday and I had good feelings about the call. Having recently talked to faculty at the other school I am considering, I do feel there’s a caliber difference. Justifying the cost difference is something I’m still weighing at this time though! The PhD program will let me work part time so I’m not sacrificing my career potential in either case. What’s your thoughts so far on your decisions?
 
On the call, my faculty advisor offered for me to talk to prior students that he advised, so I’ve set up some calls this week to get a sense of their experiences and how things went for them in my particular track. So far, I have chatted with two students. They expressed that financing through a combination of employer and personal funds was really the main way to fund the degree; overall they all had good things to say about their program experiences.
Would love to hear what you’ve been thinking! Let me know! We still have time to make a decision so I hope that my talking with everyone the next weeks will get me to a final decision.

Somehow I just saw these messages (I’m reading the forum on my phone!) ... I’m less sure on my end. One day, I’m leaning on the cheaper option, other times, I’m leaning on the Hopkins DrPH. Really wish we could have visited the schools in person! 

I wish you the best of luck!