moonwave11

I haven't seen a Columbia University 2016 thread yet so thought I'd start one! I'll be starting in the fall as a MPH student in the Mailman School of Public Health. I studied anthropology as an undergrad and am really interested in architecture and planning, so even though I'll be on the medical campus most of my time, I hope to come down to the main campus regularly to study and for lectures and events. Super excited to move to NYC this summer!

I spoke with someone who graduated with a MCP and is now the director of housing in city government about this exact question. I am also interested in a MPH/MA in urban planning and wanted to know whether spending extra time to get the dual degree was worth it. In short, he said yes because the field of city/urban planning is so interdisciplinary that it's beneficial to look at it from multiple perspectives. More and more public health and urban planning are becoming linked and professionals are starting to recognize that. However, he also said that getting one or the other only wouldn't necessarily make you less competitive either. If you got an MPH but concentrated in urban health or urban planning, or if you got an MA in urban planning with a focus on public health, you still might gain the same knowledge but more pragmatically, by spending less time and money in/for school. So I guess it really depends on your goals and what you'd like to do afterward. I think they open different doors and it can only be an advantage to have both especially if you're not sure about either public health or urban planning, but only if you're willing to spend that extra time and cost. Hope that helps.

Hi all! I was recently accepted into Columbia's MPH program and I'm trying to get a feel for the areas around the medical campus on 168th. I've looked at the surrounding neighborhood in Washington Heights as well as Inwood, which both seem like good affordable options. I'm curious to hear if anyone here currently lives in those neighborhoods and what their experience has been. Washington Heights seems very residential and family oriented, which is nice, to be somewhat removed from the bustle of other areas. I haven't had the chance to check out Inwood- does anyone have any experience or thoughts? Also, I know this is a NY thread, but is there anyone here who lives across the GW Bridge in Jersey, specifically Fort Lee? I've heard it's also a nice residential area and it doesn't seem too far from Washington Heights, so I wanted to see if anyone knew much about the commute and if that option is worth exploring further.

I believe University of Washington also has a joint MPH/PhD med anthro program.

I believe Tufts' public health program is in the medical school campus in Chinatown, which is also in the city and about 10 minutes away from BU. But I know Tufts' PH program isn't ranked and the program size may be smaller, but that also means a smaller alumni network once you graduate. Your call.

sorry to resurrect this thread but I'm interested to hear from ilikegreen (if you're still here!)-- how did you graduate in 2 years with only taking 1 class/week? I'm assuming that you took 2 classes max per semester. Isn't a FT student course load 3-4 courses/semester?

Sorry to resurrect this thread (I'm looking into MPH programs for 2015!), but could you switch into SMS afterward if you decided epi wasn't right for you? Is switching between concentrations prohibited at Columbia/in most schoolsl?

Not sure if you have come across these already but you might want to check out UC Berkeley, Emory University, and University of Washington. I am also broadly interested in MCH and nutrition and have been looking around for programs in these areas as well. Hope that helps!