Heat

In terms of reputation UBC is a big name university but the program is relatively new. SFU is a good university though. In terms of less statistics I think your best bet would be SFU as the course descriptions tell you it is about understanding statistics as opposed to doing the statistics itself. UBC's program is based off the thesis-based program so may include more stat's.

If I were you and you are not interested in working in Environmental and Occupational Health then I would go to Queen's. If you prefer the courses then go to Queen's!! That is how I decided between Queen's and USask - I prefer the courses at USask. It is a course based Masters so you want to get the most out of it. Plus, Kingston is a 3 huors train ride to either Toronto or Montreal so it is in a good location and I have talked to people from Queen's and all say that for a small city it offers all the ammenities that one would want.

This is the 1st year that McGill is offering an MPH program so the only people that would have answers to yoru questions is McGill. Call the department and ask your questions. I have called in the past and the people that work there are usually helpful.

Do you have a position in the area of PH you want to work in? I took a year off after I completed my undergraduate while I applied to do a MPH and I wasn't able to get a position in PH... At least alot of the positions I was interested in you needed to have a Masters. If you have a position then it might be beneficial to take your degree online as your can build up your experience in the area, but if you don't have a position it might be better to go to a university. One question I would ask if if you do a practicum if you do the MPH online ... If not I wouldn't recommend doing as the practicum is essential to building skills required to enter the workforce.

I completed a BSc in Biological Sciences with Distinction and a BA in Sociology with Distinction from the University of Calgary - Why do you ask?

U of T has had a program for longer ... Don't they make you specialize in an area like Epi or Health Promotion? Is that of interest to you?

I have been leaning towards U Sask and when I couldn't make a decision I did a coin toss with one of those Canadian Silver Dollars from eons ago with a best out of 3 ... U Sask won all three times and as silly as this sounds it confirmed my desire to go to U Sask ... There are alot of interesting coures offered such a Public Health Nutrition or a Special Topics Class in Emergency Pepardness and Disaster Response and focus in social epidemiology that appeal to me and what I think I want to do once I am finished. Plus tuition is cheaper at U Sask and there are opportunities for funding as well as to be a Research Assistat or Teaching Assistant in both 1st and 2nd Year which I am very very interested in. Plus it is close to AB so if I get lonely I can drive (granted it is 6-8 hours) home to visit family and friends ... The only thing I am not looking forward too is the cold winters. The only thing that may change my mind at this point is if SFU made an offer I couldn't turn down. Apparently, official letters go out tomorrow ... A lot of the comments on here have raised my opinion of SFU!!!!

I hae heard nothing but excellent things about U of A. When I was talking to people at U Sask I was told that U of A has the largest School of Public Health in Canada and is one of the oldest schools ... The program is established. I had considered applying to U of A (and U of T) but decided I didn't want to specialize and that I wanted to good understanding in all areas of public health. If you know what you want to do - epi - then U of A is a good university!!

U Sask or Queen's - ANY ADVICE!?!

I am deciding between U Sask and Queen's at the moment. I have to make up my mind tonight (for tomorrow) and I am freaking out!! I have no idea what to do!! I am interested in the social epidemiology focus at U Sask but Queen's is a prestigous universities with small class sizes and strong background in epidemiology. Both universitis are excellent for different reasons. I would say if you don't want to work in Occupational Health and Safety and you want a broad based understanding of PH then perhaps go to Queen's .. I was told by a Queen's student that if you were inerested in cancer epi then it is the place to be but from talking to her she has a good comprehenive understanding of publi health as whole.

Usually is someone goes into OEH then they tend to work in this area as it is a specialization. Is this what you intend to do? If yes, then Uof T seems like a good option. The MPH at Queen's is a new -yes - but it replaced their non-thesis MSC in Epi program. If you are interested in epi, especially cancer epi, and understanding all the core components of MPH then Queen's might e a better option.

Queen's programs specializes in cancer epidemiology and things like smoking and environmental harzards that could cause cancer ... If you are interested in these things then Queen's is a good program.

I looked up both of the program quickly on-line ... It is my impression that at U of T you specialize in an area of MPH such as Epidemiology or Public Health Promotion whereas at Guelf University you take courses in the core areas of MPH and then you choose the options that appeal to you ... I guess it depends if you know where youw ant to work when you are finished your MPH. If you know what area you want to work then it might be more useful to go to U of T and specialize in that area and if you don't know what area you want to work in and you have multiple interests in public health then it might be more useful to go to a university that instructs in all the core areas and then you can choose your options depending on what you are interested in. If pretigousness is important to you then you might want to consider U of T ... Both are good universities but U of T is one of the big name universities. Also, where would you like to live? Would you rather live in Tornoto which is a large city or would rather live in a small city ? You could also contact both of the universities if you have specific questions.

I am excited that I found this forum!! I applied to seveal universities in Canada and was accepted at Simon Fraser University, University of Saskatchewan and Queen's University... I have no idea where I want to go as each of these universities is EXCELLENT!! -SFU is close to Vancouver, which would be an awesome place to be. It seems to have a good program ... -U Sask has a lot of options that other universities do not offer in addition to a lot of core courses. I have been told that U Sask is a BEAUTIFUL campus and there is alot of infrastructure being built. My concern is the location. Does anyone live in (or know someone who lives in) Saskatoon? Yes, the winters are COLD!! -Queen's is one of the prestigous univesities in Canada ... It is in a good location. The program has just started at Queen's (I think it is going into its 4th year) but at the same time it is based off a MSc in Epi program. There are no funding opportunties. CLASS SIZE OF 20!! SFU has a class size of approx. 40-60 and U Sask approx. 80. ... I guess that is an individual preference. I got an E-mail from SFU that stated I was being offered admission and that an official offer would follow. I have yet to receive this official offer ... I don't think it is anything to worry about this point in time. I was offered admisson to th U Sask MPH program in January and I got the letter in March (2 months after the offer of admission was sent). I haven't receieved an official letter from Queen's either. As for funding, only SFU and U Sask offer funding but you are considered for funding after you have accepted your offer of admission ... At least this is what I have been told by the universities. If anyone has any isights that would be awesome, but I have a feeling that we are all in a similar situation in that we do not know where to go. I am leaning towards U Sask but I am concerned about the loaction ... Does anyone know anyone in Public Health?? They would be a good person to talk to about which programs are good.