Heat
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Posts posted by Heat
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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.
I applied to their occupational and environmental health stream, but I realized it isn't the stream that I wanted after finding out about where graduates usually work afterwards. I'm wondering if I should suck it up and try it since UofT is located nicely in central toronto with plenty of job opportunity and networking opportunity, or if I should accept the Queens MPH which is newer (and may still have leeway for refinement and improvement) program, but contain courses that I ultimately prefer over UofT. ... :S
Pebbles
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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.
Long time obsessive lurker here. Thanks to everyone for the great information and discussion!
McGill: Does anyone know more details of the program beyond obviously what is available on the website? I hear they are pursuing CEPH accreditation, which is a nice perk I suppose, although I have no intention to move to the US. Does anyone know if their practicums are paid or stipended like at UBC? Also, does anyone know if you can TA outside of the department (assuming of course, that you have completed and excelled in those courses in undergrad). Obviously the school is great, but what are people's thoughts on McGill's new MSc.PH program vis-a-vis other programs? I know it's 'new' but it's basically a re-brand of their MSc. Epidemiology (non-thesis) so it's in fact quite established.
Many thanks.
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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.
Are you from Toronto?
I am also waiting to hear from U of T but my plans are to move out West especially having done my undergrad at U of T- I need change!
USask is far but I really think it would be more beneficial than an online program especially if you are not yet in the field. I am no expert but I think online programs benefit people who are already working and would like to pursue advanced degrees-- the online program probably provides them with a little bit more flexibility especially in terms of where they are situated.
Let me know if you decided on USask!
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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?
I am in the exact same position as you (except for one "tiny" difference)-- I've been accepted at USask and SFU and am leaning towards USask but just waiting on the official acceptance from SFU to see what they will offer. I was actually in Saskatoon in February and spoke with the director and assistant director. They seem to really be pushing for accreditation for the program and so it is constantly undergoing changes--which can be positive (keeps getting "better") or negative (not very consistent). May I ask what you finished your undergrad in?
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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?
So which one are you picking?
Just curious. .. Queens has a very good learning atmosphere. I am speaking from an undergrad's point of view since I'm completing my undergrad right now here at Queens. Of course I don't know much about the MPH either (or I won't be having so much trouble decidingbtwn here and UofT
) I also hear that the head of the MPH program here has a fairly good reputation in the public health arena... but that was only from one source, so not sure how credible that is...Pebbles
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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!!!!
So which one are you picking?
Just curious. .. Queens has a very good learning atmosphere. I am speaking from an undergrad's point of view since I'm completing my undergrad right now here at Queens. Of course I don't know much about the MPH either (or I won't be having so much trouble decidingbtwn here and UofT
) I also hear that the head of the MPH program here has a fairly good reputation in the public health arena... but that was only from one source, so not sure how credible that is...Pebbles
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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!!
Everyone here has to make so many difficult decisions.
@Heat:
I'm actually from SK and I think UofS would be a great school. It is cold here but you get use to it. Between prestige (Queens) and quality, I would go for quality every time. From my understanding Queens MPH is still fairly new and might still have some kinks to work out.
I actually had to choose between Queens and UofA myself and in the end, after talking to some managers at work who hire, they could care less about what University you graduated from. It's all about your skills set and experience.
On a side note, I fine it pretty great that UofS is giving funding, many of the bigger schools aren't for MPH.
@Strbrry:
I had my eye on UBC MPH as well. In the end though, I realized having an Epi designation was more important to me than living in an awesome city. I'm a little bias myself since I've settled on going to UofA, but I like how structured their program is (very similar to UofT), and they should be accredited by the time I graduate.
I kind of regret not applying for UofT seeing as how everyone speaks so highly of it and since they seem to have a very strong Epi stream, oh well.
Strbrry what was your GPA and background? I'm surprise you were wait listed at UofT but accepted (with funding) at UBC. UofT standards must be pretty intense.
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U Sask or Queen's - ANY ADVICE!?!
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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.
that's the thing - I do not really wish to work in occupational public health for the long term - I am more interested in infectious diseases and biological hazards that occur in the workplace and environment in general. I like the generalization of Queens MPH where it deals with many other streams of public health, but I am also not that interested in cancer epidemiology.... @_@
Forgive me if I'm wrong (I lost track of all the posts here lol) , but you got into UofT epid right?
I hear that's a really good MPH stream at UofT! congrats 
Pebbles
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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.
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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.
Hi Stars,
yes I got into both! I tried to find a facebook page about the Queens MPH but they didn't really have one - at least the discussion board has been outdated for two years (and not much discussion going on either). I compared the courses from both schools and I feel the Queens one offer more interesting course topics, however I agree with you that UofT seems to have a better reputation!
Hmmmm
Pebbles
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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.
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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.
MPH Programs in Canada
in Public Health Forum
Posted
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.