Anyone considering or choosing an online program?

[orangepotato]

Yay for a public health board!

I know a number of schools offer partially or completely online options for MPH. What do you guys think of them? Has anyone completed this type of degree? I was accepted to Emory's hybrid program, which entails multiple trips down to Atlanta per year for on-campus sessions. I know that Hopkins also offers an online option, though I think you need to go to Baltimore or Washington at least once or twice.

Pros: Online programs allow you to work at the same time, which is sounding really appealing since there does not seem to be a lot of funding for Masters. Emory's curriculum in particular seems like it would be instantly applicable in a professional setting (courses in grant writing, survey design, etc.), and maybe the networking with other students would be more interesting if they are already working in public health organizations.

Cons: I do like opportunities to interact in a classroom setting, and I would love more practice speaking in front of groups. Also, I am concerned about potentially missing out on relationships with professors and other students.

Your thoughts?

[ridgey]

Caveat: My experience is completely outside the US; there may be factors that are relevant to you that I have not even considered.

I'm mid-MPH now, nearly finished and hoping to submit my thesis soon. I LOVED my coursework, and a huge part of that was my classmates. I got a lot out of the coursework itself, and I guess I could have doen the readings and assignments independently. I think, though, that doing that would have lost some of the richness of the experience. I think the nature of the public health, as compared to for example English, is that it draws a lot of people with incredible amounts of practical experience. When I did my coursework, I was one of two people straight out of undergrad, and I really valued the perspective of my more older classmates - so much so that I took a few years between coursework and thesis to gain some perspective myself.

I guess what I'm saying is that having actual classmates is invaluable. There is certainly appeal in the convenience of online courses, but in my opinion, it's not worth it - you lose out on something, and even if that something's not a tangible learning objective, it's an integral part of the whole process.

Having said that, maybe the hybrid course would be a good option, allowing you to get the best of both worlds?

[jay]

I have to agree, interaction with other students is invaluable. I went straight from undergrad to MPH and the discussions with older students about their practical experience was enlightening. I had one online course - a terrible sample size - that met in person twice during the semester. It was my least favorite course. We had homework, online group discussions, and a group project, very similar to my land based courses, but something was missing. If you have to work full-time and moving is not really an option, then I guess it is a good substitute, but I'd much prefer land based to online learning.

That's my 2 pennies worth.

[texasgrad]

I'm going to echo what the others have said here. Although online courses can be excellent, they typically don't have the same sort of interaction that a face-to-face or even interactive television course can have. I'm finishing up my MPH and have taken the full gamut of courses, and I would definitely recommend a brick-and-mortar program. Let us know what you decide!

[orangepotato]

Thanks for the responses! I agree - interacting with the other students should definitely be one of the main highlights of the degree. At least at Emory, they host you on campus 2 times per semester for 4 days at a time, during which you have lectures and other events. Almost like attending conferences, I suppose. They also say that they encourage interaction through discussion boards, maybe audioconferences, and things like that -- but that type of interaction would remain essentially different in kind.

I'll see where else I get in and hopefully that will help me choose. If the curriculum at Emory wasn't so perfect for me, my decision would be a lot easier.

[orangepotato]

Thanks again for the earlier responses. I've done some more research on the schools and reflection on my personal study habits and am leaning much more towards a bricks-and-mortar format. I think the online program would be awesome if your employer was picking up the tab, but I'm not in that situation. I also realized that I have more flexibility in curriculum planning for one of my on-campus choices (GWU) than I previously thought, which is making it a much more appealing option.

However, if anyone else is reading this and interested in online programs, I definitely recommend checking out Emory. It is kind of buried on their website and I didn't even notice it for several months when I was investigating MPH options.

[JLorenzo]

Orange - I love the online learning environment...I work full time and have two young kids...if it weren't for online learning, I wouldn't be entertaining the idea of pursuing my MPH...I finished my undergrad this way and found it to be of great benefit. Good luck!

[stars7]

Hello,

I am accepted to an online MPH program at Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. And I am also really confused...only two visits required at the beginning and end of the program...but I am still wondering if the online program is really for me.

Any positive experience that can come out of this?

Still waiting on other programs...very long wait.

Orange - I love the online learning environment...I work full time and have two young kids...if it weren't for online learning, I wouldn't be entertaining the idea of pursuing my MPH...I finished my undergrad this way and found it to be of great benefit. Good luck!

[jordanami]

I am half through an online master's and I do like it. I think there is more interaction with other students than I expected. Mostly, what we do is post "discussion" points, then comment on those of others, receive comments on ours. What I like about it is that I get to see how other people write, and think, it gives me a better sense of where I fall relative to others in the class academically. I also have a son, so I love the flexibility of being able to be home with him for school holidays, sick days, etc.... If I were younger, I would have done this from some very affordable, exotic country, like Costa Rica. But, as it stands, it is a good enough arrangement, and it is giving me a nice respite before taking a full-time job/going for a doctorate, so I am grateful.

[justinwillims]

A distance learning experience is just as valuable as a traditional college experience, as long as you pick the right institution. An online Master in Public Health degree from an accredited, established college will give you the flexibility to organize your study schedule around work, familial responsibilities, etc and also the instruction, theoretical knowledge, practical experience and clinical exposure you require. As part of the curriculum, an online MPH degree includes internship opportunities as well as the fulfillment of a final thesis, during the pursuit of which you can definitely apply what you have learnt into the real world.