Job prospects for international students with MA in public health.

[noohkoes1108]

Hi everyone I'm an international student at one of private universities in NY and am very interested in pursuing masters degree in Public Health

 

Among the concentrations, I am particularly into MHA degrees, however few days of researches have taught me that as an international students, MHA degree won't help me find a job in U.S. markets due to visa sponsorship. How do you guys see job prospects for international students with MHA degree in U.S. market? If answers should depend on where MHA comes from, let's assume it from one of top schools: JHU, UNC, UMich, Harvard, Cornell and so on.
 

Do you think concentrations in either biostatistics or epidemiology would give me better chance getting visa sponsorship from firms? How good would the chance be?

I heard that concentrating on Quantitative Analysis would make me much more marketable in markets after the graduation due to complex laws related to H1B visas. 

 

I need help! Please advise.

Edited February 18, 2015 by noohkoes1108

[AlphacentauriC]

I don't look at it as 'where you get the MHA' degree, but 'where you want to use it' = which companies you targeting. So, with an MHA, you are probably talking about jobs at hospitals, non-profits, govt., etc....these places, have no time to sponsor visa job seekers, unless you have high experience/qualifications and they want you to be a vp or this or that.

 

What i'm trying to say is that, it's impossible to find a job in a hospital with an MHA, a job that needs Hb1 sponsorship, even if you got the degree from the toppest of schools.

[weiwentg]

From prior experience, I don't believe it's impossible to find a job in a hospital with an MHA. There are a number of hospitals or systems that won't sponsor you, so it is something you should check first. For example, Kaiser Permanente and New York-Presbyterian Hospital did not sponsor H1B visas in 2007. However, I think I remember some international students who got work as MHAs in hospitals, or in consulting (but again, not all consulting companies sponsor entry-level masters). Having a quant-centered degree would be to your advantage - although I have to say, much of the quant work I've done in consulting and state government has involved cross tabulations. I hate cross tabs. 

 

So unfortunately, if you don't plan on getting married to an American but you want to work here, you have your best chance of getting sponsored if your degree ends in D. That means MD, PhD, possibly JD.

 

I ended up marrying an American, so that problem took care of itself. Yes, US skilled worker laws are crazy and counterproductive. It is one thing I will consistently denounce my adopted country for, and I don't think I'm the only one who will. Unfortunately, I don't write the immigration laws.