Is it better to complete a professional Masters or a thesis based program?

[nrobins]

Hi all,

I am currently a Registered Nurse working in Alberta, Canada. I am planning to apply for MPH for Fall 2017, with the intention of focusing in promotion and behavioural sciences. My area of interest is in child and adolescent mental health promotion. In particular, I am interested in promoting the development of emotional and social awareness, regulation and skills in children. I am also interested in nature based experiences in relation to mental health promotion. I would like to go into program development upon graduation, and potentially policy work as well. 

I was initially planning on a professional, practicum based program, however it has been suggested to me by some connections that I consider a thesis based MPH or Master of Health Sciences program instead. I am not currently intending to pursue a PhD, but am not against the idea either. Any opinions on the pros or cons around these options, and which would be most suited for my goals would be much appreciated!

Currently I am considering UVic, UBC, U of A and Waterloo as my first choices for schools.

Thanks

[DrJackPhD(c)]

I was in a professional masters program (MPPA) that happened to be thesis based.  I am currently in a PhD program in a similar field which required everyone who entered already have a masters of one sort or another.  I can tell you that the thesis better prepares you for a PhD program if you decide to do it later.  Non-thesis masters are fine, but the students I have met who had professional-non-thesis-masters are struggling in the quantitative and qualitative analysis coursework.

If you have no intention of going into a PhD program, then a non-thesis professional masters may be right for you.  It won't shut the door on a PhD, but it will make it easier if you decide to go.

Oh.. one more thing.. finishing a thesis provides a lot more personal satisfaction.. you truly will feel like an expert in whatever it is you research.

IMHO, of course

[academicbirb]

I think doing thesis-based programs will help you to become more confident in doing research, but if that's not something you plan on focusing on after you graduate and you don't intend on getting a PhD, it's not as much of an issue. If you do a non-thesis based program it won't be the end of the world if you later decide to do the PhD, especially if you're spending time working in between. Another option in non-thesis based programs would be to pursue some research opportunities with professors in your program instead. Getting publications and a broad base of experiences never hurt anyone, and who knows, you might find that you enjoy it!  

[_kita]

If you're looking at policy work, evaluation, a thesis may help you more than a practicum experience would. Practicums tends to push you more towards fieldwork/direct service. There are practicum experiences out there that are evaluation-based, and those would be a great experience for you. Make sure they are available before you chose that route, and be picky. Just like the practicum, the thesis will depend on how you structure it. However, in my experience, the thesis was easier to mold. I would suggest tailoring a thesis into a policy brief/policy evaluation instead of the a traditional data-driven thesis. Some MPH schools will call that their  "Capstone Project" instead of a thesis, but it is very similar.

An additional benefit for the thesis is you have concrete proof of your evaluation skills at a job interview. I just used my thesis to speak to both the Evidence-Based Practice and Innovation Center (EPIC) and Performance, Evaluation, Analytics, & Research (PEAR) team at my current job. They essentially said a job is mine once I'm with the company a bit longer than 4 months. If I had another practicum experience instead of the thesis, I doubt the conversations would have gone so well.