NYU MPH vs. BU MPH

[JohnSGrad95]

I got into NYU and BU's MPH programs, but I'm having a hard time deciding which school to go to. I'm thinking of pursuing community health, though I may want to switch concentrations once I take the core classes. Does anyone have any tips? Thanks! 

[COGSCI]

Congrats on getting into two awesome schools! BU has a better reputation for public health but if you want to do community health, NYC is a great place for it. 

You would also need to think about where you want to work after you graduate. If you are interested in working or pursuing your PhD in NY or Mass, you could make a decision based on that. 

Lastly, cost of living & degree can also be an important factor to consider. 

[JohnSGrad95]

5 hours ago, COGSCI said:

Congrats on getting into two awesome schools! BU has a better reputation for public health but if you want to do community health, NYC is a great place for it. 

You would also need to think about where you want to work after you graduate. If you are interested in working or pursuing your PhD in NY or Mass, you could make a decision based on that. 

Lastly, cost of living & degree can also be an important factor to consider. 

Thanks! Just out of curiosity, what does reputation involve? In other words, does BU being the more reputable program mean that it has a higher quality program? I've lived in New York all my life, so there is a likelihood that I may want to work and live there. However, I'm also open to relocating, especially if it means that I'll have a job. Should I be pigeon-holing myself in one state? Also, do people who attend BU strictly work in Massachusetts or Boston? Also, even though I'm currently interested in community health, I'm also open to changing concentrations. I don't really have a background in the other concentrations, but if I'm interested in the other concentrations, I might switch.  

[COGSCI]

8 hours ago, JohnSGrad95 said:

Thanks! Just out of curiosity, what does reputation involve? In other words, does BU being the more reputable program mean that it has a higher quality program? I've lived in New York all my life, so there is a likelihood that I may want to work and live there. However, I'm also open to relocating, especially if it means that I'll have a job. Should I be pigeon-holing myself in one state? Also, do people who attend BU strictly work in Massachusetts or Boston? Also, even though I'm currently interested in community health, I'm also open to changing concentrations. I don't really have a background in the other concentrations, but if I'm interested in the other concentrations, I might switch.  

Seems like you are more interested in exploring the public health field. BU has a better reputation (for now anyways) because NYU's global health department is very new. If you are thinking about working in New York upon graduation, I would go to NYU so that you can do you practicum at one of the agencies and network there. You can also do practicum in NY if you choose to go to BU. I am sure BU will let you because some of my friends went to different countries for their practicum. 

Community health itself is a very broad term. So you need to think about which population you would like to work with or what kind of job you want (epi, policy, biostat, health promotion, and so on). 

[JohnSGrad95]

On 6/2/2017 at 9:15 AM, COGSCI said:

Seems like you are more interested in exploring the public health field. BU has a better reputation (for now anyways) because NYU's global health department is very new. If you are thinking about working in New York upon graduation, I would go to NYU so that you can do you practicum at one of the agencies and network there. You can also do practicum in NY if you choose to go to BU. I am sure BU will let you because some of my friends went to different countries for their practicum. 

Community health itself is a very broad term. So you need to think about which population you would like to work with or what kind of job you want (epi, policy, biostat, health promotion, and so on). 

Thanks! Yeah, I'm still exploring, and I'm hoping that the core classes will help me figure out where I want to be in public health. How important is it to do a practicum in the state or city that I want to work? As NYU grows, how do you think it will place? I'm also a little confused about NYU's accreditation. Is it just the program that's accredited, or is it both the school and the program? Is there a difference? 

[COGSCI]

If you want to work at NY public health (gov branch), it would be helpful for you to network and know how they operate. It is not essential but definitely helpful. NYU public health is not even ranked yet so that is how new it is. Maybe after 5 or 10 years, it will be just as good as BU but where you got your degree would be irrelevant after 5 years in the field. 

As for accreditation, I don't know so you should look at their websites or call them directly. 

 

[JohnSGrad95]

9 hours ago, COGSCI said:

If you want to work at NY public health (gov branch), it would be helpful for you to network and know how they operate. It is not essential but definitely helpful. NYU public health is not even ranked yet so that is how new it is. Maybe after 5 or 10 years, it will be just as good as BU but where you got your degree would be irrelevant after 5 years in the field. 

As for accreditation, I don't know so you should look at their websites or call them directly. 

 

Thanks for your help! Just out of curiosity, does it matter where you get your degree when you first graduate (I saw you said "...but where you got your degree would be irrelevant after 5 years in the field")? 

[COGSCI]

8 hours ago, JohnSGrad95 said:

Thanks for your help! Just out of curiosity, does it matter where you get your degree when you first graduate (I saw you said "...but where you got your degree would be irrelevant after 5 years in the field")? 

In your case (BU vs NYU), not really. What I was trying to say is that your academic experience won't be considered as a MAJOR factor when you apply for jobs after you work in the field for that long. When you first start, it is not about where you got your degree. It is about what you DID during your MPH years (and before) and what concentration (again, biostat, epi, policy, and so on). 

[JohnSGrad95]

1 hour ago, COGSCI said:

In your case (BU vs NYU), not really. What I was trying to say is that your academic experience won't be considered as a MAJOR factor when you apply for jobs after you work in the field for that long. When you first start, it is not about where you got your degree. It is about what you DID during your MPH years (and before) and what concentration (again, biostat, epi, policy, and so on). 

Thanks! Is there a particular scenario in which where on went to school to get their MPH would matter (not my schools specifically)? 

[COGSCI]

Well it really depends on the discipline but not really. Just figure out which program is going to be best for you in terms of experience and cost. You can figure out other things once you start the program. I think the most important thing right now is for you to find a concentration (or two) that you are interested in and see which school has a better reputation and set of courses available. 

[JohnSGrad95]

On 6/6/2017 at 2:23 PM, COGSCI said:

Well it really depends on the discipline but not really. Just figure out which program is going to be best for you in terms of experience and cost. You can figure out other things once you start the program. I think the most important thing right now is for you to find a concentration (or two) that you are interested in and see which school has a better reputation and set of courses available. 

Thanks! By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what school do you go to? I feel like I've seen your username on the forums here. 

[COGSCI]

Currently doing my PhD at a Canadian institution

Good luck with your decision 

[JohnSGrad95]

On 6/8/2017 at 9:31 PM, COGSCI said:

Currently doing my PhD at a Canadian institution

Good luck with your decision 

Ah nice! Thanks! Good luck to you as well!