<p>I was accepted into NYU’s new MPH is Global Public Health program for fall 2007. The cost of completing this program is $51,000 over two years. I was awarded $3,950 in financial assistance for the fall 2007 and spring 2008 semesters respectively. The University of Cambridge program’s cost is $24,800 (for international students) over one year, the duration of the M.Phil degree in Public Health. </p>
<p>Should I apply to the University of Cambridge, to which I am confident I will gain admission because I have a strong academic background and professional experience related to my intended field of study; or attend NYU, as being admitted to the University of Cambridge is no guarantee. I would be applying for entry in October 2008, so a one-year wait would occur.</p>
That’s a ridiculous statement to make, unless you are referring to one specific graduate program at Cambridge. Cambridge grad school as a whole is NOT a piggy bank.</p>
<p>I should have rephrased: Cambridge University, for international applicants, is a piggy bank.</p>
<p>Is it also a good school with good profs? Of course. It’s still a piggy bank though, the same way the LSE or University of Chicago programs like the MPH or MAPSS are.</p>
<p>I did further research and found this school: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which has a stronger reputation in the public health field (only Johns Hopkins and Harvard has a similar reputation worldwide). Hence, I will no longer consider Cambridge. Cambridge is a world-renowned university but not in every field.</p>
<p>What you’re saying is that basically any University in the UK is a piggy-bank as far as international students are concerned.</p>
<p>The cost of a master’s program for international students at the University of Cambridge is 20,000 pounds (or 40,000 dollars approximately) including room and board. This is about the same as if not less than the cost of master’s programs in US universities as well.</p>
<p>I agree with you badman89. I think calling grad study in the UK a piggy bank has become a fashionable thing to say. But when you look at USA prices it really is not that bad.</p>
<p>Mike U,</p>
<p>The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is very good. It is also located in a very nice part of London.</p>
<p>The program is found at the link below. For me, educational value is important. I want to ensure that when I graduate, I can be competitive in obtaining employment in the field. I am wary of enrolling in a MPH program from a school (NYU) that is not well-regarded for it. The cost, compared to NYU’s, is reasonable ($28,115 according to 23 May 2007 conversion rates).</p>
<p>We could rehash the issue of UK universities being “piggy banks” until we all die of old age, but for the record what I meant by my comments was that many UK grad schools, at the MASTERS level, make it easier for international students to gain admission because international students pay international fees. I would go as far as saying that this is a proven strategy by schools such as LSE and Oxbridge. That doesn’t mean they are bad schools, just that they want your money.
Saying that tuition fees are similar in the US is besides the point. A program isn’t a piggy bank to to its price tage, but rather due to its admissions policies.</p>
<p>I really don’t understand the point you are trying to make. Let me try to clarify:</p>
<p>We have already established that the cost of a Master’s program in UK Universities is the same as if not less than the cost of a Master’s program in US universities. The only difference is that UK universities have a different fee structure for international students. Why not think of it this way - UK universities charge the same amount as US universities but the government subsidizes the cost of Master’s programs for UK/EU citizens.</p>
<p>
The admissions policies do not really differ from Cambridge to Columbia; they are both trying to admit the most qualified applicants. Though Cambridge does admit many international applicants, I can assure you that they are fully qualified for the course of study they wish to pursue.</p>