Which school would give me a better shot at getting a MPH?

juillet
Thu, 01 May 2014 17:52:19 +0000

I don’t want you to get the impression that you absolutely can’t major in accounting, because that’s not at all what I was trying to convey. In fact, if you really want to major in accounting you should. There are many accountants involved in the health care world without MPHs, and the demand for accountants is much higher than the demand for MPHs so that’s a better career bet in my opinion.

Preferred means exactly that - preferred - but as I said, there are plenty of exceptions made for outstanding students. If you major in accounting but minor in a social science field (or just take significant coursework in one or more) and make it clear that you understand the basic social science underpinning public health, you can be a competitive candidate. If you work as an accountant for 5 years and write a compelling statement of purpose explaining why you now want an MPH and want to work in public health, you can be a competitive candidate. And remember, different fields have different preferences. If your goal is to get into a health policy and management MPH program so that you can go work in the business/accounting/finance side of public health, an accounting undergrad degree can make you very competitive. Like I said, even hospitals, clinics, and health nonprofits need accountants. The math/accounting background may also be more desirable for epidemiology and biostatistics.

The point is really just that you need to find a way to demonstrate your interest in, and passion for, public health. You can’t just major in accounting, do only accounting things and then turn around and say you’ve always wanted an MPH - you have to prove it through deed. But an accounting major who took sociology and economics courses, volunteered each April to prepare taxes for indigent community members, was the president of the peer health exchange org on campus and then worked as the accountant at a health care non-profit or hospital for 2-3 years after college? Yeah, they could be an outstanding candidate. (If you are interested in EPI or biostats, replace the “sociology and economics” with higher-level math classes and some biology.)