I'm a BSPH/mph student in my last semester of undergrad which is made possible by my school's 4+1 program. Basically I am allowed to take grad classes my senior year which will allow me to finish my mph in just one year. When I first started my bachelor's I was excited and loved learning. Public health genuinely became a passion of mine especially since epi has interested me since high school. My sophomore year I applied to stuff here and there and got denied. Whatever no big deal right? I have 2 years. Junior year I seriously started applying to internships and nothing. Senior year (now) I have applied to literally everything that you can realistically get with just a bachelor's in public health and nope. Nothing. Been applying every day since last Summer, and I have nothing lined up for this upcoming summer. I have lost all motivation and passion. I'm graduating this semester (undergrad) and have had clinical experience plus odd jobs but no actual public health experience. I know this isn't the end of the world because I still haven't really "started" my epi program, but it's just frustrating because I really don't wanna go back to working at a grocery store. Idec if I make $15 an hour I just want a public health related job.

Fourth year PBH major about to graduate and am scared I won’t be admitted to an Epidemiology masters program if I were to apply because I made a C in the course during my sophomore year. To preface, I was mentally exhausted and had family issues that I was dealing with causing that one semester of bad grades. Fast forward to now, I have gotten out of the slump, have had multiple experiences in Public Health, two internships and leadership roles in organizations. Through the organization I am a part of I have become really passionate about intersection of Global Health and Epidemiology of diseases. I have some professors who I am extremely grateful for, willing to write recommendations as well. Is there any possible way to be admitted into an Epidemiology program with these stats? should I retake the class?

Hello, I'm looking at eventually pivoting from my job as a paramedic into a non-clinical role, likely within public health. I have been through the subreddit but wanted to ask some more specific questions.

1. How competitive is the job market, particularly for someone just starting out? I am flexible in where I work, but preferably in Melbourne or Sydney.

2. Is a masters of public health a useful degree? For both learning and CV purposes

3. Is experience in a clinical role ever considered useful?

4. Is research experience generally necessary?

5. I've seen a variety of salaries for jobs listed on Seek. I was wondering if there is much salary growth as you work your way up through positions?

I understand the job market may be broad and these questions might be hard to answer, but would appreciate any insight. Cheers!

Has anyone heard back from the NYSDOHMH HRTP internship?

I'm a little familiar with security clearance due to my previous experience. What all does a CDC security clearance entail ? Do they use equips? What are red flags they look ? What will the investigate? What if you have clearance from another government agency? Also what if you can't remember your supervisor name from a job or don't have their contact information?

Hi to all! I am a current third-year undergraduate with a very strong affinity for Public Health, specifically Women’s Health and MCH. I am in the process of searching for programs to apply to in the fall, and would like some advice or recommendations on MCH Doctorate programs (and masters programs are welcome too). I am aware of Johns-Hopkins, UIUC, and U of A Birmingham, but am hoping to find more options before the fall. TIA and all advice is appreciated :)

edit: if you also have recommendations of subs where I can post this question to, those are also welcome!

Or just Public Health in general. Is this a thing that people do? I graduated with a BA in Psych w/ Minor in PH in May, currently work an unrelated admin job at a Hospital 9-5 but I’m interested in going back to school. I’d like to get some PH experience before applying. Is this a thing that exists? Thanks!

All questions on getting your start in public health - from choosing the right school to getting your first job, should go in here. Please report all other posts outside this thread for removal.

Hi! I’m a public health undergrad looking for any articles or journals that discuss possible causes for the current infertility epidemic we’re seeming in America right now. I haven’t been able to find anything. Really any data or research would be great. Thank you!

Is an MPH worth it? I am graduating in spring with a degree in Health Behavior Science, and some experience in a state health and social services department as a legislative/ policy intern. I think an MPH would be a logical next step, but I am looking for advice on the topic. I have some concerns about the MPH, like is it worth its price, or is gaining public health work experience more valuable? What job opportunities does an MPH open up? and what should I expect out of a good MPH program?

Hello everyone! I'm excited to share some paid internship opportunities hosted by the Maryland Department of Health this summer! MDH is offering internships in various areas such as Health Policy, Health Informatics, Epidemiology, Community Health, Health Education, Infectious Diseases, Public Health Communications, Health Administration, Environmental Health, and Behavioral Sciences. They are seeking undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates. Undergraduates will receive $16.50 per hour, while graduates will receive $19.50 per hour. These positions can be fully in-person, hybrid, or remote. For more information, please visit: MDH Internship Opportunities

Best of luck to all applicants!

I am currently a DOD CTR (about a year and a half of experience) and have my MPH. I am really interested in transitioning to the government (preferably federal, but open to state), but I feel like getting into the government is nearly impossible. Any tips for how to break into government work? I am hoping for something health policy related. Thank you!

I'm applying for my first job in the field I want a career in and would love any advice you can provide! I graduated college last year with a communication degree and became interested in health com after taking some classes, so I'd love to work in that realm. I think I would like pr and health campaigns, so I have been looking into communication specialist and account executive positions. Also, I am in a program right now internationally teaching English, so I am applying from overseas but want to get a head start before I go back in May.

I have applied for a few fellowship/internship programs where you work for around 3 months and then can get a job offer, in addition to entry-level positions but I haven't heard back. I don't have experience in health, but I did communication internships in college and now this international program, so I'm hoping that helps. I've been applying in NYC, DC and remote, but I'm open to other areas.

I'd love to hear about any good programs, companies, your experience working in health com, anything to help so I don't feel like I keep sending applications into the abyss! Thank you so much :))

I was accepted to michigan FPHLP and would love to hear from past participants! how was the experience? is there anything you recommend taking advantage of?

would also love to connect with anyone who was accepted this year :)

For background, I'm currently a junior majoring in Psychology and Computational Biology. I was pre-med but decided that wasn't for me, so I started considering public health because it does interest me. However, I've been seeing a lot of people say getting an MPH isn't worth it and frankly I want a high-paying job (doesn't have to be as a fresh grad, but down the line - I want room for growth). My other option is CS/data science - I would get my Master's but the field has become so oversaturated and I simply don't like coding (but it ends up paying well if you can do it). Any advice as to if an MPH is worth it/can get me to around a 6 figure salary down the line? Again, I'm totally willing to start lower and work up the ladder, but I need to know that there will actually be room for growth and not totally stagnant. I'm confused what to do and any (realistic, maybe also optimistic?) advice would be greatly appreciated :/

I’m attempting to apply for an internship through my local public health department but I’m kind of worried about my GPA when applying, despite having a good amount of communication/marketing experience (which is the focus of these internships) and currently studying/doing communication research in public health

These applications are a bit extensive, so I really want to be able to apply to the ones I feel I have a shot at (to ensure quality over quantity instead of submitting a bunch of random apps).

I currently have a 2.7 and a few W’s, just from personal troubles with school. Should I still shoot and apply? Or focus more on internships that don’t have a GPA requirement and are focused on experience? How else can I mitigate this issue I’m encountering with GPA and opportunity outlook?

I am currently in my second to last semester to achieve my B.S. in Public Health. I was initially a biology major so I have about 30 units in science coursework. I was thinking of going to nursing school but I have already been in undergrad for 5 years and I don't want to stress about letters of recommendation and taking more prerequisites for nursing school.

I am thinking about fully going into public health and working towards becoming an Environmental Health Specialist/officer in San Diego. I understand you need to be a trainee for around 12-18 months which is fine with me.

My questions are:

1. What is your background and how did you get into EHS?
2. do you enjoy what you do, if not, what would you do instead?
3. what opportunities for specialization or advancement exist within environmental health?
4. what are some of the most challenging aspects of working in this field?
5. what certifications or licenses do you recommend for this field?
6. What advice do you have for someone considering EHS?

I would like to make the move over to public health because I find it super interesting and have dealt with medical issues. I’m interested in epidemiology or biostatistics, specifically how bias impacts chronic disease studies. My previous experience has nothing to do with the health field but I’ve done two internships at nonprofits.

I’ve been looking into Americorps and they just recently launched a public health program. I thought this would be a good way to get some experience on my resume for a year or two and then apply to mph programs. I’m really interested in the university of Albany because of how many internship hours they require and I’d love to work for the NY Health Department.

I was wondering if this sounds like a feasible plan? I did really well in undergrad and my other master’s (3.7 and 3.9 gpa) but that was in the arts. The education fund you get at the end would also really really help me.

I am a second year health student and I’m starting to look at MPH programs if any Canadians in any MPH could drop their stats below I think it would be super helpful for other Canadians looking to apply to MPH as there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot online currently. Thank you all in advance 🙏.

i got accepted for mph general in university of new haven and mph environmental health in illiniois springfield university. can anybody suggest which is btter to go regarding university and progranm as well. thanks in advance.

Hi! Does anyone have any jobs that are online that can be part-time alongside my undergrad courses?

Hi! I've been interested in getting some experience in the public health field as Berkeley student
Does anyone know of any available Summer 2024 internships? I'm super flexible with the location!! Thank you :)

In this episode, Dr. Jill Roberts, from the University of South Florida, joins the podcast to talk about the Doctor of Public Health degree.

Hi!

I’m currently an undergrad pbh major and I know what I want to do but I am needing some assistance in figuring out what graduate program (and further) would be best as well as what job titles would be applicable.

I want to go into data/policy analysis. I want to review policies, develop new ones, and make changes to care, particularly for children. I would like to focus on ACEs and how to create better treatment and interventions for children who are experiencing them as well as aid in creating a defined bill of rights for children. I really enjoy seeing where I can make changes to various processes and being able to find issues to identify. I really enjoy reviewing procedure and operations, “finding loopholes”, etc. Program planning/evaluation.

I’d love to go into research as well.

I’m considering law, epi, graduate programs in pbh that focus on data analysis.

Thanks in advance for any responses!