Work experience is a requirement when applying for the MPH. What is considered applicable experience?
Public health experience can be obtained through a broad range of settings. The relevance of each applicant’s experience for public health will be assessed through a personal essay in which the applicant will be asked to describe their experience and how it relates to public health. The experience we’re looking for is with communities or whole populations of people, not just clinical services. E.g. managing a program to promote mental health in a community would be considered relevant; providing individual counseling services in a clinic would not. We do accept voluntary work as part of the required experience. Part of the purpose of the personal essay is to give applicants a chance to argue for the relevance of their particular experience in light of their own career aspirations, and to demonstrate that they understand what public health is. At least to the extent that they know it addresses population health, not individual or clinical problems.
