Distance Learning Masters?

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Anyone done one? I know some of us are in Med Ed/Higher Ed Admin

I'm considering applying to distance learning MPH programs (you know, in all my free time). I'd be looking to start next summer/fall, hopefully post-baby #3 if I am able to stay home. The reason I'm looking now is that I clearly have a pretty narrow set of requirements for what I can do (for example, there are some distance programs where you have to go to campus once/month and that clearly can't happen). This year, I had intended to apply to our local school but do a distance program (requiring me to be on campus once a quarter) and I missed a deadline because I was waiting to hear about a job opportunity. I'm determined not to let that happen again and just apply and then figure it out.

I guess the other trouble is that I'm not 100% on the MPH. I'd really love to go to PA school but that's not feasible right now (hello, 1,000 hours of experience, I'm looking at you...) and would be very challenging as the main caregiver to my children. Other options would be an MBA, MHA, etc. Basically, I love health care and population health. I would have loved to be a doctor but that ship has sailed (yeah, it has, I promise) but I want to be in healthcare. Ideally in patient care but again, that's unlikely so what's the next best thing?

So yeah, this post is totally coherent since I'm basically crowd sourcing, "What should I be when I grow up?". I'll take ANY and all suggestions.

[WolfpackWife]

Ah, see I started pulling these links for you earlier this week and then got sidetracked.

So, being part of an MPH & PhD program, I'd say your best bets for finding what you want are through:

http://ceph.org/

and

http://www.aspph.org/

and

http://www.sophas.org/

SOPHAS is a central application service for members of ASPPH (Associate of Schools and Programs of Public Health) which is a fairly comprehensive collection of programs in the US - both DE and in person. Not all public health programs are part of ASPPH, but many are, and many also participate in SOPHAS. You can search by lots of criteria, including DE only. There are also MHA options.

CEPH is the Council on Education for Public Health and is the accrediting body for public health programs. This will give you much of the same info (can search for online programs) but is limited to accredited programs.

Hopefully that's a good jumping off point. SOPHAS opens every year on August 15th but I know that doesn't matter for this year. Just an FYI.

ETA: I completed my MA via distance learning and have nothing but good things to say about it! I think when a uni/program is well-versed in distance learning and how to best provide that to DE students it can be just as enriching as in person (though there were some courses I do wish I could have had in person, if for no other reason that the discussion). My master's isn't exactly what I wanted (literature) but was a better option for career path and also was one of two MA's offered online in the English program.

[WolfpackWife]

You mentioned wanting to be involved with patient care or community health - I'm sure this will vary from DE program to DE program, but our program as a requirement for a practicum, internship, and service learning. A lot of MPH students are interested in and want to be involved with under served populations/community health/health care disparities/access to care, etc. and do so directly through the state health department or the city health department. Those outlets are generally available to anyone in any state to try to find an internship or practicum placement through there, and a lot of our MPH grads go on to continue working with community outreach and under served populations through VDH or the Richmond City Health District. We also have people go on to work with the NCI, etc.

An important thing to bear in mind when considering programs is knowing what you want from an MPH and what the program can offer. Some programs are very research-heavy and don't have the best infrastructure to support students who want a more practical experience. They often have to go outside the program faculty to find the experience they want. Asking program coordinators and directors about what practical opportunities there are for people more interested in practical work is key so you know ahead of time who can give you what you want. If you want more of a research experience, most any academic program can give you that, it will just depend on what research areas you're interested in and finding a good faculty match with the same interests and expressing that interest to the program you're looking at.

[oceanchild]

[MENTION=1768]scrub-jay[/MENTION], right?

I've had such a spotty experience with online courses in my MPA program that I'd be hesitant to recommend them. I know there's good stuff out there though. I will say, for me, the biggest benefit of getting a master's degree at all has been meeting other people who work in this field. Especially where I live now, it used to feel like I was the only one interested in the things I'm interested in, and that's definitely not the case. So I think there are benefits to doing a program with ties to the region where you ultimately want to be working. Or that has local field experience, like WPW is describing.

[alotofyarn]

WPW already gave you great advice. Since I'm in a school of public health that has a ton of different MPH degrees offered, I can tell you they all vary greatly. They're all also very different from the one offered when I went to grad school, as it was more generic, and ours here are very focused. We offer a few online (and you could even take my course!), but they're all very specific and probably not relevant to what you want to do long term. https://tulane.edu/publichealth/caeph/dl/dl_progs.cfm

I'm not sure an MPH is going to get you involved in patient care. You could maybe swing a position in a research group, but I suspect at best you'd maybe be interviewing patients. You could potentially get involved in community health research projects, and if that's the case, I'd find a program that is strong in community health. We have one of those here too, but I don't think it's offered DL.

UNC looks like it might have some good options too:
http://sph.unc.edu/phlp/phlp/
http://sph.unc.edu/hpm/hpm-degrees-and-certificates/

Or maybe Emory:
http://www.sph.emory.edu/departments/emph/index.html

[WolfpackWife]

OH! Another thing - if you have a preference for focus/track, make sure you look into whether a program offers tracks or is a generalist program.

For example, we are a generalist program but since the program is supported by the public health departments, students can "self guide" their studies using electives. That means they can focus on Epi, Social and Behavioral Health, Biostatistics, or Healthcare Policy and Research. Some schools or programs offer actual tracks, which allows you to specify what track your MPH degree was in on resumes and when looking for jobs. Some people prefer the tracks, some prefer the generalist. I think there is a slight difference in curriculum but I can't say for sure because I am not familiar with other schools' curriculum.

[rufflesanddots]

Stalking this thread for anyone else's experience with DE programs. I am interested in social work, maybe in communication. Legal background, and I can write pretty well and talk to people but math ain't my thing. I'd love to work with undeserved/at-risk populations in general, though I'm not much of a science person so I don't know that I could hack an MPH or if that would even fit my needs.

T&S, I think UNC has a distance MHA but I can't remember if that's a program you were talking about earlier. I told DH about it this morning, actually. Trying to steer him away from a pricey MBA....

[peggyfromwastate]

Overwhelming. I'm thinking of jumping on this ship in the next year-- starting to figure out what I want to do when I grow up...

[rufflesanddots]

iMSN study group?

[MrsSz]

Overwhelming. I'm thinking of jumping on this ship in the next year-- starting to figure out what I want to do when I grow up...

+1 over here


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[Vanquisher]

You wanna be a PA? Be a fucking PA. Why short your dreams? There is a distance PA program, and prereqs can be done online. I thought about it, but distance isn't really for me. If you are going to quit working, work toward being a PA!

Seriously, you CAN do this. What year is your hubs again? PGY?

Get your HCE as a part-time MA (I know you can find someone to hire you without a useless MA certificate). Then, take online and other prereqs at the same time. You can get your PA app ready in two years, easy. Then, apply. You can do this. I'm going to cheer you to do what you really want and not to settle for something that isn't.

[Thirteen]

Overwhelming. I'm thinking of jumping on this ship in the next year-- starting to figure out what I want to do when I grow up...

I identify with this. I want to be a grown up, too.


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[scrub-jay]

Distance Learning Masters?

I have a dual degree MPH & MBA that I completed through a distance program. Accreditation was huge, I wanted one that was CEPH accredited because it allows you to take the CPH exam which is relevant only depending on job requirements. I also chose a school that did not differentiate between in-person and online students.

[rufflesanddots]

I have a dual degree MPH & MBA that I completed through a distance program. Accreditation was huge, I wanted one that was CEPH accredited because it allows you to take the CPH exam which is relevant only depending on job requirements. I also chose a school that did not differentiate between in-person and online students.

Ooh, nice! Maybe we could have members link to their DE programs or programs they're familiar with so we can start gathering reputable info? I know WPW has shared a lot already. It could be cool to have this stickied someday. I don't want to speak for everyone, but advanced education is something I want but also something I struggle with given the likelihood of constant moving, family, cost, etc. I'd love to have some insight into what others did to satisfy that goal. If we had a permanent thread with DE info, or even just tips/advice for any info about pursuing any sort of further education, maybe people would get some use out of it.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

[MENTION=1768]scrub-jay[/MENTION] was your program completely distance?