MPH is an abbreviation for Master of Public Health, a professional degree which builds on an inter-disciplinary Bachelors Degree. Students of different backgrounds from arts, science and commerce opt for a career in public health. This course does not involve patient care and you are not authorized to see or treat patients, but rather work at the community level through various ways of research, policy making, grassroot level programs and core community engagement.
From clean drinking water to proper immunization to building safety nets, preventive health measures, our world would be grappling with problems and remain in the dark if not for the heroes of public health who everyday champion the art of life, wellbeing and health.
Imagine how many people die every-day, how many animals are killed everyday, imagine the human-animal interactions, diseases emerging from it, the science and safety behind it all. where would anyone of us be if not for public health professionals championing this trade and infusing life. Yet, the field of public health is seldom understood.
What is a Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree then?
A Master of Public Health degree is a graduate-level program that emphasizes the practical aspects of public health. This type of program is designed to prepare students for their role in supporting initiatives and programmes such as primary health care, violence prevention, infectious diseases, solutions for diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola, MERS, etc and other issues that affect health and safety, challenges facing our environment, climate needs, disaster management, health management and much more. Always try to do a full-time MPH program and not a online program unless you are an industry professional and have developed a liking for public health. Online programs are usually only for mid-career professionals who cannot leave their job. For young energetic minds, a full-time MPH must be the only route ahead.
How an MPH degree has an edge over MSc, MHA, MSW, MBA then?
The Master of Public Health is a window to any discipline and opens plenty of opportunities in a students’ career. A Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program prepares students to work in industries, government, United Nations agencies or non-profits & academia as public health practitioners. They typically work to raise awareness, conduct research & build systems of best public health care practices and either establish new health programs or evaluate existing ones.
A career in public health
Students are often confused as to where they will get a job or where can they go after doing their degree. The world is at your service after MPH. From being recruited in government offices, to non profit organizations, to United Nations agencies to corporate companies, to pharmaceuticals, to research institutions to academic institutes, the world opens up after an MPH degree. How far you go in life is directly proportional to how hard you work to understand the craft of public health. Many a times students who finish MPH chase money and salaries, instead of building quality and learning the art. Chasing money is one thing, chasing happiness and ensuring money follows is another thing. What many MPH professionals fail to understand is that a lower salary from a better employer leads to a happy, meaningful and satisfying life besides being able to build a new reality for the people and country.
Many years ago, I called public health the sexiest profession of the 21st century, to this day, it still is and will be for the ages. The faster you embrace public health degrees, the better life gets for you and for the world at large.
