Differences Between the MPH and MS Degrees
- Degree Focus
MPH: Students learn the full spectrum of public health but also specialize in a specific area. They enhance their research skills, but also gain experience through hands-on work in the public health field
MS: Students focus on enhancing research skills and knowledge to work on research related to the field of biostatistics. Much of the knowledge gained is theoretical and specific to the student’s research interests.
- Total Course Units for Degree
MPH: 20
MS:
- 15 for Biostatistics (Standard and Implementation Science pathways)
- 16 for Biostatistics (Data Science pathway)
- 10 for Chronic Disease Epidemiology
- 14 for Health Informatics
- 10 for Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases
- Length of Degree
MPH: 2 years
MS:
- 2 years for Biostatistics and Health Informatics
- 1 year for Chronic Disease Epidemiology and Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases
- Annual Tuition (2022-23)
MPH: $50,261
MS: $46,900
- Specializations
MPH: (All programs allow full or part-time enrollment)
- Biostatistics
- Chronic Disease Epidemiology
- Environmental Health Sciences
- Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases
- Health Policy
- Health Care Management
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
Students in any of these departments may add a secondary focus through the:- Climate Change and Health Concentration
- Global Health Concentration
- US Health and Justice Concentration
- Public Health Modeling Concentration
- Regulatory Affairs Track
- Maternal Child Health Promotion Track
MS: (With the exception of Health Informatics, the programs allow full or part-time enrollment)
- Biostatistics (students can choose from the following three pathways:
- Biostatistics Standard Pathway
- Implementation and Prevention Science Methods Pathway or
- Data Science Pathway
- Health Informatics
- Chronic Disease Epidemiology
- Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases
(All MS programs allow full or part-time enrollment except Health Informatics, which requires full-time enrollment)- Career Opportunities
MPH in Biostatistics:
- Data experts/scientists in industry and business organizations – Amazon, Facebook, CVS
- Biostatistician and Clinical Data Analyst in university medical centers and pharmaceutical companies – Bayer, Pfizer, Yale New Haven Health System
- HealthCare Analysts in consulting – Analysis Group, Michael Allen, Acumen, Booz Allen Hamilton
- Data and Policy Analysts in government and international organizations – Center for Disease Control, NYC Department of Health
MPH Chronic Disease Epidemiology:
- Research assistants at universities/medical centers such as UCSF, Harvard School of Public Health and Yale School of Medicine
- Epidemiologists within the public sector- San Diego Department of Health and Center for Disease Control
- Medical School Education - Boston University School of Medicine, Yale University, Weill Medical School
MPH Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases:
- Epidemiologist at CDC, state, and local health departments
- Surveillance programs at WHO, USDA
- Research assistants at universities/ medical centers such as Brown University, UC Davis, Harvard School of Public Health and Yale School of Public Health and Medicine
- Medical School - Boston University School of Medicine, Yale University, Weill Medical School
MS Biostatistics:
- Data Scientists in organizations such as Google, Facebook and health insurance companies such as Aetna and Travelers Insurance.
- Biostatisticians at Pharmaceuticals and Universities or Research Centers
- Financial Analysts at investment banks, hedge funds or other major companies such as CVS and Analysis Group
- Ph.D. programs in Biostatistics, Statistics, Computational Biology and other related fields.
MS Health Informatics:
- Careers in clinical informatics, clinical research informatics, consumer health and population health informatics, and data science
MS Chronic Disease Epidemiology:
- Research Assistants at major research universities or research organizations, hospitals or healthcare consulting.
MS Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases:
- Careers in data analysis at governmental state, national, or national health organizations, academia, NGOs or in pharmaceuticals. The clinical specialization is tailored to clinicians seeking formal research training in methods of infectious diseases epidemiology.
- Application