Why get a second degree? Part 3 -- MPH and MHCA

So over the last 2 days, I've gone over the two most common degrees that people take to supplement their already-graduate education. Law degrees provide prestige, Business degrees allow advancement, and both raise salaries. But what about other degrees? Are there other options?

Well, yes, there are. Another degree that can be taken alone or with another (usually life) science is a Masters of Public Health. Why take this degree? Well it allows one inroads into policy-making. Consider how important public health is--how often it comes up as a topic of debate in politics or in the media. Whether it's autism or vaccines, cholera in the water, child obesity, or the newest strain of SARS or H1N1, an MPH allows you to work with any threat to public health imaginable. They work at places like the CDC in Atlanta, or the NHS in Bethesda. They often go abroad to places like Africa to fight AIDS and provide clean drinking water. If you want to make a difference in the world's health, an MPH degree is very attractive.

So how does an MPH pay? The median salary for an epidemiologist is around $65,000 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. That's actually lower than the average for scientists and on par with that of a PhD microbiologist. Pay would probably be higher if one already possessed a graduate science degree, but money is often secondary to people who seek an MPH. Instead, an MPH allows one to make a real difference in the world and influence policy in a positive way.

What else is there? Well, there's a Masters of Health Care Administration, which allows you to do just what it sounds like. With an MHCA, you can run hospitals and things like that. There's a lot of overlap with an MPH, but this degree is more oriented toward management than policy. Many of the people who choose this degree become Medical and Health Service Managers, who make a median salary of around $89,000 per year and there is room for improvement. The field is growing fast, too--about twice as fast as average. So, for those looking for something in public health in the managerial side of things, this could be a good option.

There are other career choices, too, but few of them involve another degree.

Next week I'll begin looking at cost of and average indebtedness after school, as well as time costs for these degrees.

Until next time,

Thomas