Other Doctoral Degree Transition from Physics

[Qer]

Hi! I am currently a fourth year student specialised in Physics at Cambridge University. Even though I am interested in maths and physics, I have always felt the need to do something that has an impact on people. And over the past two years, I became increasingly interested in infectious disease dynamics, in particular the use of mathematically modelling and social contact patterns, etc.

After much pondering, I have decided to make the transition and study epidemiology/infectious disease. However, I am pretty much in the dark as to how I should proceed. Since I am currently a master student, the natural trajectory would be to go onto a PhD program by next Fall. But given my lack of relevant work experience/education, should I consider doing an MPhil in a related field first? Is an MPhil still necessary if the area of study I plan to pursue is mostly mathematical and computational?

Thanks! Any advice would be appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[625233]

I think you can go straight into a PhD program, assuming your stats are competitive and you acquire some health related work/volunteer experience for a few months. Your uni name will also help in admissions.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Pudu2009]

First, are you planning on staying in the UK for your public health graduate work? If you are planning to study in the US, you may have to complete an MPH first, as many epi PhD programs here require it (or significant experience). There are some undergrads here who have been able to go straight into PhD programs, or combined masters/doctoral programs, but they are rare and typically have a bachelors degree in public health and/or significant research experience in the field. I don't know much about the UK system, so will not be able to help you if you plan to stay.

 

[Qer]

Thanks for the replies!

I am quite interested in studying in the US, after having spent so many years in the UK (originally from HK). Do you think that I'll need an MPH even if I plan to specialise in the more mathematical side of epidemiology and ID dynamics? Or is it a minimum requirement for most PhD programs?

If it turns out that I need to complete a MPH first, I'll probably apply for the program at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine here in London, before going to the US for PhD.

 

[Pudu2009]

Go to CEPH's website and take a look at all the PhD programs they accredit. Go onto their websites and take a look at the research done by the faculty and take note of which ones are doing the research you're interested in as well as the institution in which they reside. Then contact those programs and explain your situation to them. They will be able to tell you what steps you need to take for admission, like if you need to do a masters or a fellowship to get research experience, etc. This is really your best bet; you can figure out what to do from there.

Good luck!