Factors that influence full-time MPH Students’ willingness in China: would You apply again for an MPH graduate degree if you had another opportunity?

Table 1 Characteristics of the 702 students in the full-time Master of Public Health programme

Characteristic	Number	Percent
Type of universities providing Master of Public Health (MPH) programme
985^a	206	29.34
Non-985	496	70.66
Gender
Male	207	29.49
Female	495	70.51
Age group
21–25 years	399	56.84
26–30 years	282	40.17
30+ years	20	2.85
Unknown	1	0.14
Year of admission to MPH programme
2012 or before	145	20.66
2013	246	35.04
2014	311	44.30
Employment status before admission to MPH programme
New graduates	575	81.91
Employed graduates	91	12.96
Graduates who had never been employed	36	5.13
Master’s programme preference on application
Full-time MPH	224	31.91
Master of Science	412	58.69
Other specialities	66	9.40

^a985 Programme, also known as ‘the world class university’ project in China. Colleges and universities within the 985 Programme are representative of Chinese higher education development. They generally have a good reputation, and also enjoy greater investment and a higher standard of teaching. The name comes from a speech on 4 May 1998, delivered by President Jiang Zemin at Peking University’s centennial ceremony