And So It Begins

I am presently trying to enroll in a Masters in Public Health (MPH) program at the same school where I am also pursing my Masters in Science Communication.  Yesterday, I contacted the Office of Graduate Studies to learn how to apply.  I was emailed the names for the advisor for the Communication program and the advisor for Public Health and told they could help with the process.

Tonight, my message to the advisor for Public Health was returned with this snarky missive:

Jill - I'm not quite sure why you're emailing me on this issue. I am the director of the MS in Public Policy, which is obviously different from both the MPH and the MS in COMM.  My guess is that you should contact [the] Office of Graduate Studies

First, my name is not Jill.
Second, the Office of Graduate Studies told me to contact you
Third, there is confusion about what, exactly, it is that you teach.  I suggest you confirm your area of expertise with your employer.

Turns out, I can't do it.  Quite literally, there is no process to pursue two, independent degrees simultaneously.  I have the option of combining them into a dual degree program (not possible with the MPH curriculum), or I can pursue them consecutively.  But, the university bureaucracy is so broken that it cannot accommodate more than one degree record at a time, and, so, it is either one at a time, or combining them into one.

Pardon me while I gape in awe at my inability to convince this esteemed institution of higher learning to, for the love of Fred, take my money.

http://www.thebadchemicals.com/?p=431