University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio
In 2021, the University of Texas System Board of Regents approved plans to create the UT School of Public Health San Antonio (UTSPHSA), a collaboration between The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), based on a recognition that our region’s persistent disparities in key health outcomes require a public health approach. UTSPHSA will enroll its inaugural cohort into the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.).
UTSPHSA provides academic instruction relevant to public health, engages in research activities directed toward community health problems, and maintains and grows relationships with communities and individuals interested in public health. Through our coursework, UTSPHSA aims to improve human (and planetary) health and well-being and eliminate health inequities locally and globally through excellence in research, instruction and practice, inclusion, and compassion. We provide a unique public health education by integrating advanced health research, collaborating on new academic programs to serve the diverse population of our region locally and globally, and building public health leaders who understand and are dedicated to finding positive interventions to mitigate our greatest public health challenges throughout South Texas.
Mission, Vision & Values
Perform meaningful scholarship that discovers, disseminates, and applies evidence-based, equity-driven scalable solutions and policies that can be implemented in a timely manner to advance the health of the planet and its human populations, especially those that belong to historically underserved, marginalized, and vulnerable groups.
Serve public health needs and promote a culture of health and well-being locally and regionally, acting as a steward and serving as an anchor while thinking nationally and globally.
Educate, develop, and train the next generation of diverse public health leaders and professionals in systems thinking, social justice, health equity, and precision public health so they can face the public health opportunities and threats of today and tomorrow.
Graduate Programs
The M.P.H. is a professional degree requiring a minimum of 45 semester credit hours, including 180 hours of applied practice experience conducted in a public health organization and an integrated learning experience that allows students to synthesize concepts and evidence learned in a didactic course and the practice experience.
The M.P.H. at UTHSCSA is specifically designed to serve the San Antonio and South Texas communities. Locally relevant public health data are incorporated throughout the curriculum to create a concrete and tangible application of public health concepts and strategies such that students will experience learning that is practical, research that matters for the region, and service that counts, is valued, and materially impacts the unique communities across the region.
Students will gain skills in meaningful scholarship that discovers, disseminates, and applies evidence-based, equity-driven scalable solutions and policies that can be implemented promptly to advance the health of the planet and its human populations. The curricular design emphasizes educating and training the next generation of diverse public health leaders and professionals in systems thinking, social justice and health equity, and precision public health so that graduates can face the public health threats and opportunities of today and tomorrow. Students will receive training directly relevant to the unique public health needs of South Texas, itself a microcosm of the nation's future.
About the Public Health Profession:
Public health is an interdisciplinary and varied profession that aims to prevent and control the factors that influence our health that are most difficult to control. The American Public Health Association defines public health as “promoting and protecting the health of people and the communities where we live, learn, work and play.” Therefore, public health focuses more on preventing illness and injury than caring for those with an illness or injury. Graduates in public and private sectors engage in various professions related to public health, including administration of health departments, health education, data science, disaster planning and response, hospital administration, community organizing, politics, and policymaking.
Accreditation Statement:
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, also called UT Health San Antonio, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees. UT Health San Antonio also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of UT Health San Antonio may be directed in writing SACSCOC at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404)-679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website, www.sacscoc.org.