Master of Public Health

The Master of Public Health (MPH) program at the Kate Marmion School of Public Health (KMSPH) is a 45-credit-hour professional degree that prepares students to evaluate the needs for community health, develop innovative policies and programs, and ensure that recently established systems are strengthened and maintained. Upon completing this program, graduates will be equipped with the necessary skills to develop, articulate, and exhibit personal mastery in eight key areas related to public health. These areas include evidence-based approaches to public health, public health and healthcare systems, planning and management to promote health, policy in public health, leadership, communication, interprofessional education and/or intersectoral practice, and systems thinking. Additionally, graduates will demonstrate an ability to communicate, understand, and involve others, achieve results ethically, organize coalitions, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders, and participate in community-engaged research and transformational systems thinking.

Admissions Requirements

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or proof of an equivalent degree from a foreign institution.
• A cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 semester hours.
• Official transcripts from each college/university currently and previously attended that reflect completed and/or in-progress coursework.
• Transcripts from institutions outside the United States must be submitted in the original language and evaluated by an approved National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) organization.
• International applicants whose native language is not English or those from countries exempted from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test requirements must present evidence of proficiency in English by satisfactorily completing either the TOEFL with a minimum score of 84, the IELTS with a minimum score of 7.0, or a Duolingo English Test with a minimum score of 115. Scores on TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo tests taken more than two years before the date of application are unacceptable. A waiver of this requirement may be requested if the individual has graduated from a high school or a higher education degree program (associate degree or higher) in the United States or another country where English is the official language.
• Required immunizations, criminal background and sanction checks, and technical and additional requirements per UTSPHSA and/or UT Health San Antonio regulatory guidelines.
• Current resume or curriculum vitae (CV).
• A writing sample in response to the prompts provided by the Admissions Committee.
• Two letters of recommendation from professional, academic, or community sources highlighting the applicant's leadership skills, community service, the potential for success in the MPH Program, and/or the likelihood of contributing to the field of public health. At least one of the two letters of recommendation must be an academic reference if the applicant has attended a university within the past five years.
• Interview with Admissions Committee.

Degree Requirements

The MPH degree program requires at least 45 semester credit hours of graduate courses, including foundational, concentration, elective, applied practice experience (APE), and integrative learning experience (ILE) courses. Within the 45 credit hours, students must complete 3 credit hours of a supervised, hands-on, real-world public health practice (APE or practicum) course outside the classroom. The APE requires at least 180 hours of practical and real-world field experiences focused on local community and regional health challenges or issues of public health importance that are directly relevant to the public health workforce. In addition, the ILE is a 3 credit hours course that requires students to integrate and synthesize foundational and concentration competencies into a single, high-quality written product.

To graduate, students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and no incomplete grades in any coursework.

All coursework must be completed within five years of enrollment in the MPH program.

MPH Program Competencies

Students in the MPH program are expected to have disciplinary-specific knowledge and abilities. Through the foundational curriculum, every MPH student will receive training in 12 learning objectives and 22 foundational competencies established by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). Each MPH student will acquire five concentration-specific competencies based on the chosen concentration. Every MPH student will complete an Applied Practice Experience (to demonstrate attainment of at least five competencies, of which at least three must be foundational competencies) and an Integrative Learning Experience (to demonstrate synthesis and integration of one concentration competency and at least one foundational competency).

Concentration – Public Health Practice and Administration

The Public Health Practice and Administration concentration is designed to prepare students to lead and administer public health programs and interventions. Students will gain the skills and knowledge needed to evaluate and implement public health policies and programs. Students will master skills in evidence-based leadership and management practices, principles, and practices of managing public health systems, and systems approaches to improve the quality of public health services.

Competencies – Public Health Practice and Administration Concentration

• Create a strategic plan or evaluate a strategic planning process in a public health setting. 
• Construct a budget and evaluation framework to monitor budget performance and identify key trends or patterns in resource allocation. 
• Formulate a plan to manage teams, allocate resources, and develop partnerships for a given public health program or intervention. 
• Design or modify an evidence-based ethical, legal, or regulatory standard or practice to improve the quality of public health services provided in an organization. 
• Evaluate a strategy for quality improvement of a public health program or intervention that addresses the specific health needs of a vulnerable population.

Concentration – Health Systems in the Community Context (HSCC)

The Health Systems in the Community Context (HSCC) concentration is designed to prepare students to lead at the nexus of health care and public health. Students will learn to communicate health information effectively, advocate for data-driven healthcare and health systems, and utilize data to develop community-responsive interventions that target the underlying factors influencing community health across the continuum of public health and healthcare. Students will learn to lead to create equitable health outcomes, use data to drive impactful research and interventions, and collaborate to effect change in health systems toward effective healthcare access and delivery in the community context.

Competencies – Health Systems in the Community Context (HSCC)

• Formulate an adaptive communication plan to disseminate health systems and public health information to community members, patients, or other stakeholders.
• Investigate a structural and systems-level leadership challenge facing a complex health organization and propose potential solutions.
• Propose evidence-based solutions to promote health or prevent diseases, injuries, or deaths in data-informed public health or healthcare settings.
• Evaluate the impact of asset-based versus needs-based approaches to health systems collaborations within the community context.
• Develop strategies to identify barriers to collaboration in healthcare that arise within a community context, such as communication challenges or culturally related contexts, and propose solutions to the barriers.

Concentration – Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the scientific study of patterns of disease and health, the differential impact on populations based on various factors, and disease spread. Scientists can work toward disease prevention, control, and health promotion by understanding the factors contributing to disease. Epidemiologists can work in different settings including communities, health departments, non-profits, hospitals, and other clinical settings.  Epidemiology is an important subfield of public health as the discoveries can lead to evidence-based interventions, practices, and treatments, and inform health policy.

A Master of Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology will include strong training in methods and data analysis. Measurement is at the core of this field. These skills are applied in cases of new diseases and spread, and in long-term monitoring or surveillance of various factors. Time trends can reveal the impact of prevention efforts and policies.

At UTSPHSA, students in the Epidemiology concentration will be taught methodological skills that can be applied across multiple content areas. The concentration will also include applying methodological and data techniques to timely and relevant topics for the local community, region, and beyond. 

Competencies – Epidemiology

• Design and critically evaluate study protocols in the health sciences.
• Critique study designs, identifying the strengths and limitations as applied in a real-world setting.
• Evaluate population-level patterns of health by person, place, and time.
• Appraise the scientific basis for the connection between climate and public health.
• Assess a maternal and child health issue by considering its trends, magnitude, severity, and distribution.