University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth http://www.hsc.unt.edu/education/grad/gsbs/index.asp
Medical Education Building, 1-804
(817) 735-2560
Web site:
Department Chairs
James Turner, Anatomy and Cell Biology
Ladislav Dory, Acting, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Thomas Yorio, Biomedical Sciences
Robert W. Gracy, Acting, Microbiology and Immunology
Harbans Lal, Pharmacology
Peter Raven, Physiology
Fernando Trevino, Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Another UNTHSC-FW unit that participates in the graduate program includes the department of pathology (Stephen Putthoff, Chair).
Graduate faculty of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) at Fort Worth are also members of the graduate faculty of the University of North Texas and thus can serve as mentors or committee members of UNT graduate students appropriate to their graduate appointment. See the UNTHSC Graduate Catalog for UNTHSC graduate faculty listings.
Master's and doctoral degree programs in the biomedical sciences and master of public health degree program are available through the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth. For information on the programs available, please call (817) 735-2560.
A student interested in graduate work in the public health program may pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. The MPH is a cooperative program with the University of North Texas and the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (UNTHSC-FW). This degree is awarded by the UNT Health Science Center with a major in one of eight specialty tracks. Specialty tracks include environmental health, epidemiology, family health, health behavior, health economics, health services administration, health services research and occupational health.
The objectives of the Master of Public health program are to prepare students to meet the needs of the growing health care industry and the demand for trained public health workers in the public sector. Students in this program have the added benefit of interacting with health care providers and students in the osteopathic medical program at the Health Science Center, as well as faculty engaged in significant public health research at both the UNTHSC-FW and UNT.
The instructional program provides a strong foundation knowledge and skills in basic, applied and clinical sciences that focus on the promotion of community health; the preparation of a well-trained public health work force; and continuing education opportunities that assist public health practitioners to remain current in the field. Particular attention is given to developing attitudes, ethical practices and personal attributes that characterize a caring health professional.
There exists a critical need for professionally trained personnel in major areas of public health, i.e. administration and management, practice, research, policy and education. Public health professionals work for health maintenance organizations, hospitals and clinics, international agencies, pharmaceutical industries, and federal, state and local public health agencies. A growing demand exists for health professionals in public health nutrition, epidemiology, gerontology and long-term care administration. Environmental agencies, regulatory agencies, legislative bodies, insurance companies, research organizations, universities and health science centers offer career opportunities for public health professionals addressing key issues such as maternal and child health, access to care, the uninsured, environmental health, aging, violence, and ethics.
Two options are available in the MPH degree: a thesis or a non-thesis option. The thesis option requires 42-48 graduate hours depending on the track, including 18 hours of core courses, 6 hours of thesis research, 9-12 hours of track requirements and 9-12 hours of electives. Students choosing the non-thesis option must take a 3 credit capstone course and a 3 hour special problem rather than 6 thesis research hours. Core courses required of all students include: Environmental Health, Principles of Epidemiology, Health Administration, Biostatistics and Behavioral Epidemiology. For information on additional course requirements of specific tracks, contact the appropriate director.
The Department of Sociology and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offer a dual degree program with a specialization in health services research. Students in the program complete either a master's or doctoral degree in sociology, and the Master of Public Health (MPH). The dual degree program is administered by the Department of Sociology.
Students must complete either a master's or doctoral degree in sociology, including designated electives in sociology as well as designated electives in the interdisciplinary field of health services research. The designated electives must include the track core requirements (Seminar in the Sociology of Health, Economics of Health Care, Medical Geography, and Seminar in Evaluation Research). The master's degree in sociology requires a minimum of 30 hours (thesis option) or 36 hours (non-thesis option); the doctoral degree requires a minimum of 90 hours beyond the bachelor's or 60 hours beyond the master's degree.
To receive the second master's degree in the field of public health, students must complete a minimum of 24 additional hours, including the required MPH core courses (Environmental Health, Principles of Epidemiology, Health Administration, Biostatistics I and II, and Behavioral Epidemiology) and either a thesis or both the capstone course in public health and a special problems course.
The primary objective of the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)/MPH is to provide clinical professionals specialized public health training to develop, integrate and apply culturally competent social, psychological and biomedical approaches to the promotion and preservation of health. The DO/MPH is designed so that the requisite requirements could be completed during the four years of medical education, providing the student begins MPH coursework the summer prior to matriculation in the medical curriculum. Approximately 18 semester credit hours of the medical curriculum may be applied toward the 45 credit hours required for the MPH degree. However, a student may elect to complete the DO/MPH in five years, taking an additional year to complete the MPH requirements.
Currently, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UNT Health Science Center has an arrangement with Baylor College of Dentistry to offer the DDS/MPH degree. Those interested in this program should contact the graduate school for information on admission and requirements for the degrees.
The graduate school also offers a dual degree with the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Texas, whereby a student can earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree in health psychology/behavioral medicine from UNT, coupled with an MPH from the UNT Health Science Center. Please contact the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences for further information.
For application materials and general information about the Masters of Public Health Program, contact the Public Health Program Office at the UNTHSC (817)735-2401; email: gsbs@hsc.unt.edu; or by mail at:
Public Health Program Office
UNT Health Science Center
3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard
Fort Worth, TX 76107
Specific information about requirements for the MPH tracks may be obtained by contacting the following directors.
Environmental Health
Dr. Ken Dickson
UNT Environmental Science Program
P.O. Box 310559
Denton, TX 76203
(940) 565-2694
Internet: dickson@cas.unt.edu
Epidemiology
Dr. John Licciardone
UNT Health Science Center
PHPM 1-422
3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
(817) 735-2252
Internet: jlicciar@molly.hsc.unt.edu
Family Health
Adela Gonzalez
UNT Health Science Center
ME1-860
3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard
(817) 735-2401
Internet: ang0001@jove.acs.unt.edu
Health Behavior
Dr. Joe Doster
UNT Department of Psychology
P.O. Box 311280
Denton, TX 76203
(940) 565-2671
Internet: dosterj@terrill.unt.edu
Health Economics
Dr. Kenneth Koelln
UNT Department of Economics
P.O. Box 305053
Denton, TX 76203
(940) 565-4542
Internet: koelln@econ.unt.edu
Health Services Administration
Dr. Al Bavon or Dr. Robert Bland
UNT Department of Public Administration
P.O. Box 310617
Denton, TX 76203
(940) 565-2165
Internet: abavon@scs.unt.edu
Internet: bbland@scs.unt.edu
Health Services Research
Dr. Susan Eve
UNT Department of Sociology
P.O. Box 311157
Denton, TX 76203
(940) 565-2054
Internet: eve@scs.unt.edu
Occupational Health
Dr. Scott Taylor
PHPM 1-426
3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 735-2362
DO/MPH
Dr. Muriel Marshall
UNT Health Science Center
PHPM 1-432E
3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 735-5479
Internet: mmarshal@molly.hsc.unt.edu
Applicants should request admission forms from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences UNTHSC for the MPH degree program. Admission requirements include a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from a regionally accredited institution, a competitive GPA in undergraduate work, and a combined verbal and quantitative GRE score of 1000. International students must have a TOEFL score of 550 or better.
Students seeking financial assistance should contact the UNTHSC Financial Aid Office for the most current information on availability of scholarships and loans and eligibility requirements. For information on availability of teaching assistantships and research assistantships, contact designated directors in area of interest at UNT and/or UNTHSC.
UNT Graduate Catalog Table of Contents
UNT Graduate Catalog Course and Subject Guide
UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth