Graduate faculty of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Public Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (UNTHSC-FW) 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-FW Graduate Catalog for UNTHSC-FW graduate faculty listings.
University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (UNTHSC-FW)
Education and Administration Building, 816
3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 735-2560 or (800) 511-GRAD (511-4723)
E-mail: gsbs@hsc.unt.edu
Web site: www.hsc.unt.edu
Graduate Advisers:
Doctoral degrees culminate with a specialization in cell biology and genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology, biomedical sciences, microbiology and immunology, pharmacology and neuroscience, or integrative physiology. Master’s degrees are also offered in these areas, as well as in the areas of science education, biotechnology, and forensic genetics. Post-baccalaureate certification in premedical science is also available.
Joint degrees (DO/MS, DO/PhD, PA/PhD and MPH/PhD) are available to students admitted to the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and/or the School of Public Health at UNT Health Science Center. Specialized dual degree programs train DO/MS students in clinical research and education in either osteopathic manipulative medicine or family medicine.
To obtain further information or to request a catalog, please call (817) 735-2560 or (800) 511-GRAD (511-4723), e-mail gsbs@hsc.unt.edu, or visit www.hsc.unt.edu.
University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (UNTHSC-FW)
Education and Administration Building (EAD), 7th Floor
3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 735-2401 or (877) 868-7741
E-mail: sph@hsc.unt.edu
Web site: www.hsc.unt.edu
Chairs:
The School of Public Health currently offers master’s- and doctoral-level course work in public health. The MPH degree program is a 45 semester credit hour (SCH) program that includes a core curriculum of six courses (totaling 18 credit hours), in which public health students are provided an overview in biostatistics, community health, epidemiology, environmental health, and health management and policy. The goal of the DrPH program is to prepare students for leadership roles in the professional practice of public health in governmental, private and not-for-profit organizations.
MPH students are required to complete 21 credit hours in their chosen concentration and an additional 6 credit hours in their thesis/non-thesis requirements. Every student will also go through a hands-on public health practice experience in a community setting, such as a public health department or a volunteer agency.
DrPH students complete more extensive course work and research within their chosen concentration. Every student is required to participate in a weekly journal club and must complete a comprehensive research project that culminates in the dissertation.
The objectives of the MPH and DrPH programs 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 campuses.
Today, public health is the umbrella over many issues, including some that seem unrelated to health care but that ultimately influence it. Public health ranges from the study of smog in the air we breathe to gang intervention programs on our neighborhood streets. Growing threats from our environment, the resurgence of infectious diseases, increasing violence, an aging population and the escalating costs of health care are all immediate concerns of public health professionals.
Public health professionals monitor and evaluate the health needs of entire communities, promote healthy practices and behaviors, and work to identify and eliminate environmental hazards to assure our population remains healthy. They are employed by government, hospitals, health systems, universities and many private companies. Without public health, our society could not advance. With it, we are making a difference.
Environmental Health (MPH): Designed for students with varied backgrounds and interests, who desire careers related to the environmental aspects of public health. Specifically, the track provides the expertise and experiences to analyze, monitor, interpret and mitigate the effects of chemical contaminant and microbial and viral pathogens in water, air, soil and food on public health and ecological health.
Occupational Health (MPH): This track is oriented to applied occupational health program design, development, management, and other applications in an occupational health setting. Graduates will understand public health policies and practices, will be able to design, to manage and to analyze occupational health data. The student will also have the opportunity to learn about applied occupational health practice by participating in such practice in a variety of occupational health settings. Students will also gain biostatistical knowledge and skills applicable to planning and conducting biostatistical research as independent researchers or as members of research teams in occupational health settings.
Epidemiology (MPH): Designed for students seeking technical skills in the fundamental methods of disease investigation and prevention in large populations. Courses emphasize basic and advanced epidemiologic principles and their application to current problems in public health and related disciplines.
Disease Prevention and Control (DrPH): Provides students with the expertise and experience to plan, develop and evaluate epidemiological surveillance systems. Students will also gain epidemiologic knowledge and skills to be able to plan and conduct applied epidemiologic research as independent researchers or as members of research teams.
Biostatistics (MPH): Designed to train public health professionals to engage in biomedical research, data management and data analysis. Emphasis is on the methodology and applications of contemporary statistical procedures and research designs, using advanced computing technology. Students will also develop the theoretical competency to understand and apply information published in statistical journals.
Clinical Research (MPH): The program is for professionals who wish to prepare for roles in clinical research, health care research, medical database management or statistical consulting in medical or public health settings. This MPH concentration is oriented toward applied clinical research, outcome measurement and applied biostatistics.
Biostatistics (DrPH): Designed for health professionals that want to develop their careers in academia, public health institutions and health care facilities as it relates to applied Biostatistics. The graduate of this program will understand public health policies and practices, will identify key elements of quantitative nature for decision-making, and will be able to plan and evaluate health systems and public health programs by using biostatistical methodology.
Clinical Research (DrPH): Provides the expertise and experience to plan, develop and evaluate clinical research, learn about treatment outcome measurement and design or manage health data systems. Students will also gain biostatistical knowledge and skills to be able to plan and conduct applied clinical research as independent researchers or as members of research teams in health care settings, public health and other biomedical sciences that use experimental and observational techniques.
Health Management and Policy (MPH): Provides students with the competencies necessary for administrative management or policy careers within the healthcare field. The curriculum addresses health systems, quantitative methods, health economics and finance, managed care, health policy, health law and other areas central to the management, planning and evaluation in both private and public sectors.
Health Informatics (MPH): Oriented toward applied data processing and applications, health information system design and development, and other applied informatics in health care settings, this concentration prepares students for work related to clinical data management; health systems evaluation, development and analysis; geographic information systems (GIS) applications in health; and telemedicine or telehealth in medical or public health settings.
Health Management and Policy (DrPH): Graduates will understand and apply skills relevant to health policy development and analysis, management practices and health services research. Residency experience and research will allow students to analyze and propose solutions to health management or policy problems by applying new theoretical or analytic advances to current problems in health care.
Community Health (MPH): A broadly applicable program emphasizing skills relevant to today’s public health professionals, including community assessment, program planning and evaluation and health education interventions. This curriculum emphasizes strategies for the promotion of health and the prevention of disease in populations through public health policy and interventions in the context of social structure, community, family and health care systems. The track prepares professionals with a variety of disciplinary backgrounds (medicine, nursing, social work, nutrition, dentistry, health education, health promotion, etc.) and can be tailored to an individual’s previous experience and professional goals.
Health Interpreting and Health Applied Linguistics (MPH): The HIHAL track is the only program in the United States to prepare students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and interests – including language and linguistics (e.g., translation and interpretation studies; applied linguistics; language studies), and health sciences (e.g., public health, medicine, nursing, etc.) – to assume positions as professional health interpreters, linguistic researchers and leaders in the field of health applied linguistics. Students will explore the interrelationship between language and health, and will delve into the complex relationship that exists between language and disease. They will develop competencies in language research in health settings, and will receive extensive training as health interpreters, and, in some cases, as health writers and translators.
Social and Behavioral Sciences (DrPH): Designed for social and health professionals that want to prepare themselves for research, teaching and other leadership positions involving the design, development and evaluation of public health programs, as well as the application of social and behavioral sciences to the development of intervention strategies for health promotion and disease prevention. The concentration courses include quantitative and qualitative research methods as applied to social and behavioral sciences in public health while relying on theoretical perspectives in sociology and psychology. Students may also further develop their training in medical anthropology, health education, community health, social marketing and health communication taking further elective course work and research.
DO/MPH: This five-year dual degree program provides DO students at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) with specialized public health training to develop, integrate and apply culturally competent social, psychological and biomedical/public health approaches to the promotion and preservation of health in one’s community.
Sociology (MPH/MA, MS or PhD): This dual degree program is offered jointly by the UNTHSC/School of Public Health and the Department of Sociology at the University of the North Texas in Denton. Students complete requirements for either a master’s or doctoral degree with a major in sociology and an MPH. Students interested in this dual degree program must concurrently apply to the School of Public Health and UNT’s Graduate School. Each school utilizes different applications, have their own application/admission requirements and have different application deadlines. The applicant must be admitted to both programs before officially being deemed a dual degree student in this program.
Medical Anthropology (MPH/MA): These concurrent degree programs are offered by the UNTHSC/School of Public Health and the Department of Anthropology at the University of North Texas in Denton. Students complete requirements for both a master’s degree with a major in applied anthropology and an MPH. Students interested in this dual degree program must concurrently apply to the School of Public Health and UNT’s Graduate School. Each school utilizes different applications, have their own application/admission requirements and have different application deadlines. The applicant must be admitted to both programs before they are officially deemed a dual degree student in this program.
The School of Public Health maintains a system of departmental admissions. Therefore, the admissions criteria may vary from department to department. In general, students must demonstrate a desire for a career in public health, an understanding relative to the particular area of study they wish to pursue and the cognitive capacity to master the material necessary to obtain the MPH or DrPH degree.
To be considered for admission to the MPH or DrPH programs (including dual degree programs offered by UNTHSC and UNT-Denton, contact the University of North Texas Health Science Center/School of Public Health at (817) 735-2401, toll-free at (877) 868-7741 or via email at sph@hsc.unt.edu for an admissions application. The completed application should be submitted along with:
All Courses of Instruction are located in the UNTHSC-FW catalog.
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Page last updated:
December 22, 2005
Web page comments or corrections to: catalog@unt.edu