School of Public Health
The SPH creates solutions for a healthier community. Our work is at the intersection of science and social justice, promoting health equity to reduce health disparities.
The Master of Public Health and Master of Health Administration degrees are offered on campus and fully online. Master of Science and PhD programs are full time. Certificate and dual-degree programs have online options.
Key research areas include: alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; health disparities; engaging communities through participatory research methods; maternal and child health; immunizations and vaccine hesitancy; health and safety needs of the homeless; online/mHealth interventions; chronic disease epidemiology; and international health interventions.
We are accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. Our MHA is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education. We are active in the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, Association of University Programs in Health Administration, and the American and Texas Public Health Associations.
SPH faculty have been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Science Foundation and others. Our faculty are widely published and have received national and international awards for their work bridging teaching, research and practice.
Shafik Dharamsi, PhD
Dean of the School of Public Health and Professor, has more than 25 years of transdisciplinary and international teaching, research and leadership experience. Born in Tanzania, he is a first-generation college graduate with a deep commitment to student success. Following his graduate education, he worked in East Africa as Regional Director of an early childhood development program for the Aga Khan Development Network. While there, he led more than 200 staff across three countries, fostered consensus in complex social, cultural, political and economic environments and led major international fundraising initiatives. He then joined the University of British Columbia to help lead UBC’s Center for International Health to advance translational and applied research in primary care settings with a focus on advancing health equity in underserved communities. He also was founding Associate Dean of Social Accountability, Professionalism and Community and Global Engagement at the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine. From 2017 to 2021, he served as Dean of the College of Health Sciences and Professor of Public Health at the University of Texas, El Paso. Before joining HSC in August 2022, he was Senior Advisor to the Provost and Visiting Professor at New Mexico State University.
SPH Programs
Whether pursuing public health work in a governmental, non-governmental, profit or non- profit capacity, graduates of the MPH Public Health Leadership concentration acquire skills to be effective change agents in the field. They gain interdisciplinary skills to address population health, program planning, evaluation and management. This concentration is offered in the residential cohort or online. Cohort students attend full time, graduating in two years. Online students may complete the program at either a part-time or full-time rate in our accelerated eight- week format, graduating in two to three years.
Students interested in applied mathematics driving public health assessment, evaluation and research will enjoy the MPH Biostatistics & Data Science residential cohort format. They will learn how to play a pivotal role on project teams leading data management, statistical analysis, results interpretation and communication of findings. Applicants need a strong undergraduate mathematics background.
With the MPH Epidemiology residential cohort format, students follow data, applying the most advanced research methods to uncover the causes of today’s public health threats. Data scientists are in high demand to identify and describe health risks and recommend solutions.
Students focus on promoting women’s health and cultivating children’s healthy development through the residential cohort MPH Maternal & Child Health concentration. Students meet faculty that challenge them academically and support their professional growth.
As the only CAHME-accredited program exclusively based in North Texas, we transform students into leaders affecting meaningful health care systems change. We’re the first to partner with the National Association for Healthcare Quality in a fully-integrated pathway to the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality credential.
The MHA is available in residential cohort and online formats. Online students may complete the program at a part time rate, graduating in three years.
This degree is the first step in our integrated MS/PhD sequence in Epidemiology or Health Behavior Research.
This PhD prepares the next generation of public health leaders and scholars to create and disseminate new knowledge. Admission is competitive, based on “fit.” Accepted students receive a significant annual stipend, full-tuition waiver and free medical insurance.
SPH offers two online graduate certificate programs. A bachelor’s or equivalent is required. Students need a minimum 2.5 or higher GPA in prior academic coursework. Options include:
- Online Graduate Certificate in Public Health, where working professionals gain foundational public health knowledge. This 15-credit program consists of five core public health courses required of all MPH students. Grades of “B” or higher in each of these courses can apply toward the MPH degree. This program is typically completed in one year, with courses offered each fall, spring and summer.
- The online Graduate Certificate in Health Care Management is for current HSC sudents seeking foundational knowledge in their field. The program, typically completed in one year, consists of five core courses required of all MHA students.
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