Julia Jones Matthews Department of Public Health
Master of Public Health Degree
Administered by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Julia Jones Matthews Department of Public Health offers the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program and the Certificate in Public Health. The training emphasizes the knowledge and skills of core public health fields and the integration and application of those fields to public health practice. The MPH will provide students with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to succeed in careers that bridge medicine and public health.
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Students enrolled in the program will be able to attend class on either the Lubbock or Abilene campuses. In-person courses are offered through our Interactive Television (ITV) technology we call TechLink.
Beginning Summer 2018, the 100% online Masters of Public Health program will provide students an opportunity to earn an advanced degree in a flexible learning environment and the option to tailor coursework to personal and professional commitments. The curricular requirements for this program are the same as those for the traditional MPH program.
Beginning Summer 2018, the Accelerated Online Master of Public Health program will be a 15 month intensive program designed for highly motivated individuals seeking to enhance their careers with a degree in public health. The curricular requirements for this program are the same as those for the online and traditional MPH programs. Enrolled students will begin the accelerated MPH program in the summer semester (YEAR 1) and complete the program at the end of the summer semester the following year (YEAR 2). Students are required to take an average of 15 credit hours per semester. Continuous enrollment in this lock-step program is required. This program provides pre-healthcare students an opportunity to use their "gap year" to pursue a Master of Public Health degree, and enter the clinical space with the tools they need to care for individuals while addressing important social determinants of health.
The 15-hour Certificate program is for students who wish to have an extra credential, but may not be ready to pursue a Master's degree. Courses can be taken either in-person or online. More information can be found here.
- Completion of a minimum of 45 semester credit hours of required coursework - all graduate professional public health degree students must complete sufficient coursework to attain depth and breadth in the five core areas of public health knowledge. The program is designed to be completed in two years, depending upon a student's course selection; with a maximum of 15 credits per semester and lasting no more than 5 years.
- Planned, supervised and evaluated practice experience - all graduate professional public health degree students must develop skills in basic public health concepts and demonstrate the application of these concepts through a practice experience that is relevant to students' areas of specialization. Please click here for more information.
- A culminating integrated learning experience demonstrating a substantial knowledge of public health. Please click here for more information.
- Pursuing a Master of Public Health enables you to approach complex issues from a population perspective, using evidence-based solutions to improve health outcomes for communities and individuals. By choosing the Master of Public Health program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, you gain comprehensive public health training. Students will earn a general MPH degree without a specific major area.
- The MPH program will prepare health professionals to practice skillful and evidence-based preventive public health; conduct and communicate research that informs the diverse fields within public health; and provide interdisciplinary expertise in the service of academic, professional and community-based public health organizations.
- The MPH degree plan includes a core set of requirements that focus on the Five (5) Core Disciplines in Public Health: Biostatistics; Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Health Policy Management; and Social and Behavioral Sciences.
The Master of Public Health program provides students with the professional training necessary to enter the public health or health care professions. Many students pursue career options based on their applied learning experience, but others elect to pursue new opportunities. Public Health careers offer a dynamic set of choices and paths. Epidemiology and Biostatistics involve mathematics, modeling, and informatics. Environmental Health includes a wide range of laboratory and ecology sciences. Health Administration incorporates business and management practices. Health Education involves skills required to develop community-wide prevention programs, community engagement and empowerment. Health Policy includes an understanding of law-making processes and advocacy. Most experts agree that major advances in improvement of health over the next decades will not come from new medical findings or cures, but rather the broader development and application of population-based prevention programs. Health services delivery systems are undergoing rapid change. Greater emphasis is being placed on health promotion and disease prevention as a means to reduce the costs of care by improving the health of our populations. These changes have created a broad array of new opportunities for professionals with advanced training in public health.
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