Master of Public Health (MPH)
Concentration in Rural Population Health
Put Your Passion Into Action!
Our Master of Public Health (MPH) graduate degree offers an exciting career path for individuals to earn an affordable, multi-disciplinary, and innovative degree. The MPH is fully online and lends itself to both full-time students and working professionals. You can turn your compassion and commitment into real-world impact on the health and wellbeing of the communities you serve and beyond.
Our MPH degree will put you on the front line of the toughest public health challenges with people who need your help most. You will develop foundational public health competencies to improve public and population health and become an advocate for change.
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health: Rural Population Health program is an online program designed for students to attain depth and breadth in public health, as defined in the foundational competency areas of:
- Evidence-based Approaches to Public Health
- Public Health & Health Care Systems
- Planning & Management to Promote Health
- Policy in Public Health
- Leadership
- Communication
- Interprofessional and/or Intersectoral Practice and
- Systems Thinking.
Additionally, graduates of the UT Tyler MPH in Rural Population Health program can proficiently
- Analyze health outcomes across varying levels of rurality.
- Develop intervention recommendations based on the health profile of a rural community.
- Articulate a personalized leadership framework for addressing population and public health challenges of the future.
- Develop strategies for obtaining resources for public health programs, projects, and services.
- Utilize community assessment and analysis tools to address factors that contribute to health variations among populations.
Vision
A world where rurality no longer exists as a driver of population health.
Mission
To educate the future rural population health workforce, engage with rural communities addressing current population health challenges, and advance the understanding of rurality as a driver of population health.
Goals
- Educate the future rural population health workforce
- Develop and deliver high-quality, rural-focused curriculum.
- Expand experiential learning opportunities in rural communities.
- Engage rural communities to address population health challenges
- Build sustainable partnerships with rural communities.
- Provide technical assistance and applied research support.
- Advance the understanding of rurality as a driver of population health.
- Conduct and disseminate innovative rural health research.
- Serve as a knowledge hub for rural population health.
Degree Plan
(42 credit hours)
The MPH program can be completed at your own pace within six years from time of admission. Students traditionally complete the 42-credit hour program on a two-year track. However, it is possible to complete the program on a "fast-track" in as little as 15 months (over the course of four semesters) if the student has a strong health background or can dedicate full-time to studies.
The MPH program requires each student to complete 11 core courses, two experiential courses consisting of an Applied Practice Experience (APE) (internship/practicum) and a culminating Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) (capstone), and 1 elective course. Students in the RUral Population Health MPH program can choose an elective from the following disciplines: Occupational & Environmental Health Sciences (OEHS), Social and Behavioral Sciences (COMH, ALHS, HECC), Epidemiology & Biostatistics (EPBI), and Healthcare Policy Economics and Management (HPEM), which provide instruction in the traditional Public Health service areas grounding the discipline. Other elective courses may be selected from those offered within the School of Health Professions, the School of Medicine (OEHS, EPBI), or other health-related programs with advisor approval. Electives from other programs and departments must be approved on an individual basis.
| Course Requirements for MPH degree, Generalist Concentration | ||
| Course number | Course name | Credits |
| Required Courses | 30 | |
| PBHL 5317 | Biostatistics I | 3 |
| PBHL 5342 | Epidemiology I | 3 |
| PBHL 5344 | Social and Behavioral Aspects of Community Health | 3 |
| PBHL 5330 | Health Policy, Administration and Management | |
| PBHL 5303 |
Foundations of Environmental Health
|
3 |
| OEHS 5340 | Public Health in Rural Populations | 3 |
| COMH 5310 | Foundations of Program Evaluation | 3 |
| COMH 6334 | Community Health Analysis and Assessment | 3 |
| PBHL 6340 | Population and Public Health Leadership | 3 |
| PBHL 5334 | Finance and Resourcing for Public Health Organizations | 3 |
| APE & ILE courses | 6 | |
| PBHL 5350 | Internship/Practicum (APE) I | 3 |
| PBHL 6355 OR 6365 | Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) Simulation OR ILE II Capstone Project |
3 |
| Electives | ||
| Electives | Students choose two electives from the following public health-focused disciplines: -Environmental Health Science -Social and Behavioral Science -Health Policy, Economics, and Management -Epidemiology and Biostatistics |
6 |
| Total Credits | 42 | |