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Apr 23, 2024
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2021-2022 Graduate Catalog [Not Current Academic Year. Consult with Your Academic Advisor for Your Catalog Year]
Doctor of Medicine/Master of Public Health Program
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 Return to: College of Medicine
College of Medicine > Doctor of Medicine/Master of Public Health Program
The MD/MPH Dual Degree Program combines medical and public health education to prepare students for a career of caring for the health of individuals and their communities. This program is designed for students who envision a medical career that incorporates public health and medicine and will prepare physicians for academic careers or for practice in today’s health care environment.
The MD degree is a four-year professional doctorate awarded upon graduation from UH College of Medicine, preparing recipients for careers in medicine. Education in the basic and clinical sciences is integrated with practical skills in physical diagnosis, patient-doctor communication, and medical specialties and subspecialties. The Customized MPH degree will be awarded by UTHealth School of Public Health and the degree is widely recognized as valuable training for professionals pursuing careers in health-related fields. In addition, skills learned in public health core disciplines, such as biostatistics, epidemiology, health administration and others, are essential for persons conducting clinical- or community-based research or those involved with leading health care organizations.
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Admission Requirements
Applicants to the MD/MPH Dual Degree Program will be admitted independently by UH College of Medicine to the MD program and by UTHealth SPH to the MPH with a customized plan according to the admission schedule of each school. Applicants will be required to meet all standards stipulated by the respective institutions as detailed in their admissions policies. There will be an internal selection process for students in the College of Medicine to assist in trying to ensure applicants for the dual degree program are likely to be successful and understand the ramifications required of this dual degree experience. Although admission status may be shared between the two admission offices, admission materials (e.g., transcripts, letters of reference) will not be shared between admission offices, and admission to one program does not ensure admission to the other institution or its degree program. Further, failure to be admitted to one program does not negatively impact admission to the other school or its degree program. While each institution acknowledges that admission to the dual degree program may occur after a student has matriculated in a degree program at one or both schools, a student at either institution may not be matriculated at the other institution without completing the formal application and acceptance process.
Current UTHealth SPH MPH students are eligible to apply to the UH College of Medicine and, if admitted, be recognized as part of the Dual Degree Program prior to completing 50% (22 credit hours) of their current program. All applicants admitted to the Dual Degree Program must be admitted to the MD program to qualify. UTHealth SPH applicants will be required to provide proof of admission to UH College of Medicine in order to be recognized as part of the dual-degree program.
Coursework
The UTHealth SPH MPH program requires a minimum of 45 semester credit hours for graduation, including the completion of an internship experience (Practicum) and an Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) on a topic related to public health. A minimum of 33 semester credit hours from UTHealth SPH coursework is required for students in the MD/MPH program. Students admitted to the MPH-Customized program will follow and adhere to the program requirements outlined by the degree planner designated for the student’s matriculation term. Up to 12 semester credit hours earned as part of the UH College of Medicine MD program will be applied to a student’s MPH -Customized degree as elective credit. The remaining courses will be chosen to reflect the career interest of the student and the dual nature of the program.
Detailed academic plans and recommended curricula, including shared credit courses for the dual degree program, are determined in collaboration with selected faulty and MD/MPH program administrators at both institutions. The recommended curricula are reviewed and approved by the appropriate persons for each institution during annual program reviews or when needed.
The UH College of Medicine and UTHealth SPH MD/MPH Dual Degree Program offers 5-year option and schedule for dual degree completion. All MD/MPH students are advised to not enroll at UTHealth SPH during year 1, year 2, and year 3 of the UH College of Medicine MD program. Students in the 5-year program will request an official leave of absence, following appropriate College of Medicine schedules, between year 3 and year 4 of the MD program, which is when they will enroll at UTHealth SPH to pursue the MPH program. This is a key element of the 5-year program design and timed to promote success of dual degree students. Students enrolling any of these periods without consent of the SPH faculty will not be following program agreement structure.
Students enrolled in the MD/MPH program that wish to withdraw from the MPH program are eligible to transition into and complete the UTHealth SPH Graduate Certificate in Public Health non-degree seeking program.
Integrated Curriculum and General Timeline
Graduation
After meeting the requirements of each degree program, students in the MD/MPH Dual Degree program will receive diplomas from each institution, respectively. If a student in the MD/MPH Dual Degree Program does not complete the requirements of the MD program, the student may complete the MPH by fulfilling all requirements of that program. In this scenario, shared credits from the MD program will not be applied to the MPH program.
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