1101 N. Stanton, Suite 110

Phone: (915) 747-8500

E-mail: sph@utep.edu

The Master of Public Health Program (MPH) at El Paso is a program offered by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston on the UTEP campus. The El Paso program was started in 1992 in response to the high demand for public health professionals along the U.S.-Mexico border. Courses are provided by the University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health faculty in residency at the El Paso campus, as well as through interactive television courses taught by the Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and UT Austin campuses. In addition, some upper-division and graduate courses offered by UTEP academic departments may be taken concurrently and be considered in fulfillment of degree requirements. Students may also be enrolled in the MPH program and as post-baccalaureate students at UTEP concurrently.

Admission, registration, grading, and other policies are the same as at the Houston campus. Students are expected to gain a competency in the five basic disciplines of Public Health (administration, behavioral sciences, biometry, environmental health, and epidemiology). Degree requirements include the completion of a minimum of 36 semester credit hours through which each student must demonstrate competency in the five basic sciences of public health, complete a practicum, and complete a thesis. No more than 6 of the 36 credit hours may be in thesis research. Additional courses may be required depending on the student�s previous background, area of interest, and academic preparation. The thesis provides an opportunity for the student to synthesize the knowledge and skills gained through coursework by focusing on a specific public health problem. The MPH Program is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.

Internships and opportunities for students to gain some hands-on experience in public health issues affecting the border area are available. Additionally, MPH students may be eligible for Teaching or Research Assistantships at the School of Public Health and UTEP. Most of the research that is being done at the El Paso campus focuses on assessing local health issues, evaluating the effectiveness of local health programs, or developing new approaches to solve local problems. Faculty is directly involved in assisting local public health agencies and brings these experiences into the classroom. Many of the projects are multidisciplinary in nature and include collaborators from international, national, and local agencies and universities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), UTEP, and Ciudad Juárez.

Introduction to Epidemiology (4 semester credit hours)

Infectious Disease Epidemiology (3 semester credit hours)

Special Topic: Chronic Disease and Injury Epidemiology (3 semester credit hours)

Natural History of Disease (3 semester credit hours)

Molecular Epidemiology (2 semester credit hours)

Introduction to Biometry (4 semester credit hours)

Statistical Applications of Public Health Research (3 semester credit hours)

Overview of Environmental Health (4 semester credit hours)

Environmental Health Assessment (3 semester credit hours)

Applications of GIS (2 semester credit hours)

Administration and Public Health (4 semester credit hours)

Health Planning I (3 semester credit hours)

Financial Management and Accounting (2 semester credit hours)

Patients� Rights in Health Care (3 semester credit hours)

Texas Health Policy (3 semester credit hours)

Health Promotion, Theory, and Methods I (3 semester credit hours)

Health Promotion, Theory, and Methods II (3 semester credit hours)

Addictive Behavior (3 semester credit hours)

Risk Communication (2 semester credit hours)

Social and Behavioral Aspects of Community Health (3 semester credit hours)

Public Health and Nutrition (3 semester credit hours)

Precede Health Promotion and Planning (3 semester credit hours)

Health and Development in the Third World (3 semester credit hours)

Informatics in Public Health (3 semester credit hours)

Classic Readings in Public Health (2 semester credit hours)

Thesis Workshop (1 semester credit hour)

Research Methods (3 semester credit hours)

Analyzing Health Systems (2 semester credit hours)

Border Health Issues (2 semester credit hours)

International Health (3 semester credit hours)

Theresa Byrd, Ph.D., Behavioral Scientist

Victor Cardenas, M.D., Ph.D., Epidemiologist

Luis Escobedo, M.D., S.M., M.P.H. Epidemiologist

Joao Ferreira-Pinto, Ph.D., Behavioral Scientist

Nuria Homedes, M.D., Dr. P.H., Health Policy and Management and Assistant Dean

Kathleen O�Rourke, Ph.D., Epidemiologist

Melchor Ortiz, Ph.D., Biostatistician

For more information concerning the Master�s of Public Health degree, please call (915) 747-8500 or write The University of Texas Health Science Center, 1100 N. Stanton, Suite 110, El Paso, TX, 79902.