Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs 2015

Transcription

1 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs 2015 The 18 Characteristics of Texas Public Doctoral Programs were developed by the Graduate Education Advisory Committee to create a snapshot of all doctoral programs at public universities and health-related institutions. The information is intended to provide information to the institutions for self-improvement and to serve as a guide to members of the general public who are interested in doctoral education, such as prospective students and their families. The most recent review occurred in The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) Self Study can be found at UTHealth School of Public Health The Office of Academic Affairs and Student Services 1200 Pressler, 2 nd Floor Houston, Texas Susan Tortolero Emery, PhD Allan King Professor in Public Health Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Research Affairs Sylvia Salas, MPH Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and Student Services Sharon S. Cummings, MPH Program Manager 1

2 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Review of Existing Degree Programs pursuant to Texas Administrative Code Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.52 Program Name: DrPH in Community Health Practice CIP Code: Level: X Doctoral X Professional Name of External Accrediting Agency: Council on Education for Public Health Summary: The School of Public Health (UTSPH) offers DrPH degrees in Community Health Practice, Epidemiology and Disease Control, Health Promotion/Health Education, and Occupational and Environmental Health. The DrPH in Health Services Organization stopped accepting new students in academic year All DrPH programs are available at the Houston campus. The DrPH in Community Health Practice is also available in San Antonio. The DrPH in Health Promotion/Health Education is also available in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, and El Paso. The DrPH in Occupational and Environmental Health is also available in San Antonio. The DrPH degree program requires 48 credit hours of coursework beyond the MPH degree. The MPH or equivalent course work is required for admission. Degree requirements include major, minor, and breadth courses; elective courses; a practicum; and a dissertation. Once approximately 18 hours of department-specified required courses are completed, students must pass a qualifying/preliminary examination. The DrPH degree at the UTSPH requires a major in one of the public health disciplines. The major course requirements are at least 12 credit hours. In addition to the major area of study, DrPH students are strongly recommended to complete a breadth/minor with a focus on leadership/management, in order to be prepared to hold public health leadership and management positions. In the DrPH Community Health Practice Program, students achieve the following competencies: 1. Analyze and evaluate the determinants of individual and population health. 2. Analyze and evaluate the core functions and essential services of public health. 3. Synthesize the concepts of the public health system, evaluate its components and analyze the interactions among the components. 4. Analyze and evaluate health-related needs and assets/resources in a community. 5. Synthesize the principles and methods of community health, program design, implementation and evaluation. 6. Synthesize and communicate public health concepts clearly. 7. Evaluate effective collaboration and leadership. 8. Develop and evaluate research proposals. 9. Interpret results of studies. 10. Present findings from original research in academic and practice settings. 2

3 I. The 18 Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs 1. Number of Degrees per Year DRPH/MAJOR (AY) Number of degrees per year by program DrPH Community Health Practice Graduation Rates See Appendix A 3. Average time to Degree DRPH/MAJOR Student Start Date (AY) Average # months to degree for students by program DrPH Community Health Practice Employment Profile See Appendix A 5. Admissions Criteria See Appendix A 6. Percentage of Full-time Students School-wide percentage of full-time students including masters and doctoral students AY 2013 AY 2014 AY % 71% 72% 7. Average Institutional Financial Support Provided: $13,910 per student in AY Percentage Full-time Students with Institutional Financial Support: 49% of all full-time degreeseeking students in AY 2015 received institutional financial support. 9. Number of Core Faculty See Appendix A 10. Student-Core Faculty Ratio: 3:1 for Academic Year Core Faculty Publications See Appendix A 12. Core Faculty External Grants See Appendix A 13. Faculty Teaching Load: The core requirement for all UTSPH full-time faculty is approximately 150 semester credit hours. See Appendix A for detailed data by department. 14. Faculty Diversity See Appendix A 15. Student Diversity See Appendix A 16. Date of Last External Review October External Program Accreditation October Student Publications/Presentations: N/A II. Student retention rates: Program AY 2012 AY 2013 AY 2014 DrPH Community Health Practice 50% 67% 100% 3

4 III. Student enrollment See Appendix A IV. Graduate licensure rates (if applicable): N/A V. Alignment of program with stated program and institutional goals and purposes: Degree program aligns with institutional mission. The mission of the UTHealth School of Public Health (UTSPH) is to improve and sustain the health of people by providing the highest quality graduate education, research and community service for Texas, the nation, and the world; to provide quality graduate education in the basic disciplines and practices of public health; to extend the evidence base within those disciplines; and to assist public health practitioners, locally, nationally, and internationally, in solving public health problems. VI. Program curriculum and duration in comparison to peer programs: Doctoral programs require the completion of 48 semester credits and students are allowed 7 years in which to complete the program with two additional one-year extensions. VII. Program facilities and equipment See Appendix A VIII. Program finance and resources See Appendix A IX. Program administration See Appendix A X. Faculty Qualifications See Appendix A 4

5 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Review of Existing Degree Programs pursuant to Texas Administrative Code Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.52 Program Name: DrPH in Epidemiology and Disease Control CIP Code: Level: X Doctoral X Professional Name of External Accrediting Agency: Council on Education for Public Health Summary: The School of Public Health (UTSPH) offers DrPH degrees in Community Health Practice, Epidemiology and Disease Control, Health Promotion/Health Education, and Occupational and Environmental Health. The DrPH in Health Services Organization stopped accepting new students in academic year All DrPH programs are available at the Houston campus. The DrPH in Community Health Practice is also available in San Antonio. The DrPH in Health Promotion/Health Education is also available in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, and El Paso. The DrPH in Occupational and Environmental Health is also available in San Antonio. The DrPH degree program requires 48 credit hours of coursework beyond the MPH degree. The MPH or equivalent course work is required for admission. Degree requirements include major, minor, and breadth courses; elective courses; a practicum; and a dissertation. Once approximately 18 hours of department-specified required courses are completed, students must pass a qualifying/preliminary examination. The DrPH degree at the UTSPH requires a major in one of the public health disciplines. The major course requirements are at least 12 credit hours. In addition to the major area of study, DrPH students are strongly recommended to complete a breadth/minor with a focus on leadership/management, in order to be prepared to hold public health leadership and management positions. In the DrPH Epidemiology and Disease Control Program, students achieve the following competencies: 1. Use basic and advanced philosophy, theory (including causal inference), and principles of epidemiology in the practice of science. 2. Demonstrate how the history of epidemiology informs public health research and policy. 3. Evaluate the natural history and biologic mechanisms of one or more specific diseases or health conditions, including consideration of causation, control, and prevention. 4. Design a study using epidemiologic principles. 5. Select and apply appropriate quantitative methods to epidemiologic research questions. 6. Interpret findings from an epidemiologic study. 7. Critique relevant literature and research proposals related to epidemiologic questions. 8. Address ethical issues in the practice of epidemiology. 9. Clearly communicate with, and instruct, others regarding principles of epidemiology. 10. Exhibit leadership related to practical epidemiology program management. 5

6 I. The 18 Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs 1. Number of Degrees per Year DRPH/MAJOR (AY) Number of degrees per year by program DrPH Epidemiology and Disease Control Graduation Rates See Appendix A 3. Average time to Degree DRPH/MAJOR Student Start Date (AY) Average # months to degree for students by program DrPH Epidemiology and Disease Control Employment Profile See Appendix A 5. Admissions Criteria See Appendix A 6. Percentage of Full-time Students School-wide percentage of full-time students including masters and doctoral students AY 2013 AY 2014 AY % 71% 72% 7. Average Institutional Financial Support Provided: $13,910 per student in AY Percentage Full-time Students with Institutional Financial Support: 49% of all full-time degreeseeking students in AY 2015 received institutional financial support. 9. Number of Core Faculty See Appendix A 10. Student-Core Faculty Ratio: 3:1 for Academic Year Core Faculty Publications See Appendix A 12. Core Faculty External Grants See Appendix A 13. Faculty Teaching Load: The core requirement for all UTSPH full-time faculty is approximately 150 semester credit hours. See Appendix A for detailed data by department. 14. Faculty Diversity See Appendix A 15. Student Diversity See Appendix A 16. Date of Last External Review October External Program Accreditation October Student Publications/Presentations: N/A II. Student retention rates: Program AY 2012 AY 2013 AY 2014 DrPH Epidemiology and Disease Control 100% 100% 0 6

8 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Review of Existing Degree Programs pursuant to Texas Administrative Code Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.52 Program Name: DrPH in Health Promotion/Health Education CIP Code: Level: X Doctoral X Professional Name of External Accrediting Agency: Council on Education for Public Health Summary: The School of Public Health (UTSPH) offers DrPH degrees in Community Health Practice, Epidemiology and Disease Control, Health Promotion/Health Education, and Occupational and Environmental Health. The DrPH in Health Services Organization stopped accepting new students in academic year All DrPH programs are available at the Houston campus. The DrPH in Community Health Practice is also available in San Antonio. The DrPH in Health Promotion/Health Education is also available in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, and El Paso. The DrPH in Occupational and Environmental Health is also available in San Antonio. The DrPH degree program requires 48 credit hours of coursework beyond the MPH degree. The MPH or equivalent course work is required for admission. Degree requirements include major, minor, and breadth courses; elective courses; a practicum; and a dissertation. Once approximately 18 hours of department-specified required courses are completed, students must pass a qualifying/preliminary examination. The DrPH degree at the UTSPH requires a major in one of the public health disciplines. The major course requirements are at least 12 credit hours. In addition to the major area of study, DrPH students are strongly recommended to complete a breadth/minor with a focus on leadership/management, in order to be prepared to hold public health leadership and management positions. In the DrPH in Health Promotion/Health Education Program, students achieve the following competencies: 1. Involve the community in planning and executing research relevant to their needs and concerns. 2. Collect and analyze data regarding health and quality of life problems and concerns and factors that cause or contribute to the problems (behavioral, psychological, social, cultural, developmental and environmental factors). 3. Collect and analyze data regarding community resources and strengths. 4. Develop recommendations regarding community needs and resources pertaining to health programs. 5. Work with community stakeholders to evaluate programs and policy in terms of process, outcomes and cost effectiveness. 6. Conduct behavioral science, social science, and/or health promotion research using both qualitative and quantitative methods. 7. Recruit and collaborate with community members, organizations, resource persons and potential program participants in intervention planning and evaluation. 8. Develop theory- and evidence-based intervention plans and communications. 9. Develop program implementation and dissemination plans. 10. Diffuse effective programs through scientific publications, presentation and lay publications. 11. Manage and provide leadership for health promotion programs and wider public health activities. 12. Contribute to capacity in health promotion of students, staff and colleagues through training, consultation, mentoring and teamwork. 8

9 I. The 18 Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs 1. Number of Degrees per Year DRPH/MAJOR (AY) Number of degrees per year by program DrPH Health Promotion/Health Education Graduation Rates See Appendix A 3. Average time to Degree DRPH/MAJOR Student Start Date (AY) Average # months to degree for students by program DrPH Health Promotion/Health Education Employment Profile See Appendix A 5. Admissions Criteria See Appendix A 6. Percentage of Full-time Students School-wide percentage of full-time students including masters and doctoral students AY 2013 AY 2014 AY % 71% 72% 7. Average Institutional Financial Support Provided: $13,910 per student in AY Percentage Full-time Students with Institutional Financial Support: 49% of all full-time degreeseeking students in AY 2015 received institutional financial support. 9. Number of Core Faculty See Appendix A 10. Student-Core Faculty Ratio: 3:1 for Academic Year Core Faculty Publications See Appendix A 12. Core Faculty External Grants See Appendix A 13. Faculty Teaching Load: The core requirement for all UTSPH full-time faculty is approximately 150 semester credit hours. See Appendix A for detailed data by department. 14. Faculty Diversity See Appendix A 15. Student Diversity See Appendix A 16. Date of Last External Review October External Program Accreditation October Student Publications/Presentations: N/A II. Student retention rates Program AY 2012 AY 2013 AY 2014 DrPH Health Promotion/Health Education 83% 83% 80% 9

11 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Review of Existing Degree Programs pursuant to Texas Administrative Code Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.52 Program Name: DrPH in Health Services Organization (temporary deactivated in 2014, thus, not accepting new students since Fall of 2014) CIP Code: Level: X Doctoral X Professional Name of External Accrediting Agency: Council on Education for Public Health Summary: The School of Public Health (UTSPH) offers DrPH degrees in Community Health Practice, Epidemiology and Disease Control, Health Promotion/Health Education, and Occupational and Environmental Health. The DrPH in Health Services Organization stopped accepting new students in academic year All DrPH programs are available at the Houston campus. The DrPH in Community Health Practice is also available in San Antonio. The DrPH in Health Promotion/Health Education is also available in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, and El Paso. The DrPH in Occupational and Environmental Health is also available in San Antonio. The DrPH degree program requires 48 credit hours of coursework beyond the MPH degree. The MPH or equivalent course work is required for admission. Degree requirements include major, minor, and breadth courses; elective courses; a practicum; and a dissertation. Once approximately 18 hours of department-specified required courses are completed, students must pass a qualifying/preliminary examination. The DrPH degree at the UTSPH requires a major in one of the public health disciplines. The major course requirements are at least 12 credit hours. In addition to the major area of study, DrPH students are strongly recommended to complete a breadth/minor with a focus on leadership/management, in order to be prepared to hold public health leadership and management positions. In the DrPH in Health Services Organization Program, students achieve the following competencies: 1. Develop a plan for new health services or a policy initiative for a health services organization, government agency or legislature. 2. Critically assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of the organization and delivery of personal and community-based public health services in the United States. 3. Analyze and evaluate an issue in public health policy and provide recommendations. 4. Analyze and evaluate an organizational or management issue in public health and provide recommendations. 5. Identify innovative and integrated approaches to healthcare management. 6. Design and execute a study of quality assessment and improvement for public and private health services. 7. Design and execute a study of efficiency of private and public health services. 8. Design and execute a study of equity of private and public health services. 9. Develop or adapt alternative analytic frameworks to evaluate specific health policy proposals. 10. Design and execute a study demonstrating an innovative approach to management in healthcare and public health. 11. Demonstrate the ability to develop and evaluate research proposals, to interpret results of studies, and to present original findings in research and practice settings. 11

12 I. The 18 Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs 1. Number of Degrees per Year DRPH/MAJOR (AY) Number of degrees per year by program DRPH Health Services Organization Graduation Rates See Appendix A 3. Average time to Degree DRPH/MAJOR Student Start Date (AY) Average # months to degree for students by program DrPH Health Services Organization Employment Profile See Appendix A 5. Admissions Criteria See Appendix A 6. Percentage of Full-time Students School-wide percentage of full-time students including masters and doctoral students AY 2013 AY 2014 AY % 71% 72% 7. Average Institutional Financial Support Provided: $13,910 per student in AY Percentage Full-time Students with Institutional Financial Support: 49% of all full-time degreeseeking students in AY 2015 received institutional financial support. 9. Number of Core Faculty See Appendix A 10. Student-Core Faculty Ratio: 3:1 for Academic Year Core Faculty Publications See Appendix A 12. Core Faculty External Grants See Appendix A 13. Faculty Teaching Load: The core requirement for all UTSPH full-time faculty is approximately 150 semester credit hours. See Appendix A for detailed data by department. 14. Faculty Diversity See Appendix A 15. Student Diversity See Appendix A 16. Date of Last External Review October External Program Accreditation October Student Publications/Presentations: N/A II. Student retention rates: Program AY 2012 AY 2013 AY 2014 DrPH Health Services Organization 100% 50% 50% 12

13 III. Student enrollment: See Appendix A IV. Graduate licensure rates (if applicable): N/A V. Alignment of program with stated program and institutional goals and purposes: Degree program aligns with institutional mission. The mission of the UTHealth School of Public Health (UTSPH) is to improve and sustain the health of people by providing the highest quality graduate education, research and community service for Texas, the nation, and the world; to provide quality graduate education in the basic disciplines and practices of public health; to extend the evidence base within those disciplines; and to assist public health practitioners, locally, nationally, and internationally, in solving public health problems. VI. Program curriculum and duration in comparison to peer programs: Doctoral programs require the completion of 48 semester credits and students are allowed 7 years in which to complete the program with two additional one-year extensions. VII. Program facilities and equipment See Appendix A VIII. Program finance and resources See Appendix A IX. Program administration See Appendix A X. Faculty Qualifications See Appendix A 13

14 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Review of Existing Degree Programs pursuant to Texas Administrative Code Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.52 Program Name: DrPH in Occupational and Environmental Health CIP Code: Level: X Doctoral X Professional Name of External Accrediting Agency: Council on Education for Public Health Summary: The School of Public Health (UTSPH) offers DrPH degrees in Community Health Practice, Epidemiology and Disease Control, Health Promotion/Health Education, and Occupational and Environmental Health. The DrPH in Health Services Organization stopped accepting new students in academic year All DrPH programs are available at the Houston campus. The DrPH in Community Health Practice is also available in San Antonio. The DrPH in Health Promotion/Health Education is also available in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, and El Paso. The DrPH in Occupational and Environmental Health is also available in San Antonio. The DrPH degree program requires 48 credit hours of coursework beyond the MPH degree. The MPH or equivalent course work is required for admission. Degree requirements include major, minor, and breadth courses; elective courses; a practicum; and a dissertation. Once approximately 18 hours of department-specified required courses are completed, students must pass a qualifying/preliminary examination. The DrPH degree at the UTSPH requires a major in one of the public health disciplines. The major course requirements are at least 12 credit hours. In addition to the major area of study, DrPH students are strongly recommended to complete a breadth/minor with a focus on leadership/management, in order to be prepared to hold public health leadership and management positions. In the DrPH in Occupational and Environmental Health Program, students achieve the following competencies: 1. Identify and critically evaluate an environmental health problem, and develop and implement a research study using appropriate design and resources to produce new and significant knowledge in the professional practice of environmental health. a. Recognize, define, and prioritize environmental health problems. b. Plan and implement a valid study. c. Derive valid conclusions and consider application of major findings. 2. Evaluate current knowledge and key assumptions in environmental health sciences and other areas to advance the development of the field. a. Assess key assumptions that underlie current understanding in the field of environmental health. b. Evaluate novel approaches for enhancing knowledge, skills and applications. 3. Teach academic and professional audiences. a. Teach content in broad overview courses in environmental health, as well as specialized courses in areas of expertise, in an academic institution; or teach continuing education and outreach classes in environmental health. b. Develop tools for evaluating teaching efficacy and student learning outcomes. 4. Communicate effectively to peers, policy makers and the lay public. a. Deliver presentations in classroom settings or at scientific meetings. b. Develop and demonstrate clear and effective writing skills for communication to a scientific audience c. Present oral and written material appropriate for policy makers or lay audiences. 5. Gain skills needed to establish and manage an environmental health program. a. Recognize organizational or programmatic needs and develop strategies and plans to meet these needs. b. Demonstrate leadership appropriate to an environmental health program. c. Develop control measures to assure quality and success of an environmental health program. 6. Analyze, advocate, implement, and evaluate policy to reduce environmental health risks. 14

15 a. Define an environmental health problem and critically analyze relevant policies or approaches to address the problem. b. Develop and assess policy options. c. Evaluate the feasibility of implementing various policy options. d. Select an appropriate course of action and develop plans to implement policy. e. Develop strategies to monitor and evaluate policies for their effectiveness and quality. 15

16 I. The 18 Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs 1. Number of Degrees per Year DRPH/MAJOR (AY) Number of degrees per Year by program DrPH Occupational and Environmental Health Graduation Rates See Appendix A 3. Average time to Degree DRPH/MAJOR Student Start Date (AY) Average # months to degree for students by program DrPH Occupational and Environmental Health Employment Profile See Appendix A 5. Admissions Criteria See Appendix A 6. Percentage of Full-time Students School-wide percentage of full-time students including masters and doctoral students AY 2013 AY 2014 AY % 71% 72% 7. Average Institutional Financial Support Provided: $13,910 per student in AY Percentage Full-time Students with Institutional Financial Support: 49% of all full-time degreeseeking students in AY 2015 received institutional financial support. 9. Number of Core Faculty See Appendix A 10. Student-Core Faculty Ratio: 3:1 for Academic Year Core Faculty Publications See Appendix A 12. Core Faculty External Grants See Appendix A 13. Faculty Teaching Load: The core requirement for all UTSPH full-time faculty is approximately 150 semester credit hours. See Appendix A for detailed data by department. 14. Faculty Diversity See Appendix A 15. Student Diversity See Appendix A 16. Date of Last External Review October External Program Accreditation October Student Publications/Presentations: N/A II. Student retention rates Program AY 2012 AY 2013 AY 2014 DrPH Occupational and Environmental Health - 100% 100% 16

18 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Review of Existing Degree Programs pursuant to Texas Administrative Code Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.52 Program Name: PhD in Behavioral Science CIP Code: Level: X Doctoral _Professional Name of External Accrediting Agency: Council on Education for Public Health Summary: The School of Public Health (UTSPH) offers PhD degrees in Behavioral Sciences, Biostatistics, Environmental Sciences, Epidemiology, and Management and Policy Sciences. The PhD in Management and Policy Sciences has two tracks the Health Economics and Health Services Research track, and the Healthcare Management and Health Policy track. All PhD programs are available at the Houston Campus. The PhD in Behavioral Sciences is also available in Austin and Dallas. The PhD in Epidemiology is also available in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, and San Antonio. PhD students select a minor and a breadth area (or two minors) so that they have experience in at least three public health disciplines. All students in the PhD programs are required to take at least one course in epidemiology. The PhD programs provide future public health researchers with in-depth knowledge and research methods skills in at least one public health discipline. Each PhD student also has a minor area of study in two other public health disciplines (nine credit hours each) or one minor and one more topic or methods-oriented public health breadth (nine credit hours). There is no practicum associated with this degree. To satisfy the UTSPH s culminating experience requirement, PhD students complete a dissertation. Students demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research and present research findings and their implications for public health in a scientific manuscript. Specifically, the student must present a research question of public health relevance; investigate and evaluate pertinent literature; gather and analyze new data or synthesize related existing information; and clearly and coherently present their conclusions. In the PhD in Behavioral Sciences Program, students achieve the following competencies: 1. Demonstrate in-depth understanding of a public health problem using social and behavioral science (and, when appropriate, biological, epidemiological, and developmental) theories. 2. Select and use behavioral and social science theory to conceptualize ways to understand and intervene to reduce health risks. 3. Conduct original research using theory. 4. Contribute to the development and testing of behavioral, social science or health promotion theory. 5. Use the results of behavioral and social science research (quantitative and qualitative) to understand public health problems. 6. Conduct systematic reviews of the literature. 7. Conduct behavioral science, social science, or health promotion research using quantitative and qualitative (and mixed) methods in accord with scientific and ethical principles. 8. Involve the community in planning and executing research. 9. Develop, carry out and report results of process and outcome evaluations. 10. Recruit and collaborate with community members, organizations, resource persons and potential program participants in intervention planning and evaluation. 11. Develop theory- and evidence-based intervention plans and communications. 12. Develop and carry out program implementation plans. 13. Report research results through scientific publication, presentation and teaching. 14. Contribute to the development of student and colleague skills through teaching, mentoring and teamwork. 18

19 I. The 18 Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs 1. Number of Degrees per Year PHD/MAJOR (AY) Number of degrees per year by program PhD Behavioral Sciences Graduation Rates See Appendix A 3. Average time to Degree PHD/MAJOR Student Start Date (AY) Average # months to degree for students by program PhD Behavioral Sciences Employment Profile See Appendix A 5. Admissions Criteria See Appendix A 6. Percentage of Full-time Students School-wide percentage of full-time students including masters and doctoral students AY 2013 AY 2014 AY % 71% 72% 7. Average Institutional Financial Support Provided: $13,910 per student in AY Percentage Full-time Students with Institutional Financial Support: 49% of all full-time degreeseeking students in AY 2015 received institutional financial support. 9. Number of Core Faculty See Appendix A 10. Student-Core Faculty Ratio: 3:1 for Academic Year Core Faculty Publications See Appendix A 12. Core Faculty External Grants See Appendix A 13. Faculty Teaching Load: The core requirement for all UTSPH full-time faculty is approximately 150 semester credit hours. See Appendix A for detailed data by department. 14. Faculty Diversity See Appendix A 15. Student Diversity See Appendix A 16. Date of Last External Review October External Program Accreditation October Student Publications/Presentations: N/A II. Student retention rates Program AY 2012 AY 2013 AY 2014 PhD Behavioral Sciences 0% 100% 71% 19

21 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Review of Existing Degree Programs pursuant to Texas Administrative Code Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.52 Program Name: PhD in Biostatistics CIP Code: Level: X Doctoral _Professional Name of External Accrediting Agency: Council on Education for Public Health Summary: The School of Public Health (UTSPH) offers PhD degrees in Behavioral Sciences, Biostatistics, Environmental Sciences, Epidemiology, and Management and Policy Sciences. The PhD in Management and Policy Sciences has two tracks the Health Economics and Health Services Research track, and the Healthcare Management and Health Policy track. All PhD programs are available at the Houston Campus. The PhD in Behavioral Sciences is also available in Austin and Dallas. The PhD in Epidemiology is also available in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, and San Antonio. PhD students select a minor and a breadth area (or two minors) so that they have experience in at least three public health disciplines. All students in the PhD programs are required to take at least one course in epidemiology. The PhD programs provide future public health researchers with in-depth knowledge and research methods skills in at least one public health discipline. Each PhD student also has a minor area of study in two other public health disciplines (nine credit hours each) or one minor and one more topic or methods-oriented public health breadth (nine credit hours). There is no practicum associated with this degree. To satisfy the UTSPH s culminating experience requirement, PhD students complete a dissertation. Students demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research and present research findings and their implications for public health in a scientific manuscript. Specifically, the student must present a research question of public health relevance; investigate and evaluate pertinent literature; gather and analyze new data or synthesize related existing information; and clearly and coherently present their conclusions. In the PhD in Biostatistics Program, students achieve the following competencies: 1. Use of statistical theory and models in the public health, biomedical, or bioinformatics arena. 2. Demonstrate statistical inferences for public health, biomedical, or bioinformatics datasets across a variety of research designs. 3. Specify a research question and to obtain the data appropriate to the model. 4. Pertaining to competency 3, use appropriate computational skills to solve the problem. 5. Work collaboratively with public health investigators. 6. Develop innovative design and analytical and simulated models in the public health, biomedical or biological arena. 7. Develop methods to conduct statistical inferences for public health, biomedical or biological datasets. 8. Conduct systematic reviews of the literature in biostatistics or bioinformatics. 9. Report research results through scientific publication, presentation and teaching. 10. Communicate analytical models and the results from statistical inferences to biostatisticians as well as researchers of other disciplines of public health or medicine. 11. Contribute to the development student and colleague skills through teaching, mentoring and teamwork. 12. Develop a research proposal. 21

22 I. The 18 Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs 1. Number of Degrees per Year PHD/MAJOR (AY) Number of degrees per year by program PhD Biostatistics Graduation Rates See Appendix A 3. Average time to Degree PHD/MAJOR Student Average # months to degree Start Date for students by program (AY) PhD Biostatistics Employment Profile See Appendix A 5. Admissions Criteria See Appendix A 6. Percentage of Full-time Students School-wide percentage of full-time students including masters and doctoral students AY 2013 AY 2014 AY % 71% 72% 7. Average Institutional Financial Support Provided: $13,910 per student in AY Percentage Full-time Students with Institutional Financial Support: 49% of all full-time degreeseeking students in AY 2015 received institutional financial support. 9. Number of Core Faculty See Appendix A 10. Student-Core Faculty Ratio: 3:1 for Academic Year Core Faculty Publications See Appendix A 12. Core Faculty External Grants See Appendix A 13. Faculty Teaching Load: The core requirement for all UTSPH full-time faculty is approximately 150 semester credit hours. See Appendix A for detailed data by department. 14. Faculty Diversity See Appendix A 15. Student Diversity See Appendix A 16. Date of Last External Review October External Program Accreditation October Student Publications/Presentations: N/A II. Student retention rates: Program AY 2012 AY 2013 AY 2014 PhD Biostatistics 75% 50% 73% 22

24 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Review of Existing Degree Programs pursuant to Texas Administrative Code Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.52 Program Name: PhD in Environmental Sciences CIP Code: Level: X Doctoral _Professional Name of External Accrediting Agency: Council on Education for Public Health Summary: The School of Public Health (UTSPH) offers PhD degrees in Behavioral Sciences, Biostatistics, Environmental Sciences, Epidemiology, and Management and Policy Sciences. The PhD in Management and Policy Sciences has two tracks the Health Economics and Health Services Research track, and the Healthcare Management and Health Policy track. All PhD programs are available at the Houston Campus. The PhD in Behavioral Sciences is also available in Austin and Dallas. The PhD in Epidemiology is also available in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, and San Antonio. PhD students select a minor and a breadth area (or two minors) so that they have experience in at least three public health disciplines. All students in the PhD programs are required to take at least one course in epidemiology. The PhD programs provide future public health researchers with in-depth knowledge and research methods skills in at least one public health discipline. Each PhD student also has a minor area of study in two other public health disciplines (nine credit hours each) or one minor and one more topic or methods-oriented public health breadth (nine credit hours). There is no practicum associated with this degree. To satisfy the UTSPH s culminating experience requirement, PhD students complete a dissertation. Students demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research and present research findings and their implications for public health in a scientific manuscript. Specifically, the student must present a research question of public health relevance; investigate and evaluate pertinent literature; gather and analyze new data or synthesize related existing information; and clearly and coherently present their conclusions. In the PhD in Environmental Sciences Program, students achieve the following competencies: 1. Identify and critically evaluate an environmental health problem, and develop and implement a research study using appropriate design and resources to produce new and significant knowledge a. Recognize, define, and prioritize environmental health problems. b. Plan and implement a valid study. c. Derive valid conclusions and consider application of major findings. 2. Evaluate current knowledge and key assumptions in environmental health sciences and other areas to advance the development of the field. a. Assess key assumptions that underlie current understanding in the field of environmental health. b. Evaluate novel approaches for enhancing knowledge, skills and applications. 3. Teach academic and professional audiences. a. Teach content in broad overview courses in environmental health or specialized content in areas of expertise in an academic institution; or teach continuing education and outreach classes in environmental health. b. Develop tools for evaluating teaching efficacy and student learning outcomes. 4. Communicate effectively to peers, policy makers and the lay public. a. Deliver presentations in classroom settings or at scientific meetings. b. Develop manuscript(s) suitable for publication in peer-reviewed journals. c. Present orally and in written form the key concepts underpinning an environmental health issue. 5. Gain skills needed to establish and manage an independent research program in environmental health sciences. a. Recognize research program needs and develop strategies and plans to meet these needs. b. Identify necessary expertise to meet research program goals. c. Demonstrate leadership appropriate to the research program. d. Assess the quality and success of the research program. 24

25 I. The 18 Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs 1. Number of Degrees per Year PHD/MAJOR (AY) Number of degrees per year by program PhD Environmental Sciences Graduation Rates See Appendix A 3. Average time to Degree PHD/MAJOR Student Start Date (AY) Average # months to degree for students by program PhD Environmental Sciences Employment Profile See Appendix A 5. Admissions Criteria See Appendix A 6. Percentage of Full-time Students School-wide percentage of full-time students including masters and doctoral students AY 2013 AY 2014 AY % 71% 72% 7. Average Institutional Financial Support Provided: $13,910 per student in AY Percentage Full-time Students with Institutional Financial Support: 49% of all full-time degreeseeking students in AY 2015 received institutional financial support. 9. Number of Core Faculty See Appendix A 10. Student-Core Faculty Ratio: 3:1 for Academic Year Core Faculty Publications See Appendix A 12. Core Faculty External Grants See Appendix A 13. Faculty Teaching Load: The core requirement for all UTSPH full-time faculty is approximately 150 semester credit hours. See Appendix A for detailed data by department. 14. Faculty Diversity See Appendix A 15. Student Diversity See Appendix A 16. Date of Last External Review October External Program Accreditation October Student Publications/Presentations: N/A II. Student retention rates: Program AY 2012 AY 2013 AY 2014 PhD Environmental Sciences - 100% 50% 25

27 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Review of Existing Degree Programs pursuant to Texas Administrative Code Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.52 Program Name: PhD in Epidemiology CIP Code: Level: X Doctoral _Professional Name of External Accrediting Agency: Council on Education for Public Health Summary: The School of Public Health (UTSPH) offers PhD degrees in Behavioral Sciences, Biostatistics, Environmental Sciences, Epidemiology, and Management and Policy Sciences. The PhD in Management and Policy Sciences has two tracks the Health Economics and Health Services Research track, and the Healthcare Management and Health Policy track. All PhD programs are available at the Houston Campus. The PhD in Behavioral Sciences is also available in Austin and Dallas. The PhD in Epidemiology is also available in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, and San Antonio. PhD students select a minor and a breadth area (or two minors) so that they have experience in at least three public health disciplines. All students in the PhD programs are required to take at least one course in epidemiology. The PhD programs provide future public health researchers with in-depth knowledge and research methods skills in at least one public health discipline. Each PhD student also has a minor area of study in two other public health disciplines (nine credit hours each) or one minor and one more topic or methods-oriented public health breadth (nine credit hours). There is no practicum associated with this degree. To satisfy the UTSPH s culminating experience requirement, PhD students complete a dissertation. Students demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research and present research findings and their implications for public health in a scientific manuscript. Specifically, the student must present a research question of public health relevance; investigate and evaluate pertinent literature; gather and analyze new data or synthesize related existing information; and clearly and coherently present their conclusions. In the PhD in Epidemiology program, students achieve the following competencies: 1. Use basic and advanced philosophy, theory (including causal inference), and principles of epidemiology in the practice of science. 2. Demonstrate how the history of epidemiology informs public health research and policy. 3. Evaluate the natural history and biologic mechanisms of one or more specific diseases or health conditions, including consideration of causation, control, and prevention. 4. Design a study using epidemiologic principles. 5. Select and apply appropriate quantitative methods to epidemiologic research questions. 6. Interpret findings from an epidemiologic study. 7. Critique relevant literature and research proposals related to epidemiologic questions. 8. Address ethical issues in the practice of epidemiology. 9. Clearly communicate with, and instruct, others regarding principles of epidemiology. 27

28 I. The 18 Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs 1. Number of Degrees per Year PHD/MAJOR (AY) Number of degrees per year by program PhD Epidemiology Graduation Rates See Appendix A 3. Average time to Degree PHD/MAJOR Student Average # months to degree Start Date for students by program (AY) PhD Epidemiology Employment Profile See Appendix A 5. Admissions Criteria See Appendix A 6. Percentage of Full-time Students School-wide percentage of full-time students including masters and doctoral students AY 2013 AY 2014 AY % 71% 72% 7. Average Institutional Financial Support Provided: $13,910 per student in AY Percentage Full-time Students with Institutional Financial Support: 49% of all full-time degreeseeking students in AY 2015 received institutional financial support. 9. Number of Core Faculty See Appendix A 10. Student-Core Faculty Ratio: 3:1 for Academic Year Core Faculty Publications See Appendix A 12. Core Faculty External Grants See Appendix A 13. Faculty Teaching Load: The core requirement for all UTSPH full-time faculty is approximately 150 semester credit hours. See Appendix A for detailed data by department. 14. Faculty Diversity See Appendix A 15. Student Diversity See Appendix A 16. Date of Last External Review October External Program Accreditation October Student Publications/Presentations: N/A II. Student retention rates: Program AY 2012 AY 2013 AY 2014 PhD Epidemiology 75% 67% 100% 28

30 The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Review of Existing Degree Programs pursuant to Texas Administrative Code Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.52 Program Name: PhD in Management and Policy Sciences CIP Code: Level: X Doctoral _Professional Name of External Accrediting Agency: Council on Education for Public Health Summary: The School of Public Health (UTSPH) offers PhD degrees in Behavioral Sciences, Biostatistics, Environmental Sciences, Epidemiology, and Management and Policy Sciences. The PhD in Management and Policy Sciences has two tracks the Health Economics and Health Services Research track, and the Healthcare Management and Health Policy track. All PhD programs are available at the Houston Campus. The PhD in Behavioral Sciences is also available in Austin and Dallas. The PhD in Epidemiology is also available in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, and San Antonio. PhD students select a minor and a breadth area (or two minors) so that they have experience in at least three public health disciplines. All students in the PhD programs are required to take at least one course in epidemiology. The PhD programs provide future public health researchers with in-depth knowledge and research methods skills in at least one public health discipline. Each PhD student also has a minor area of study in two other public health disciplines (nine credit hours each) or one minor and one more topic or methods-oriented public health breadth (nine credit hours). There is no practicum associated with this degree. To satisfy the UTSPH s culminating experience requirement, PhD students complete a dissertation. Students demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research and present research findings and their implications for public health in a scientific manuscript. Specifically, the student must present a research question of public health relevance; investigate and evaluate pertinent literature; gather and analyze new data or synthesize related existing information; and clearly and coherently present their conclusions. In the PhD in Management and Policy Sciences program, students achieve the following competencies according the designated track: Health Economics and Health Services Research Track 1. Critically synthesize the literature in health economics and health services research. 2. Apply the concepts and methods for the economic analysis of public health and health care decisions. 3. Use microeconomic theory to thoroughly describe issues associated with the organization, financing and delivery of public health and healthcare. 4. Describe the theoretical and analytical concepts of medical outcomes and quality-of-care assessment. 5. Develop skill in quantitative methods to analyze complex models with economic and/or outcomes data. 6. Describe and apply cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, cost-utility analyses and other methods of decision analysis to evaluate alternative health programs. 7. Describe the economic forces that influence economic dimensions and trends in the health sector. 8. Describe and critique the leading economic theories of consumer and producer behavior in the health sector. 9. Use an economic perspective to critically review appraisals of health programs and policies. 10. Identify and describe key issues related to the evaluation of quality-of-health care. 11. Describe study designs, data sources, risk adjustment methods, and analytical techniques used to measure outcomes and quality in healthcare settings. 12. Apply methods, procedures, and analysis of medical outcomes to health services research and policy. 13. Critically evaluate public health research using econometric methods. 30

31 14. Demonstrate the ability to develop and evaluate research proposals, to interpret results of studies, and to present original findings in research and practice settings. Healthcare Management and Health Policy Track Shared Competencies for the Healthcare Management and Health Policy Track 1. Evaluate the function and integration of major institutions, actors and processes in the development of public health policy. 2. Appraise the role of public policy in public health at the local, state, national and international levels. 3. Examine major health policy programs from a historical point of view. 4. Interpret and draw conclusions on the healthcare policy development process, identifying the input and impact of agendas from varied constituents. 5. Project and define potential outcomes from healthcare policy strategies. 6. Demonstrate the ability to develop and evaluate policy research proposals and policy briefs, to interpret results of policy-relevant studies, and to present findings in both research and practice settings. 7. Summarize and correlate the interconnectedness of the regulatory, financial, quality, and research domains within the health sector. 8. Describe and analyze the importance of financial transactions within the healthcare delivery system and the resulting impact on both organizations and stakeholders. 9. Perform systematic literature reviews that identify research gaps in important healthcare areas. 10. Compose research questions that clearly articulate theory development and methodologies for conducting research. 11. Assess research designs, sources of evidence, and alternative methodologies appropriate for independent research. 12. Demonstrate skill in quantitative and qualitative research methods. 13. Develop and deliver effective oral presentations across a variety of topics. Healthcare Management Competencies 1. Examine the integration and complexities of the multidisciplinary managerial functions necessary for improving the health of a population. 2. Evaluate the impact of the payment policies and reform that govern healthcare financing on access, quality, and cost. 3. Assess and critique current healthcare organizational performance through existing and new outcome metrics and process improvement initiatives. 4. Formulate, prioritize and defend recommendations for organizational strategic decision-making. 5. Demonstrate management and leadership skills through collaborative projects. Health Policy Competencies 1. Identify, explain and evaluate the determinants of success and failure of public health policies and proposals. 2. Analyze and critically assess public policies relevant to health from an interdisciplinary, social science perspective. 3. Identify, defend, and critique the normative, ethical, and philosophical underpinnings of health policies. 31

32 I. The 18 Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs 1. Number of Degrees per Year PHD/MAJOR (AY) Number of degrees per year by program PhD Management and Policy Sciences Graduation Rates See Appendix A 3. Average time to Degree PHD/MAJOR Student Start Date (AY) Average # months to degree for students by program PhD Management and Policy Sciences Employment Profile See Appendix A 5. Admissions Criteria See Appendix A 6. Percentage of Full-time Students School-wide percentage of full-time students including masters and doctoral students AY 2013 AY 2014 AY % 71% 72% 7. Average Institutional Financial Support Provided: $13,910 per student in AY Percentage Full-time Students with Institutional Financial Support: 49% of all full-time degreeseeking students in AY 2015 received institutional financial support. 9. Number of Core Faculty See Appendix A 10. Student-Core Faculty Ratio: 3:1 for Academic Year Core Faculty Publications See Appendix A 12. Core Faculty External Grants See Appendix A 13. Faculty Teaching Load: The core requirement for all UTSPH full-time faculty is approximately 150 semester credit hours. See Appendix A for detailed data by department. 14. Faculty Diversity See Appendix A 15. Student Diversity See Appendix A 16. Date of Last External Review October External Program Accreditation October Student Publications/Presentations: N/A 32

33 II. Student Retention Rates Program AY 2012 AY 2013 AY 2014 PhD Management and Policy Sciences 75% 83% 50% III. Student enrollment See Appendix A IV. Graduate licensure rates (if applicable): N/A V. Alignment of program with stated program and institutional goals and purposes: Degree program aligns with institutional mission. The mission of the UTHealth School of Public Health (UTSPH) is to improve and sustain the health of people by providing the highest quality graduate education, research and community service for Texas, the nation, and the world; to provide quality graduate education in the basic disciplines and practices of public health; to extend the evidence base within those disciplines; and to assist public health practitioners, locally, nationally, and internationally, in solving public health problems. VI. Program curriculum and duration in comparison to peer programs: Doctoral programs require the completion of 48 semester credits and students are allowed 7 years in which to complete the program with two additional one-year extensions. VII. Program facilities and equipment See Appendix A VIII. Program finance and resources See Appendix A IX. Program administration See Appendix A X. Faculty Qualifications See Appendix A 33

34 Appendix A School-wide Data and Information 34

35 2. Graduation Rates Graduation Rates by Degree Program, Academic Year Start Time limit* Year (Fall) Entering Graduated Continuing or Withdrawn Graduation Year Graduation Rate DrPH Community Health Practice % % % DrPH Epidemiology & Disease Control % % DrPH Health Promotion/Health Education % % % DrPH Health Services Organization % % % DrPH Occupational & Environmental Health % % PhD Behavioral Sciences % % PhD Biostatistics % % % PhD Environmental Sciences % % PhD Epidemiology % % % PhD Management & Policy Sciences % % % *Doctoral degrees with 7-year time limit 35

36 4. Employment Profile Employment Profile at Graduation, Academic Year Employment Profile at Graduation AY 2013 AY 2014 AY 2015 # % # % # % All DrPH Programs School-wide Total Responses Employed % 20 80% % Seeking employment 1 4% % Unknown % 4 16% All PhD Programs School-wide Total Responses Employed % 40 80% % Seeking employment 3 6% 3 6.1% Continuing education (not employed) 1 3.0% 1 2.0% Not seeking employment 2 6.1% Unknown % 7 14% % Data Source: Graduate Student Exit Survey, , , Admissions Criteria Admissions criteria for the public health graduate programs include: A baccalaureate or advanced degree in an appropriate field (e.g., MD, DDS, DO, PharmD, DVM) from a regionally accredited university or school. A minimum preferred GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for US trained students and a minimum preferred GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on a World Education Service (WES) verified course by course translation for internationally trained students. Completion of the Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS) application (including corresponding fee). A goal statement that describes the applicant s educational and career goals, research focus, community service and leadership experiences and interest in public health. Proficiency in basic mathematical or other quantitative skills documented in the applicant s transcripts or a statement that documents how this proficiency was achieved or will be achieved prior to enrollment. Two letters of recommendation from officials or faculty members of institutions previously attended who can attest to the applicant s academic or professional performance, ability, motivation, and character. Satisfactory results from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) completed no more than five years prior to the application date. If the applicant has a doctoral degree in the health or social sciences area from an accredited U.S. or Canadian university, the GRE may be waived, following an assessment of the individual academic record. Applicants from countries where English is not the parent language are required to score at least 565 (paper test), 225 (computer-based test), or 86 (Internet-based test) on the Test of English as Foreign Language. Further, applicants who hold degrees from institutions outside of the United States must submit their transcripts for an educational credential evaluation and determination of U.S. equivalency (see above under admissions criteria). Applicants may include published papers, reports, or other materials that may provide further information on the applicant s capability and performance. Candidates seeking admission to the UTSPH doctoral programs in Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences must also submit a writing sample. 36

37 9. Number of Core Faculty Full-time and Part-time Core Faculty by Campus and Degree Program, Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Fall 2015 FT PT FT PT FT PT Houston (main) M.P.H. M.S. Dr.P.H. Ph.D. Austin M.P.H. M.S. Dr.P.H. Ph.D. San Antonio M.P.H. M.S. Dr.P.H. Ph.D. Brownsville M.P.H. M.S. Dr.P.H. Ph.D. El Paso M.P.H. M.S. Dr.P.H. Ph.D. Dallas M.P.H. M.S. Dr.P.H. Ph.D. Faculty Faculty Faculty Faculty Faculty Faculty

38 11. Core Faculty Publications Core Faculty Publications by Discipline/Department, Academic Year Discipline/Department AY AY AY Biostatistics Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Epidemiology Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences Management, Policy and Community Health Total Core Faculty External Grants Faculty Research Productivity by Discipline/Department, Academic Year AY 2013 AY 2014 AY 2015 Discipline/ Department # of # of Total $ proposals awards Awards # of # of Total $ proposals awards Awards # of # of Total $ proposal awards Awards Biostatistics $313,946, $166,432, $25,641,575 Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences $70,672, $139,460, $167,198,976 Epidemiology $512,156, $502,081, $364,812,184 Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences $442,000, $336,321, $455,865,446 Management, Policy and Community Health $55,360, $261,201, $85,753,163 Total $1,394,137, $1,405,497, $1,099,271, Faculty Teaching Load Total Faculty Semester Credit Hours (Teaching Load) by Department, Academic Year Discipline/Department AY 2013 AY 2014 AY 2015 Biostatistics Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Epidemiology Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences Management, Policy and Community Health Total Semester Credit Hours Faculty Diversity School-wide Faculty Diversity, Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Native American Asian Black Hispanic International Unidentified White Gender Female Male

39 15. Student Diversity School-wide Student Diversity including all Graduate Students, Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Native American 0% 0% 0% Asian 14% 11% 13% Black 10% 8% 8% Hispanic 8% 14% 14% International 24% 24% 23% Two or more races 2% 1% 2% Unidentified 5% 11% 7% White 37% 31% 33% Gender Female 71% 72% 73% Male 29% 28% 27% III. Student enrollment School-wide Headcount Enrollment including all Graduate Students, Academic Year Enrollment Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Headcount VII. Program facilities and equipment School-wide Program Facilities and Equipment, Academic Year 2015 Facility Assignable Space (sq ft) Houston Reuel A. Stallones Building 159,850 Houston University Center Tower 25,824 San Antonio Regional campus 9,638 El Paso Regional campus 6,748 Dallas Regional campus 10,649 Brownsville Regional campus 20,435 Austin Regional campus 14,270 Other off-site locations 2,112 TOTAL 249,526 sq ft The SPH Houston Campus is housed primarily in the Reuel A. Stallones Building, a 10 story- building in the Texas Medical Center. The structure and arrangement of SPH personnel and facilities is designed to support the educational activities of in an interdisciplinary configuration with faculty offices, classrooms, library services, academic administrative offices, computer rooms, wet laboratories, conference rooms for teaching and research programs, student workstations and research services. There are classrooms on all floors with an Interactive Television network that supports the connection of the six regional campuses. Most classrooms are small and conducive to the seminar and small group format frequently used in the teaching program of the school. Regional campuses have separate physical space within the UT System structure. Campuses are hosted by UT System schools with University contracts in cities of Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, El Paso and San Antonio These host campuses agreements assure that students have a full range of student amenities and services, such as a physical library, safety measures and health services. The Austin Regional Campus is located within The University of Texas at Austin Administration Building. The SPH occupies four classrooms, faculty and staff offices, a conference room, student carrels, supply room, and a kitchen/break room. Additional Office space for research services and contracts is located off-campus. Each faculty and staff member has a networked computer with access to SPH and Internet. Students also have access to the Intranet and Internet, classrooms and conference rooms with interactive television capabilities. All student services at the UT Austin host campus are available to SPH students, including the library services, counseling and mental health services, recreational center, university health services, and City of Austin transportation. 39

40 The Brownsville Regional Campus is housed in the Regional Academic Health Center building on The University of Texas Brownsville, which became The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the fall The SPH facility comprises several buildings organized around a common outdoor courtyard with a building that contains five large classrooms, general laboratories, research project rooms, a dedicated freezer room, computer laboratory, faculty and staff offices, community training area, conference rooms and a break/lunch room. The Brownsville campus also has access to supercomputers through the UT System computational facility in Austin. A computer laboratory with 24 work areas with Internet-ready terminals is available and an instructor computer with projector display and surround sound is available. The Brownsville campus also has a Clinical Research Unit funded in October 2006 by the National Institutes of Health CTSA to the UTHealth (NIH 1U54RR ). The research unit is located in a large suite in Valley Baptist Medical Center in Brownsville. The Dallas Regional Campus is housed in the Bass Center of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center's campus. The space utilized by the program includes a large classroom, computer laboratory, research project rooms, faculty and staff offices, two conference rooms, break/lunch room and provides substantial room for growth of sponsored projects. The Dallas campus has five rooms equipped with interactive television, all located in the seventh and eighth floors of the Bass Center Building. Of these five rooms, four are classrooms of varying size, and one is a conference room that doubles as a classroom. The El Paso Regional Campus is located near The University of Texas at El Paso campus in two floors of the Stanton Building. The facility includes faculty and staff offices, one large classroom, one medium-size classroom, a computer laboratory, research project rooms, conference room, break/lunch room and a small storage room. Faculty and students have access to a wide variety of statistical programs (SAS, SPSS, Stata, and EPI Info) and to word processing, presentation, database, and spreadsheet programs. Three state-of-the-art, Internet-based interactive TV stations are available. The faculty and students have access to a small environmental health laboratory used for teaching and research. The laboratory is located in the UT El Paso engineering building and has equipment for basic physical, chemical, and bacteriological analyses of drinking water. The San Antonio Regional Campus is housed within the South Texas Medical Center, near the host campus, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The regional campus has four interactive TV classrooms, two multipurpose conference rooms with interactive TV capability, a laboratory, faculty/staff offices and general-purpose areas, and a state-of-the-art computer training laboratory and student study area with access to software such as Access, Excel, STATA, SAS, and ArcGIS. The SPH maintains high-speed connections to collaborative teaching and research networks through the Internet-2 and the Texas LEARN network. Computer Environment(s) SPH offers a robust computing environment for its students, faculty, administrators and staff, including desktop and server computing capabilities and access to specialized resources such as a 200+ node high-performance computing cluster, scalable disk storage for collaboration and research, and desktop-based instructional video creation. The School s full-time administrators, faculty and staff have assigned personal computers, laptop computers, or both. The typical specifications for a desktop or laptop computer are, at least, an Intel dual-core processor running at 2.6GHz with 4 gigabytes of memory. All computers are connected to an internal network that allows access to high-speed network color printers. To train new scientists in the latest techniques of numerical simulation and outcomes investigation, SPH provides state-of-the-art computing resources. Across the six campuses, the students have access to more than 100 physical computers and a variety of network printers and document scanners. In addition, each student has worldwide access to a virtual computer laboratory with more than $10,000 worth of available software. The software includes MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, SmartDraw, Review Manager, Simul8, EpiData, EpiInfo, OpenEPI, Stata, MiniTab, SAS, S+, Treeage, MLWin, ArcInfo, MapInfo, MapMarker, Surfer, R, and WinBugs. Students in doctoral programs in biostatistics and epidemiology are trained to use the 200+ node high- performance computing cluster. 40

41 SPH maintains a high-speed network with gigabit connectivity to each workstation. The latest advances in network monitoring and protection are in place at SPH including multi-zone firewall strategy to provide levels of protection appropriate to the nature of the information and system; a sophisticated core network utilizing technology from Cisco systems, which provide the fastest information routing in the industry; multi- campus data center capabilities to prevent against single instance data center failure; and a disaster recovery site with implemented disaster recovery program for critical systems. In addition to SPH resources, students, faculty, administration and staff also have full access to the UTHealth computer resources. University libraries on the main and regional campuses offer computer workstations and printers among other resources. Library Services and Resources All students and faculty at the SPH campuses have access to the same library services and resources. Journal articles and books may be requested from the SPH s Houston library or from others through interlibrary loan. Electronic resources, such as licensed online databases and e-journals, are accessible at all six campuses. In addition to the SPH library, students, staff and faculty who are not at the Houston campus have access to library services and resources at each of the host campuses. The mission of the SPH Library is to provide faculty, students, and staff at all campuses with information services to support the school s education, research and service programs. The library holds or has online access to collections of national and international vital statistics and census data to support the research needs of the faculty, staff, and students. The physical facility, is located in Houston at the Stallones Building. The physical facility holds nearly 76,000 books, journal volumes, microfilms, microfiche, CD-ROMS, DVDs, and videos. The library subscribes to over 225 print and online journals. Library hours are 8AM to 7 PM Monday through Thursday, 8 AM to 5 PM on Fridays, and 12 noon to 6 PM on Saturday. The SPH Library collection has been greatly expanded and enhanced as a result of major consortia and publisher agreements through the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, the UT System, and the Texas Health Science Libraries Consortium. Students, staff, and faculty have access to over 29,000 periodical titles newspapers, magazines, and journals including all titles from Wiley, Springer, Oxford, and Cambridge, and nearly all titles from Elsevier and Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. These agreements have provided access to full-text databases from major aggregators such as EBSCO and Gale, including Academic Search Complete (EBSCO; 6,800+ peer-reviewed FT journals); Health Reference Center Academic (Gale; 2,650 FT periodicals and books); CINAHL Plus with Full Text (EBSCO; 770 FT journals; 275 books). The library s home page ( allows faculty, staff and students to search for online journal titles and other resources. Major research databases such as Ovid Medline and Ovid PsycINFO, and PubMed are linked directly from the library s home page and two links are provided to its collection of hundreds of online databases. For unavailable items, a convenient, interlibrary loan link is provided. Guides to using the library resources are also readily accessible from the home page, and a link to Ask-A-Librarian gives users quick access to a public health information specialist. A link to all SPH library staff gives phone numbers and addresses, and individuals can expect a quick response to questions. For more extensive assistance, students and faculty may meet with either the library director or the full-time public services librarian face-to-face, online using Adobe Connect, or by telephone. Time permitting, walk-in appointments are also available. Each semester, the library director and the public services librarian lead the SPH Library Orientation for new students which is broadcast via ITV to all campuses. They also teach a variety of hands-on workshops to help students effectively use library databases. VIII. Program finance and resources The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Budgeting Process The annual budgeting process begins and ends at The University of Texas System level. Each spring before the September 1 beginning of the fiscal year, the UT Board of Regents adopts budget policies and the UT System administration issues budget guidance to the 15 System institutions, including UTHealth. The UTHSC-H Executive Budget Committee manages the annual and strategic budget planning and decision making process. Among the functions of the committee is to establish UTHealth policies that will be applied to the budgeting 41

42 process each year. The committee begins its deliberations in the fall and coordinates with the guidance received from the UT System. In the spring, UTHealth provides to its six schools and other operating units the committee-approved budget instructions and a Method of Finance document, which specifies the State funded revenues for the coming year. The Method of Finance calculation of each revenue component may be adjusted each year as necessary in light of the UTHealth financial condition and UT System guidance. Budgeting of Designated funds is based on matching expenditures to realistic revenue estimates. Grants, contracts, gifts and endowments are budgeted at the summary level, except to the extent that they fund salaries. School of Public Health Budgeting Process The formal annual budgeting process within the school begins with receipt of the Method of Finance document. At that time, funding priorities resulting from the school s planning processes are balanced against available funding for the upcoming year and incorporated into the budget to the extent possible. Because faculty salaries represent the largest and most important component of the budget, the dean maintains an ongoing dialogue with department directors and regional deans throughout the year about priorities for faculty recruitment so that important decisions on budgeting for faculty positions do not have to be made only at budget preparation time. The dean also consults with the Faculty Council leadership on budgetary matters. The UTSPH budgets faculty salaries conservatively, allocating a greater percentage to State funds than is expected to be needed during the year. Typically, 80% of tenured and tenure-track faculty salaries are budgeted on State funds. The unused portion of the State faculty salaries budget funds the academic and research incentive plans for faculty and such non-recurring expenses as new faculty start-up and capital equipment. The components of the budget are fully fungible during the year. A key advantage of this approach is that it provides a large buffer for faculty salary coverage. In the event there is ever a significant decline in the amount of external salary support school-wide, there would be State funds available to cover the shortfall, allowing sufficient time to adjust future budgets to the new funding situation. Early in the budget process and in consultation with the associate dean for management, the dean determines the amount available for merit salary increases for faculty and staff. Faculty merits and equity adjustments are built into the budget and a staff merit pool is budgeted for distribution after the start of the new fiscal year, in accordance with UTHealth policy. Faculty merit increase decisions are made by department directors with input from regional deans for regional campus faculty, subject to approval by the dean. Faculty peer review results are a significant factor in these decisions. Available funding within the Method of Finance and resource needs for other funding priorities largely determine whether there is money for new State-funded staff and graduate teaching assistant positions. Department directors and regional deans make their priorities known to the dean at budget time and throughout the year. The Office of the Associate Dean for Management prepares for each department, regional campus and support service area of the school a draft budget that includes details on funded positions and operating expense allocations taking into account the foregoing macro budgeting decisions. The budget for each department and regional campus includes an allocation of 10% of the school s indirect costs budget attributable to that unit s sponsored projects. This allocation is for enhancement of the research enterprise and is used at the discretion of the department director or regional dean. The UTSPH budget review process includes unit-level meetings for discussion or, when year-to-year change is not large, an iterative exchange of s and phone discussions. If the next year s Method of Finance represents a decrease from the current year, these meetings are where necessary budget adjustments are worked out. The result is a budget that is approved by the dean and matches available revenue from the Method of Finance document. The final budget detail is entered into UTHealth s online budget system. UTHSC-H conducts a review of the budgets from all of its schools operating units prior to submitting the institution s budget to the UT System administration, which reviews and approves the budgets of all System institutions prior to approval of the System s annual operating budget by the Board of Regents at their August meeting. 42

43 Revenue Components The major components of revenue for the annual operating budget are State appropriations of formula funding, legislative special item appropriations, indirect cost recoveries, and tuition and fees. Formula funding is the largest source of unrestricted revenue for the UTHealth SPH. Since 2000, the Texas Legislature (which meets biennially in odd-number years) has used a semester credit hour, enrollment-driven mechanism to allocate funding to all medical, dental, nursing, public health, biomedical sciences, allied heath, health informatics and pharmacy schools statewide. Student enrollment in the base year (which ends with the spring semester of odd- number years) is the basis for formula funding for the subsequent two fiscal years, the first of which begins on September 1 of odd-number years. There is a small-class supplement component of the formula, which generates additional funding for programs with full-time equivalent enrollments under 200 including all UTHealth SPH regional campuses. Institutions are not obligated to allocate formula funding to schools as it is generated through the formula. In fact, there is no formula for central administrative costs, and approximately one-quarter of the formula funding generated by each UTHealth school goes for support of central administrative functions. Generally, and increasingly, each UTHealth school s budgeted formula funding is linked proportionately to the amount the school generates. There is a separate formula mechanism for facilities-related costs and a small formula allocation for research enhancement. Total Funds Operating Budget by Unit & Revenue Source, Fiscal Year School of Public Health FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 State Funds $20,347,083 $20,357,901 $21,518,943 $20,387,237 $20,676,694 Designated Funds 7,752,341 9,216,500 8,315,719 9,311,960 10,265,516 Contract & Grant Funds 35,039,998 49,374,144 38,971,549 33,050,264 43,880,724 Current Restricted Funds 8,311,890 9,084,436 9,235,002 7,302,214 4,491,186 Total $71,451,312 $88,032,981 $78,041,213 $70,051,675 $79,314,120 Tuition and Fees Virtually all tuition and fee revenue is included in the UTHealth SPH s Method of Finance. The only deductions are a mandatory 15% from one component of tuition for need-based student financial assistance, and a local income assessment by UTHealth to maintain the contribution percentage to the retirement plans for new faculty at a higher rate than currently funded by the State. The AY 2015 Tuition and Fee Schedule is listed below: Graduate Level Tuition and Fees Resident Non-Resident Graduate Public Health Tuition (24 semester credit hours) $4, $19, Fees Student Service Fees/semester SPH Library Resource Fee Supplemental Fee - MPHACC San Antonio 4, , Liability Insurance/semester Alternative Instruction Delivery Fee Web courses delivered within TX (per credit hour) Web courses delivered out of state (per credit hour) Computer Resource Fee Service Exam Fee/ semester, web based class Dietetic Internship Fee (spring only) Class PH , , Info Technology Access Fee/semester Student Records Fee/semester Archer Program Fee (Summer Only) 3, , Total Graduate SPH $14, $29, Indirect Cost Recoveries For many years, UTHealth has allocated 55% of earned indirect cost recoveries to the school from which the grant and contract funding is generated and retained 45% for support of facilities and other central services. For budgeting purposes, UTHealth estimates the fiscal year indirect cost amounts using the most current data. During the year, however, actual earned indirect cost is credited to the school s accounts. Actual indirect cost 43

44 revenue, therefore, may exceed or fall short of the budgeted amount. This requires ongoing monitoring, but, to date, the UTSPH has not had a significant negative variance. IX. Program administration UTHealth School of Public Health Administration and Governance The leadership of UTHealth SPH comprises the dean, the five regional deans, a senior associate dean, an associate dean of management, two assistant deans and four department directors who perform activities of coordination, operations, planning and administration of the school. The leadership job descriptions are summarized below. In addition, the executive director of information technology provides management, direction and oversight of the school and regional campuses multimedia and technology staff and services. The dea, associate deans and assistant deans also manage the UTHealthSPH s relationships with and responsibilities to UTHealth administration and its other five schools. Furthermore, the administrative leadership oversees external affairs with other schools, centers and institutes locally, nationally and internationally. The faculty engages the SPH s administration through its council structure. Faculty members are elected by their department colleagues to run the Faculty Council and manage annual faculty evaluations. The elected chair of the faculty participates in the monthly Executive Council meetings. In addition, faculty also co-chair and are members of the various councils (Academic, Practice and Research). These organizations develop and recommend policy to the administrative leadership and bring forward key issues. Dean: As described by the Handbook of Operating Procedures, the UTSPH dean, like all the deans of the UTHSC-H schools in the UTHSC-H, is charged with and evaluated on the following responsibilities: 1. Progress in achieving school goals in education, research and service. 2. Support of the UTHSC-H mission and goals. 3. Recruitment, retention and development of faculty. 4. Leadership and management of all UTSPH functions, units and resources, including developing a cadre of capable administrators. 5. Promotion of and support for diversity and balance among faculty, staff and students. 6. Stewardship of resources so that they are used effectively and efficiently. 7. Effective communication with faculty, staff, and students to insure an open exchange of ideas and dissemination of information and issues that impact the school and institution. 8. Promotion of a collegial environment that promotes scholarship, encourages creativity and advances an interdisciplinary approach in education, research, and service. 9. Promotion and demonstration of UTHSC-H values, including trustworthiness, respect for others, honesty, fairness, and integrity. 10. Enhancement of the UTSPH local, state and national reputation. Regional Deans: The regional deans of the Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, El Paso, and San Antonio campuses are responsible to the UTSPH Houston dean for the growth and development and day-to-day management of their campuses. Each UTSPH regional campus is physically located at a UT System campus, and although the regional deans have no official reporting relationship to these host campuses, they do work to establish an effective partnership with the host campus administration and faculty, including collaborative and educational research projects. The regional deans provide leadership for the development and advancement of a research program that addresses public health needs of the populations in their regions of Texas. They work with the department directors insure that the regional campus faculty members are well- and equitably integrated into their department and that regional campus students have equitable access to all programs and courses. Department Directors: Department directors are responsible for the day-to-day leadership and management of the faculty, staff and students in each of four departments including collaborative management with the regional deans of faculty and students. The department director manages all student activities within the department including mentoring and support of master s and doctoral students, appropriate scheduling of courses, monitoring of student progress, and successful graduation of students. The department director accomplishes this through the active participation of faculty in curriculum development, faculty mentoring, faculty development, promotion and tenure deliberations, and use of department resources. The department director creates a successful working 44

45 environment for faculty by encouraging faculty communication and collaboration through meetings and annual retreats, as well as a department-sponsored seminar series. The director seeks faculty volunteers to serve as the departmental representative to all UTSPH councils, and the council representatives report at monthly departmental faculty meetings. The department director also performs annual faculty evaluations. Senior Associate Dean, Academic and Research Affairs: The Senior Associate Dean, Academic and Research Affairs oversees all academic, student services, research and practice matters particularly its educational programs and academic policies, procedures and systems. The senior associate dean directs all activities of the assistant dean of academic affairs and student services and the assistant dean of students. The senior associate dean also manages the research enterprise for SPH through active support of faculty, staff and students in their research endeavors. The senior associate dean facilitates responses to grant announcements, works with faculty and staff across the university to create new research programs, and develops policies for faculty and student conduct of research. The senior associate dean also administers research awards for doctoral students and leads research training activities including school-wide seminars and workshops and the twice-monthly forum for junior faculty to learn grant-related strategies, to discuss their own research agendas, and to develop collaborations. Assistant Dean, Academic and Student Services Working with the Academic, Research and Practice Council and the senior associate dean, the assistant dean addresses academic problems and issues, creates new academic policies when necessary, and oversees the School s degree programs and curricula. The senior associate dean provides quality assurance for the teaching program and student advising and works with the Councils to assure quality of new degree and non-degree programs. The senior associate dean also oversees course evaluations and development of faculty teaching skills and represents the interests of UTHealth SPH by serving on a variety of committees and working groups within UTHealth and in other schools and institutions. The assistant dean of academic affairs and student services manages the academic, student services and practice staff and functions including providing direction and oversight for the services that assist students from the time they apply for admission to the UTHealth SPH through the time they graduate (admissions processes, student advisement committees, course scheduling, career services, commencement, and alumni services). The assistant dean also provides leadership and coordination of practice experiences for students, develops public health workforce training, and facilitates faculty community contacts and relations. The assistant dean helps the school link to the community by developing appropriate practicum sites, monitoring and evaluating practica, and overseeing activities for the training center. This position also develops collaborative relationships with other universities for dual degree programs and collaborates with public health practitioners to promote evidence-based public health. The assistant dean of students in conjunction with the SPH Student Association, promotes student life and is the liaison between students and faculty, advocating for student needs and concerns. The assistant deans represent student and alumni affairs on many UTSPH councils, including the Academic Council, the Admissions Committee and the Financial Aid Committee. In addition, the assistant dean represents the UTSPH on UTHSC- H committees that relate to student affairs issues. Associate Dean, Management The associate dean for management is responsible for the SPH s business activities, including finance, human resource management, procurement, equipment and inventory management, and space planning. The associate dean provides financial analysis and reporting and advises the dean on ways to optimize operations and services. The associate dean coordinates development of the annual operating budget and contributes to the biennial legislative appropriations request. The dual reporting structure (SPH and UTHealth) allows this associate dean to advocate for the School to the health science center administration on policies and resources. Further, the associate dean coordinates periodic attestations of financial compliance (account reconciliations), oversees external financial reporting (e.g., ASPH/CEPH), and serves as the SPH s responsible representative for aspects of UTHealth compliance program. 45

46 X. Faculty Qualifications Measures of Faculty Qualifications School-wide, Academic Year Outcome Measures Target AY 2012 AY 2013 AY 2014 AY 2015 Proportion of faculty who have at least 3 published books, book chapters or articles in peer reviewed journals per year 100% 39% 41% 53% 36% Percentage of faculty members with terminal degrees PhD, DrPH, MD, etc. 100% 95% 95% 96% 96% Percentage of faculty members who have provided service to the public health profession 100% 47% 50% 60% 58% Percentage of faculty members with past /practical experience in public health (non-academic jobs) 50% 3% 3% 3% 3% *Data is self-reported by faculty in their annual activity reports 46