The LBJ School and the School of Public Health offer a dual degree program leading to the MGPS degree and the Master of Public Health (MPH). The program combines advanced studies of globalization with a focus on the issues, organizations and skills needed to make meaningful contributions in the emerging field of international health. There is an increased need in both the public and private sectors for specialists with that combination of backgrounds.
The School of Public Health is part of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and has regional campuses in Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Brownsville and San Antonio. It is anticipated that the vast majority of Public Health students who opt for the dual degree will be from the Austin campus and that the majority of LBJ students who opt for the degree will take their courses at the Austin Regional Campus.
Program Structure
The program will be structured so that students can earn both degrees simultaneously in approximately three academic years. The MGPS degree would be awarded when the required course work in both areas including the thesis is completed. The MPH degree would be awarded when the School of Public Health degree requirements have been completed.
Degree Requirements
Students will be required to complete a minimum of 37 semester hours of work in Global Policy Studies, including a summer internship; and, additionally, 33 hours at the UT School of Public Health (including internship and thesis). Thus the dual degree requires a total of 70 credit hours, including:
Global Policy Studies
- 16 hours of required global policy core courses
- 15 hours MGPS specialization
- 6 hours of a Policy Research Project
- Summer internship in an office where activity is related to the dual degree program (to also serve as the practicum for the School of Public Health and earn credit as PHA 9997)
- Demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English
Public Health
- 45 credit hours, including practicum/internship experience and culminating experience/thesis on a topic related to public health
- 33 of those 45 hours must be from courses that originate in the School of Public Health
- The MPH program requires students to acquire skills in five core public health disciplines: social and behavior sciences, biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology and health services management, and policy administration.
- Remaining electives are chosen to reflect students' career interests
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