Healthcare Management Degree Programs at the University of Texas: Different Campuses, Many Options
The University of Texas appears in our ranking of the Top 35 Schools for a Graduate Degree in Public Health.
Students who want to earn a degree in healthcare management in Texas have a lot of choices through the University of Texas System. The flagship of the UT system, Austin, offers healthcare management degrees in a traditional classroom format and has no undergraduate programs in the discipline.
The Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management is offered through the University of Texas at Dallas. It is a 120-credit-hour program that requires students to complete 42 hours in core courses and 78 credit-hours beyond that including nine in healthcare management and seven in electives. There is a required practicum with the program as well. The program is also available in a fast-track format that allows students to earn both the undergraduate and the graduate degree in less time.
The MBA in Healthcare Management is an online degree program offered at the University of Texas at Tyler. It is a 36 credit-hour program that can be completed in 12 months. There are 27 credit hours in core requirements and nine in the concentration.
The UT-Dallas campus also offers an MS in Health Leadership that is intended for working adults. It has evening classes.
The MPH in Healthcare Management at UT-Dallas is a 45-credit-hour program. The MPH itself is a basic degree for people who want to work in management in hospitals, clinics, public health agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and other locations. It covers budgeting, ethics, legal issues, strategic planning, and other organizational areas. Students are required to select one course from each of five areas: Biostatistics, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Epidemiology and Disease Control, Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences Management. There is also a course in ethics, a practicum and a culminating experience which must be presented to the school before students may graduate.
The UT-Austin campus has an MPH in Management, Policy and Community Health and an MPH in Health Services Organization which teaches planning and management of health systems, technology, policy, and services. The 45-credit-hour program covers decision analysis, health economics, research, legal issues in healthcare and other areas.
The Ph.D. in Health Management at the UT-Austin emphasizes academic foundations and allows students to specialize in either Health Management or Health Policy. Applicants to the program must have a bachelor’s degree in social science, policy, law, management or public health, but the school prefers students with backgrounds in more than one of these areas. The program requires the GRE. It contains 48 hours. In addition to the major, students must take either two minors in a different area than the major or a minor and a course in a breadth area. The school strongly suggests that area be leadership.
Students may also earn a graduate certificate in Healthcare Administration. The program contains 15 credit-hours and covers management concepts of public health, economics, and US healthcare payment systems.
About the University of Texas
The UT system consists of nine academic institutions and six health institutions. The flagship campus is the University of Texas at Austin. This university is a public research school designated as a “Public Ivy- League” because it offers the “Ivy-League experience at a public price.” Founded in 1883, UT-Austin has the eighth largest enrollment of US universities with more than 50,000 students enrolled. It has the second-largest endowment (Harvard has the first).
The University of Texas at Austin has 18 colleges which house more than 170 undergraduate and 100 graduate programs including eight honors programs. The US News and World Report ranks this university as #49 of National Universities. It is highly selective. Most classes have between 20 and 49 students, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 18:1. The four-year graduation rate a UT-Austin is 58 percent.
University of Texas Accreditation Details
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Higher Learning Commission
- Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management
- Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business
University of Texas Application Requirements
Application requirements vary by campus, but students applying to the University of Texas-Austin may use either the Apply Texas form or the Coalition for College Access, Affordability and Success application. There is a non-refundable $75 application fee. Students must also complete a three-question writing prompt. They must arrange for their high schools to submit their official transcripts and for the testing agencies administering the SAT or ACT to send those results. In addition, individual majors may have other requisites such as auditions, resumes, essays or exams. Letters of recommendation are optional.
Students applying to a graduate program should apply online. There are several forms such as applications to business programs, to engineering, the Executive MBA in Public Leadership or others. The application fee for the MPA programs is $125, the MBA fee is $200 and all other programs are $65. Graduate applicants should arrange to have the transcripts from all undergraduate work sent to the university department as well as the results of the GRE or GMAT, if their program requires them. In addition, three letters of recommendation are required.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Undergraduate tuition at UT-Austin is $5,810 for the fall/spring semester and $1,564 for the summer. Housing costs for the same two periods are $5,402 and $3,600 respectively. In addition, there are expenses for room and board, books and supplies and personal items. Graduate tuition for the fall and spring is $4,251 and for the summer semester is $1,561.
All first-time undergraduate students are eligible for the Longhorn Fixed Tuition Rates which are higher than traditional tuition but are guaranteed for four years. Additionally, freshmen students may qualify for a tuition rebate. Higher education is expensive, and most students require help to pay for their degree programs. The first step in getting financial aid is completing the FAFSA form. The federal program awards grants, loans and work-study opportunities to students based on financial need.
Texas offers the Texas Grant, the LEAP grant and several other grants and scholarships based mostly on financial need. In addition, the University of Texas has scholarships based on academic merit, on financial need or on both. The school administers a number of private scholarships and grants funded by individuals, corporations and other sources. Usually, these funds have specific requirements such as studying for a certain career or belonging to a certain population. There are scholarships for students in extracurricular activities as well. These opportunities are listed on the school website.
Outside scholarships have a variety of eligibility requirements. They are offered by individuals, companies and even service organizations. These can be found through an Internet search. Student loans can be a good resource for students who have exhausted all scholarship and grant money and still have a debt. Another funding source, often left as a last resort, is the work-study program or even a part-time job. Although these require time management by the student, they can provide useful work experience. Guidance counselors or admissions personnel at the university can help students build financial aid packages to pay for their degree programs at the University of Texas.