Public health students on the Option III track at the University of Texas at Austin have the option of earning a graduate Certificate in Public Health and applying those credits toward a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health (UTSPH). An MPH usually takes two (2) full years to complete.
Students in the Accelerated Master's Advanced Program, formerly known as the 4+1 program take undergraduate courses at UT Austin and graduate courses at the the local Austin location of UTHealth Houston School of Public Health during their last year at UT Austin. During this time, students are Certificate students at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.
After graduating from UT Austin and completing the Certificate in Public Health, students have the option to earn their MPH at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Austin, or at any of their other five locations throughout Texas, or their online programs. Students must graduate with their undergraduate BS PBH degree to continue with the MPH program.
Successful participants of the Public Health Accelerated Master’s Program were able to articulate their passion for public health and had excellent time management skills.
How to Apply
Eligibility requirements:
- Be a current BS Public Health undergraduate student in your junior year.
- Have a minimum 3.0 UT GPA by the end of the spring semester before the summer when you will be applying to UTHealth.
- Ability to complete 2 to 3 graduate courses per semester beginning in the fall semester of your senior year (before graduating the following May or August).
- Be able to enroll in 18 hours or less at UT Austin in the following academic year.*
- This can include taking 9 hours in the fall and 9 hours in the spring.
- If students take classes during the summer, students will need to ensure that they do not exceed 18 hours during the academic year.
- Plan to graduate in May or August of the following academic year.
Classes you are taking at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health will be transferred back to your UT Austin transcript so that you can graduate.
If you are unsure about your degree requirements, contact your academic advisor.
Steps to apply:
- The Accelerated Master’s Program interest form opens on February 18 and closes on April 1 at 5 pm.
- After you complete the interest form, a PBH faculty member will schedule a time to meet with you to explore program fit.
- Visit Texas One Stop to understand the impact on your financial aid.
- If you decide to move forward, apply to UTHealth Houston School of Public Health by July 1 through SOPHAS Express. More information will be shared.
Have questions? See the Accelerated Master’s FAQs.
If you have an eligibility question for the program, contact your academic advisor or the Human Ecology Advising Center.
Information Sessions
Information sessions are held during the Spring semester.
Listen to the recorded information session from 2025.
Questions? Please contact:
Human Ecology Advising Center, GEA 37
headvising@austin.utexas.edu
512-471-7219