Current, degree-seeking students are eligible to participate in the following special programs to enhance their educational experience.
UT System Graduate Archer Fellowship Program
The Graduate Archer Fellowship Program was established in 2010 by The University of Texas System to bring graduate and medical students interested in policy and politics to our nation's capital to learn about the federal government and public service. Our Graduate Archer Fellows remain enrolled at UTHealth Houston and earn nine (9) hours of in-residence credit for their experience in D.C. Graduate Fellows intern full-time with an organization of their choosing based on their professional and academic goals and interests. In addition to receiving three (3) academic credits for the full-time internship, students take six (6) credit hours of courses focused on the federal policy process and work independently with experienced policy experts to develop their policy recommendations. UTHealth School of Public Health students in this program will earn 9 credit hours of coursework by enrolling in the following three courses. Archer Center Program Fee: $3,900.
Course of Study
Archer Center Fellows will complete the following 9 credit hours:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PH 5098 | Special Topics in Interdivisional Courses (ST: Federal Policy Making) | 3 |
| PH 5098 | Special Topics in Interdivisional Courses (ST: Archer Center Research) | 3 |
| PH 9997 | Practicum (ST: Archer Center Internship) | 3 |
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Industrial Hygiene
Industrial hygiene is the science devoted to anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling environmental factors posing risk to workers and the community, which arise from the workplace. Applicants for the industrial hygiene curriculum must specifically complete organic chemistry, and physics is strongly preferred. The master’s-level industrial hygiene curriculum for the MPH is accredited by the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission of ABET. A high level of faculty/student interaction is emphasized and students typically gain practical experience through summer internships, which offer a wealth of opportunities for training in industrial settings, healthcare, petroleum and petrochemicals, agriculture, and public and private business and government sectors. Industrial hygiene is a discipline within occupational health and safety (OHS), which is a professionally exciting and rewarding field of public health that includes all other aspects of public health such as epidemiology, health promotion, management, global health and wellness, and other disciplines. Being an OHS practitioner helps to save lives of working people and promotes a grounded quality of life for their families and communities. The interdisciplinary curriculum is based on a public health model for practice. Graduates are prepared to participate in a multi-disciplinary approach to planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating program and services for worker health and safety.
Course of Study
Students who elect to complete the optional Industrial Hygiene curriculum will complete a minimum of 54 credit hours for their MPH in Environmental Health program. Students in the Industrial Hygiene program will complete the following 17 credit hours of coursework, in lieu of electives:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PHM 2155 | Environmental Sampling Analysis 1 | 4 |
| PH 2241L | Fundamentals of Occupational Safety | 3 |
| PH 2246L | Principles of Occupational Ergonomics | 3 |
| PH 2250 | Occupational Health Controls | 4 |
| PH 2260 | Occupational Health Field Trips | 3 |
| Total Hours | 17 | |
- 1
Lab fee: $10.00
- Students must select PH 2245 Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene (4 credits) from the three options listed under the major courses selections in the MPH course of student.
Residency Program in Occupational and Environmental Medicine
This two-year track trains practicing physicians to be qualified for careers in occupational and environmental medicine. This program includes one year of rigorous academic study and one year of experiential rotations to fulfill the requirements of the MPH. Students who successfully complete the coursework and rotations are eligible to apply for board certification in occupational medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM). For more information, see the Occupational and Environmental Medicine website.
Course of Study
Students who elect to complete the Occupational Medicine Residency curriculum will complete a minimum of 50 credit hours for their MPH in Environmental Health program. Occupational Medicine Residents will complete the following 13 credit hours of coursework, in lieu of electives:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PH 2255 | Clinical Occupational Medicine | 4 |
| PH 2260 | Occupational Health Field Trips | 3 |
| PH 2265 | Occupational Medicine Practice (taken twice) | 4 |
| PH 2270L | Total Worker Health and Worker Well-being | 2 |
| Total Hours | 13 | |
- Students must select PH 2245 Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene (4 credits) from the three options listed under the major courses selections in the MPH course of student.