Mission

The mission of The University of Texas School of Public Health is to improve the health of the people of Texas, the nation, and the world by providing the highest quality graduate education, translational research, and service to the profession and community.

Student Achievement

The educational programs offered by the School of Public Health are designed to provide skilled practitioners and researchers for the public health workforce in local, national, and global arenas. The SPH is committed to training a diverse student body that will meet the public health needs of an increasingly diverse society. Successful graduates include those who complete their programs in a timely manner and are able to find employment in public health. Student achievement is measured using a variety of measures that include graduation rates, job placement one-year post-graduation and degree preparedness.

 

Graduation Rates

Table 8.1.50 below shows graduation rates for all four degrees offered at SPH. Acceptable graduation rates at accredited schools of public health are established by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) in collaboration with Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) and are based on U.S. Department of Education standards, which are currently set at 70 percent or greater for master’s degrees and 60 percent or greater for doctoral degrees. SPH uses this as the benchmark for masters and doctoral programs. The School of Public Health maintains high graduation rates that exceed that standard set (Table 8.1.50). The school aspires to have a graduation rate of 90 percent or greater for all its degree programs. Recently, it has been more proactive in flagging students who may be having academic challenges, so that interventions can be implemented earlier in these students’ academic trajectories. It is also examining how faculty and staff can better help students cope with stress and mental health issues. Per school policy, master’s students are allowed up to five years to complete the degree program and doctoral students are allowed up to seven years to complete the degree program. The five-year graduation rate for the M.P.H. and M.S. degrees associated with the 2012, 2013, and 2014 cohorts are listed below along with the seven-year Dr.PH. and Ph.D. graduation rates associated with the 2010, 2011, and 2012 cohorts. Graduation rate data is disaggregated by gender and race/ethnicity (Table.8.1.51) using self-reported demographic data; the race/ethnicity categories listed align with those required for annual reporting by ASPPH and CEPH. The data guidelines require the following categorizations: American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black of Africa-American, Hispanic/Latino, two or more races, not specified, and White, respectively.

                          SPH Overall Graduation Rate for all Degree Programs, AY 2017-2019

        SPH Disaggregated Graduation Rate for all Degree Programs by Gender and Race/Ethnicity,
                                                                          AY 2017-2019

Employment/Post-Graduation Outcomes

Successful employment for SPH graduates is a measure of student achievement. To conform to new accreditation guidelines set forth by CEPH and to demonstrate a true reflection of our graduates’ employment success, SPH measures student employment one-year post-graduation. CEPH, as well as the ASPPH, sets an expectation that the job placement rate for public health graduates should meet or exceed 80 percent. The School of Public Health exceeds this expectation set forth by its accreditor, CEPH. The school has greatly improved its tracking rate over the past three years, and maintains high rates of employment or enrollment in further education for each public health degree as shown in Table 8.1.52 below. The school aims to achieve employment of 100% employment one-year post-graduation. Per ASPPH guidelines, the employment rates presented account for graduates who are employed, participating in a fellowship/residency and those who are continuing their education.

Note: Data reported demonstrates the placement rate of all students who the SPH is able to find via LinkedIn, or who participated in the alumni survey that is conducted one-year post-graduation. Graduates who cannot be found are counted as “unknown” and are not factored into the calculation for placement rate per the formula provided by ASPPH and CEPH.

             Graduates AY16-AY18, Post-Graduation Outcomes (Graduate Outcomes Report)

Degree Preparedness

SPH also focuses on measuring the extent to which students’ education at the School of Public Health prepared them for their current or first public health-related job. The school sends alumni surveys [6] and conducts a graduate exit survey to solicit input on the academic program and student experiences [7]. Over the past three years, the number of students who responded that the school prepared them for the demands of their job has increased. The school’s goal is to reach 100% in student degree preparedness. At 98% last year, as shown in Table 8.1.53, the school is confident this will be achieved as the current and future students are completing the updated curriculum, which the school implemented due to its accreditor, CEPH’s, new criteria. The new CEPH criteria changes were driven by public health experts and industry feedback. The curriculum is competency and practice-based, which allows students to gain further preparedness for the demands of their job.  To further achieve this goal, the school plans to continue to systematically collect quantitative and qualitative data on alumni perceptions of curricular effectiveness and their overall experience at the school. The school also periodically conducts focus groups with alumni to obtain feedback to enhance student degree preparedness.

            Constituent Survey - Graduates 2017- 2019, Degree Preparedness
                                     (Graduate Student Exit Survey)