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Graduate/Professional Dual Degree Programs

Master of International Affairs/Master of Public Health

The School of Public Health and The Bush School of Government and Public Service have combined to offer students the ability to receive both a Master of International Affairs degree and a Master of Public Health degree in a three-year period.

Why offer a dual degree?

These two degrees are a natural fit. Diseases do not stop at borders. That is both a public health and a national security reality. Public health work increasingly crosses borders. International affairs increasingly deals with issues of global cooperation on preventing and responding to pandemics and other transborder health emergencies. Bilateral agreements between countries and international organizations, like the World Health Organization, play an important role in managing public health issues. Public health is international and international affairs are inseparable from public health.

Students can choose from two MPH concentrations within the School of Public Health as part of this combined degree program:

Program Structure and Requirements

In this concentrated program, students follow a strictly defined curriculum, to be able to complete all of the requirements for both degrees (which normally each take two years) in this shortened time frame:

  • 42 credit hours in Public Health
  • 36 credit hours in International Affairs

Students must complete at least one capstone course that meets the requirements of both schools. The MPH summer practicum course, if involving an international topic or experience, can also satisfy the MIA internship requirement.

Students are required to satisfy the MIA degree’s language requirement.

For additional information on the combined degree program, including the degree plans, please visit the Bush School's website.

If a student decides during the course of study to drop one of the degrees being sought, the requirements for the other degree will revert to the normal requirements for that degree.

How to Apply

Students will apply separately to each school, with a notation that they intend to pursue the combined MIA/MPH degree program.

 

Dates and Deadlines

MIA/MPH combined degree program admits in the Fall term only (not spring or summer terms).

Application deadlines
Entering Semester Application Open Date Application Deadline Mandatory Orientations* First Class Day
Fall 2024 Sept. 1, 2023

February 1, 2024 

International Orientation** 

August 12,  2024

New Students

August 13, 2024

 

August 19, 2024

Fall 2025  Sept. 1, 2024

 February 1, 2025 

TBD

(Mid August 2025)^

 TBD^

*All new graduate students must attend mandatory SPH orientation sessions. More information will be shared via email.
**All new international students must attend a mandatory SPH orientation. More information will be shared via email.
^Dates will be determined upon release of the official 2025-2026 academic calendar. 

 

COST OF ATTENDANCE

For a better understanding of your total cost of attendance (COA), please visit our cost and tuition rates webpage (https://aggie.tamu.edu/billing-and-payments/cost-and-tuition-rates). This webpage will provide you with an opportunity to review estimated COA information for undergraduate, graduate and professional students, as well as other resources such as the tuition calculator and billing and fee explanations.

Doctor of Medicine/Master of Public Health

The increasing complexities of health care delivery put a premium on professionals who understand and meet the demands required to deliver innovative, collaborative and compassionate care. The MD Plus Program is committed to providing students the skills needed to take leadership roles in various health care industries. With multiple courses of study, the MD Plus Program is designed to meet students’ varied interests. MD Plus students have the ability to acquire skills needed to:

  • excel in areas of health care entrepreneurship
  • develop new therapy paradigms and pharmaceuticals
  • manage health care teams and organizations
  • become key advisers in health care policy for government and private organizations
  • develop pioneering teaching methods leading the future of clinical care
  • communicate about medicine via popular media and other means

For more information, please go to https://medicine.tamu.edu/degrees/mdplus/index.html

 

COST OF ATTENDANCE

For a better understanding of your total cost of attendance (COA), please visit our cost and tuition rates webpage (https://aggie.tamu.edu/billing-and-payments/cost-and-tuition-rates). This webpage will provide you with an opportunity to review estimated COA information for undergraduate, graduate and professional students, as well as other resources such as the tuition calculator and billing and fee explanations.

Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management (JD/MPH)

Law is one of the most powerful public health tools, making this a potent degree combination. Laws shape cities, neighborhoods, and individual behavior. Whether it is chronic disease, harmful consumer products, disease outbreaks, environmental pollution, traumatic injury, or structural racism, law can be a solution to the various factors harming the health of populations or, alternatively, contribute to those harms. Students will learn how laws simultaneously empower governments to respond to public health threats to promote the common good and place limitations on those powers to preserve individual liberties. Students will also explore how the law shapes individual and organizational behavior In ways that impact population health and well-being.

In this combined JD/MPH program, students follow a semi-structured curriculum, to be able to complete all of the requirements for both degrees (which normally requires a combined five years) in this shortened time frame. Students must satisfy the requirements of both degree programs; however, students are permitted to have up to 15 credits (from qualifying courses) count toward both degrees. The MPH practicum course may also qualify as a JD experiential learning opportunity (e.g., a clinic or externship) and vice-versa, if the subject is sufficiently aligned with each degree’s requirements.

Students in this program will finish the first two years of the law curriculum at the School of Law (Ft. Worth, TX) before completing an accelerated MPH program at the School of Public Health (College Station, TX) during the third year. The final year of the combined program is flexible depending on a student’s choice of electives and course scheduling. 

 

Degree Plan:

https://catalog.tamu.edu/graduate/colleges-schools-interdisciplinary/public-health/health-policy-management/combination-mph-jd/#degree-plan

 

COST OF ATTENDANCE

For a better understanding of your total cost of attendance (COA), please visit our cost and tuition rates webpage (https://aggie.tamu.edu/billing-and-payments/cost-and-tuition-rates). This webpage will provide you with an opportunity to review estimated COA information for undergraduate, graduate and professional students, as well as other resources such as the tuition calculator and billing and fee explanations.