Certificate Programs
Overview
- Complete in 12 – 18 months
- Starts in August of each year
- Requires 15 total credit hours to complete
- Course numbers ending in W are online courses. Course numbers ending in H are hybrid courses.
Eligibility
- A bachelor’s degree is required.
- Certification is only available for non-degree seeking students.
- UT Southwestern does not sponsor F-1 student visas for non-degree seeking/certificate students.
Graduate Certificate Programs
Students delve deeper into public health and clinical and translational research topics through our unique non-degree certificate programs. Whether you are new to the field or seeking to sharpen your skills in these concrete areas, our one-year certificate programs can help you take the next step in your public health and research careers.
After completing our Certificate Program, participants may choose to continue their education in a graduate degree program at the O’Donnell School of Public Health. Interested candidates must apply and receive admission to the graduate program. Admitted students with a certificate may be eligible to apply some certificate semester credit hours toward their degree.
Graduate Certificate of Public Health
The Certificate in Public Health program equips students with introductory skills and knowledge to tackle contemporary health challenges. Through rigorous coursework, students delve into areas such as epidemiology, health system science, biostatistics and programming, and health promotion and equity. This program can serve as a steppingstone for further education, such as a Master's in Public Health, providing foundational knowledge that can enhance further academic pursuits.
Graduates will learn:
- Strategies for disease prevention and health promotion.
- Skills to identify public health trends and patterns.
- How to navigate interdisciplinary teams and advocate for evidence-based public health policies.
- How to respond adeptly to the dynamic landscape of public health, addressing emerging threats with expertise and innovation.
- Coursework
15 credits. Summer 2026 matriculation.
Year One: Summer
Course Number Course Title Prerequisites Credits HSS 5300W Introduction to Health Systems 3 Total Credit Hours 3 Year One: Fall
Course Number Course Title Prerequisites Credits QDS 5322W Introduction to Biostatistics 3 QDS 5300 Introduction to Epidemiology 3 Total Credit Hours 6 Year One: Spring
Course Number Course Title Prerequisites Credits HPSA 5300 Theoretical Foundations of Health Promotion None 3 Total Credit Hours 3 Year Two: Summer
Course Number Course Title Prerequisites Credits HPSA 5301W Social Determination of Health None 3 Total Credit Hours 3
Geospatial Public Health Certificate
As geospatial technologies become ever more integral to public health research and evidence-based decision-making, there is a growing demand for professionals with the knowledge and expertise to bridge the gap between spatial data analysis and practical and effective public health. This certificate equips students with the cutting-edge skills and expertise to address complex public health challenges through the powerful integration of geospatial technologies including geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, with spatial epidemiology, environmental health, and spatial modeling.
Graduates will learn:
- How to use GIS and related technologies with public health data
- Core tenets of spatial epidemiology and spatiotemporal modeling
- Cartographic design principles and effective visual data communication practices
- Strategies to study emerging infectious diseases using geospatial tools and the One Health framework
- Coursework
15 credits. Fall 2026 matriculation.
Fall 2026
Course Number Course Title Prerequisites Credits HPSA 5313W GIS Applications in Public Health 3 HPSA 5316W One Health and Emerging Infectious Diseases 3 QDS 5401W Introduction to Biostatistics and Programming 4 Total Credit Hours 10 Spring 2027
Course Number Course Title Prerequisites Credits HPSA 5203W Cartography and Data Visualization None 2 HPSA 5314W Advanced Geospatial Methods in Public Health 3 Total Credit Hours 5
Health Care and Public Health Quality Improvement Certificate
Clinical, public health, and community organizations seek to provide care that leads to optimal patient-client centered outcomes while effectively utilizing available resources. This includes examining effectiveness, efficiency, equity, patient centeredness, safety, and timeliness of care and services. The goal of the Certificate in Health Care and Public Health Quality Improvement is to prepare both clinical and nonclinical professionals in health care, public health, and community settings to systematically plan, conduct, and evaluate specific quality improvement projects.
Graduates will learn:
- How to define current quality and workflow
- How to plan and execute quality improvement projects as well as how to define specific quality objectives for improvement projects
- Strategies and tools for implementation of new projects
- How to develop and execute different types of program evaluations
Clinical Investigation Certificate
The Clinical Investigation Certificate provides trainees with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to succeed in academic or industry careers in clinical and translational research. This program is intended for individuals trained in the medical sciences or those who have relevant scientific backgrounds and experiences who are seeking to deepen their knowledge of clinical and translational research design and methodology.
Graduates will learn:
- How to plan and conduct their own clinical and translational research
- Biostatistics and biostatistical software programming
- Implementation of clinical research from planning, conduct, to close out
- Basics of manuscript writing and overview of grant funding
- Coursework
15 credits.
Fall
Course Number Course Title Prerequisites Credits QDS 5401W Introduction to Biostatistics and Programming None 4 CTM 5301W Clinical Research Design & Analysis None 3 CTM 5107W Responsible Conduct of Research None 1 CTM 5120W Socratic Seminar/Clinical & Translational Science Forum None 1 Total Credit Hours 9 Spring
Course Number Course Title Prerequisites Credits PUBH 5103W Manuscript Writing None 1 CTM 5097H Mentored Research Capstone (1) None 2 QDS 5303 Intermediate Biostatistics QDS 5401W 3 Total Credit Hours 6 Program Notes
- (1) CTM 5097H requires submission of a research project and a publishable manuscript.
- Students are able to take electives to maintain full-time student status. Additional elective courses from other professional programs at UT Southwestern not listed here may be taken for credit with the consent of the program director.
- International students need nine credit hours for the fall and spring semesters and six credit hours for the summer.
- To remain enrolled in good standing, a student must make satisfactory progress in the prescribed course of study and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA.
Our programs are based in Dallas, Texas, and you will need to be located in, or willing to relocate to, Dallas by the start of the Fall semester.
Program Leadership
Geospatial Public Health
Quality Improvement
Professor and Director of the Advancing Implementation & Improvement Science Program
Clinical Investigation
Professor of Dermatology
James N. Gilliam, M.D. Chair in Dermatology
Associate Dean Clinical Research Development