Six High-Quality Public Health Degrees at UAMS
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences appears in our ranking of the 10 Most Affordable MPH Online Degrees in the East.
At the COPH Building, the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health led by Dr. Mark Williams grants a 42-credit Master of Public Health that’s specialized in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Rural & Global Health, Health Policy & Management, Environmental & Occupational Health, or Health Behavior & Education with 200 applied fieldwork hours. Chaired by Dr. Richard Ault, the Master of Health Administration builds a 51-credit, CAHME-accredited curriculum partially online on Blackboard with paid summer residency placements, such as Arkansas Children’s Hospital, for 93 percent job placement. The Doctor of Public Health in Public Health Leadership follows a 61-credit, post-MPH path headed by Dr. Joseph Bates that blends 6000-level courses like Health Disparities with 270 clinical practicum hours.
Since 2002, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has offered the 70-credit PhD in Epidemiology advised by Dr. Wendy Nembhard with hands-on dissertation work in the Center for Birth Defects Research & Prevention or Myeloma Institute & Biospecimen Bank. Directed by Dr. Holly Felix, the PhD in Health Systems and Services Research shapes a 72-credit, CEPH-accredited Little Rock sequence with yearly $24,000 assistantship stipends for scholar-practitioners who could add the Regulatory Science Certificate or Healthcare Analytics Certificate. The PhD in Health Promotion and Prevention Research has two 66-credit Behavioral Science or Community Science tracks under Dr. Carol Cornell where post-grads can engage in the Tobacco Center, travel to Taiwan, and pledge Delta Omega.
About the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences originated on October 7, 1879, when Dr. P.O. Hooper welcomed an inaugural class of 22 to the Medical Department of Arkansas Industrial University. In 1892, the Medical Center started treating patients in its on-site free clinic. In 1935, it used President Franklin Roosevelt’s PWA funds to relocate to Downtown Little Rock. Sixteen years later, Governor Sid McMath raised cigarette taxes to build a new 26-acre University Hospital. In 1970, the School of Health Related Professions was launched for bachelor’s and master’s programs. One decade after, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences name was adopted. By 2001, Dr. Harry Ward had invested nearly $500 million to modernize its education halls. In 2009, the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus was born in Fayetteville.
Generating a $4.5 billion impact, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences now employs 1,438 faculty teaching 2,727 students and 870 medical residents on its 84-acre Little Rock campus adjacent to John L. McClellan Veterans Hospital with 60+ clubs like Wellness Through Climbing. In 2015, UAMS won the American Hospital Association Health Forum’s Most Wired Award. In 2017, its Center for Distance Health accepted a National Stroke Association RAISE Award. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences received a 2019 CMS Health Care Innovation Award too. The U.S. News & World Report ranked UAMS 78th for public health and 55th for health care management programs. The Center for World University Rankings placed UAMS 161st nationwide. On Niche, UAMS has Arkansas’ fourth most liberal academics and fifth best location. The American Academy of Family Physicians named UAMS seventh overall.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Accreditation Details
On August 7, 2017, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences received official notification from the Higher Learning Commission on North Central Association (HLC-NCA) Institutional Actions Council that the Level VI accreditation was renewed through 2026-27 under Chancellor Cam Patterson, MD, who earned the Ruth & Phillip Hettleman Prize for Scholarly Achievement. Located 654 miles up Interstate 57 in Chicago, this huge 19-state Heartland Region accreditor is authorized by the U.S. Education Department to review UAMS’ 14 undergrad, 15 master’s, and 22 doctoral degrees. Further, the Council on Education for Public Health accredited the Fay W. Boozman College on May 13, 2004. The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) reaffirmed the MHA through Fall 2022.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Application Requirements
Getting into the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is classified “moderately difficult” by Peterson’s because its Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health enrolled 33 of the 70 Fall 2018 applicants. Potential post-grads must have completed at least 120 semester or 180 quarter credits of regionally accredited bachelor’s preparation. The MPH and MHA require minimum cumulative grade point averages of 2.75. Upper-division GPAs for junior and senior year must exceed 3.0. Graduate Record Exam scores in the 50th percentile are mandated. If taken before August 2011, the GRE minimum is 1000. More recent GRE composite scores of 300 and better are permitted. Health administration could substitute a 550 or higher GMAT score. Non-U.S. residents often need a 90 TOEFL iBT or 580 TOEFL pBT score of English proficiency. Doctoral programs like the DrPH in Public Health Leadership require a master’s degree. Prerequisite courses, including Epidemiology and Biostatistics, must be graded A or B.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences set MPH deadlines of March 1st for Fall, August 1st for Spring, and February 1st for Summer. Master of Health Administration admission is rolling until August 1st, January 2nd, and May 15th respectively. International MHA applicants must file before March 1st. The DrPh and PhD programs close on January 15th each year. Accordingly, complete the SOPHAS Application online for $25 ($50 if foreign). Forward official transcripts to 4301 West Markham Suite 820 in Little Rock, AR 72205. Submit testing results with GRE code 6512, TOEFL code R6901, or GMAT code OSF-3L-74. Fulfill checklist items, such as the 500-word interest letter, current resume, 2-3 recommendations, bank documentation, and UAMS Writing Supplement. Contact (866) 330-9464 with questions.
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2019-20, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is billing in-state Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health students $433 per credit. Non-resident MPH and doctoral tuition is $932 per credit. The MHA is uniquely priced $422 for Arkansans and $888 for non-residents per credit. Students cover the $141 health fee, $115 technology fee, $115 services fee, and $25 activity fee yearly. The standard continuing registration fee is $250 each semester. Doctoral candidates factor in the $120 dissertation fee. Living at the Little Rock Residence Hall adds $8,220 for annual room and board. UAMS also budgets $2,624 for health insurance, $3,130 for transportation, $1,620 for personal expenses, and $1,844 for books.
According to the NCES College Navigator, the Financial Aid Office in Administrative West Hall Suite 120 connects 60 percent of full-time UAMS students to tuition assistance averaging $5,563 apiece for $2.15 million combined. Public health funds include the Fay W. Boozman Community Service Scholarship, Dr. David Bourne Memorial Scholarship, Edward & Carol Stewart Academic Excellence Scholarship, Dr. Jan Richter Health Behavior Scholarship, Neal & Clara Spain Memorial Scholarship, Jerry Michael Tuley Endowed Scholarship, Dr. Ronald Winters Endowed Scholarship, and Walter Nunnelly Scholarship. The Captain Jodi Callahan Memorial Scholarship gifts $1,000 to active-duty Air Force or Air National Guard members earning master’s degrees. The Non-Resident Diversity Tuition Waiver defrays costs for minority post-grads from outside Arkansas who maintain minimum 3.0 GPAs. Federal resources, such as the Graduate Plus Loan and Direct Unsubsidized Loan, require FAFSA forms coded 001109. The Arkansas Public Health Association also has an April 1st deadline for its $1,000 Student Scholarship.
Continue reading about the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health website.