Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health Offers New Graduate Certificate in Epidemiology

• By Kate Gollahon
• July 7, 2026
• Education

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health is launching a new Master of Public Health (MPH) concentration in Epidemiology and a Graduate Certificate in Epidemiology. While the MPH concentration offers comprehensive workforce preparation for future epidemiologists, the new graduate certificate allows flexible options for those seeking growth and training in epidemiology without pursuing an additional degree. Both offerings will be available this fall. 

Epidemiology is the study of how and why diseases and health conditions affect groups of people. It helps identify ways to prevent illness, evaluate health strategies and guide patient care after a disease develops.

“Medicine asks, ‘what's wrong with this patient?’ Epidemiology asks, ‘why this patient, why now, and who's next?’” said Dean of the School of Population and Public Health Gerard E. Carrino, Ph.D., MPH. “We built these programs so that anyone in our community can learn to ask and answer those questions.”

Developed in response to growing demand for data-driven decision-making across healthcare and public health settings, the new 12-hour certification is particularly relevant to TTUHSC team members in clinical or research settings and learners pursuing clinical or other health professions degrees. Epidemiologic and statistical skills are increasingly valuable not only for public health professionals, but also for clinicians, healthcare administrators, researchers and others who work with population health data.

Required courses include “Evidence Based Approaches to Population Health,” “Fundamentals of Epidemiology,” “Fundamentals of Biostatistics” and “Applied Statistics for Epidemiology and Health Sciences.”

The 45-hour MPH Concentration in Epidemiology, which also launches this fall, provides more extensive preparation in epidemiologic methods, statistical analysis and population health. The concentration is an excellent opportunity for students seeking a full graduate degree in the field. 

Both programs are fully online, allowing students to obtain their certificate or degree in a format that is highly flexible for those seeking additional analytical skills to complement their existing expertise. Fall applications are available until August 1, 2026. Explore the webpage for more information on the new graduate certificate.