I have had some questions about how much it costs to attend UTSPH. I would like to post it here in the public arena so that all who are interested can know as well
UTSPH bases tuition and fees on the number of credit hours you take. The fewer hours per semester you take, the lower the cost. The cost is spelled out exactly here:
http://registrar.uth.tmc.edu/Registration/Acad_Fees_SPH_F09Sp10.html#SPH
Look at the last two columns, titled "Tuition and SSF"
I am a resident of Texas and if I took 9 credit hours last semester, so I look under the next to last column titled "Resident." The tuition I paid for 9 credit hours was $1,677.84. So if I took 6 credit hours it would be $1,142.99 instead.
So if I took 9 credit hours in the Fall, 9 credit hours in the Spring, and 6 credit hours in the Summer, the total tuition for that School Year would be: $1,677.84 + $1,677.84 + $1,142.99 = $4498.67. The school's calculation of $5000 for annual tuition for Residents assumes only 9 credit hours per semester, plus 6 in the summer.
This is very clear and explicit from the website. If you do not have insurance, you will have to pay for that per semester as well, which adds about $400.00 per semester.
Of course this is tuition only, you have living costs to factor in to the equation to reflect how much you spend. The school has a reasonable cost of $1934.00 per month for room and board. It is found here:
http://sfs.uth.tmc.edu/fa_docs/living_expense_budget_1011.pdf
So let's put this all together to find the cost of an MPH at UTSPH.
Let's assume a 2 year program, with 9 credit hours in the Fall and Spring, and 6 in the summer. That brings us to 48 credit hours, which is just over the required number of hours.
So the tuition paid would be $1,677.84 + $1,677.84 + $1,142.99 + $1,677.84 + $1,677.84 + $1,142.99 = $8997.34
6 semester of student insurance assuming about $400/ semester (2 Fall semesters, 2 spring semesters, 2 summer semesters) = approx $2400.00
living costs for 24 months @ $1934.00/month = $46,416.00
Adding it all up shows: 8997.34 (tuition+fees) + 2400.00(insurance) + 46,416.00(room & board) = $57,813.34
So under 60 grand total including all living expenses for an MPH at UTSPH.
These calculations were done with numbers given by the school, your mileage may vary. I find it very easy to stay under $1934 per month for expenses, so that keeps living costs down. Many of you receive grants. scholarships, etc. For me, I basically have a free ride, so I only work to pay for rent and board. The faster you finish, the lower it will cost you, I plan on finishing my MPH in a year by doubling up on class load, all of which have made my MPH at UTSPH one of the cheapest masters program I have seen. I hope this is informative to those of you who have been confused by how much it will cost and that huge matrix of fees on the UT Houston website
