University of Houston Graduate Programs for Health Science Educators

Who Can Apply for the Master's Program?
The master's program is primarily aimed at healthcare professionals who are currently working at a healthcare institution in the Texas Medical Center, in the greater Houston area, or other locations throughout Texas. Those who are outside of Texas are also invited to apply to this program and may complete all course requirements online.

In addition to medical, dental and nursing faculty and staff who would like to become better teachers, this program may be especially beneficial for researchers, program coordinators, residents or fellows, or others interested in careers in academic medicine. In addition to faculty and staff, this program may be beneficial for researchers, program coordinators, residents and fellows interested in careers in academic medicine.

Applicants must possess a bachelor's degree or higher, and should currently be working at a healthcare institution, or in private practice, or have experience working in the healthcare field.

When and Where are Courses Held?

Online Master's and Certificate Programs
All courses in the Master's degree and Certificate program are only offered online and no face-to-face courses are required.

Executive Doctoral Program
Face-to-face courses in the executive doctoral program are taught in the UH College of Pharmacy Building, located in the Texas Medical Center.

How Long Does it Normally Take to Complete the Master's Program?
Students must complete 10 courses (30 semester hours) to earn a Master’s degree, and the program is structured so that it can be completed in less than two years. Most students take two courses per semester for five semesters in a row.

How Much Time Should I Plan to Devote to Completing a Course?
All courses in the master's degree and certificate program are taught online with weekly assignments that typically include readings, participation in online discussions, completion of hands-on activities (especially in the technology courses), writing short papers, and completing other course-related tasks. Most courses will also include a final semester exam, project or culminating activity. For more information, you may contact the instructor about the requirements of a specific course. Faculty contact information may be found here.

How Do I Apply for Admission and When are the Deadlines for Applying for Admission??

Information on admissions may be found at:
http://medical.coe.uh.edu/admissions.htm

What are Linked Courses?
Some courses in the master's program are “linked” to another graduate course. Linked courses are where two graduate courses are taught collaboratively, usually by two different instructors who work together so that the content of one course complements the content of the other course. When linked courses are offered, students are required to enroll in both courses and will earn 6 hours of credit for the two courses. Assignments and final semester projects for the two courses are linked so the work that is done for one course is connected to the work that is done for the other course. In previous years, some linked pairs of courses were offered online, as hybrid courses, or in a traditional face-to-face format. Linked courses that were offered in a face-to-face format typically met one time per week, although some class sessions lasted a little longer than the usual three hours and some online work was required in these courses. Please note that in 2014, all linked courses in the master's program are now offered only online. For students in our executive doctoral program, some linked courses may include face-to-face classes, scheduled at the discretion of the instructors.

Master's Capstone Project
Beginning in 2013, the Master's Capstone Project replaced the Comprehensive Examination requirement for all master's students. Students in the Master’s program are now required to design and present a Capstone Project at the end of their course of study. The purpose of the Capstone Project is to demonstrate the depth and breadth of a student’s educational growth through the Master’s program including the knowledge and skills gained as well as growth as a reflective practitioner.

What are the Requirements for the Master's Capstone Project?

The Master's Capstone Project consists of two components: a project design document and a narrated multimedia presentation. Each component is described in detail below.

The Capstone Project Guidelines
All master's students must complete a Capstone Project. The project components are presented through a self-running narrated PowerPoint presentation that includes examples and demonstrations of content knowledge, instructional practices relevant to the student’s professional goals in an academic health science setting.

Selecting a Topic for the Capstone Project
The topic of the Capstone Project is determined by the student, with approval of a student's advisor. Students are encouraged to select a topic about which they have some prior knowledge and is related to a real-world problem or issue. The Capstone Project project should address an instructional need that can be identified and effectively addressed in the presentation. Once the topic has been selected, students should login to MyAdvisor and submit the Comp/Capstone application.

The Capstone Project Design Document
As part of the Capstone Project, students will create and submit a written document that includes descriptive details of the learning task, objectives, instructional strategies and potential audience. These components of the Capstone Project are demonstrated through the self-running narrated multimedia presentation that presents a valid rational for the instructional project, appropriate instructional design guidelines and high quality applicable multimedia.

The Capstone Project Design Document should include the following elements:

Title Page: your name, date, advisor, the semester you entered the master's program, and the title of your Capstone Project.
Setting/Context: Provide a brief audience analysis that defines the audience for the project and where the project might be used.
Capstone Problem and Rationale: Describe the need or problem that will be address by the project.
Project Goal and Objectives: List the goal(s) of the project and the performance objectives.
Project Description: This section should include: a) a brief description of the project; b) a timeline that documents work done on the Capstone Project, from inception to completion; and c) any resources used to complete the project and how they were obtained.

The Narrated Multimedia Presentation
The audio-narrated presentation is a video in which you present the core information that addresses the topic you selected. There are many ways that you can create an audio-narrated presentation. For instance, you could use a screencasting tool to record your voice as you narrate PowerPoint slides, or you could video yourself as you discuss and show your work.

Your presentation should include a brief introduction of yourself and a reflection of the development of the project from beginning to end. The presentation should also clearly demonstrate how your project followed the instructional systems design process and offer recommendations and implications for the intended audience. You should also acknowledge any copyrighted material you used (with permission from the copyright holder).

The narrated multimedia presentation should be 10-15 minutes in length.

Due Dates and Submission Guidelines
All components of the Capstone Project are due at least two weeks before the end of a student's final semester. Students should consult with their advisor on how to submit copies of the multimedia presentation and the written design document.

Grading of the Capstone Project
Each student’s graduate advisor, along with other faculty members in the master's program area review, evaluate and approve the submitted Capstone Project. The Capstone Project will be graded as Pass/Fail by the student's advisor along with input from other members of the faculty. The following rubric outlines the expectations for each component of the Capstone Project and is intended to guide you in creating a high-quality project that effectively highlights your knowledge and skills:
Medical Center Master’s Program Capstone Project Rubric.pdf