MA-HHM
Program Links
Program Contacts
Program Director | Program Coordinator | Admissions |
|---|---|---|
Phillip Barrish | Blake Lee Pate |
Location
Department of English
Parlin Hall 122
Overview
The medical and health humanities offer critical tools for interpreting human experience, analyzing systems of care, and attending to the cultural, ethical, and historical dimensions of health and illness. These methods can deepen clinical insight, but their value extends far beyond the clinic. As Krishnan, Hoover, and Marchalik observe in JAMA (2021), “Medical humanities are not solely for the benefit of physicians—they matter for all professionals and trainees across the health care ecosystem, as well as for patients, families, and communities.”
UT Austin’s MA in Humanities, Health, and Medicine reflects this broader orientation. Medical students who pursue the MD/MA dual-degree pathway undertake advanced humanistic coursework and research alongside their clinical training. The program emphasizes the study of health and health care across disciplines—literature, history, sociology, communications, and disability studies—while cultivating interpretive methods that support clinical care, institutional engagement, and public understanding.
Although HHM is administratively housed in the Department of English, students fulfill degree requirements by taking relevant courses from a wide range of departments in the College of Liberal Arts and elsewhere on the UT campus. This structure enables them to study and collaborate with graduate peers from across the university.
Curriculum
The MA-HHM degree is offered according to four plans, ranging from a coursework-only plan to plans that include coursework and three different varieties of culminating research experience. The plans are described here. All degree plans include:
Required Course: HHM 380 Introduction to Humanities, Health, and Medicine Provides an overview of the history, aims, and challenges of the field and its current role in health-professional education and practice. Units focus on subfields within the health humanities, including, for example, literature, narrative, and health; history of medicine; medical anthropology; disability studies; and bioethics. |
Required Course: HHM 383 Topics in Theory and Methods in Humanities, Health, and Medicine. HHM 383 will be cross-listed with selected theory and methods courses offered by other departments. Sample courses include:
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Prescribed Electives: Depending on degree plan selected, 3-5 different variants of HHM 385 Topics in Humanities, Health, and Medicine. HHM 385 will be cross-listed with selected topics courses offered by other departments. To meet this requirement, students must select topics courses cross-listed with at least two different academic departments. Sample courses include:
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Electives: Three elective courses, chosen in conjunction with the HHM graduate advisor. These electives may but aren’t required to be cross-listed with an HHM course number. |
Notes: (1) Students may design their coursework to concentrate in a specific area of the health humanities such as, for example, medical anthropology, literature and medicine, or the history of medicine. (2) Students may count up to nine semester-credit hours from upper-division undergraduate classes towards the degree.
Degree Format
The MA-HHM degree program is typically delivered in an in-person format.
Degree Requirements
This program is only for third-year Dell Medical School students who are accepted into the MA-HHM dual-degree program. The Master of Arts degree in Humanities, Health, and Medicine requires the successful completion of 30 semester-credit hours. DMS students will have the opportunity to earn up to three semester-credit hours towards completion of their MA requirements by taking three DMS humanities enrichment electives at any point in their DMS trajectory and following them up with synthetic work in a conference course supervised by an HHM faculty member (HHM 386).
Tuition and Fees
There are no additional tuition or fees associated with this dual degree. Students will continue paying their regular medical school tuition to UT DMS. DMS will transfer the tuition to the College of Liberal Arts on behalf of the student. See the Tuition page for more information.
Application Instructions
In order to apply for the MD/MA-HHM dual-degree program, students must be in good academic standing at Dell Medical School.
The application for admission opens in August each year. The priority deadline is December 15; the final deadline is March 1.
Required application materials include:
Online Application: https://students.gradschool.utexas.edu/portal/app
Application Fee
Transcripts
UT transcripts will automatically be sent to graduate admissions when you apply, including your Dell Med transcript. You do need to request and submit transcripts from other universities you’ve attended.
Statement of Purpose (500-800 words)
10-20 page writing sample no more than five years old
Many students draw their writing samples from academic papers (usually humanities or qualitative social science) written while pursuing another degree, including baccalaureate
DMS students will have the option of choosing instead to write an expanded Statement of Purpose (1500 - 2000 words)
3 Letters of Recommendation
The Graduate School’s GRE requirement will be waived for DMS students
International students should check the Graduate School requirements for international applications