In this course, students examine the field of public health, including the history of public health, its relationship to healthcare systems, applications of public health, social determinants of health, and the legal and ethical issues associated with public health. The objective is to provide students with a foundation in these and other cross-cutting public health topics for the remainder of the program. The course will also review scholarly writing.

Credits: 2

This course introduces students to basic concepts in public health policy and public health program management. They will learn basics of healthcare organization and learn to distinguish between health policy and healthcare policy. Students will be presented a framework for health policy analysis. They will learn basic tools in program management.

Credits: 3

This introductory course provides students with a broad exposure to basic environmental and occupational health topics including: ecology; population dynamics; air pollution; toxicology; food safety and security; climate change; renewable energy; vector-borne disease; environmental policy; workplace health and safety; water treatment; waste disposal; and risk communication. Students engage in online discussions covering the specific, general, and global issues associated with these topics and their relationship to population health.

Credits: 3

In this course, students examine how the behavioral and social sciences can be used to (1) understand human health-related behavior and (2) guide the application of behavioral theory to modify behavior in order to prevent or reduce the burden of public health problems. Students are provided with an overview of behavior-oriented perspectives based on health promotion/education, psychology, and health communication. Important social determinants of health are discussed with the overall objective that students successfully completing the course are able to apply health behavior theory to primary and secondary disease prevention.

Credits: 2

In this course, students analyze the delivery of health care and public health in the United States and in other nations. An emphasis is placed on the organization, financing, management, and evaluations of various health systems. Global and national agencies and policies central to the delivery of health care and public health will be identified and examined with an emphasis on causes of health inequity and solutions which create health equity.

Credits: 2

In this course, students learn basic epidemiological principles, methods, and skills to study the health of populations. Topics focus on the dynamics of disease transmission, descriptive epidemiological measures of disease, principles of study design, and causal inference. The main objective of this course is to provide students with a foundation that will prepare them to apply these concepts to both research and public health practice. This is a required course for obtaining the M.P.H. degree.

Credits: 3

Course content will focus on the program/community assessment, program planning, and program evaluation. The central focus of the course will be the program framework to demonstrate and apply logic models for program assessment, planning, and evaluation. Students will use the framework of a logic model to assess population needs and capacities to understand what can be utilized to improve communities’ health. A design plan for a population-based community health program and an evaluation plan to evaluate the public health program will be the main deliverables for the course. This is a required course for obtaining the M.P.H. degree.

Credits: 3

Course content will focus on quantitative research methods to address public health issues. The main goal of the course is to introduce students to the research investigative cycle within the context of public health with planning, collecting data, summarizing the data, using statistical inference, and making appropriate conclusions from the study. The course will cover types of variables and processes for data collection from a quantitative perspective, study design concepts, and descriptive statistics. Students will be introduced to a statistical software package (SAS) and be able to analyze data using descriptive statistics. This is a required course for obtaining the M.P.H. degree.

Credits: 2

In this course, students review and utilize qualitative techniques commonly seen in public health research and practice. Students are introduced to a variety of topics including, but not limited to, paradigms of qualitative research and inquiry, selected data collection and analysis methods for qualitative research in public health and strategies for reporting qualitative findings. The course emphasizes the development of practical skills in selecting a qualitative research methodology, engaging in qualitative data collection (e.g., interview or focus group facilitation), and analyzing and interpreting qualitative data.

Credits: 2

This course introduces biostatistical methods and applications. We will cover inferential statistics (t-tests, Chi-square tests, correlation analysis, and linear regression), the role of biostatistics in the practice of public health, and how to align methods to answer statistical questions in public health. Students will be able to explain the role of quantitative methods in describing and assessing a population’s health. Students will be able to select appropriate quantitative methods to answer research questions given certain data collection methods. Students will also learn a statistical software package (SAS) in depth and be able to analyze quantitative data. The main objective of this course is to provide students with a strong biostatistics foundation and understanding of the importance of statistical knowledge in public health. This is a required course for obtaining the M.P.H. degree.

Credits: 2

In this course students explore the effects of globalization and its social and scientific consequences in public health with the objective of developing systems thinking to address global health concerns. Topics include the interplay between global stressors such as population growth and migration, war, economic policy, urbanization, land use and environmental change, and the effects on the health of human and animal populations.

Credits: 2

In this course, students learn strategies to engage stakeholders across multiple disciplines, geographic locations, and cultural perspectives to address public health challenges using One Health approaches. Students learn how the principles of One Health are applicable to current issues that threaten human, animal, and environmental health. Students will apply systems-thinking strategies and One Health strategies to a public health issue. Surveillance systems for One Health problems are also reviewed. This is a required course for the M.P.H. program.

Credits: 2

Students address recently emerging infectious diseases and explore emergence factors and impacts on public health from a One Health perspective. Epidemiologic concepts such as natural reservoirs, modes of transmission, in-apparent versus apparent infections, and herd immunity are discussed. The objective is for students to learn and apply strategies for prevention and control of zoonotic and other emerging infections. Case studies are used to illustrate and apply concepts.

Credits: 2

Students learn about the National Response Framework and how the US government responds to domestic disasters. The phases of disaster response and the roles and responsibilities of local, state, and Federal agencies are discussed. The objective of the course is for students to understand the factors that enable them, as medical and public health leaders and responders to comprehensively assess these crises and effectively participate in their management and response.

Credits: 2

This course presents a public health perspective on climate change and ecosystem health. Students explore how climate change is defined and assessed; its environmental causes and effects; and its effects on populations. Public health initiatives, public education, and policy options to reduce climate change, minimize its effects, and heighten resilience are discussed. The background science and ethics of diversity and inclusion will be applied to the study of climate change, with a focus on climate and environmental justice and cultural humility. The overall objective of this course is for students to articulate how global policies related to energy and agriculture impact human, animal, and ecosystem health and how diversity, inclusion, and cultural humility are key elements to these relationships.

Credits: 3

In this course, students will explore leadership, management, grant, and finance from a health perspective. Leadership attributes including ethics, courage, values, and supervision will be examined. Fayol’s five functions of management will be explored. Fundamental accounting and finance documents and procedures will also be introduced with an emphasis on the contract and proposal process.

Credits: 3

Students participate in experiential training in public health within healthcare settings and government-sponsored organizations in the local geographic area and other more distant sites. Students enhance their didactic learning experiences by practical application, and they acquire a broad public health perspective to specific health-related problem solving. Students receive a total of 3 credits for the practicum experience, which may span one or more quarters.

Prerequisites: All 500-level required core courses

Credits: 4

To meet graduation requirements, students must demonstrate their knowledge, skill, and competence in public health through an integrative learning experience that includes the conduct of a culminating project. Students are encouraged to complete the culminating project as part of their practicum experience, but they may also complete this course as an independent study. The products of the culminating project include a project proposal, an oral presentation, and a final written report.

Prerequisites: All required core and concentration courses

Credits: 2