Course Descriptions for 2020 - 2022 Cohorts

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.

Credits: 2

In this course, students learn the criteria for successful completion of the M.P.H. degree requirements and familiarize themselves with the organizations offering potential practicum and project opportunities. The course integrates goal setting, timelines, and curriculum planning for successful completion of the degree program.

Prerequisites: Course Director Approval

Credits: 1

In PUBHG 512, students are guided in developing a proposal for their applied public health practicum experience. Students identify a practicum site, determine applied practice objectives, and submit all necessary University forms and supporting documents prior to beginning their practicum.

Prerequisites: Course Director Approval

Credits: 0.5

In PUBHG 513, students are guided in developing a proposal for their culminating project and developing a plan to address its objectives. They will also demonstrate compliance with the process of institutional review and approval for student research by submitting all required University forms and supporting documents prior to study implementation.

Prerequisites: Course Director Approval

Credits: 0.5

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, reduce, or eliminate public health problems. Students are provided with an overview of behavior-oriented perspectives based on health promotion/education, psychology, and health communication. The overall objective is that students are able to apply health behavior theory to primary and secondary disease prevention.

Credits: 3

In this introductory course, students learn basic epidemiological principles, methods, and tools to study the health of populations. Topics focus on the dynamics of disease transmission, descriptive epidemiological measures of disease, and then transitions to instruction on basic principles of study design. The main objective of this course is to provide students with an appreciation for the relevance of epidemiology to their professional discipline and a foundation that will prepare them to apply these concepts further in PUBHG 521, Epidemiology II.

Credits: 2

This course expands upon the basic concepts of epidemiology presented in PUBHG 520 Epidemiology I. Students learn advanced principles of study design and discuss methodological issues including sampling, measurement error, bias, and confounding, and they are introduced to the basics of data analysis. The overall objective of this course is to prepare students to apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings in clinical and public health practice.

Prerequisites: PUBHG 520 Epidemiology I, PUBHG 530 Biostatistics I

Credits: 2

This course introduces biostatistical methods and applications. Students will learn basic probability theory, descriptive and inferential statistics, and the role of biostatistics in the practice of public health. Students will also learn a statistical software package (SAS). 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 course will be a foundation for PUBHG 531 Biostatistics II.

Credits: 2

This course expands the basic concepts presented in PUBHG 530, Biostatistics I. Students learn advanced statistical procedures commonly used in biomedical and public health research, including techniques for the analysis of frequency data, non-parametric methods, simple linear regression and correlation, analysis of variance, multiple regression, logistic regression, and analysis of survival data. Upon completion of this course, students are able to apply statistical tests used in biomedical and public health research and practice.

Prerequisites: PUBHG 530 Biostatistics I

Credits: 2

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: 3

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: 4

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. Case studies are used to analyze practices and to propose One Health strategies for a range of public health problems.

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 receive an overview of food governance, policy, and regulation in the United States and globally. The roles of public and private sectors at the local, state, national, and international levels are reviewed with the objective of giving students a perspective on the complexity of food policy through legislation, government regulations, and private sector agreements that ultimately impact global health. Students choose a relevant topic with the objective of critically analyzing the current food regulatory system in the U.S. based on these factors.

Credits: 2

This course presents a public health perspective on climate change and ecosystem health. Students explore topics such as 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 overall objective is for students to articulate how global policies related to energy and agriculture impact human, animal, and ecosystem health.

Prerequisites: PUBHG 515 Introduction to Environmental and Occupational Health

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