Please note: as of Spring semester of 2024, all MPH coures will switch from the HM pretext to PH. All course numbers will remain the same.
Over the 2017-2018 academic year, the Master of Public Health (MPH) program has worked to update our curriculum in order to better prepare our future public health practitioners. This effort was in part preparation to submit our application for the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation and in part response to feedback from our stakeholders. The priority of the Master of Public Health program is to advance public health practice across the globe, and with these improvements, we are now more capable than ever to meet this goal. Beginning spring semester of 2019, the updated curriculum will be required of all new Master of Public Health students.
There are three new aspects to the curricular updates:
- We have updated the requirements for graduation from 42 to 43 credits, including the additional requirements of taking a health equity framework course, a public health leadership course, as well as your choice of one of the three practical public health methods courses.
- We have categorized our required courses into foundational, core, electives, and culminating experience.
- We have limited the number of electives offered each semester in order to allow for increased diversity of topics covered over the course of the program. Currently, electives will run on an odd/even semester schedule and will fit into the categories of policy/administration, global/cultural health, public health nutrition, infectious disease, and epidemiology/biostatistics/surveillance.
The foundational courses provide students with the information that encompasses the root values of our program: leadership, health equity, and practical application. This category of courses includes something new: the student’s choice of one of our three selectives. These courses cover the breadth of practical methodology utilized by public health practitioners, including systematic review, program evaluation, and study design. It is our intent that these selectives will provide our graduates with practical tools that can be immediately applied to their chosen field of public health.
The core courses provide students with knowledge in all core areas of public health. There are now course chairs for each of these core courses, and these faculty members are responsible for ensuring their core course is relevant and innovative. Additionally, these faculty members will be the point of contact for any student wishing to know more about these areas of public health.
MPH Course Offerings Schedule (even/odd years)
Master of Public Health (MPH) Program Requirements
MPH students are required to take the courses noted below with the exception of HM 825, which is an elective course.
|
Course Number
|
Course Name
|
Course Description
|
Semester Offered
|
Credits
|
|---|
|
HM 801
|
Introduction to Public Health
|
Introduction to public health philosophy and core knowledge areas. Ethical, legal and political considerations. Emphasis on principles and tools for population health, disease prevention and health promotion, health determinants, healthcare and public health systems. |
Every Year: Fall, Spring, Summer
|
3
|
| HM 825 |
Transition to Graduate Academic Writing |
Identify, analyze, and incorporate scholarly articles and published research studies to develop and organize writing skills within the genre of academic writing and scholarship.
|
Every Year: Fall, Spring, Summer (Spring 2024 cancelled) |
1 |
| HM 827 |
Principles of Public Health Leadership |
Context, competencies and core leadership skills. Theories and research in public health and related organizations. Best practices, leadership styles, professional identity. Future leadership challenges. |
Every Year: Fall, Spring, Summer |
1 |
| HM 828 |
Community Engagement in Public Health Practice |
Methods, ethics, and issues in community engaged practice and scholarship. |
Every Year: Fall, Spring, Summer |
3 |
|
HM 854
|
Health Equity Framework for Public Health Practice
|
Social justice and health equity framework for the practice of public health with analysis of persistent health disparity across race, class, gender, and other forms of difference.
|
Summer 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024
|
3
|
Top
The student must choose one of the three selectives below. Additional selective courses may be taken as electives if a student wishes to do so.
|
Course Number
|
Course Name
|
Course Description
|
Semester Offered
|
Credits
|
|---|
|
HM 807
|
Practical Application & Critical Thinking Synthesis in Public Health
|
Critical thinking, reading skills, explanations, problem solving, and decision making in public health using case studies. Questioning assumptions, identifying bias, determining causality, and application of the scientific method. Reporting guidelines and systematic literature reviews.
|
Every Year: Fall, Spring, Summer
|
3
|
|
HM 853
|
Public Health Program & Intervention Evaluation
|
Introduce public health program evaluation methods/tools. Causal inference criteria, standard evaluation guides, procedural and outcome evaluation methods and needs assessment and performance monitoring methods. Integrates epidemiology, biostatistics and public health knowledge pertaining to program evaluation. |
Summer 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024
|
3
|
|
HM 880
|
Study Design and Research Methods for Public Health Practice
|
Examination of empirical and logical basis of public health research. Identification of research questions, study design, data collection and qualitative and quantitative approaches. Reporting of findings. Proposal writing. Ethical considerations in research. |
Summer 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024
|
3
|
Top
All core courses are required for the completion of the MPH degree.
|
Course Number
|
Course Name
|
Course Description
|
Semester Offered
|
Credits
|
|---|
|
HM 802
|
Biostatistics for Public Health
|
Practical applications and methods using software (SAS, Epi-Info) for statistical analysis, database construction, data visualization and interpretation.
|
Every Year: Fall, Spring, Summer
|
3
|
|
HM 803
|
Epidemiology for Public Health
|
Distributions and determinants of disease in population. Epidemiologic research, quantitative methods, study designs pros/cons.
|
Every Year: Fall, Spring, Summer
|
3
|
|
HM 804
|
Public Health Policy & Administration
|
Structural, operational, leadership and components of health policy and public health administration. Community health assessment, advocacy and evaluation within public health agencies and programs. Major business systems used for administration of public health agencies and programs.
|
Every Year: Fall, Spring, Summer
|
3
|
|
HM 805
|
Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health
|
Concepts and methods of social and behavioral sciences applied to public health problems and issues.
|
Every Year: Fall, Spring, Summer
|
3
|
|
HM 806
|
Environmental Factors of Health
|
Biological, physical and chemical factors that affect health of populations. Regulatory approaches to environmental hazards. Potential impact of environmental agents on health and preventive management approaches.
|
Every Year: Fall, Spring, Summer
|
3
|
Top
Three of the Following Elective Courses (9 credits)
The elective credits are grouped by specific public health interests. Students are free to choose the elective credits that best suit their public health goals/interests; they are not restricted to selecting electives in a particular interest group.
|
Course Number
|
Course Name
|
Course Description
|
Semester Offered
|
Credits
|
|---|
|
HM 833
|
Introduction to Pharmaceutical Counterfeiting and Public Health
|
General principles of counterfeiting, counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and how it affects public health. Scope, policy, supply chain management, and health effects are examined using current case examples. |
TBD |
3
|
|
HM 836
|
Comparative Global Healthcare Systems
|
Public health and culture, environment, psychosocial and economic issues. Healthcare systems and health policies. Community health assessments.
|
TBD
|
3
|
|
HM 840
|
Public Health Finance
|
Issues surrounding financial administration of health service organizations. Pragmatic side of healthcare finance, incorporating healthcare economics.
|
Spring 2024
|
3
|
| HM 841 |
Public Health Policy |
U.S. healthcare delivery and financing systems and their contributions to improving health status. |
Summer 2023
|
3 |
Top
|
Course Number
|
Course Name
|
Course Description
|
Semester Offered
|
Credits
|
|---|
|
HM 832
|
Global Public Health
|
Factors and dynamics that affect global public health. Application of public health principles and policies in international settings. Key international stakeholders and their roles in global public health.
|
TBD
|
3
|
|
HM 837
|
Poverty and Public Health
|
Concepts of health and poverty and their interrelatedness from a global and public health perspective. Roles of international agencies, national policy, gender, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, culture, access to resources, and conflict. Role of public health programs in the achievement and maintenance of healthy populations. Struggle to eliminate poverty.
|
Fall 2023
|
3
|
|
HM 838
|
Cultural Aspects of Public Health Practice
|
Cultural concepts that shape health and illness. Major issues and trends in global health. Cultural and socioeconomic factors related to work with diverse populations. Applications for public health practice.
|
Fall 2023
|
3
|
|
HM 839
|
Water and Public Health: A Global Perspective
|
Role of water in public health, focusing on the global crisis of water quantity and quality.Specific water “hot spots” primarily the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Western and Southern U.S., and Mexico.
|
Summer 2023
|
3
|
| HM 847 |
Public Health in Ghana: A One Health Perspective |
Major public health issues in Ghana from a One Health perspective; interface between Western and traditional health care beliefs and practices in Ghana; community engagement experience employing participatory research methods with emphasis on social justice and ethical conduct of research. |
TBD |
5 |
| HM 862 |
Global Pandemics and Public Health Systems, Law, and Community Impacts |
Public Health Systems and Response to Pandemics including Public Health Law and Ethics, Disease Transmission, Testing and Treatment, and Social and Community Context. |
Summer 2023, Spring 2024 |
3 |
|
HM 873
|
Maternal and Child Health: A Global Public Health Perspective
|
Introduction to historical and cultural foundations of maternal and child global public health. Health care needs, health determinants and disparities, programs, policies and public health issues affecting women and children.
|
Spring 2024
|
3
|
Top
|
Course Number
|
Course Name
|
Course Description
|
Semester Offered
|
Credits
|
|---|
|
HM 808
|
Public Health Surveillance
|
Introduction, history, and design of national, state and local public health surveillance systems for communicable diseases, chronic diseases, birth defects, injury, and disasters. Use of surveillance data sources. |
TBD
|
3
|
|
HM 842
|
Introduction to Public Health Informatics
|
Survey of information technology applications in the public health domain, functions and tools used to generate public health knowledge. Disease surveillance platforms and web-based public health education, ethical and legal issues surrounding data exchange. |
TBD
|
3
|
|
HM 845
|
Informatics and Information Technology
|
Information technology for health informatics systems, principles of relational database systems, operations, information systems, data sets, data standards and classification systems. |
TBD
|
3
|
|
HM 878
|
Applied Biostatistics for Public Health Practitioners
|
Intermediate techniques and applications of multivariable logistic and linear regression in public health. Interpretation of statistical models. |
Fall 2023
|
3
|
|
HM 889
|
Applied Epidemiologic Methods for Public Health Practitioners
|
Identification and conceptualization of public health problems. Generation of testable hypotheses and appropriate data sets. Interpretation of appropriate measures of associations. Evaluation of validity and generalizability of results and ethical issues surrounding the use of humans in epidemiological research. Real case studies are used to analyze study design including the role of chance, bias, misclassification, effect measure modification, interaction, and missing data. |
Spring 2024
|
3
|
Top
Infectious Disease and Public Health
|
Course Number
|
Course Name
|
Course Description
|
Semester Offered
|
Credits
|
|---|
|
HM 831
|
Communicable Disease in Public Health
|
Fundamentals of communicable disease transmission. Overview of methods for prevention and control of communicable disease. Agents and organisms of public health significance. |
TBD
|
3
|
|
HM 852
|
Outbreak Investigations in Public Health
|
Process for conducting public health outbreak investigations including the role of local, state, federal and international agencies. Legal, political, media and law enforcement issues. |
TBD
|
3
|
|
HM 863
|
Parasitic Diseases and Public Health in Developing Countries
|
Nature, impact and control of parasitic diseases in developing countries. |
Spring 2024 |
3
|
|
HM 864
|
Intersections of Human and Animal Health
|
Epidemiology and preventive medicine disease control methods for the control of infectious diseases and environmental health issues shared by animals and people. |
Summer 2023
|
3
|
|
HM 871
|
Vaccine and Preventable Diseases of Public Health Importance
|
Vaccine-preventable diseases of importance to the public health and the global community. Basic epidemiology, surveillance, vaccine updates, status of the vaccination programs, associated cost, benefits, and related public health policies. Current controversies associated with national and international disease control, elimination, and eradication campaigns. |
Fall 2023
|
3
|
| HM 881 |
Pathogenesis of Parasitic Infections Important to Public Health |
Specific causes and progression of major parasitic diseases important to global public health; diverse aspects of the host’s responses to the invasion by these organisms; protective and pathogenic immune responses; development of clinical disease; role of chemotherapy development of clinical disease; effects of chemotherapeutic agents; epidemiological discussion of the importance of quantification of the pathology and clinical disease seen in populations. |
TBD |
3 |
Top
Public Health Nutrition
|
Course Number
|
Course Name
|
Course Description
|
Semester Offered
|
Credits
|
|---|
|
HM 861
|
Introduction to Public Health Nutrition
|
Biological principles of nutrition and physical activity with public health focus. Nutritional issues in specific populations. Introduction to malnutrition, current issues in nutrition, role of nutrition in chronic diseases, and nutrition policy and intervention programs. |
TBD
|
3
|
|
HM 865
|
Vitamins and Minerals: Risks to Public Health
|
Introduction to public health issues in vitamin and mineral nutrition, including biological roles, human requirements, and consequences of deficiency and excesses. Current issues regarding specific micronutrient status in U.S. and worldwide. Current and proposed population-based interventions. |
Spring 2024
|
3
|
|
HM 876
|
Nutrition and Chronic Diseases: Living Longer and Healthier
|
Role of nutrition and physical activity in chronic diseases with emphasis on macronutrients. Relationship between obesity and health and socioeconomic disparities in the United States and current policies. Overview of nutrition transition and impact on developing nations. |
Summer 2023
|
3
|
|
HM 877
|
Public Health Nutrition and the Life Stages
|
Effect of nutrition on growth and development. Role of public health interventions throughout life. Emphasis on at-risk populations in the United States and worldwide. Survey of current programs addressing specific public health nutrition concerns. |
Fall 2023
|
3
|
|
HM 882
|
Public Health Nutrition: Assessment and Development of Population-Based Interventions
|
Assessment of nutritional and physical activity on a population level. Identification of at-risk populations. Collection, interpretation and application of data for developing interventions and evaluating behavior change and health outcomes. Role of public health and national nutrition institutions. |
TBD
|
3
|
Top
Culminating Experience (6 credits)
|
Course Number
|
Course Name
|
Course Description
|
Semester Offered
|
Credits
|
|---|
|
HM 892
|
Public Health Applied Practice Experience
|
Professional practicum.
|
Every Year: Fall, Spring, Summer
|
3
|
|
HM 893
|
Public Health Integrative Learning Experience
|
Capstone experience.
|
Every Year: Fall, Spring, Summer
|
3
|
Top
