Master of Public Health Online Courses

Survey of the dimensions of health and disease from three perspectives: The U.S. historical experience with health and disease; the social context of health and illness, including the healthcare system and policy issues; and choices in healing, integrating conventional and complementary therapies. The history, etiology, epidemiology, geographic mortality patterns of selected public health issues and disease entities are studied. The coursework and research project are designed to provide students with basic qualitative research skills, which are useful in clinical practice, applied research, program planning, development, and evaluation.

The purpose of this course is to provide an integrated perspective of population health covering both health care systems and broader public health policies.  The course will familiarize students with the health care system in the U.S. and provide comparisons to health care systems internationally.  Relevant understandings will include population health outcomes, spending on health, and determinants of health and disparities within and across countries as well as stimulate critical thinking about how systems can meet the challenges of cost, quality and access. This course will equally highlight the vital role of public health policies in addressing population health, including the concept of health in all policies. Students will be challenged to develop and evaluate public health policy using the PEEEL framework, which focuses on understandings of politics, economics, ethics, epidemiology/health research, and law/government.

This course is a survey of the basic concepts of community and environmental health issues and how they apply to specific health problems. The course explores the impact of the environment on public health. The goal of the course is to help students understand the range of environmental health issues and explore their impact on communities as well as their effects on one’s well-being. Topics covered include the effects of air, water, and the built environment explored from the global to local perspective and environmental justice.

This course examines the fundamentals of public health communication including communication theories that are the basis of health promotion campaigns. The vital role that public health communication in the success of new health promotion and the development of novel messaging to reach underserved audiences will be explored in depth and through experiential learning. The latest public health communication innovations, tools, technologies, research and strategies will be presented and explored. Through class assignments, students will learn and practice the skills of engaging communication – with varying audience including young, old, parents, caregivers, healthcare providers, community leaders, policy makers, and researchers – skills that build the foundation for improving and maintaining health and well-being through public health communications.

This course offers an introduction to the approaches and methods used in describing the natural history of disease in communities (descriptive epidemiology) and epidemiological study design, bias, confounding, and measures of risk used in the study of disease etiology (analytic epidemiology). A critical review of the public health and medical literature is included using an evidence-based medicine approach to critical analysis. Lecture and discussions are supplemented with problem-solving exercises.

An overview of descriptive and inferential statistics needed to interpret health-related data, and the statistics needed to analyze and evaluate the health literature and health services research. The focus is on the theoretical approach to understanding the application of statistics to health education and public health research.

This course explores the history, bioethics and current issues in health research in order that students may understand issues in research. The course covers quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation design, methods, instrument construction and interpretation of results to develop the skills needed for health professionals to perform and critically evaluate research in their prospective fields.

All MPH degree candidates are required to complete an internship experience. This experience occurs toward the end of the degree program after students have completed their core courses. The internship is expected to be an experience that bridges professional academic preparation and public health practice. Knowledge and skills learned in your courses will be applied in an agency setting under the supervision and guidance of an experienced preceptor. Students are responsible for finding an internship on their own. A list of potential internship opportunities is available from the Program Director or Internship Coordinator upon request.

All M.P.H. degree candidates are required to complete an internship experience. This experience occurs toward the end of the degree program after students have completed their core courses. The internship is expected to be an experience that bridges professional academic preparation and public health practice. Knowledge and skills learned in your courses will be applied in an agency setting under the supervision and guidance of an experienced preceptor. Students are responsible for finding an internship on their own. A list of potential internship opportunities is available from the Program Director or Internship Coordinator upon request.

An independent research-based project is required of all students as a final demonstration of acquired skills and knowledge. Students have the opportunity to organize, synthesize, and communicate the results of the project both through an oral defense, a formal poster presentation, and in a written report. Projects may involve the analysis of quantitative or qualitative data; but may also include policy analysis, systematic literature review, and other options described in the Capstone Handbook.  This course involves the planning of the project.

A continuation of PBH 695.  This course involves the implementation and reporting of the designed project from 695.

This course introduces concepts, theories, and methods employed by behavioral scientists to develop, implement, and evaluate public health interventions. An overview of psychosocial factors related to health and illness behavior, models of health beliefs and behavior, strategies for health behavior change at the individual, group, and community level is presented. Emphasis is on the theoretical perspective and how theory can be applied to the design and assessment of public health and health promotion programs and interventions.

This course provides an overview of models and approaches appropriate for designing and implementing health programs. The basics of the program planning, including needs assessment, operations planning methods, implementation strategies, and an introduction to evaluation techniques are covered. In addition, interpersonal, organizational, and community level influences are discussed using contemporary health behavior models.

Over the course of the semester, students will gain experience in the design and conduct of real-world evaluation strategies for local non-profit organizations. Students will also learn how to critically assess evaluations conducted by public health professionals both presented by guest speakers from non-profit organizations and students’ independent case study research. At the completion of the course, students should be able to both design evaluation strategies and contribute constructively to the design of evaluations conducted by others.

Public health emergency preparedness is an inherently interdisciplinary endeavor. This course is intended to provide students with an understanding of the key concepts and practice of public health emergency preparedness and response. Course content will cover the foundational elements of conducting prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery actions from a perspective of public health and its partners. These approaches will be discussed in the context of natural and human-made disasters, incorporate case studies, and utilize information and tools from public health practice. Knowledge and skills obtained from this course will be applicable to traditional students as well as individuals seeking to apply this information to their professional environment.