The Integrated Learning Experience requires the student to synthesize and integrate knowledge acquired in coursework and other learning experiences and to apply theory and principles in a situation that approximates some aspect of professional practice. The course will be taken by students who have not completed their project or thesis ILE. Prerequisites: GSPH 5304, GSPH 5307, GSPH 5309, GSPH 5310, GSPH 5311, GSPH 5313, and GSPH 5334.

Independent Study

The course will provide the student with the opportunity to learn leadership lessons from the careers of a diverse group of leaders who are successful executives and entrepreneurs from multiple sectors, including public health, hospitals, government, nonprofit. It will present the chance to discuss and reflect on leadership styles, provide exposure to leadership theory, and assist in the development of effective networking skills. It will prepare students for effectively engaging with their peers, personal network, and potential employers.

This two-credit hour course applies an active, participatory approach to help public health and health care professionals learn how to better communicate more effectively both in written communications and oral presentations. Students will work in small groups to critique and peer review each other’s written assignments as well as practice oral presentation. The course focuses on selecting written and oral communication strategies for a diverse range of public and professional audiences, with further attention to cultural competence in targeting messages to specific populations.

This course is intended to introduce students to key concepts of law and ethics as applied to public health. It seeks to demonstrate, with both current and historical examples, constrains in public health decision-making and actions. This course will help students identify and appropriately assess legal and ethical issues that underlie the field of public health.

This three-credit hour course focuses on the behavioral sciences and their influence on public health. As a core course, this is an overview and introduction to social and behavioral health theories and issues-briefly covering several aspects of the behavioral sciences such as: individual, community, organizational, and social impacts on health and population health status; cultural competence; effective communication strategies; and engagement of rural and urban communities using theory-informed models.

This course is intended for students majoring in the area of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The focus of this course is on the use of behavioral science theories in the development of interventions to change individual or group behavior. We will briefly cover many aspects of the behavioral sciences, including individual, community, organizational, and social impacts on health.

In this course students are introduced to the application of health education and health promotion intervention theory and methods directed toward change in organizations, communities, and governments. Topics include organizational change, mass media, community organizations, diffusion of innovations, community development, social action, and political action. Students are provided opportunities to demonstrate knowledge and gain experience in applying theory, in designing interventions, and in developing programs of intervention to affect programs, policies, and environmental conditions.

This course will introduce students to the fundamental principles of epidemiology. Students will be introduces to quantitative data collection methods as well as being taught how to interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice. Ultimately, this course will equip students with the necessary information to apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice.

This three-semester hour course will review selected articles from the epidemiologic and bio-statistical literature that are of historical importance. Course Prerequisite: GSPH 5307; GSPH 5312

This course is an overview of the major areas of environmental health and provides students with an understanding of hazards in the environment, the effects of environmental contaminants on health, and various approaches to address major environmental health problems. Areas of emphasis are environmental epidemiology, toxicology, agents of environmental disease and policy and regulation.

The course presents competencies surrounding public health policy formulation. The main focus will be on the policy issues in the U.S. health care system, but some global health will be explored. The course will include application of principles of policy formulation, development, budgeting, implementation, evaluation and analysis. An historical overview of seminal health policy events in U.S. history is also explored through completing stakeholder dynamics.

This course will introduce students to basic biostatistics as used in public health practice. Through the utilization of SPSS software, students will learn how to analyze quantitative data. Additionally, students will learn to interpret their statistical analysis results in order to describe, measure, and analyze public health problems. Applications of these interpretations will be useful in several avenues of public health including research and policy making. Prerequisite: leveling exam will be given to incoming students.

The objective of this course is to expand upon the basic concepts of statistical reasoning developed in GSPH 5411 (Introduction to Biostatistics) to selected applications of bio-statistical analysis: simple and multiple linear regression, contingency table analysis, logistic regression, and analysis of variance. The course also includes introductions to survival analysis, repeated measures data, and nonparametric methods. Course Prerequisite: GSPH 5411 (or equivalent)

This introductory course will explore the history of public health, the successes and challenges faced by public health practitioners over the years, and the current trends in public health in the United States. Students will learn the core functions of public health and the essential services of public health, and how public health is practiced in the United States. This course covers the Foundational Knowledge in Public Health as required by our accrediting body.

This course will take the student through the process of intervention development, beginning with the assessment needed to understand determinants of health and behavior through the mapping of determinants, development of strategies and methods, and preparing for evaluation. Students will work in small groups on a complex public health problems and will develop an intervention to address that problem. Course Prerequisite: GSPH 5304 or GSPH 5305

This three-credit course provides an overview of theory and practice of leadership and management as applied to public health. Public health managerial concerns such as leadership, strategic planning, decision making, negotiations, and budget and resource management, will be introduced in this course. This course is intended primarily for MPH students with little or no previous graduate-level academic preparation in leadership and management.

This three-credit hour course applies an active, participatory approach to help public health and health care professionals learn about the regulatory environment as well as the normative ethics of conducting public health research as well as how to better communicate more effectively in written and spoken communications.

The practicum is an integral component of professional training in public health, enabling students to observe from professionals in the field. The practicum also allows students to apply theoretical learning toward achievement of practical goals and skills while under the supervision of a preceptor and apracticum advisor. Prerequisites: GSPH 5304, GSPH 5307, GSPH 5309, GSPH 5310, GSPH 5313, GSPH 5411.

Students will learn the basics of public health program evaluation. Combining the CDC Framework for Program Eval with theory-based eval principles, students will learn to engage stakeholders, describe public health programs, design evaluations, gather credible evidence, and justify conclusions to ensure maximum use of evaluation findings for program stakeholders and evidence-based public health programming. Prerequisites: GSPH 5304 or GSPH 5305, GSPH 5411

This three-semester hour course will focus on the key principles and methods of epidemiologic research at an intermediate level. Practical issues, such as applied logistic regression, will be discussed. Course Prerequisite: GSPH 5307

In this course we will evaluate multiple dimensions of health care cost and payment, focusing on how payment systems influence provider organization, behavior and performance and how policy is developed.

We will discuss the scientific principles of theory surrounding the changing population health environment. In this class, students learn to view theoretical models as tools that can be applied to explain retrospective population health behavior, as well as, forecast future behavior change in human populations. Theoretical constructs, variables, and operationalized measures of theory are applied in the scientific analysis of both open and closed systems that allow for a contrast of for-profit, non-profit, and government systems of healthcare. The class is conducted in a seminar format. No textbook is required. Journal articles are provided by the professor.

This class focuses on social, behavioral, and environmental contributors to population health and well-being. The course will include analysis and discussion of the data, methods, and research ethics relevant to social epidemiology, and students will be expected to develop and refine population-based solutions to complex social and structural factors that impact population health. The course examines how structural biases and social inequality impact health at the local, national, and global level, and considers how issues of cultural competence are relevant to addressing health disparities.

This course addresses the etiology, prevention, distribution, natural history, and treatment outcomes of chronic health conditions, and their impact on public health.

This three-credit hour course focuses on rural health issues and their influence on public health. This course will delve deeper into these challenges, addressing the specific physical and cultural characteristics of rural areas that make them so different from their urban counterparts. Additionally, this course will address epidemiological methods to assess rural health issues such as ethical principles and environmental hazards. Students will be challenged to interpret results of data, assess population needs specific to rural communities, propose strategies to build coalitions using partnerships. During the course of study students will apply systems thinking tools to research public health issues, solving skills to identify interventions and present findings both in writing and using oral presentations. They will also look at public health program planning from a community-focused lens and focus on overcoming specific barriers that are driving disparities in rural areas. Prerequisites: GSPO 5304, GSPO 5307, GSPO 5311

This course is designed to cover the basic concepts of toxicology, including an examination of major classes of pollutants, mechanisms of toxicity and the relationship between human disease and exposure to environmental chemicals. This course also applies these concepts to effects on general and susceptible populations, risk communication, and public health practice.

This course will explore issues of global health and the public health responses to those needs.

The purpose of this course is to explore the concept of Quality and the process of Quality Improvement across the Health Care continuum. We will discuss the history and evolution of quality, its terms, principles, theories, and practices. Students will review methods of improving quality, including but not limited to continuous Quality improvement and Total Quality Management, and to the guidelines for implementing quality management and continuous quality improvement processes. Students will also be asked to think creatively to design novel ways of improving quality.

This course will include sessions on: introduction to qualitative research, research design, ethnography, conducting a literature search, qualitative interviewing, recruitment and sampling, mixed methods, focus groups, thematic qualitative data analysis, ethics, and the quality of qualitative research.

This class deals with public health practice at the community, organizational, and political levels and Community Based Participatory Research methods. We want you to feel comfortable with all of these levels, and would like you to be able to work on health issues at all levels. In this class you will learn how to select qualitative methods and how to do them (focus groups, photo voice, key informant interviews, nominal group process). In this class you will develop a community based project, intervention, or program.

An introduction to maternal and child health (MCH) epidemiology. Readings from the textbook will be supplemented with several journal articles. Guest speakers form the discipline of MCH, obstetrics, and neonatology will deliver selected lectures. (Prerequisite: GSPH 5307)

This class will explore the use of social and digital media as it is currently being used in the field of public health. Class will include discussions of innovative public health programming ideas, and evidence-based practices using social and digital media.

This is a 3 credit hour course for master’s degree students in public health. This course covers practical issues related to public health design, data management, and data analysis using SPSS and SAS software packages.

The course will provide the student with an in-depth understanding of public health delivery systems across the globe. Topics will include: historic development, organization and characteristics of the U.S. public health delivery system as compared to other countries’ public health delivery systems. Comparative effectiveness research and Quality Improvement techniques will be used to draw comparisons about current payment and reimbursement systems; healthcare accrediting agencies; functions and organization of providers; organization of health facilities; and health information management to optimize patient care in many different countries. Prerequisites: GSPH 5411 AND GSPH 5310

This three-credit hour course will cover topics of temporal or special interest which are not being offered as part of the Master of Public Health degree curriculum. Experimental courses may also be offered as special topics courses and subsequently proposed as a regular course.

The Integrated Learning Experience requires the student to synthesize and integrate knowledge acquired in coursework and other learning experiences and to apply theory and principles in a situation that approximates some aspect of professional practice. The student will choose between four alternative integrated learning experiences. The first option is a research thesis. The second option is a public health project. The third option is a comprehensive exam. The fourth option is a capstone course. Prerequisites: GSPH 5304, GSPH 5307, GSPH 5309, GSPH 5310, GSPH 5313, GSPH 5334, GSPH 5311.