Khan Annex windows at night

Community Health:

Master of Public Health

Assess community needs. Develop innovative solutions. Implement impactful programs and policies. Focus on prevention. Build stronger, healthier communities.

CONCENTRATION IN HEALTH BEHAVIOR & PROMOTION

The concentration courses provide students with an opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills that are essential for promotion of health and prevention of diseases in culturally diverse populations. Full Degree Requirements

Core Curriculum

In the first year of the MPH Program, students take classes in the following areas of public health:

CHLH 410 - Public Health Practice

Theory and practice of public health promotion as they relate to educational approaches in solving community health problems.

CHLH 469 - Environmental Health

Appreciation of the concepts used to prevent environmental conditions that may threaten health. Topics include air pollution, water supply management, waste management, radiation protection, food hygiene, occupational health and disaster management.

CHLH 550 - Health Policy

Comprehensive analysis of the policy process in health care in the United States; systematic and critical review of health policy development, implementation, and evaluation; impact of government at all levels and the role of providers, industry, labor, and consumer in health policy.

CHLH 572 - Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health

Application of epidemiologic methods to public health, including descriptive epidemiology, analytic study designs (case-control and cohort studies and randomized trials). Examples of applications focus on public health issues in chronic disease and infectious disease prevention and control.

CHLH 573 - Biostatistics in Public Health

Application of statistical methods to epidemiology, clinical and diagnostic medicine, and laboratory biomedical experiments. Topics include descriptive statistics and graphics, reliability, sample size estimation, contingency table analysis, analysis of group differences, survival analysis, correlation and linear regression. Emphasizes use of computerized statistical software in biomedical data analysis.

CONCENTRATION CURRICULUM

To fulfill the program’s concentration competencies and gain expertise in this specific discipline of Public Health, all students take five courses relating to Health Behavior and Promotion. Four out of five courses are pre-determined by the program. Students choose the final course that meets the concentration course criteria from within or outside the department.

CHLH 540 - Health Behavior Theory

Analysis of social science theories and perspectives that comprise the foundation of health education theory and practice. Includes development of a conceptual frame of reference for understanding, predicting, and facilitating change in health behaviors.

CHLH 575 - Chronic Disease Prevention

Advanced course in population-based approaches to chronic disease prevention, with emphasis on policy and environmental strategies affecting lifestyle risk factors. Provides an understanding of common diseases, screen tests, community assessment, systematic evidence reviews, and evidence-based community interventions.

CHLH 577 - Health Program Evaluation

Use of research methods and theory for evaluation of initiatives and programs in public health and medical care. Emphasis on acquiring skills in designing and conducting evaluations whose results have impact on public health practice.

CHLH 579 - Cultural Competence in Public Health

Cultural competence education increases public health professionals’ cultural awareness, knowledge of self and others, communication skills, attitudes, and behaviors. Demonstrates theoretical models in public health and explores community-based programs as it relates to cultural competence and health promotion.

Concentration course of Student’s Choice

Any course on campus fulfilling one or more of MPH concentration competencies in the area of health behavior and promotion qualifies as a concentration course. Current students must consult with the MPH Program Coordinator before selecting a particular concentration course of choice during the registration process. View List Here.