Academic Programs Courses
Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) Core
BIOST 2011 PRINCIPLES OF STATISTICAL REASONING: 3 credits
EPIDEM 2110 PRINCIPLES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY: 3 credits
PUBHLT 2014 PUBLIC HEALTH OVERVIEW AND DISCUSSION: 1 credit
EOH 2013 HEALTH, DISEASE, AND ENVIRONMENT: 3 credits
HPM 2001 INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION: 3 credits
PUBHLT 2015 PUBLIC HEALTH BIOLOGY: 2 credits
PUBHLT 2016 CAPSTONE COURSE: PROBLEM-SOLVING IN PUBLIC HEALTH: 2 credits
Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences (BCHS) Core
BCHS 2503 PRACTICUM: PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES: 2 credits minimum required; every term; hours to be arranged. The short-term field placement relates to the student's area of interest in an operating organization or agency and allows students the opportunity to apply project management and research skills.
BCHS 2504 OVERVIEW OF HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS: 3 credits; spring term. The purpose of this class is to introduce the theories and research that underlie health communication. Health communication is the “art and technique of informing, influencing, and motivating individual, institutional, and public audiences about important health issues. The scope of health communication includes disease prevention, health promotion, healthcare policy, and the business of health care as well as enhancement of the quality of life and health of individuals in the community” (DHHS, 2000 in IOM, page 72). Utilizing the research and resources from two decades of health communication, the course will examine health communication campaigns; provide a framework for planning health communication; and enable students to develop components of a health communication campaign.
BCHS 2509 SOCIAL BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH: 3 credits; spring and summer terms. This course is only for non-BCHS students. The core course provides an overview of the social and behavioral sciences and their importance in the inter-disciplinary field of public health. a primary emphasis is on the social-ecological model, its application to public health issues, and its use in the development of policies, strategies, interventions and programs. The course content will introduce students to several relevant social and behavioral theories as well as a range of community health assessment and planning models used by public health professionals in both domestic and international venues. Through a series of assigned readings, discussion exercises, group projects, quizzes and written assignments, students will enhance their knowledge and awareness of the role of social and behavioral sciences in public health and its relevance to their specific discipline. At the conclusion of the course students will be able to: identify the important social and behavioral determinants of health; describe the inter-relationships between the social, behavioral, bio-medical, physiological, and environmental factors related to individual and community health; identify the major health disparities related to social, behavioral and economic factors; describe the role of culture and socio-economic status in health behavior, access to services, and decision-making; and understand the importance of community partnerships and participatory approaches in the development, implementation, management and evaluation of community policies and programs.
BCHS 2520 THEORIES OF HEALTH BEHAVIOR AND HEALTH EDUCATION: 3 credits; fall term. The course is designed as an introduction to the major theories that are the foundation of most health education interventions. It provides the student with exposure to the current theories that are being used in health behavior and health promotion educational interventions. Also, it provides students with a theoretical foundation for designing, implementing, and evaluating health promotion and education programs.
BCHS 2521 ESSAY: BEHAVIORAL AND COMMUNITY HEALTH SCIENCES: Variable credits; every term; hours to be arranged. The essay requirement is designed to provide the student with an opportunity to integrate the major components of the public health learning experience. The student is expected to demonstrate verbal and technical proficiency in expository writing.
BCHS 2522 PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM PLANNING: 3 credits; spring term. This course is a multiphase process that involves people with different perspectives and stakes, and a planning model is often used to establish comprehensive thinking and oversight throughout the process while applying specific skills and techniques at certain phases. This course introduces such planning models and principles and discusses participatory program planning in multiple phases in lectures and class exercises.
BCHS 2525 INTRODUCTION TO APPLIED RESEARCH METHODS: 3 credits; spring term. The goal of this course is to give students a basic understanding of social and behavioral sciences research principles, as well as how these methods are implemented in the field of public health. Relationship of applied research to program evaluation, the link of theory to research, and the translation of research information to applied public health programs and policies will be emphasized. Participatory research will be highlighted. Quantitative and qualitative strategies, research designs, data collection methods, participant selection, and data analysis will be covered.
BCHS 2559 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT APPROACHES TO PUBLIC HEALTH: 3 credits; spring term. In this introductory course, students will study community development as a strategy to improve health and increase community capacity. This approach emphasizes communities as cultural systems rather than as mere aggregates of individuals, and takes a strengths-based and social-ecological approach to identifying and defining communities. Through class exercises as well as readings and lectures, students will learn practical methods for engaging communities. Students will not work directly with communities in this introductory class, but will participate in community simulations in most class sessions.
BCHS 2563 COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT: 3 credits; fall or spring term; prerequisites: BIOST 2011 and EPID 2110 or their equivalents. Techniques for assessing and projecting selected community characteristics and population health status from the viewpoint of community health programming. The course covers both primary and secondary data such as demographic data, healthcare utilization, and survey data.
BCHS Electives
BCHS 2511 INDEPENDENT STUDY: 0.5–3.0 credits; every term. This course allows students with major interests in specialty areas to participate in a course of individual study, research activities, or advanced readings with a specified faculty member.
BCHS 2530 INJURY PREVENTION AND CONTROL: 2 credits; fall term. This course provides an overview of the major causes of unintentional, intentional, and occupational injury morbidity and mortality, and a description of planning, implementation, and evaluation of injury prevention and control programming.
BCHS 2532 DIMENSIONS OF AGING: CULTURE AND HEALTH: 2 credits; spring term; cross-listed as HRS 2480 and ANTH 2715; admission by permission of instructor. This course provides an overview of the aging experience from a cross-cultural and a public health perspective. The ways in which people cope with and adapt to the aging process is a major theme.
BCHS 2533 ISSUES IN LONG-TERM CARE SERVICES: 3 credits; spring term; cross-listed as HRS 2484. Long-term care is a system of institutional and community-based services for the aging population. Using this framework, services and delivery systems are analyzed for adequacy and appropriateness; system-wide issues are identified and discussed; and selected components of the delivery system are examined for administrative problems.
BCHS 2534 CLINICAL ASPECTS OF DEMENTIA CARE: 2 credits; every term; admission by permission of instructor. This course is designed as an independent study for students in the Public Health and Aging Certificate Program. Its focus is on the methods and technology for the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
BCHS 2541 RESEARCH METHODS ON AGING: 2 credits; summer session I; cross-listed as HRS 2488. This course is designed to familiarize students with methods for conducting research on aging populations. Through lecture, discussion, and examples of current research, the instructors provide a basic understanding of the appropriate methods for data collection and the problems and issues related to the conduct of research on older adults. Students are required to have taken some courses on aging or be familiar with the basic concepts on aging theory and research design.
BCHS 2553 WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT: 3 credits; fall term. This course examines the experiences of women and the dynamics of gender in so-called "developing" societies, analyzing the implication for scholars and practitioners of international development. The course focuses on societies in the Southern Hemisphere, i.e., those of contemporary Asia, Africa, and Latin America, while some attention is given to comparable issues in the United States and other industrialized countries.
BCHS 2558 HEALTH PROGRAM EVALUATION: 2 credits; spring term; prerequisite: BIOST 2011 or equivalent. The course surveys evaluation and policy research methods applied to health. Students learn to critically assess the adequacy of evaluations and how to plan and pilot-test an evaluation.
BCHS 2560 INTRODUCTION TO POPULATION PROBLEMS: 2 credits; fall term. The impact of population growth, distribution, and change on social, economic, environmental, and health relationships is presented with a focus on the sociopolitical responses to population dynamics.
BCHS 2561 DEMOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES: 3 credits; fall term. The course covers demographic techniques including rates and ratios, standardization, complete and abridged life tables, fertility, mortality, migration measurement, and population projection and estimation.
BCHS 2562 SEMINAR IN FAMILY PLANNING: 2 credits; spring term. Participants explore the history of contraception and the birth-control movement. Issues related to contraceptive care and the broader concerns of women's health are discussed.
BCHS 2565 MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH APPLIED RESEARCH: 2 credits; summer session I. This course considers the historical, social, and economic factors in the design, implementation, and analysis of maternal and child health applied research.
BCHS 2568 HUMAN DIVERSITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY, RESEARCH, AND PRACTICE: 2 credits; summer session I; cross-listed as IDM 2032. The course provides a theoretical framework for designing policy, research, and programs for diverse populations. Opportunities for expanding understanding and examining attitudes about human diversity are presented. Community organizing and marketing methods related to program design, and recruiting and sustaining volunteer or patient participation in programs are a major focus of the course.
BCHS 2570 INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH SERVICES FOR MOTHERS AND CHILDREN: 2 credits; spring term. The scope, organization, and financing of national and local health promotion, disease prevention, early detection, diagnostic treatment, and rehabilitative services are surveyed with respect to historical trends and current issues.
BCHS 2572 RISK COMMUNICATION: 2 credits; fall term. This course focuses on risk communication within the context of terrorism and natural disasters. The didactic and experimental course will include core principles of risk communication, examine special challenges of risk communication with diverse audiences and media, and prepare students to create risk and crisis communication campaigns.
BCHS 2575 SEMINAR IN MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH: 2 credits; fall term. The course is oriented toward the professional growth of students with a concentration in maternal and child health. The seminar deals with current issues in society affecting the health of children and their families, such as child abuse and neglect, prevailing attitudes and responses, etiology and risk factors, and preventive multidisciplinary strategies.
BCHS 2579 EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND DISASTER RESPONSE: 2 credits; spring term. This course is an introduction to the role of public health professionals in community emergency planning and response to all types of disasters. It covers the theory and practice of incident command system; the role of local, state, and federal agencies; surveillance and information systems; and risk communication, training, and evaluation.
BCHS 2588 CHILD AND YOUTH HEALTH: GRENADA: 3 credits; summer session II. This course uses a service-learning approach to examine child and youth concerns and practices for promoting healthy outcomes. A multidisciplinary focus will be applied to understand children's health risks, healthcare disparities, and ecological and cultural influences on health. Students will collaborate with educators and public health workers in Grenada to enhance the health and well-being of children and youth who reside in the Carriacou community of Grenada.
BCHS 2592 INTEGRATIVE SEMINAR IN PUBLIC HEALTH SOCIAL WORK: 1 credit; every term; hours to be arranged; admission by permission of instructor. The seminar provides the social worker with an opportunity to integrate previous course content into a framework relevant to the practice of public health social work.
BCHS 2598 SOCIAL INEQUALITIES IN HEALTH: 2 credits; summer session. This course introduces students to the current literature in socioeconomic inequalities and their impact on public health. The course discusses such topics as race, ethnicity, and gender as they relate to socioeconomic and public health status and critiques current methods in quantitative analysis.
BCHS 2599 PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACHES TO WOMEN'S HEALTH: 2 credits; summer session I. Public health problems affecting women, i.e., alcoholism and other addictions, occupational health risks, nutritional disorders, cancer and other chronic diseases, injuries and disabilities, reproductive health risks, and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as health and social problems relating primarily to women, are discussed. Etiology of health problems, prevention and treatment, high-risk groups, and controversies related to care are covered.
BCHS 3002 HEALTH SURVEY METHODS: 2 credits; spring term. This course introduces and reviews the techniques for the collection of health data through survey methods.
BCHS 3003 SEMINAR IN ADVANCED EVALUATION TECHNIQUES: 3 credits; spring term; admission by permission of instructor. This course provides an understanding of evaluation theory and methodology with an emphasis on human service organizations.
BCHS 3004 INTEGRATIVE SEMINAR IN HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH: 1 credit; fall or spring term. This is an advanced seminar in which current problems in public health, health policy, and health services research are discussed.
BCHS 3007 ETHNOGRAPHIC QUALITATIVE METHODS: 3 credits; spring term. This course familiarizes students with the basic principles and methods of ethnographic research, e.g., research design, participant observation, ethnographic interviewing, the integration of ethnographic and quantitative techniques, and ethical questions involved in ethnographic research and their application to the evaluation of human service and healthcare programs.
BCHS 3015 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND SPATIAL DATA ANALYSIS: 3 credits; fall term. This course covers the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial data analysis techniques in empirical public health research. Basic descriptive and analytic functions of GIS are introduced along with spatial and geographic concepts. The interrelationship between GIS and spatial data analysis is demonstrated through the use of specialized GIS and spatial data analysis software, with a particular emphasis on the study of spatial patterns and spatial auto correlation in public health research.