Required and Elective Courses, 2023-2024
Required and Elective Courses
All students in the MSPH in the Global Disease Epidemiology and Control Program must take the required courses listed below. All required courses must be taken for a letter grade except for courses only offered for pass/fail grading. Below you'll find the lists of required and elective courses, as well as a general student timeline and an example of how a schedule might look for someone in their first year of the program.
Required Courses 2023-24
Course No. | Course Title | Term | Credits | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Year 1: General Degree Requirements | ||||
Academic and Research Ethics at BSPH |
1 |
0 |
||
Special Studies and Research GDEC: Individualized Goals Analysis (IGA) (register and select your advisor’s name) |
1 |
1 |
||
Global Disease Epidemiology and Control (GDEC) Program Seminar 1 |
1 |
1 |
||
GDEC Program Seminar 2 |
2 |
1 |
||
GDEC Program Seminar 3 |
3 |
1 |
||
International Travel Preparation, Safety, and Wellness (only take once) |
2, 3, 4 |
1 |
||
Epidemiology Requirement (choose one option) |
||||
Option 1 or |
||||
Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health I Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health II |
1 2 |
5 4 |
||
Option 2 or |
||||
Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health I Public Health Surveillance |
1 3 |
5 3 |
||
Option 3 |
||||
Epidemiologic Methods 1 Epidemiologic Methods 2 |
1 2 |
5 5 |
||
Biostatistics |
||||
Statistical Methods in Public Health I |
1 |
4 |
||
Statistical Methods in Public Health II |
2 |
4 |
||
Statistical Methods in Public Health III |
3 |
4 |
||
Statistical Methods in Public Health IV |
4 |
4 |
||
International Health |
||||
Foundations of International Health |
1, 4 |
4 |
||
Global Disease Control Programs and Policies |
4 |
4 |
||
Infectious Disease (Choose one) |
||||
Infectious Disease and Child Survival |
3 |
3 |
||
Clinical and Epidemiological Aspects of Tropical Diseases |
4 |
4 |
||
Study Design and Implementation (Choose one) |
||||
Design and Conduct of Community Trials |
3 |
4 |
||
Large-Scale Effectiveness Evaluations of Health Programs |
2 |
4 |
||
Good Clinical Practice: A Vaccine Trials Perspective |
4 |
4 |
||
Vaccines Requirement |
||||
Vaccine Development and Application |
2 |
4 |
||
Environmental Health Requirement |
||||
Environment and Health in LMICs |
3 |
2 |
||
Management Sciences Requirement |
||||
Applications in Managing Health Organizations in LMICs |
1 |
3 |
||
Social and Behavioral Sciences – Qualitative Methods Requirement |
||||
Qualitative Reasoning in Public Health |
1, 2 |
2 |
||
Social and Behavioral Sciences – Design Implementation Requirement |
||||
Health Behavior Change at Individual, Household, and Community Levels |
2 |
4 |
||
Leadership and Interprofessional Practice Requirement |
||||
Building Collaborations Across Sectors to Improve Population Health |
1, 3 |
0.5 |
||
Principles of Negotiation and Mediation for Public Health Professionals |
1, 2, 3 |
0.5 |
||
Applications of Negotiation and Mediation for Public Health Professionals |
1, 2, 3 |
0.5 |
||
Capstone and Practicum Requirements (Year 2 only) |
||||
GDEC Practicum |
1 – 4 |
28+ |
||
MSPH Capstone GDEC (register in the term you plan to graduate) |
2 – 4 |
4+ |
Elective Courses 2023-24
Course No. |
Course Title |
Term |
Credits |
---|---|---|---|
International Health and Diseases |
|||
Issues in the Reduction of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality in LMICs |
2 |
4 |
|
Infectious Disease |
|||
Epidemiologic Basis of Tuberculosis Control |
1, 3 |
2 |
|
Epidemiology and Public Health Impact of HIV and AIDS |
1, 2 |
4 |
|
Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases |
2 |
4 |
|
Concepts and Methods in Infectious Disease Epidemiology |
3 |
4 |
|
Infectious Disease Dynamics: Theoretical and Computational Approaches |
4 |
4 |
|
Chronic Disease |
|||
Chronic Diseases in LMICs: Prevalence and Epidemiology |
3 |
4 |
|
Nutrition |
|||
Principles of Human Nutrition in Public Health |
1 |
4 |
|
Nutrition Epidemiology |
3 |
3 |
|
Nutrition, Infection, and Immunity |
4 |
3 |
|
International Nutrition |
4 |
3 |
|
Population / Program Evaluation |
|||
Fundamentals of Program Evaluation |
1, 3 |
4 |
|
Measurement Methods in Humanitarian Emergencies |
2 |
2 |
|
Principles of Population Change |
2 |
4 |
|
Demographic Methods for Public Health |
3 |
4 |
|
Special Topics in Program Evaluation in International Health |
3 |
1 |
|
Methods for Planning and Implementing Evaluations of Large-Scale Health Programs in LMICs |
4 |
4 |
|
Research Ethics |
|||
Research Ethics and Integrity: US and International Issues |
3 |
3 |
|
Ethical Issues in Public Health |
2 |
3 |
|
Vaccines |
|||
Special Topics in Vaccine Science |
2, 3 |
1 |
|
Vaccine Policy Issues |
3 |
3 |
|
Biological Basis of Vaccine Development |
4 |
3 |
|
Data Management / Survey Design |
|||
Spatial Analysis I: ARCGIS |
1 |
3 |
|
Spatial Analysis II: Spatial Data Technologies |
2 |
2 |
|
Introduction to Data Management |
2, 3, 4 |
3 |
|
Health Survey Research Methods |
2 |
4 |
|
Epidemiologic Applications of GIS |
3 |
2 |
|
Issues in Survey Research Design |
3 |
3 |
|
Introduction to the SAS Statistical Package |
4 |
3 |
|
Epidemiology Methods |
|||
Epidemiologic Inference in Outbreak Investigations |
1 |
3 |
|
Epidemiologic Methods 3 |
3 |
5 |
|
Pharmacoepidemiology Methods |
2 |
3 |
|
Qualitative Methods |
|||
Qualitative Research Theory and Methods |
1, 3 |
3 |
|
Qualitative Data Analysis |
2, 4 |
3 |
|
Environmental Health |
|||
The Global Environment, Climate Change, and Public Health |
1 |
4 |
|
Issues for Water and Sanitation in tropical Environmental Health |
3 |
2 |
|
Food and Water-Borne Diseases |
3 |
3 |
|
Management Sciences |
|||
Quality Assurance Management Methods for Developing Countries |
1 |
4 |
|
Fundamentals of Budgeting and Financial Management |
1 – 4 |
3 |
|
Introduction to Risk Sciences in Public Policy |
1, 3 |
4 |
|
Public Health Practice |
2, 4 |
4 |
|
Systems Thinking: Concepts and Methods |
2, 4 |
0.5 |
|
Pharmaceutical and Supply Chain Management: Realities From the Field |
3 |
3 |
|
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
|||
Program Planning for Health Behavior Change |
1, 4 |
3 |
|
Introduction to Persuasive Communication: Theories and Practice |
2 |
4 |
|
Global Advances in Community-Oriented Primary Health Care |
3 |
3 |
|
Health Literacy: Challenges and Strategies for Effective Communication |
3 |
3 |
|
Social and Behavioral Foundations of Primary Health Care |
3 |
4 |
|
Implementation and Sustainability of Community-Based Health Programs |
3, 4 |
3 |
|
Injury |
|||
Confronting the Burden of Injuries: A Global Perspective |
2 |
3 |
|
Digital Health |
|||
Design and Implementation of Global Digital Health Interventions I |
3 |
3 |
|
Design and Implementation of Global Digital Health Interventions II |
4 |
3 |
|
Special Topics in Global Digital Health |
4 |
1 |
|
Communication |
|||
Contemporary Issues in Health Communication |
1 |
1 |
|
The Critical Importance of Evidence in Advancing Public Health Knowledge |
1, 3 |
0.5 |
|
Communications Primer for the Public Health Sciences |
1 – 4 |
1 |
|
Communication Practice for Health Science Professionals |
2, 4 |
3 |
|
Crisis and Response in Public Health Policy and Practice |
3 |
3 |
|
Climate Change |
|||
The Global Environment, Climate Change, and Public Health |
1 |
4 |
|
Climate Change and Public Health Problem Solving Seminar: Global Challenges and Solutions for Mitigation, Adaptation, and Sustainability |
1 |
3 |
|
Global Sustainability and Health Seminar |
2, 4 |
1 |
Student Timeline
The MSPH degree can be completed in 1.5 years; all requirements should be completed within 2 years.
In the first year of their degree, MSPH students will engage in intensive coursework, complete a comprehensive departmental examination, and write their practicum proposal. The second year will consist of various elective courses, a capstone essay about an applied topic of international health, and a field-based practicum focused on a significant issue related to the health of underserved populations.
Sample Year 1 Plan
This is an example schedule for the first year of the MSPH in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control with required courses and example elective courses. Please note this is just an example for students to use as a guide as they develop their own schedule.
To each term, add in selections from the following:
- General: International Travel Preparation, Safety, and Wellness
- Infectious Disease
- Applied Epidemiology/Randomized Trials
1st Term
550.860 |
Academic and Research Ethics at BSPH |
0 credits |
223.840 |
Special Studies and research GDEC (with advisor) |
1 credit |
223.801 |
Global Disease Epidemiology and Control Program Seminar 1 |
1 credit |
340.721 or 340.751 |
Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health I or Epidemiologic Methods I |
5 credits |
140.621 |
Statistical Methods in Public Health I |
4 credits |
220.601 |
Foundations of International Health |
4 credits |
221.602 |
Applications in Managing Health Organizations in LMICs |
3 credits |
550.604 |
Qualitative Reasoning in Public Health (can be taken in other terms) |
2 credits |
Total: 20 credits + elective options (if desired) |
3rd Term
223.803 |
Global Disease Epidemiology and Control Program Seminar 3 |
1 credit |
180.602 |
Environment and Health in LMICs |
2 credits |
140.623 |
Statistical Methods in Public Health III |
4 credits |
552.625 |
Building Collaborations Across Sectors to Improve Population Health (can also be taken 1st term) |
0.5 credits |
552.623 |
Principles of Negotiation and Mediation for Public Health Professionals (can also be taken 2nd term) |
0.5 credits |
552.624 |
Applications of Negotiation and Mediation for Public Health Professionals (can also be taken 2nd term) |
0.5 credits |
Total: 11.5 credits + elective options |
2nd Term
223.802 |
Global Disease Epidemiology and Control Program Seminar 2 |
1 credit |
340.722 or 340.770 or 340.752 |
Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health II or Public Health Surveillance or Epidemiologic Methods II |
4 credits 3 credits 5 credits |
140.622 |
Statistical Methods in Public Health II |
4 credits |
223.662 |
Vaccine Development and Application |
4 credits |
224.689 |
Health Behavior Change at Individual, Household, and Community Levels |
4 credits |
Total: 16-17 credits + elective options |
4th Term
223.680 |
Global Disease Control Programs and Policy |
4 credits |
140.624 |
Statistical Methods in Public Health IV |
4 credits |
Total: 8 credits + elective options |