Health Behavior, Society and Policy

Competencies for the Master of Public Health (MPH) in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences (45 credits)

Each Concentration identifies competencies for each degree offered. These competencies reflect the full range of knowledge, skills, and other attributes that a student will acquire as a result of completing the requirements for a particular degree.

Upon graduation, a student completing the MPH curriculum in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences will be able to:

• Utilize health behavior theories or models for understanding health behaviors
• Design, implement, conduct, and evaluate health education, health promotion or health intervention programs to reduce health disparities and health inequities in diverse populations
• Conduct public health research
• Develop or critique health education, health promotion, or health intervention materials, methods or programs
• Utilize principles of health communication and risk communication in addressing public health issues or concerns

Curriculum for the Master of Public Health (MPH) in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences (45 credits)

Students seeking the MPH in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences degree must complete 45 credits of academic work with a minimum GPA of least 3.0; earn no more than nine (9) credits bearing grades less than “B,” and complete the degree requirements within six years. Courses are three credit hours unless otherwise noted and semester when each course is typically offered is noted parentheses. Students should review the Forward Schedule for long-term course planning and the Course Schedule for each semester to determine when, where, and how a course is offered.

• CORE COURSES (18 credits)
  • PHCO 0501 - Health Systems and Policy
  • PHCO 0502 - Principles and Methods of Epidemiology
  • PHCO 0503 - Introduction to Environmental Health
  • PHCO 0504 - Introduction to Biostatistics (Prerequisite: Quantitative Skills Assessment)
  • PHCO 0505 - Social and Behavioral Health Sciences in Public Health
  • PHCO 0513 - Leadership and Management Essentials for Public Health
• PRACTICUM (3 credits)
  Note: Students should review the Practice Experience webpage for information about Practicum.
  • PRAC 0715 - Applied Practice Experience (0 credits) [Prerequisite: APE Learning Agreement and select PHCO and concentration courses]
  • PRAC 0716 - Practicum Capstone (3 credits) [Prerequisite: Completion of the APE and Practicum Capstone Learning Agreement]
  • Review the School’s Registration Calendar for important MPH Practice Experience Registration dates specific to PRAC 0715 and PRAC 0716.
• REQUIRED COURSES (15 credits) Note: Students should review the Course Descriptions in the School Catalog for specific information about prerequisites required for required courses and recommended electives.
  • HBSP 0600 - Health Behavior and Policy Research Design and Methods (Fall/Spring/Summer)
  • HBSP 0652 - Program Planning and Evaluation (Fall/Spring/Summer)
  • HBSP 0653 - Modifying Health Behaviors: Theory and Practice (Spring)
  • HBSP 0654 - Health Communication/Risk Communication (Spring)
  • HBSP 0655 - Social Marketing (Fall)
• OTHER REQUIREMENTS (0 credits)
  • PRAC 0621 - Interprofessional Education (0 credits) [Fall/Spring]
    Students are required to register for and complete an Interprofessional Education activity prior to graduation.
• RECOMMENDED ELECTIVE COURSES (9 credits)
  • HBSP 0540 - Seminar in Health Behavioral Topics (1-3 credits)
  • HBSP 0640 - Seminar in Health Education Topics (1-3 credits)
  • HBSP 0657 - Seminar in Tobacco Control and Public Health

• MD/MPH
• DO/MPH
• DMD/MPH
• PsyD/MPH
• Master of Biomedical Science/MPH
• MS in Community Health Nursing/MPH
• MSN/MPH
• MPH/MBA
• MPH/MSPA
• JD/MPH
• PharmD/MPH