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Office for Educational Programs

Professional Degrees & Core Requirements

Overview

The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), the accrediting agency for HSPH, establishes core areas required for all students receiving a professional degree in public health at accredited institutions in North America.  

Public Health Degrees:

"A professional degree is one that, based on its learning objectives and types of positions its graduates pursue, prepares students with a broad mastery of the subject matter and methods necessary in a field of practice; it typically requires students to develop the capacity to organize, analyze, interpret and communicate knowledge in an applied manner."

"A research or academic degree program is one that, based on its learning objectives and the paths its graduates follow, prepares students for scholarly careers, particularly in academia and other research settings; it typically prepares students to investigate, acquire, organize, analyze and disseminate new knowledge in a discipline or field of study."

From the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) Schools of Public Health Accreditation Criteria - Amended June 2005

Core Areas

  • Biostatistics
  • Epidemiology
  • Environmental Health Sciences
  • Health Services Administration
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Practice and culminating experience
  • Ethics*
*HSPH core requirement for MPH and SM2/HPM

Professional Degrees at HSPH

The current professional degree programs at HSPH include:

  • Master of Public Health (MPH): 1-Yr  (7 Concentrations)
  • Master of Science in Environmental Health: EER/1-Yr  
  • Master of Science in Environmental Health: EER/2-Yr
  • Master of Science in Occupational Health (MOH): 2-Yr Dual MSN/Simmons
  • Master of Occupational Health: 1-Yr
  • Master of Science in Health Care Management (MHCM): 1-Yr*
  • Master of Science in Health Policy and Management(SM2/HPM): 2-Yr

  • Master of Science in Society, Human Development, and Health (SM2/SHDH): 2-Yr

  • Master of Science in Society, Human Development, and Health: 1-Yr Dual - PCN/SIMMONS

    *This program is classified as non-traditional, and while students in this program are required to complete coursework in each of the core areas, their approved core courses are specific to their program and different from those listed. 

Courses Fulfilling the Core

Please note: The following courses are identified as fulfilling the core; however, each degree program determines the courses that fulfill the core for their degree. Please check with your department handbook and advisor. 

Biostatistics

BIO 200 Principles of Biostatistics    5.0     
BIO 201 Introduction to Statistical Methods    5.0
BIO 202 & BIO 203 Principles of Biostatistics I and II    5.0     
BIO 206 & (BIO 207 or BIO 208 or BIO 209)* Introduction to Statistics for Medical Research    5.0

Epidemiology

EPI 200 Principles of Epidemiology    2.5

EPI 500 Fundamentals of Epidemiology    2.5     
EPI 201 Introduction to Epidemiology: Methods I    2.5                            
EPI 208*Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology    5.0

Environmental Health Sciences

EH 201 Introduction to Environmental Health    2.5
EH 202 Principles of Environmental Health    2.5
EH 232 Introduction to Occupational and Environmental Medicine    2.5
ID 215 Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology    2.5 

Health Services Administration

Management

HPM 219 Financial Transactions and Analysis    2.5
HPM 220 Financial Management and Control    2.5
HPM 228 Introduction to the New American Health Care System:Law, Policy, and Management    2.5
HPM 230 Managing People in Health Care Organizations    2.5
HPM 510 Introduction to Management of Health Care Organizations    2.5
GHP 211 Management Control in Health Organizations    2.5
HPM 232 Operations Management in Service Delivery Organizations    2.5

Policy & Economics

HPM 205 Economic Analysis for Public Health (not offered 2008-2009)   5.0
HPM 206 Economic Analysis    5.0
HPM 209 Economics of Health Policy    2.5
HPM 235 Managed Care Policy Issues    2.5
ID 242 Politics and Strategies for Change in Health Policy    2.5
GHP 244 Health Sector Reform:  A Worldwide Perspective    2.5

Specialized Areas

HPM 253 Quality Improvement in Health Care    2.5
HPM 516 Quality Improvement in Health Care    2.5
EH 231 Occupational Health Policy and Administration    2.5

Options for MPH students in CLE or QM concentrations only

RDS 280 Decision Analysis for Health and Medical Practices    2.5
RDS 286 Decision Analysis in Clinical Research    2.5

*Students should discuss with their advisors which areas/courses are most appropriate.

Social and Behavioral Sciences

SHH 201 Society and Health    2.5
SHH 281 Methods for Research on Social and Behavioral Dimensions of Public Health    2.5
SHH 207 Race, Ethnicity & Health: Perspectives from Social and Behavioral Sciences (not offered 2008-2009)   2.5 
SHH 215 History, Politics, and Public Health: Theories of Disease Distribution    5.0
SHH 220 Society and its Effect on Child Health    2.5
SHH 250 Research on Social and Behavioral Health: A Practical Guide    2.5
SHH 265 Program Planning: Design and Evaluation    2.5
SHH 278 Society, Human Development, and Public Health    2.5
SHH 281 Methods for Research on Social and Behavioral Dimensions of Public Health    2.5
SHH 293 Place, Migration, and Health (not offered 2008-2009)    2.5
ID 283 Epi Investigation of Soc & Env. Risks for Psychiatric Disorders    2.5    
WGH 200 Women, Gender and Health    2.5
WGH 211 Women, Gender and Health: Introductory Perspectives    2.5

*Limited to Program in Clinical Effectiveness students 

Ethics

ID 250 Ethical Basis of the Practice of Public Health    2.5
ID251 Ehtical Basis of the Practice of Public Health: Health Care Delivery   2.5
ID292 Justice and Resourse Allocation   2.5
ID513 Ethics and Health Disparities (not offered 2008-2009)   2.5
GHP 293 Individual and Social Responsibility for Health    2.5