Health Professions (HLTH)

HLTH 101  Personal Health Issues  (3 credits)

Personal Health Issues examines health through six interrelated dimensions: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, interpersonal and social, and environmental. This course examines how health choices impact society and the health of a community. Additionally, health policies and societal health issues are examined for their impact on the individual. This course emphasizes contemporary health issues using the national initiative Health People 2010 as a framework. Assessing health status, increasing health competencies to enhance decision-making skills, eliciting health-promoting behaviors, and interpreting existing and proposed social actions that ultimately affect individual, family, community and environmental health are central focuses of this course.

HLTH 102  Introduction to Public Health  (3 credits)

This course provides students with a basic understanding of the field of public health, the breadth of its scope, and the variety of scientific disciplines that inform its practice. It gives student a "taste" of public health and puts public health topics within a context of population-based issues and health. These topics include: AIDS and other emerging infectious diseases, environmental hazards, alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse, access to health care and other health disparities, and social and distributive justice. Emphasis is given to contemporary public health issues and the forces that shape them. Satisfies SEEDS Political and Civic Life student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity; Self Discovery and Self Care value.

HLTH 105  Medical Terminology  (3 credits)

A basic health course introducing elements of medical terminology describing body parts, systems, functions and medical procedures. Emphasis will be placed on development of medical vocabulary and communication skills. The course will provide learning episodes in formulating medical abbreviations and translating complex terminology into lay terms, that ultimately will be applicable to careers in medical writing, health care delivery and management.

HLTH 202  Public Health Foundations, Ethics, and Cultural Competency  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 102. Students in this foundational public health course will become familiar with the history and significance of the core areas of public health (epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy, environmental health, and social and behavioral aspects of health) and the various ways that ethics and culture are relevant to each of these. Students will explore the basis of public health ethics, in both community-based and research-based public health work; examine the role of culture, power and inequality in influencing the public's health; and study cultural competency as a foundation for developing effective public health interventions. Satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity; Diversity and Intercultural Competency value.

HLTH 204  Social and Behavioral Aspects of Health  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 102. In this course, students develop knowledge and skills needed to understand health-related behaviors and health status from a social ecological perspective, considering factors at the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels. Students learn about and apply theories of health behavior and theories of change, creating a solid foundation for the in-depth study of population health and the development and evaluation of culturally appropriate, theory-based public health interventions. By exploring multilevel determinants and correlates of health behavior and status, students develop an understanding of how social institutions and dynamics contribute to health disparities and consider multilevel approaches to eliminating such disparities. Students apply knowledge, practice skills, enhance computer literacy, and improve oral and written communication skills.

HLTH 207  Injury Prevention and Emergency Care  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 102. Provides for study of major safety areas including transportation, public safety, industrial and home safety. Emergency health care, first aid treatment, and preventive measures are considered in the context of individual, agency and institutional responsibilities.

HLTH 208  Study of Human Diseases  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 102 or PEMJ 131 or ATTR 201. Provides a comprehensive study of diseases, their etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Includes a review of causation theories and incidence patterns and focuses on major degenerative, neoplastic, metabolic, immunologic, and infectious diseases. Attention is given to prevention and control measures with an emphasis on the role of selected health/medical resources in disease management.

HLTH 213  Perspectives on Drugs  (3 credits)

Provides for the study of licit as well as illicit drug use in contemporary society from the perspective of selected biomedical and psychosocial disciplines. Examines the effects of drugs on the individual and society in the context of changing social conditions and technological developments. Analyzes complex nature of the drug problem and rehabilitative and preventive measures and tentative solutions to this important aspect of human existence.

HLTH 215  Drug Education in the Schools  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): PEMJ 131 may be taken as prerequisite or corequisite. Prepare health and physical education teachers to teach and implement drug education programs in the schools.

HLTH 220  Mental Health  (3 credits)

Provides for the study of human emotional adjustment throughout the life cycle from biomedical and psychosocial perspectives. The factors that foster the development of emotional and mental well-being and the forces that contribute to the breakdown of human adjustment capabilities are identified and analyzed in light of research and clinical literature. Special attention is given to the strategies for the prevention of mental disorders and promotion of mental health.

HLTH 222  Mental Health in the Schools  (3 credits)

This course focuses on mental health content and teaching methodology for education K-12 in schools based on the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards.

HLTH 226  Introduction to Non-Profit Management  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Any course fulfilling SEEDS Effective Writing I attribute; and AMAT 120 or INFO 240 or MTHM 201 or MATH 106 or MATH 122 or STAT 103 or STAT 109. In this course, students will develop skills important in the non-profit sector, including identifying funding sources, grant writing, managing budgets, developing programmatic theories of change, creating a culture that reflects social justice and cultural humility, and human resource management. Students will gain an understanding of how to apply these skills in various settings in the non-profit world, such as youth development organizations, childcare and mental health services, health care, and human service agencies. Students will learn a distinct set of skills, including (1) how to identify suitable funders and develop effective grant proposals including the appropriate use of artificial intelligence tools; (2) how to develop and manage budgets including the effective use of spreadsheets and financial software; (3) how to articulate a clear theory of change (e.g., logic model, pathway model) and identify critical success factors that clearly tell the story of a program or organization’s activities and intended outcomes; and (4) how to manage human resources particularly in settings with high rates of staff turnover. Students will have the opportunity to consider how their work in the non-profit arena can benefit underserved populations, for example people from under-resourced neighborhoods or minoritized ethnic / racial backgrounds.

HLTH 240  Foundations of Environmental Health  (3 credits)

Prepares student to make informed decisions concerning the avoidance or elimination of disease-causing environmental exposures by providing an understanding of the scientific principles by which these exposures are identified, measured, and judged as to their acceptability.

HLTH 290  Human Sexuality  (3 credits)

Students will explore many interacting cultural, personal and health factors relating to human sexual development, attitudes, and behaviors. Historical, anthropological, biological/physiological, socio-cultural and psychological factors will be introduced to encourage a broad perspective. Discussion of differing philosophical, ethical and moral positions will also aid students in making a critical assessment of intimate human relationships and acquaint them with criteria and processes for understanding themselves as sexual beings. Satisfies Social Science Perspectives GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Political and Civil Life student learning outcome in alignment with Self Discovery and Self Care value.

HLTH 295  Sexuality Education in the Schools  (3 credits)

Focus on sexuality content and teaching methodology for sex education K-12 in schools. Based on NJ Content Standards for Sexuality Education.

HLTH 328  Program Planning and Evaluation  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 204. This course focuses on the process of designing, planning and implementing health education and health promotion programs, including needs assessment, developing SMART goals and objectives, utilization of program planning and behavioral theories and models, and planning for evaluation.

HLTH 330  Health Education Methods  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 204. Provides a comprehensive study of the scientific, social, behavioral, educational, and legal foundations of health education. Traces the evolution and interprets the impact of related professions on school, community, and allied health education. Meets the Graduation Writing Requirement for majors in Health.

HLTH 342  Health Promotion  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 202 or HLTH 204. This course provides an overview of theories and models that underlie health promotion. Topics will include the history, politics, and ethics of health promotion; community development, healthy public policy, models of behavior change, and communicating risk. The course will also provide information essential to understanding factors that affect human health: health determinants, health indices, health behavior change theories, ethical issues and societal trends. The importance of evaluation and research in all aspects of health promotion will be emphasized throughout the course.

HLTH 347  Special Topics in Health  (1-3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 202. Restriction(s): Junior standing. In-depth study of a single health issue of current public or professional concern including analysis of recent authoritative literature. Topic to be announced each semester. Course credit determined by nature and breadth of topics selected. The course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.

HLTH 355  Addressing Health Disparities Through Social Justice  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 204. This course explores how broad social, cultural and economic inequalities in society affect health. By closely examining pressing problems in global health, the course guides the students in efforts to improve the health conditions of those overburdened by poverty, marginalization and social injustice. By the end of the course, students will have gained an understanding of how social forces become embodied as pathologies and how specific political, economic and historic processes influence the distribution of disease among different populations.

HLTH 360  Health Policy and Administration  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 204. The organization, administration and functions of health services in the United States and other major nations; the social and professional policies which determine their scope and nature. Principal methods currently employed in the U.S. for analysis and evaluation of health care systems. Offers opportunity to students to relate these general understandings to those segments of the health services system of particular professional interest to themselves.

HLTH 361  Health Systems Administration and Leadership  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 202. This course provides an overview of the principles and practices of organizational leadership and management in hospitals and healthcare settings and systems. This course is recommended for students who intend to serve in administrative or leadership roles in healthcare and public health settings. The course provides an introduction to the basics principles of leadership and management in supervision and management of healthcare settings and systems, including discussion of leadership styles.

HLTH 365  Science of Public Health: Epidemiology  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 202. Provides a basic understanding of the epidemiologic method of identifying disease-causing exposures. Emphasizes the generation of hypotheses based on descriptive epidemiologic data, the testing of hypotheses by analytical epidemiological research, the determination of causality, and the value of epidemiological research in developing and evaluating disease prevention strategies.

HLTH 370  Health Economics and Finance  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 202. This course focuses on principles and practices of the economics and financing of healthcare organizations and systems. This course is recommended for students who intend to serve in administrative or leadership roles in healthcare and public health settings, and provides the basic skills and principles of economics and finance needed in supervising and managing healthcare settings and systems.

HLTH 374  Health Communication  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 204 may be taken as prerequisite or corequisite. This course provides students with the ability to plan, implement and evaluate a health communications program for a community health services institution. It focuses on the evolution of health communication in the United States, health communication theories and cultural differences. It provides for hands-on development of computer-based communications including newsletters, websites, and databases.

HLTH 401  The Teaching of Health  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Admission to Teacher Education Program or departmental approval. Traces historical development of health instruction, examines characteristics of health learners, and compares different types of health education programs. Provides for use of the computer in health education. Requires demonstration of health education planning, teaching and evaluation skills.

HLTH 405  Professional Certifications in Health  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 330 or HLTH 365. This course provides in-depth information about the profession of health education including the range of positions available, the varied job responsibilities, and the spectrum of work settings. A major emphasis of this course is placed on preparation for the Certified Health Education Specialist Examination (CHES) offered by the National Commission of Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This course provides a culmination of the material presented in the previous courses of the student's tenure in this major.

HLTH 411  School Health and Community Services  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 330. Provides for an in-depth understanding of the school health program and community services. Includes study of school and health services, healthful school environment, and health education and community health services.

HLTH 425  Applied Statistics for Public Health  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): STAT 109 and HLTH 365. This course covers the basic concepts in the application of statistics as they relate to health and biological problems. Emphasis is placed on the tools and techniques used to evaluate the health status of a community, including births, deaths, and illness rates. Additionally, the biological issues underlying national and local health policies are explored.

HLTH 430  Counseling Skills for Public Health Professionals  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 330. Course focuses on factors influencing health and illness behavior with implications for behavioral intervention in health care. Included are the intervention strategies of prevention, crisis intervention, postvention and compliance, and the intervention techniques of assessment, interviewing, counseling skills and small group dynamics.

HLTH 431  Advanced Methods in Health Education  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 330. An in-depth examination of effective teaching strategies for prospective community health educators. Focus is on planning, implementing, and assessing teaching and learning. Issues of beliefs, practice, and reflection are emphasized. Students demonstrate teaching skills in a variety of public health settings.

HLTH 433  Population Approaches to Diet and Activity  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 328 or HLTH 330 or HLTH 365. This course provides students with an understanding of population-based dietary and physical activity patterns, their social and behavioral contexts and meanings, their relationships with chronic diseases, and public health intervention approaches.

HLTH 440  Health Aspects of Aging  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 355. This course focuses upon changes in aspects of health during the middle and later years of life. Includes anatomy and physiology, nutritional requirements, sensoria and those phenomena associated with aging and sexuality. Common causes of morbidity and mortality explored as they relate to the aged. Attention given to the psychosocial and economic needs of the elderly as well as to those aspects of gerontology which deal with legislation and community organization.

HLTH 444  Community Organizing and Health Advocacy  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 360 or HLTH 374. This course focuses on the context of community-based health organizations (CBHO's) and their functions. Emphasis is placed on the political and economical management of these organizations and their future role in improving health outcomes. Included is an examination of the advocacy model of community health and development of the strategies and skills necessary to become an effective health advocate.

HLTH 454  Race, Racism, and Health  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 355. During the course of the semester, students will examine health inequities; how race, ethnicity, racism and health intersect; explore the nature of racial and ethnic categories; learn about current US demographic trends; and critically examine the impact of institutionalized racism. Students will also explore approaches for addressing racial health inequity, including health care inequities. Students are encouraged to pay critical attention to the multiple pathways by which race enters the body, and how they lead to negative health consequences for people of color in the United States.

HLTH 474  Gender, Sexuality, and Health Disparities  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 355 or GLQS 201 or departmental approval. This course explores how different cultural constructions of gender, sex, and sexuality shape public policies concerning the inequitable distribution of health and disease within the United States and globally. Students use a social justice lens to probe how the intersections of gender, biology, sexuality, class, race, sexism, homophobia, heteronormativity, transphobia and racism intersect to create health inequities. Students investigate a range of health issues including sexual and reproductive health, mental health, intimate partner violence, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, and access to health resources.

HLTH 490  Ethical Issues in Public Health  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 360 or HLTH 361; and HLTH 370. Ethics is recognized as a general area of concern for health care administrators and policy makers. Issues in health policy and health care ethics will be discussed, with emphasis on their impact on delivery and administration of health systems, and the personal ethical dilemmas they impose upon public health professionals. Issues included are general health care ethics, the right to health care, allocation of scarce resources, and the mechanisms by which broader political constructs impact on population health (i.e., all policy is health policy).

HLTH 492  Health Systems Research and Evaluation  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 360 and HLTH 365. This course provides an introduction to basic methods for planning and conducting health systems and quality improvement research. This course will provide an introduction to basic and intermediate research methods needed to conduct policy, social science, or program impact research and evaluation within health delivery systems. The course is intended for students who plan to serve in leadership, program management, or research positions in health delivery systems.

HLTH 497  Introduction to Internship and Professionalism  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 328 or HLTH 361; and HLTH 355 and HLTH 360. Restriction(s): Minimum 66 credits completed overall and 47 within the major. In this course, students develop a working knowledge of applied public health and professional skills through experiential learning. In addition to spending a minimum of 40 observation hours at a public health organization, students meet in the classroom to discover the wide range of employment settings, professional organizations, and develop skills necessary to become public health professionals. Learning about best practices, students apply knowledge by assessing strengths and challenges across public health agency/program/organization sites. Students compare missions, objectives, and functions of a variety of agencies and determine which best fit the their personal and professional goals in preparation for selecting their internship experience. In class-meetings are a critical component where students have the opportunity to compare experiences, apply general public health understanding to real-life settings, and gain understanding of how to prepare for a career in public health.

HLTH 498  Internship and Culminating Seminar  (6 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 497. Restriction(s): Minimum 90 credits completed. In this course students will apply public health concepts in the assessment, planning, implementation and/or evaluation of public health programs through experience working in selected public health agencies. Students will develop internship projects under the supervision of a faculty member and a qualified supervisor in their selected internship agency/organization. A critical part of this course is the in-class meetings where students will have the opportunity to compare experiences and develop a personal plan for professional growth and development through coursework.

HLTH 501  Public Health Seminar: Foundations, Ethics, and Cultural Competency  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Restricted to Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. In this course, to be taken in the first semester in the program, students learn about the role of the core areas of public health (epidemiology and biostatistics, health policy, environmental health, behavioral and social aspects of health) in public health practice. Students also learn about the basis of public health ethics by examining the history and codes of ethics for both community-based and research-based public health work. Finally, students explore issues of cultural competency by examining an array of cultures and beginning to develop the skills needed to develop culturally competent interventions. Students apply their knowledge, practice skills, enhance their understanding of culture and ethics, and improve their oral and written communication skills.

HLTH 502  Determinants of Environmental Health  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Restricted to Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. Advanced study of health and safety aspects of the environment: air, water, industrial pollution and the impact of expanding population on health problems.

HLTH 503  Research Methods in Health  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Restricted to Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. Theoretical and practical experiences in methods of inquiry, designing of research studies, utilization of various tools for gathering data, statistical analysis of data, and writing of research proposals.

HLTH 504  Behavioral and Social Science in Health  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Restricted to Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. In this course, students develop knowledge and skills needed to understand community, individual, and organizational behaviors and change processes in cross-cultural settings as a foundation for planning culturally appropriate public health education programs. Students learn about social theories of health behaviors, and behavioral and social interventions that can promote healthy behaviors and therefore decrease morbidity and premature mortality; and develop skills for planning and evaluating health education and health promotion programs. Students apply knowledge, practice skills, enhance computer literacy, and improve oral and written communication skills.

HLTH 506  Health Systems Research  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 565. Restriction(s): Restricted to Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. This course provides an introduction to basic and intermediate methods for planning and conducting health systems and quality improvement research for students who plan to serve in leadership, program management, or research positions in health delivery systems. Students in this course will develop skills for conducting policy, social science, or program impact research and evaluation within health delivery systems.

HLTH 507  Community Health Education Methods, Application, and Practice  (3 credits)

Students apply theory- and research-based approaches to the development and implementation of community health education programming with explicit consideration of the rationale supporting all educational decisions. This course emphasizes both process and practice in communicating and teaching of content including developing effective and engaging presentations and facilitating discussions in the context of health education. Students develop the skills to assess, adapt, design, implement, and evaluate educational experiences for a variety of purposes and settings. Students take an active role in assessing their own values and skills regarding educating about various content, as well as learning specific educational methodologies to teach these subjects with explicit consideration of the developmental and cultural needs of community members.

HLTH 508  Introductory Statistics for Public Health  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Master of Public Health (MPH) w/ concentration in Community Health Education, Master of Public Health (MPH) w/ concentration in Health Systems Administration and Policy, MPH/MBA Dual Degree or Departmental Approval. This course provides students with an overview of basic statistics used in public health taking an applied approach. Students develop a conceptual understanding of the methods used in data analysis. They learn about descriptive statistics, normal distributions, confidence intervals, significance tests, correlation, simple linear regression, multiple regression, logistic regression, analysis of variance, and analysis of covariance. Students are also introduced to several advanced statistical methods such as factor analysis, path analysis, and structural equation modeling.

HLTH 510  Health Education Workshop I  (1-3 credits)

Restriction(s): Restricted to Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. For teachers of health education; deeper understandings of subject matter, current methods and techniques for the classroom, and considerations for curriculum development.

HLTH 511  Biomedical and Psychosocial Perspectives on Drugs  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Restricted to Counseling w/conc in Addictions Counseling and Public Health w/conc in Community Health Education majors. Examines the complex biomedical and psychosocial dimensions of contemporary drug use, emphasizing consideration of a broad spectrum of physiological responses to and health consequences of involvement. Provides a comprehensive view of the historical and social aspects of drug use, and an analysis of selected major issues presented by our current problems with drugs.

HLTH 520  Foundations and Methods in Health Education  (3 credits)

Study of the scientific historical foundations and the instructional methodologies in health education and health promotion with opportunity for practical application of various methodologies for the achievement of specific objectives.

HLTH 525  Grant Writing  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Restricted to Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. This course prepares students to develop proposals to secure grants from various types of funding agencies, including government, foundation, corporate and individual sources. Students develop skills to identify promising funding sources and write effective grant proposals that address important public health needs, are theoretically sound, empirically supported, feasible, and appropriate given the state of the science and practice. Students develop needs assessments that incorporate relevant data, program goals and objectives, clear program plans, evaluation plans, and budgets. By writing a grant proposal over the course of the semester and incorporating feedback, students develop strong grant writing skills through experiential learning.

HLTH 528  Program Planning and Evaluation  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Basic course in Statistics Recommended. Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. This course provides an overview of the principles and methods of program planning and evaluation for health education and health promotion activities. Students develop an understanding of theoretical and applied issues in planning, implementing and evaluating health programs. They critically examine ethical and political dimensions of program planning and evaluation and consider how these affect current practices and future directions. Course sessions and assignments are designed to engage students in developing applied skills in program planning and evaluation as well as critiquing programs and evaluations. It is recommended that students take a basic course in statistics before taking this course.

HLTH 529  Applied Program Planning and Evaluation  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 528. Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. In this course, students apply the principles and methods of program planning and evaluation through a variety of hands-on learning activities. Drawing from the program planning and evaluation theories and principles learned in HLTH 528, students practice and refine skills in: setting program goals and objectives; designing surveys and other measurement instruments (both quantitative and qualitative); collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data; and using data to modify and improve health promotion programs. Students explore issues of program implementation and fidelity, working within local contexts and cultures, and program sustainability.

HLTH 531  Independent Study in Health  (1-4 credits)

Restriction(s): Restricted to Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. Under the direction of departmental faculty member. Semester hours determined by department chairperson following consultation with departmental research committee.

HLTH 540  Special Topics in Mental Health  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): A basic course in mental health. Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. Entails use of seminar approach for in-depth analysis of selected topics in mental health. Topics will vary according to class interest, but will include, among others, stress, labeling, racism, sexism, and ageism.

HLTH 551  Special Topics in Gerontology  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. Entails use of seminar approach for in-depth analysis of selected topics in gerontology. Topics will vary according to class interest, but will include, among others, ageism, health problems, loss and diminishment, homelessness and terminal old age.

HLTH 555  Structures of Inequality in Public Health  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. This course is intended for students interested in working with underserved populations in the United States and internationally. The course helps prepare students to become leaders in US and international health by developing their ability to research, analyze, and compare information from multiple sources, and guides them in their efforts to improve the health conditions of those overburdened by poverty, marginalization and social injustice. Students examine the ways in which multiple forms of discrimination as well as neighborhood and community factors and inequalities in socioeconomic status interact to influence health behaviors. They explore the impact of access to health care services on health outcomes. Instruction is case-based and focuses on a set of medical problems of relevance to people living at the margins of society. Students work individually and in teams to develop interventions and solutions to the problems addressed in class.

HLTH 565  Foundations of Epidemiology  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. Provides an understanding of the epidemiologic method of identifying disease-causing agents. Emphasizes the generation of hypotheses based on descriptive epidemiologic data, the testing of hypotheses by analytical epidemiologic research design, the determination of causality and value of epidemiologic research in developing disease prevention programs.

HLTH 575  The Teaching of Human Sexuality  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 290. Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. Provides for the study of instructional methodologies and resource materials pertaining to human sexuality education. Emphasizes curriculum development, teaching plans, resource selection and the role of the teacher in school and community setting.

HLTH 577  Special Topics in Health  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Restricted to Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. Course provides students with the opportunity to expand their professional preparation and expertise about selected topics in health not covered in other graduate health courses. The selected topics will be based on significant, emerging health problems and issues and new scientific developments and discoveries. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credits.

HLTH 580  Health Policy and Politics  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. Provides for the study of politics of health care, health policy issues and the health care delivery system. Special emphasis is placed on health policy as it has evolved in response to sociopolitical and economic factors and expected future trends.

HLTH 581  Health Systems Administration and Management  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. This course provides an overview of the principles and practices of organizational leadership and management in hospitals and healthcare settings and systems. This course is recommended for students who intend to serve in administrative or leadership roles in healthcare and public health settings. The course provides an introduction to the basics principles of leadership and management in supervision and management of healthcare settings and systems, including discussion of leadership styles.

HLTH 582  Health Economics and Finance  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. This course focuses on principles and practices of the economics and financing of healthcare organizations and systems for students who intend to serve in administrative or leadership roles in healthcare and public health settings. Students will develop basic skills for, and understanding of, the principles of economics and finance needed in supervising and managing healthcare settings and systems.

HLTH 604  Internship and Professional Seminar  (3-6 credits)

Prerequisite(s): 18 credit hours completed in the MPH program. Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. Students work with an advisor to identify a suitable placement site engaged in health education/public health activities- providing students real-world work experience and opportunity to complete projects that meet the needs of the community agency. Students must complete 6 credits, and can do so in one semester for 6 credits, or two semesters for 3 credits each. Students must attend a course seminar held monthly throughout the semester (or both, if the student elects to complete the course in two semesters). Seminar activities assist them in measuring specific competencies they have selected, problem-solving in the field, developing presentation skills, completing their projects, and presenting their work. The course instructor and on-site preceptor provide supervision. For each 3-credit block, students must complete 180 hours (360 for the total 6 credits). Both on and offsite hours are counted, with specific activities or projects mutually determined by the student and preceptor.

HLTH 605  Community Project  (3 credits)

Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval; must have completed all six credits of HLTH 604. In this course, students continue to enhance their understanding of the roles and responsibilities of public health professional and increase their competency as community health educators. Following completion of 6 credits of HLTH 604, students may elect to complete an additional 3 credit fieldwork experience, carefully selected to provide experiences that reflect the mission of the MPH in Community Health Education program and meet the individual learning and career needs of students, while responding to the real public health issues in the community. Students are linked with community groups that are either planning, want to plan, or have an identified need for a community health education activity. Students may be involved in a variety of projects, including performing community health assessments, producing health education materials, and serving as health educators.

HLTH 606  Culminating Seminar  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): HLTH 604; Students must have completed a minimum of 30 credits before enrolling in this course. Restriction(s): Public Health w/conc Community Health Education or Public Health w/conc Health Systems Administration and Policy majors or departmental approval. This capstone course integrates learning from the MPH program by requiring students to develop a final ePortfolio that demonstrates mastery of program competencies, as well as their leadership skills, professionalism, and a commitment to social justice.