Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) Major in Public Health (Health Policy & Management Concentration) -Accelerated Online Program

PH 5199B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding. Graded on a credit (CR), progress (PR), no-credit (F) basis.

PH 5299B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding. Graded on a credit (CR), progress (PR), no-credit (F) basis.

PH 5301. Environmental Health Issues.

This course is an examination of the ecological impact on the environment resulting from contemporary sociopolitical action and its resulting influence on human health. Students will be guided to research and interpret evidence-based information on major current environmental issues facing local, national, and global communities.

PH 5302. Current Issues in Public Health.

This course will investigate the contemporary issues impacting public health on the local and national levels. Particular attention will be paid to the goals and objectives of the U.S. Healthy People Initiative and the ten essential public health services. Topics will focus on emerging trends in morbidity and mortality as identified by public health governing institutions, while exploring historical and current perspectives on public health practice. Students will examine the impact of current issues on the roles and responsibilities of the Certified Health Education Specialist.

PH 5303. Social Determinants of Health.

This course explores the social ecological conditions which impact health and quality of life among various communities. Public health impact of socioeconomic stability, education access and quality, healthcare access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context will be analyzed. The link between social determinants and the U.S. Healthy People Initiative will be examined.

PH 5305. Grant Proposal Writing in Public Health.

This course provides the fundamentals of writing grant proposals in the social sciences. Instruction covers how to package a successful proposal from start to finish, including defining program objectives, selecting approaches and a plan, and preparing a program evaluation and budget.

PH 5310. History and Philosophy of Public Health Education and Promotion.

This course is an intensive study of historical and philosophical contributions to public health education and promotion program development. Current political issues, public health issues, and influential cultural changes are examined. Focus is placed on developing a professional philosophy of practice in public health education and promotion practice.

PH 5312. Writing for Public Health Professionals.

This course provides a systematic approach to improve technical and professional writing skills. Specifically, theory-based methods for establishing a productive writing habit, generating and editing text, and self-identifying and self-correcting writing problems are presented. Writing for and application of public health research are emphasized.

PH 5315. Applied Behavioral Statistics in Public Health.

This course focuses on the study of introductory and intermediate statistics and procedures commonly used in public health practice and research. Emphasis will be placed on application of statistical models, analysis software, and interpretation of findings.

PH 5320. Foundations of Public Health.

This course is an in-depth study of past and current public health programs. The course focuses on the examination of public health programs, policies, and systems that have impacted health status in different populations. A collection of current case-studies will be examined.

PH 5321. Advanced Health Behavior Theory.

This course focuses on the presentation and critical analysis of the role of theory in health behavior, the description of different theories being utilized in health research and interventions, and the application of these theories to interventions and research.

PH 5325. Ethical Principles in Public Health.

This course provides an in-depth analysis of ethical standards, principles, and behaviors related to the field of public health. Students will explore how to apply, monitor, and model ethical standards in the profession.

PH 5331. Health Disparities.

This course explores social determinants of health and health disparities in the U.S. and globally. Students explore past and existing public health initiatives to address health disparities in various U.S. and global communities.

PH 5335. Public Health Leadership.

This course covers structured experiences for developing administrative leadership for public health programs. Included are leadership philosophy, staffing, programming, budgeting, public relations, facilities, and evaluations.

PH 5345. Public Health Issues in Human Sexuality.

This course provides for an in-depth study of human sexuality as a lifelong process of acquiring information and forming healthy attitudes, beliefs, values, and practices regarding sexuality. Students analyze information and resources for implementing and advocating for quality inclusive instruction, policies, and evidence based approaches.

PH 5346. Public Health Research and Population Surveillance.

This course focuses on research models used in public health and population surveillance. Students learn how to design data collection strategies for research and program evaluation in the social and behavioral sciences and public health initiatives.

PH 5347. Independent Study in Public Health.

This course allows for independent study of one or more problems in public health that hold special interest for a student or offers opportunity for professional improvement and growth. Open on an individual basis by special arrangement with the Program Coordinator. Repeatable once with a different emphasis. Prerequisites: Instructor approval.

PH 5348. Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

This course provides an overview of the etiology of communicable and noncommunicable diseases with special emphasis on public health initiatives and health promotion activities which reduce the incidence and burdens of disease in both individuals and communities.

PH 5350. Advanced Public Health Program Planning and Evaluation.

Students examine social ecological influences on population health in the context of public health program development. Students explore the use of epidemiological data to assist in developing health education and health promotion programs. Concepts include needs assessment, strategy selection, coalition development, implementation plans, and evaluation approaches.

PH 5360. Internship in Public Health.

This 200-hour internship provides students with professionally related experience. Students may work with diverse target audiences in public health settings. The internship is approved and supervised by a Program Coordinator or assigned faculty. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

PH 5370. Applied Epidemiology.

Applied epidemiology is the science of tracking diseases and disease determinants in populations. Students will explore principles of epidemiology and biostatistics, as well as methods of disease and behavior surveillance. This course highlights the use of surveillance data to develop public health interventions and prevention programs.

PH 5374. Global Public Health.

This advanced course focuses on principles of international health with global populations. Emphasis is placed on assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating prevention strategies. Students explore roles of health educators collaborating with providers of health services to diverse populations. Prerequisites: Instructor approval.

PH 5376. Health Promotion in the Workplace.

In this course, students will learn the standard approaches of developing and implementing evidence-based workplace health promotion programs. The course will focus on practical methods for needs assessment, intervention development, and program evaluation in various workplace settings.

PH 5399A. Thesis.

This course represents a student's initial thesis enrollment. No thesis credit is awarded until the student has completed the thesis in PH 5399B. Graded on a credit (CR), progress (PR), no-credit (F) basis.

PH 5399B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding. Graded on a credit (CR), progress (PR), no-credit (F) basis.

PH 5599B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding. Graded on a credit (CR), progress (PR), no-credit (F) basis.

PH 5660. Internship in Public Health.

This course requires students to complete a 400-hour internship to gain professional experiences. Students may work with diverse target audiences in public health settings. The internship is approved and supervised by a Program Coordinator or assigned faculty. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

PH 5999B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding. Graded on a credit (CR), progress (PR), no-credit (F) basis.

HA 5111. Topics in Health Administration.

This course includes an in-depth study of a singular topic, or a related problem being encountered by practicing managers in the rapidly changing healthcare industry. Special emphasis is placed on the topic’s current relevance and its utilitarian value. This course may be repeated for credit with a different topic area.

HA 5191. Program Competencies Assessments and Integrative Experience Preparation.

This course prepares students for the end-of-program, final integrative comprehensive exam to assess students’ program competencies. Students complete the final integrative comprehensive exam and prepare for an effective transition from the classroom setting to the contemporary healthcare organization work environment.

HA 5199B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.

HA 5299B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.

HA 5300. Healthcare Organization and Delivery.

This course includes an overview and comparison of the organization and delivery of health services focusing on the history, development, and current delivery by organizations in the continuum of care. Through the course, students acquire foundational knowledge and management applications pertaining to governance, policy, organizational structures, stakeholders, research, and patient-centered care.

HA 5301. Healthcare Administration Research Methods.

A study of research methodology as it pertains to healthcare administration. Included are hypothesis forming, designing research, and the collection, manipulation and analysis of data. Knowledge of numeracy and statistics is essential.

HA 5303. Healthcare Analytics and Information System Management.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to information systems management for healthcare organizations, with a focus on incorporating analytics for informed decision-making. It covers the determination of information required by whom, design of information flows, procurement of information systems technology resources, assurance of information security, and management of systems integration. Students gain skills in leveraging analytics for insights and trend analysis, optimizing technology solutions, and addressing the unique challenges of healthcare data management.

HA 5304. Healthcare Financial Management I.

This course introduces selected financial management concepts and practices in healthcare organizations. It is a broad introduction to important financial theories, tools, issues, and terminology. Throughout the course, students apply financial management concepts in practical assignments related to health insurance and reimbursement methods, basic managerial accounting, interpretation of healthcare financial statements, cost and profit analysis, departmental and service-line costing and pricing, and planning and budgeting.

HA 5311. Trends in Healthcare Administration.

This course offers students an in-depth study of a singular trend or related problem experienced by practicing managers in the rapidly changing healthcare industry. Special emphasis is placed on the selected topic’s current relevance and its utilitarian value. Examples of trends can include processes or problems occurring in a specific delivery setting; ethical issues; emerging policy, regulation, or law implications; supply chain; and total quality management. This course may be repeated for credit with a different subject area.

HA 5316. Healthcare Financial Management II.

This course builds on the concepts covered in Financial Management I and emphasizes development and application of analytical, statistical, and mathematical competencies pertaining to time value analysis, risk and return concepts, debt and equity financing, cost of capital, capital budgeting, project risk analysis, lease financing and working capital management.

HA 5321. Healthcare Law and Policy.

This course addresses legal issues pertaining to health services as they relate to providers and consumers within the healthcare system. It covers the legal issues surrounding the relationship of patients, providers, and healthcare institutions and examines managerial and clinical ethics as they relate to the provision of health services. The course also addresses policy issues at state and national levels, including how to analyze policies and facilitate policy development, from the perspective of various stakeholders. Students evaluate changing healthcare policy paradigms and decision points.

HA 5325. Healthcare Quality and Operations Improvement.

This course instructs the concepts of quality management in health care integrating quality improvement tools using continuous process improvement methodologies. Students learn to translate healthcare quality management theory, concepts, and knowledge into practice by applying statistical methods and analysis to eliminate defects, reduce waste, and deliver excellent patient/client experiences. Students gain familiarity with the quality standards required by federal and private organizations.

HA 5334. Data-Guided Healthcare Decision-Making.

This course provides the foundation of quantitative reasoning with data evidence and emphasizes the critical nature of the group decision-making process. The course defines the scope and limitations of decision-making. The role of uncertainties in decision-making are illustrated with examples from health care. The adverse outcomes and their consequences in healthcare decisions are explored. The concepts and tools of decision-making trees are applied to improve the quality of decisions. Students practice identifying and rectifying root causes to mitigate risks of adverse outcomes.

HA 5335. Public Health for Healthcare Administrators.

This course includes an examination of the ten essential services of public health and the role of the healthcare manager in disease prevention and improvement of the community’s health, as well as public health surveillance. Students apply the core public health functions as a framework to contextualize public health issues. Students gain experience and practice identifying sources of data and examining peer-reviewed literature.

HA 5346. Strategic Management and Marketing for Healthcare Organizations.

This capstone course builds upon analytical skills needed for making evidence-based strategic and marketing decisions. It covers the strategic planning/management process in the competitive healthcare industry including the assessment of both the external and internal environments and alignment of an organization’s strengths and weaknesses with external threats and opportunities. The study of marketing functions, principles, and concepts as they relate to the healthcare delivery system is also included. Students develop skills by analyzing a real healthcare organization and recommending strategic and marketing decisions.

HA 5355. Emerging Trends in Healthcare Human Resources.

This course identifies, analyzes, and suggests strategies for managing emerging human resource trends with a focus on the healthcare industry. . Course emphasis includes responding to and providing leadership in the key human resource functions of employment, compensation, benefits, employee relations, leadership and staff development, and succession planning.

HA 5356. Policy Development in Healthcare Arena.

Prospective healthcare administrators analyze changing healthcare paradigm to determine decision-points where policies can be affected. Course allows students to apply existing skills to real world policy issues at state and national levels and to analyze policy development from numerous stakeholders’ viewpoints.

HA 5362. Healthcare Organizational Behavior, Theory, and Leadership.

This course provides a foundation and conceptual framework for understanding and navigating healthcare organizational behavior, grounded in the study of organizational, management, leadership, motivation, teaming, and cultural theories, drawing from the behavioral and social sciences. Students learn and practice applied skills in communication, motivation, leadership, teaming, collaboration, facilitation, negotiation, decision-making, change and conflict management through an experiential-learning project.

HA 5371. Marketing of Health Services.

A study of marketing functions and principles as they relate to the healthcare delivery system. Analysis of marketing concepts such as market segmentation, marketing planning, marketing audit, marketing positioning, and marketing mix will be discussed.

HA 5375. Healthcare Accounting.

An introduction to financial accounting in healthcare with an emphasis on the preparation of non-profit financial statements for healthcare service organizations, control procedures for healthcare entities, and accounting issues unique to the healthcare industry. This course does not earn graduate degree credit.

HA 5399A. Thesis.

This course represents students’ initial thesis enrollment. No thesis credit is awarded until students have completed the thesis in Health Administration 5399B. Graded on a credit (CR), progress (PR), no-credit (F) basis.

HA 5399B. Thesis.

This course represents students’ continuing thesis enrollments. Students continue to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding. Graded on a credit (CR), progress (PR), no-credit (F) basis.

HA 5450. Administrative Field Placement.

A one-semester, full-time field experience which allows students to apply their foundational didactic education by means of rotations, experiences, and projects in a healthcare organization. This course is graded on a credit (CR), no-credit (F) basis. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

HA 5599B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.

HA 5640. Administrative Practicum.

This course includes a one semester, part-time field experience designed for students with prior U.S. healthcare or supervisory experience and who work full-time in healthcare. The practicum provides a broader and more in-depth focus on students’ exposure to special projects. This course is graded on a credit (CR), no credit (F) basis. Prior Level Assessment (PLA) for prior documented U.S. healthcare or supervisory experience occurs through the student’s submission of a portfolio summarizing the recent experience, supported by artifacts (from the last 5 years), and approved by the PLA evaluation committee and the Graduate Dean.

HA 5840. Administrative Field Placement.

A one-semester, full-time field experience which allows students to apply their foundational didactic education by means of rotations, experiences, and projects in a healthcare organization.

HA 5999B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollments. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.