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

PH 1310. Foundations of Personal Health.

This course provides an introduction to personal health and wellness topics including nutrition, mental health, sexual health, and physical fitness with an emphasis on health trends and health behaviors.

PH 1320. Introduction to Public Health.

This course provides students a basic understanding of U.S. and global public health systems. Students are also introduced to various public health settings, specific careers in public health, and public health certifications.

PH 2338. Substance Use and Abuse.

This course explores the impact of substance use and abuse on personal, public, and population health. Course content includes current statistics and information on substance use and abuse issues and substance prevention interventions with a focus on public health prevention strategies.

PH 2340. Community Health.

This course acquaints students with issues, trends, developments, and principles in community health. The course also provides an overview of selected topics, such as epidemiology, community organization, and program planning. Corequisite: PH 1320 with a grade of "C" or better.

PH 3301. Environmental Health.

This course is an examination of the ecological impact resulting from contemporary sociopolitical action and its resulting influence on human health.

PH 3315. Statistics in Public Health.

This course emphasizes analysis and interpretation of health-related data. Descriptive and inferential statistics (including measures of central tendency and variability, estimation, ANOVA, and regression) will be used to understand factors associated with current health-related issues. (WI) Prerequisites: MATH 1312 or MATH 1315 or MATH 1317 or MATH 1319 or MATH 1329 or MATH 2321 or MATH 2417 or MATH 2471 with a grade of "C" or better.

PH 3321. Health in the School Setting.

This course offers a foundation in health methods and activities to provide resources for the elementary and secondary school teacher. Provides an overview of current school health issues: Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model, mental health, personal health, family life, substance abuse, and violence in the school setting.

PH 3330. Inclusion and Diversity in Women's Health.

This course is designed to explore the health care concerns unique to women and to provide students with opportunities to create strategies to improve women's health. Particular attention will be given to issues that affect women in under-served populations and how to more effectively serve their needs.

PH 3348. Prevention of Disease.

This course provides an overview of the etiology of communicable and chronic diseases with special emphasis on health promotion activities to reduce the incidence of disease in communities and society.

PH 3350. Consumer Health.

This course focuses on consumer health and decision making with regard to the selection of health products and services. Students will learn how to effectively evaluate health information with emphasis on consumer literacy, public policy, and consumer products and services.

PH 3360. Issues in Human Sexuality.

The course provides a study of human sexuality as a lifelong process of acquiring information and forming healthy attitudes, beliefs, and values regarding sexuality. Human sexuality's impact on personal and public health will be explored.

PH 3370. Epidemiology.

This course introduces students to epidemiological concepts including determinants of health and patterns of disease in populations, population health descriptive techniques, use of health indicators and secondary data sources. Students will focus on epidemiology in community health assessment and program evaluation, and development of public health strategies and policy. Prerequisite: MATH 1312 or MATH 1315 or MATH 1317 or MATH 1319 or MATH 1329 or MATH 2321 or MATH 2417 or MATH 2471 or HON 2302A or HON 2302B and with a grade of "D" or better.

PH 3374. Global Health.

This course focuses on principles of international health in global populations. Students explore roles of health educators collaborating with providers of health services to diverse populations.

PH 3376. Worksite Health Promotion.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to worksite health promotion. The focus of the course is on planning, implementing, and evaluating worksite health promotion programs. The course addresses other contemporary health issues, policies, and considerations that affect worksite health promotion.

PH 4100. Professional Development in Public Health.

This course provides the opportunity for students to obtain a community or public health promotion internship and to actively participate in professional development activities including conferences, development of resumes and interaction with health professionals. If a student is planning to complete an internship, this course must be completed during the semester immediately prior.

PH 4331. 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 4335. Public Health Leadership.

This course allows students to develop discipline-specific leadership skills and a personal leadership philosophy which will help in managing public health and health promotion programs. Topics include leadership philosophy, staffing, programming, budgeting, public relations, facilities, and evaluations.

PH 4336. Health Behavior Theory.

This course introduces students to health behavior theory, including cognitive, operant, and social theories of motivation and behavior, behavior change theory, social marketing, and social ecology. Students will also learn about the role of behavior theory in health promotion practice and public health interventions. (WI) Prerequisites: PH 1320 and PH 2340 both with grades of "C" or better.

PH 4347. Independent Study in Public Health.

This course is designed for undergraduate students who display potential for independent research in public health. Students work individually with faculty to develop an independent research study/project in public health. Open on an individual basis by arrangement with the division chair. May be repeated for credit with different emphasis. Prerequisites: Instructor approval.

PH 4360. Internship in Public Health.

This part-time internship involves the application of public health concepts to a community or public health setting. Students participate in the work of a health organization/agency and complete a semester-long project. A minimum of 200 contact hours is required. (WI) Prerequisite: PH 4100 with a grade of "C" or better and a minimum 3.0 major GPA and departmental approval. Corequisite: PH 4640 with a grade of "C" or better.

PH 4640. Public Health Program Planning and Evaluation.

Students apply professional knowledge and skills to the development of public health programs. Topics include needs assessment, data gathering techniques, instrument design, data and statistics, and the interpretation, reporting, and application of findings for program development. Cultural competency and communication are covered. (WI) Prerequisite: PH 1320 and PH 2340 both with grades of "C" or better. Corequisite: PH 4336 with a grade of "C" or better.

PH 4660. Internship in Public Health.

This internship involves the application of public health concepts to a community or public health setting. Students participate in the work of a health organization/agency and complete a semester-long project. A minimum of 400 contact hours is required. (WI) Prerequisites: PH 4100 and PH 4640 both with grades of "C" or better and a minimum 3.0 major GPA and departmental approval.

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 healthcare management or leadership experience, working 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 Learning Experience Credit is available upon admission with supportive documentation for five or more years of healthcare management or leadership experience. Prior Learning Assessment is directly assessed by the Faculty Admission Committee, using application documentation.

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.