Courses

The abbreviation P refers to course prerequisites and R to recommended prerequisite courses. Prerequisites can be waived by the instructor of the course. The number of hours of credit is indicated in parentheses following the course title. Courses are listed inthree groups: environmental health science, health services management, and public health.
Graduate Courses
  • PBHL-A 609 Air Pollution and Health (3 cr.) This course provides an overview and foundation in the science and management of air quality, with a focus on health impacts and strategies to reduce these impacts. Course topics include the scientific technical aspects of air pollution through the study of the characteristics of the atmosphere and atmospheric pollutants, effects of meteorology on air pollution, urban air pollution, visibility, smog, acid deposition, stratospheric ozone depletion, global warming and indoor air pollution.
  • PBHL-A 610 Environmental Toxicology (3 cr.) P: PBHL-A609 This course examines the extent and significance of toxic agents in the environment.  It covers risk assessment of potential adverse health effect resulting from human exposure to toxic environmental agents. It also provides a background for understanding mechanistic and biologic specific processes of environmental agents.
  • PBHL-A 611 Environmental Health Risk Assessment (3 cr.) P: PBHL-A610 This course provides a foundation in the processes and tools of environmental risk assessment, which is the basis for making technical decisions related to environmental issues and human health. Course topics include methods of probabilistic risk analysis, toxicological estimation, regulatory requirements for risk assessment, and managing and communicating risk.
  • PBHL-A 611 Environmental Health Policy Analysis (3 cr.) This course provides students with a focus on the policy-making process and the many variables that comprise the dynamic framework for environmental policy formulation.  The course explores the roles of politics, economics, science, health, values and ethics in setting policy through a consideration of key historical and contemporary issues.
  • PBHL-A 621 Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (3 cr.) This course provides students with a technical foundation in areas of solid and hazardous waste management that can be applied to the examination of policy options. Topics include characterization of the waste stream, regulations, health and environmental risks, liability issues, management techniques, and treatment and disposal options.
  • PBHL-A 622 Chemistry for Environmental Health Professionals (3 cr.) This course is designed to provide environmental health professionals, who are not chemists, with the technical background needed to understand and manage environmental health science issues.  Topics include a detailed overview of basic principles of chemistry,  followed by a more focused treatment of how these fundamentals apply to issues such as hazardous materials and wastes; water and air resources; pollution of the air, water, and land; and other related topics.
  • PBHL-A 623 Environmental Management Systems: ISO 14001 Based (3 cr.) This course providces students with the knowlege and skills to establish or improve an environmental management system that is compatible with ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 14001, an international, voluntary standard that is emerging as a best-management practice for environment.
  • PBHL-A 628 Food Safety and Sanitation (3 cr.) This course will examine the various hazards that cause food borne illness as well as the risk factors that are known to contribute to these diseases. Topics include etiological agents for common and emerging food borne diseases; basic concepts of food science and technology; food safety principles and practices that are recommended by the Food and Drug Administration's Food Code.  
  • PBHL-A 633 Occupational Health and Safety for Public Health Professionals (3 cr.) This course provides a survey of technical and regulatory aspects of protecting the health and safety of workers. Topics include basic toxicology; skin, eye, and respiratory hazards; measuring hazardous atmospheres; ventilation systems; fire and explosion hazards; emergency response; occupational hearing loss; radiation; prevention of accidents; cumulative trauma; and personal protective equipment.
  • PBHL-B 653 Applied Multivariate Statistical Methods (3 cr.) P: P551 and P652. B653 is an introductory multivariate statistics course. This course is applied and is intended for non-statisticians, for example, masters or PhD students in behavioral, psychological, educational or medical sciences, or other health care professionals. Students are expected to have taken two previous courses in statistics (introductory and intermediate) covering up through t-test, ANOVA, ANCOVA and linear regression. The overall objective of the course is to introduce the most commonly used multivariate statistical techniques with emphasis on applications to real data which will be analyzed with SPSS. The emphasis will be on concepts, assumptions, applications, and hands-on interpretation of SPSS results. Formulas or matrix algebra will not be emphasized.
  • PBHL-C 501 Program Planning in Public Health Education (3 cr.) This course will provide students with a systematic approach to program planning and evaluation of health programs. Students will apply program planning, implementation and evaluation theory to develop an evidence-based health promotion program that addresses a public health issue of personal interest.
  • PBHL-H 501 U.S. Health Care: Systems, Policies, and Ethical Challenges (3 cr.) Study of health, illness, and disease trajectories and the systemic components that mold the health care system. Ideological paradigms predicting utilization and health behaviors are addressed, as are guidelines for ethical decision making and problem analysis. Formulation and implementation of organizational and governmental policies and their associated theoretical assumptions are addressed.
  • PBHL-H 507 Management of Individual and Group Behavior (3 cr.) This course provides a conceptual framework for understanding behavior in the work environment by introducing concepts concerning effective management of people in organizations. Key theories and concepts in the field of organizational behavior will be introduced. The focus of this course is at the micro level of analysis, addressing topics such as individual theories of motivation, job design, and diversity issues; management of work teams; group decision making; managing conflict; and leadership, influence, and power issues.
  • PBHL-H 508 Managing Health Care Accounting Information for Decision-Making (3 cr.) P: undergraduate principles of accounting. Provides a user-oriented understanding of how accounting information should be utilized, focusing on balance sheet and income statement and cash flow analysis, budgeting, cost analysis, and responsibility accounting.
  • PBHL-H 509 Financial Management Principles of Health Care (3 cr.) P: SPHA-H 508. Provides knowledge of corporate finance practice in health care organizations. Establishes an understanding of the basic elements of financial theory used to address service expansion or contraction, capital investment issues, developing business plans and working capital management.
  • PBHL-H 514 Health Economics (3 cr.) P: 3 credit hours of undergraduate economics. Examines the principles and application of economic analysis in the health field and the economist’s approach to health care issues. Provides insights offered by economic analysis of specific health issues and problems.
  • PBHL-H 515 Seminar in Health Policy: Special Topics (3 cr.) P: SPHA H501, H503, or consent of instructor.  Exploration of health policy topics from economic, financial, sociological, political, and psychological perspectives. Analytical paradigms are applied to organizational or macro-policy making issues that vary in response to changing environments. May be repeated once with advisor’s approval.
  • PBHL-H 516 Health Services Delivery and the Law (3 cr.) Medical-legal concepts related to hospitals and other health services organizations. Course provides an in-depth understanding of the law and the legal processes affecting the health services system. Presentation of the elements of administrative and agency processes, torts, contracts, facilities, physicians, patients, and personnel.
  • PBHL-H 517 Managerial Epidemiology (3 cr.) Examines general epidemiologic methods such as population descriptive techniques, use of health indicators and secondary health-related data sources. Includes design, administration, and analysis of observational and experimental studies. Emphasis will be on the use of epidemiologic techniques to assess community health, determine community risk factors, and evaluate community-based programs.
  • PBHL-H 518 Statistical Methods for Health Services (3 cr.) P: 3 credit hours of undergraduate statistics. Study of the quantitative techniques commonly used to examine health-related data. Includes univariate, bivariate, and multivariate techniques. Emphasis is on using statistical techniques to make policy and administrative decisions in a health services setting. Students use standard computer software to analyze data.
  • PBHL-H 521 Management Science for Health Services Administration (3 cr.) Focus is on management science methods, as applied to health sciences administration. Includes treatment of decision theory, constrained optimization, and probability simulation.
  • PBHL-H 523 Health Services Human Resource Management (3 cr.) This course provides the knowledge and skills needed to understand the application of personnel and labor relations techniques to the health services sectors, with particular emphasis on human resources management, employees' benefit programs, and labor relations as applied to the health servies delivery organization.
  • PBHL-H 606 Health Services Quality Improvement and Risk Management (3 cr.) P: H501, H503, and V504. Critically examines the concepts, strategies, and techniques related to the improvement of the quality of health service delivery. Addresses the increasing need to enhance productivity given the impact of external and other factors on the workplace. Principles and application of risk management concepts and techniques, including insurance, are emphasized.
  • PBHL-H 612 Marketing for Health Services Delivery (3 cr.) This course focuses on the marketing problems and strategies of health care organizations. Subjects include the nature of health care services, organizing for health service delivery, managing health services demand, tailoring customer mix, and managing supply in health care services.
  • PBHL-H 615 Health Care Outcomes and Decision Making (3 cr.) P: H501, H502, H514, and H518. Application of health outcomes measures in decision-making and evaluation in various health service settings. Includes designing and implementing evaluation plans of health and social programs. Emphasis on evaluation strategies, measurement of health outcomes, and management decision-making.
  • PBHL-H 623 Health Care Applications of Strategic Management (3 cr.) P: H501, H502, H510, and H521. This last course of the series in the capstone sequence is designed to assist students in synthesizing and summarizing all of the previous course work. Emphasis is on “real-world” case situations and requires active participation by the students. Case studies chosen reflect current management issues in health services administration.
  • PBHL-H 624 Developing Strategic Capability (3 cr.) This course explores management roles in health care. Application of strategtic management theories, concepts and principles and an understanding of managerial roles in organizations are emphasized. Managerial process, management theories, leadership, organizational design, and strategic management are examined. 
  • PBHL-H 628 Health Care Information Systems (3 cr.) A study of the terminology, technology, and application of information systems in various health care settings. Topics include the gathering, organization, storage, and retrieval of complex data banks, as well as assessment of health service data needs and considerations in developing information systems. Includes many computer-based exercises.
  • PBHL-H 702 Internship in Health Services Management (3 cr.) P: H501, H509, H514, and H650. Requires the equivalent of a minimum of 3 credit hours of on-site experience under the supervision of a qualified preceptor and program faculty. Grading is on an S/F basis.
  • PBHL-H 735 Research in Health Administration (3-6 cr.) P: all core courses or consent of instructor. Field research conducted under the direction of a faculty member. Designed for advanced students and those who have elected not to take a residency. Grading is on an S/F basis.
  • PBHL-P 500 Social and Behavioral Science in Public Health (3 cr.) This course is designed to introduce students to the philosophies and principles that provide the foundation for health promotion and disease prevention with an emphasis on population-based public health approaches. Students will explore topics that promote a broader and better understanding of determinants of health; the multiple factors contributing to health and illness behaviors; fundamentals, theories and principles that shed light on health and illness behaviors; and philosophies, principles and strategies that facilitate improvements in population health and the elimination of health disparities. Students will be introduced to the important complementary relationships between and comingled effects of the determinants of health with an emphasis on the social determinants of health. Students will be presented with new approaches to improve, by not only focusing on individual capacities and capabilities to address their diseases and/or ailments, but also, most importantly perhaps, focus on the conditions and contexts in which individuals have the liberty and limits to make choices that influence health and illness behaviors in many different ways.
  • PBHL-P 504 U.S. Health Care Systems and Health Policy (3 cr.) This course explores the U.S. health care system, policy development, and ethical challenges. It examines the structure, components, organization and financing of the U.S. health care system. The policy process at national, state and local levels will be analyzed using legislation and related activities.
  • PBHL-P 517 Fundamentals of Epidemiology (3 cr.) This course will introduce students to basic epidemiologic 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 gain an understanding of the role of Epidemiology in developing prevention strategies and policy.  Among the topics to be covered are measures of mortality and morbidity, design and analysis of observational studies, community health assessment and program evaluation.
  • PBHL-P 519 Environmental Science in Public Health (3 cr.) The primary focus of this course will be on pathogenic agents (biological, chemical, and physical) in the environment and their impact on morbidity and mortality of human populations. We will study several types of common and emerging pathogens from anthropogenic and natural sources and how they cause illness and/or injury. Particular attention will be given to the mode of transmission, route of exposure, and acute and chronic diseases or injuries caused by these environmental agents. During the class we will also investigate the strategies, technologies and laws/policies that are used to prevent, control, or eliminate environmental hazards.
  • PBHL-P 551 Biostatistics for Public Health I (3 cr.) This course introduces the basic principles and methods of data analysis in public health biostatistics. Emphasis is placed on public health examples as they relate to concepts such as sampling, study design, descriptive statistics, probability, statistical distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing, chi-square tests, t-tests, analysis of variance, linear regression and correlation.
  • PBHL-P 600 Epidemiologic Research Methods (3 cr.) P: P517 and P551. This course provides an in-depth presentation of the major research designs, analytical methods, and practical issues specifically related to conducting research in the field of epidemiology, outcomes research, and health economics. Descriptive, observational and experimental designs are included. In addition, issues of ethics, protocol, data quality, instrument design, and analysis are covered.
  • PBHL-P 601 Advanced Epidemiology (3 cr.) P: P517 & P551 (or concurrently enrolled). This course provides students with an in-depth understanding of advanced epidemiologic concepts introduced in other courses as well as a fundamental understanding of epidemiologic techniques not covered in other classes. Topics included will represent cutting edge techniques, philosophical issues and insights to appropriately conduct and interpret the findings of epidemiological studies. Students will gain an understanding of these concepts and issues through discussions with expert epidemiologists and hands-on exercises.
  • PBHL-P 602 Public Health Internship (3 cr.) P: MPH core and approval of concentration advisor. Integrates public health theory and practice in a practice setting. Students have the opportunity to apply concepts from core and concentration courses, conduct projects and interact with a range of health professionals. Students work both with a faculty advisor and qualified preceptor in the agency.
  • PBHL-P 609 Infections Disease Epidemiology (3 cr.) P: P517. This course is designed to provide a basic overview of the infectious disease process, including disease agents, transmission routes, immunity and public health significance. The course introduces principles of infectious disease epidemiology, including outbreak investigation and surveillance, using case studies as examples. Concepts on globalization of disease, microbial ecology, and disease eradication also are discussed.
  • PBHL-P 610 Chronic Disease Epidemiology (3 cr.) P: P517. This course examines chronic health conditions from epidemiological perspectives. Concepts include distribution, determinants; diagnosis; measures of severity; treatment modalities; surveillance measures; survival and prognosis; and quality of care measures. Research methods prevention strategies and screening tests are presented.Clinical expert's present diagnosis and treatment methods.
  • PBHL-P 611 Policy Design, Implementation and Management (3 cr.) This course will examine the reasons for this in terms of the politics of health and the implications for the future of health policy in the United States. Further, health policy topics from economic, financial, sociological, political and psychological perspectives will be covered. Analytical paradigms are applied to organizational or macro-policy making issues. Topics vary by semester according to current policy challenges faced at the federal level.
  • PBHL-P 612 Health Outcomes Research (3 cr.) P: P517 & P551. This web-based course is evidence-based and focused on health outcomes research in contemporary health care. The different types of health outcomes assessment tools and their application in determining patient health status, changes in health status, and the effectiveness of health care interventions will be addressed. The course will focus on generic and specific health related outcomes assessment tools, looking at such issues as disease specific outcomes and patient satisfaction.
  • PBHL-P 613 Public Health and Emergency Preparedness (3 cr.) This graduate elective course is designed to familiarize learners with emergency preparedness concepts due to natural and man-made disasters. The course will also review biological agents used for terrorism in the past, and agents the Centers for Disease Control consider most likely to be used at present. The content will be delivered via, seminar discussion, web based activities, CDs addressing bioterrorism, resources for infection control and key resources for further exploration. Other student opportunities include readings from past great works depicting responses to naturally occurring infectious disease or contemporary responses to disasters and terrorism/bioterrorism. Public health responses to emergency preparedness at local, state and federal levels will also be discussed.
  • PBHL-P 614 Program Planning in Public Health (3 cr.)
  • PBHL-P 616 Strategic Planning for Health Services Organizations (3 cr.) This courses aims to develop the student's knowledge and ability in strategic management in health services organizations. Based on an introduction to the general process model of strategic management, the course will engage in detailed discussions of a series of topics in strategic management. These topics include the identification of the organization's mission, vision, and values, the analysis of the external and internal environment of the organization, the identification of strategic challenges and opportunities, the development of strategies, the evaluation of strategies, the communication of strategies, and the development and evaluation of an action plan. The course emphasizes the unique strategic challenges facing health services organizations and their leadership, and aims to develop accordingly the student's ability to identify, analyze and address these challenges. The course utilizes real-world cases to facilitate the understanding of basic course content. The conceptual model of strategic management will be illustrated through the analysis of selected health care cases. The student will also be required to independently analyze a strategic case most relevant to their field of work or study applying the conceptual strategic planning process.
  • PBHL-P 618 Cancer Epidemiology (3 cr.) P: P517 This course is an overview of cancer epidemiology, focusing on key concepts, etiologic research, applications to public health practice and major epidemiologic methods. This course is designed for students who have an interest in epidemiology.
  • PBHL-P 619 Health Economics for Public Health Professionals (3 cr.) This is an introductory microeconomics course with applications to the public health and health care systems. The course objectives are that the students develop an appreciation of economic theories and principles, exacting assumptions thereof, and how these theories and principles apply to the public health and health care markets, particularly how price drives resource allocation in addition to signaling value, substitution and technological innovation. Students will also be introduced to skills need to measure and interpret economic values and relationships including the interpretation of quantitative data analysis. We will examine how economic incentives affect the different actors in the health (care) system. The fundamental models of economic and organizational behaviors will be extended to describe the behaviors of the different health care players and the health (care) system as each tries to maximize utility and profits (or min costs), respectively, under different financial, regulatory and technological constraints. Most importantly, students will be able to explore the limits to markets and rationality, and develop an appreciation for how a variety of checks and balances-more so that unbridled competition-contribute to efficient and equitable functioning of and outcomes in a market.
  • PBHL-P 631 Maternal, Child, and Family Health (3 cr.) Overview of Maternal Child health with emphasis on conditions and issues effecting reproductive, childhood, and women's wellbeing. Includes classroom lecture, discussion, and student presentations.
  • PBHL-P 632 History of Public Health (3 cr.) This course surveys the history of public health from antiquity to the late twentieth century with the aim of providing students with an understanding of how history may inform present day challenges regarding the health of populations, including emerging infectious diseases; climate change; dislocation of populations from conflicts and natural disasters; malnutrition; and chronic diseases in aging populations. Using a chronological and thematic approach to history, students will learn of the origins, natural histories, and important determinants of the structure and function of modern systems of public health in the United States. The course will explore the complex interactions within populations of disease, science, social and cultural norms, moral/ethical values, economic and legal precepts, health professionals, institutions, and government in shaping the rate of adoption and diffusion of public health systems. The course will use a readings/discussion format with limited didactic teaching and an emphasis on active learning. Each week students will read 4-7 papers and be prepared to discuss them in class. Important goals of the course are to stimulate interest in the history of public health, learn about the methods and tools used in historical research, and promote critical thinking.
  • PBHL-P 650 Readings in Public Health (3 cr.) This course is designed to expose the student to different readings in public health.  The course will allow the student to apply skills learned in the public health core courses by collecting data and applying techniques.  The student will be required to read critically published papers and identify research topics.
  • PBHL-P 650 Readings in Public Health Topic: Chemistry for Environmental Health Professionals (3 cr.) Chemistry for Environmental Health Professionals provides a review of chemistry fundamentals and application of fundamentals to environmental health issues. Our focus is on the organic and inorganic chemistry of topics including hazardous materials and wastes; industrial processes, toxicology, and sustainability; water and water pollution and treatment; the atmosphere and global warming; soil; and other related topics.
  • PBHL-P 650 Readings in Public Health Topic: Design & Implementation of Observational Studies (3 cr.) P: P517 & P600.  This course examines fundamental aspects of designing and implementing observational epidemiology studies.  The focus is on developing strategies to increase the validity of the study results by using techniques to control for possible confounding factors and biases.  Topics include sampling methods, sensitivity, data weighting, standardization, selection of cases and controls, matching, data collection and project management.
  • PBHL-P 650 Readings in Public Health Topic: Food Safety (3 cr.) The United States has one of the safest food supplies in the world.  Yet, each year millions of Americans of all ages become   ill, some with potentially fatal diseases, from eating contaminated food.  Foodborne illness poses a significant challenge to public health in America, and prevention of foodborne disease is a key role of public health, environmental health, and agriculture agencies throughout the nation.  Food safety is the component of environmental health that protects our food supply from farm to table. These programs typically involve a cooperative effort between the food industry and regulatory agencies at the federal, state, and local levels.  The collective goal of these programs is to enhance the safety of America's food supply and reduce the incidence of foodborne illness as a major cause of discomfort and preventable death.  This course examines the hazards that cause foodborne illness as well as the risk factors that contribute to these diseases.  Common and emerging foodborne diseases are studied with emphasis on the etiological agents and foods they are commonly associated with.  The class also examines the basic concepts of food science and technology with emphasis on the methods and processes used at the various stages along the flow of food from farm to table to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of our nation's food supply.
  • PBHL-P 650 Readings in Public Health Topic: Fundamentals of Injury Epidemiology (3 cr.) P: P517& P551. Injury is the leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 1 and 44 years.  This course will introduce students to basic epidemiologic concepts of injury, both intentional and unintentional.  We will discuss the burden of injury and its effect on public health, patterns of injury in populations, the use of descriptive techniques, and secondary data sources.  Students will gain an understanding of the role of Injury Epidemiology in developing prevention strategies and  policy.  Among the topics to be covered are measures of mortality and morbidity, design and analysis of observational  studies, community health assessment and program evaluation.
  • PBHL-P 650 Readings in Public Health Topic: Health Communication (3 cr.) Effectively communicating health messages to the public can be a challenge.  From advertising a program to promoting behavior change, there are many tools and actions that can yield positive results. This course will offer theory and practical experiences through the steps of creating a communications plan and actual campaign.  Case studies, guest speakers, and hands-on experiences will be blended together.
  • PBHL-P 650 Readings in Public Health Topic: Molecular Epidemiology (3 cr.) P: P517. This course presents fundamental concepts and methods in molecular and genetic epidemiologic research, and explains different study designs commonly used in genetic epidemiology to identify the genetic basis of common, complex disease. Students will learn about available common molecular and genetic measures, different study design searching for disease-causing genes, and their interaction with environmental factors,ethnical issues and genetic testing.
  • PBHL-P 652 Biostatistics for Public Health II (3 cr.) P: P551. This course introduces the advanced principles and methods of data analysis in public health biostatistics. Emphasis is placed on public health examples as they relate to concepts such as: Multiple regression, analysis of variance and covariance, logistic regression, nonparametric statistics, survival analysis, statistics used in epidemiology, and repeated measures analysis.
  • PBHL-P 655 Historical Evolution of Epidemiology (3 cr.) P: P517. The course will explore the historical developments and public health responses to human disease morbidity and mortality, and their importance and influence on the role of public health in modern society. Readings and discussion will examine in detail, the evolutionary change in the epidemiologic response of a Varity of disease of national and international importance.
  • PBHL-P 657 Application of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Public Health (3 cr.) Cost-effectiveness analysis is widely used in evaluating the performance of public health programs and policies.  In this course, students will learn to frame the conceptual model, to collect and synthesize data regarding "cost" and "effectiveness", to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis, and to form recommendations based on the analysis.  Meta-analysis and various survey/interview techniques will be introduced as essential tools for data collection in cost-effectiveness analyses.  Learning will be facilitated by numerous examples of the application of this popular method. Health Policy and Management students have option of taking this course in place of H509.
  • PBHL-P 658 Methods of Health Services and Policy Research (3 cr.) This is a required course for students in the Health Policy and Management concentration. It aims to familiarize students with the methods of health services research and policy research. It introduces various study designs, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques that are relevant to students and researchers in these fields. It discusses the ethical,legal and political implications of health services and policy research. Students will apply theoretical knowledge in the analysis of actual data. This course also aims to facilitate the development of student's final concentration project.
  • PBHL-P 659 The Tobacco Pandemic (3 cr.) This course focuses on U.S. and global Tobacco Control, including the health and economic burdens of tobacco use as well as evidence-based approaches to prevention and management. Students will explore how human use of the plant Nicotiana tobacum with its potent alkaloid, nicotine, evolved into the largest human made pandemic in world history. The nature, prevalence, and trends of tobacco addiction, tobacco-related diseases, and their treatment will be addressed, as well as the centuries long "tobacco wars," pitting the tobacco industry's effective marketing of their products against the often fragmented, underfunded, and ineffectual government and anti-tobacco forces. Students will review the rise, over the past 50 years, of effective science and evidence-based tobacco control policy in the U.S.: U.S. Surgeons General Reports; CDC Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs; U.S. PHS Clinical Practice Guidelines: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, and related sources. The future of Tobacco Control, including various scenarios for the "end game" of tobacco use in modern societies will be addressed, in light of recent major legal, political, and economic changes in the landscape of Tobacco Control in the U.S and globally.
  • PBHL-P 670 Topics in Public Health (3 cr.)
  • PBHL-P 700 Continuous Enrollment (1 cr.) This course is designed for MPH students who are working on their Final Concentration Project until project grade has been assigned. Enrollment in PBHL-P700 allows students access to the library, computer labs, IRB, other campus facilities/services and to meet with academic advisors. In addition it allows students to retain eligibility for financial aid and loan deferment. Students enrolled in 45 credit hours are eligible to enroll in P700.
  • PBHL-P 701 Public Health Biostatistics Concentration FInal Project (3 cr.) P: MPH Core; Public Health Internship.
  • PBHL-P 702 Public Health Social and Behavioral Science Concentration Project (3 cr.) P: MPH Core; Public Health Internship. Provides students the opportunity to synthesize and integrate knowledge through course work and the public health internship. Student projects will include components of behavioral health sciences research and application.
  • PBHL-P 703 Environmental Science Concentration Final Project (3 cr.) P: MPH Core; Public Health Internship. Provides students the opportunity to synthesize and integrate knowledge acquirede through coursework and the public health internship. Student projects will include components of environmental science analysis, research, and application
  • PBHL-P 704 Public Health Epidemiology Concentration Project (3 cr.) P: MPH Core; Public Health Internship. Students synthesize and integrate knowledge acquired through course work and the public health internship by conducting an epidemiological study. Satisfactory projects include epidemiological research that involves protocol development, data collection and analysis and presentation of an oral presentation and written report.
  • PBHL-P 705 Public Health Policy and Management Concentration Project (3 cr.) P: MPH Core; Public Health Internship. Provides students the opportunity to synthesize and integrate knowledge acquired through coursework and the public health internship. Student projects will include components of health policy analysis or management research and application.
  • PBHL-R 515 Sociology of Health and Illness (3 cr.) This course will acquaint students with the theoretical and empirical foundations of the sociology of health and illness, as well as exposing him/her to the important theoretical and empirical research done by sociologists of health and illness . R515 uses sociological perspectives and sociological research techniques to investigate the social and behavioral phenomena associated with health, disease, and health care. The field deals with quite a broad range of topics, including (but not limited to): social influences on the distribution of disease, the influence of inequality on health, the impact of culture on symptom recognition and help seeking, the relation of medicine to institutions of social control, the distinctive characteristics of medicine as a type of work, cost containment issues, the impact of economic factors on the distribution and organization of health care, the implications an aging population has for the provision of health care in the United States, and a consideration of the ethical issues raised by modern biomedicine, etc.
  • PBHL-S 658 Methods for Research on Social and Behavioral Dimensions of Public Health (3 cr.) This course will train students in basic research methods used by social and behavioral scientists in the public health arena. Through lectures, labs, individual and group activities, students will learn how to read empirical research and evaluate its quality in order to become good consumers of existing research. Students will also learn to produce quality research through an understanding of theoretical foundations, research design and the basics of measurement theory.
Undergraduate Courses
  • PBHL-A 316 Environmental Health Science (3 cr.) A study of human interaction with the environment and potential impacts of environmental agents on health and safety. Hazards from natural sources and human activities that contaminate our air, land, water, food, homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces are examined. Environmental control activities, including pollution control technology and policy, are also examined.
  • PBHL-A 322 Principles of Epidemiology (3 cr.) A basic overview of epidemiologic methodology and techniques. Both communicable and chronic disease risk factors will be discussed, along with data acquisition, analysis techniques, and current published epidemiological studies.
  • PBHL-A 367 Environmental Science and Health Practicum (2 cr.) P: PBHL-A316 The Enviornmental Science and Health Practicum will consist of a personal career-planning component coupled with a weekly field visit to environmental science and health-related organizations in central Indiana. Students must perform satisfactorily in both parts of the practicum to receive a passing grade.
  • PBHL-H 367 Health Services Management Practicum (2 cr.) P: PBHL-H320 and Junior Standing The Health Services Management Practicum will consist of a personal career-planning component coupled with weekly field visits to health-related organizations in central Indiana. Students must preform satisfactorily in both parts of the practicum to receive a passing grade. 
  • PBHL-A 380 Environmental Health Science Internship (3 cr.) P: Permission of Instructor. Open to interested students upon approval of the faculty. Students are placed with governmental agencies or private and not-for-profit organizations or governmental units for assignment to a defined task relevant to their educational interests in environmental health science. Tasks may involve staff work or research. May be repeated for credit. Course is graded S/F (Satisfactory/Fail).
  • PBHL-A 410 Introduction to Environmental Toxicology (3 cr.) Study of toxic mechanisms, pathology, and disease development resulting from exposure to biological and chemical agents in the environment.
  • PBHL-A 416 Environmental Health Policy (3 cr.) Study of professional requirements and duties of the environmental health functions within health agencies; consideration of applicable laws and standards in each environmental health function; environmental health program planning, evaluation, implementation, and personnel responsibilities.
  • PBHL-A 423 Environmental Health Science Technology: Managing Water and Wastes (3 cr.) P: PBHL-A316; MATH 153. Technology approach to preventing the transmission of disease among humans through water and wastes. Course focuses on drinking water treatment and distribution, water quality and pollution, wastewater treatment, storm water management, municipal solid waste, and hazardous waste management. 
  • PBHL-A 428 Food Science and Sanitation (3 cr.) Basic concepts of food technology with emphasis on methods and procedures in food processing to minimize contamination and to prevent food-related illness. Federal, state, and local food laws and inspection procedures will be examined.
  • PBHL-A 433 Industrial Hygiene (3 cr.) Survey of the technical and regulatory aspects of protecting the health and safety of workers. Topics include basic toxicology; skin, eye, and respiratory hazards; measuring hazardous atmospheres; ventilation systems; fire and explosion hazards; emergency response; occupational hearing loss; radiation; prevention of accidents; cumulative trauma; and personal protective equipment.
  • PBHL-A 451 Air Pollution in the Community (3 cr.) A survey course covering the chemistry, transport, and fate of air pollutants related to current issues of air quality, such as photochemical smog, ozone depletion, particulate matter, and indoor air quality. Topics include the types, sources, health and environmental effects, measurement, evaluation, control, regulation, and modeling of air pollution concentrations.
  • PBHL-A 459 Environmental Science and Health Data Analysis (3 cr.) P: PBHL-A316; SPEA0-K300; 1 semester of chemistry. Provides students with an understanding of basic principles needed to perform sampling and analysis of field and laboratory environmental data. Topics include properties of chemical and biological constituents, detection limits, calibration, quality control, precision accuracy, and statistical analysis.
  • PBHL-A 460 Environmental Science and Health Data Analysis (3 cr.) P: PBHL-A459. Basic physical, chemical, and biological examinations and standards for potable water quality, wastewater treatment determinations, and stream pollution control. Basic physical, chemical, and biological (ergonometric) examinations used in industrial hygiene and air pollution control. Instruction in basic laboratory skills and techniques for performing these examinations. 
  • PBHL-A 466 Public Health Field Experience (1-3 cr.) Supervised advanced training in professional and technical functions in public health; guided student activity and performance in professional public health functions. Individualized programs may be arranged to suit students’ areas of concentration.
  • PBHL-H 120 Contemporary Health Issues (1-3 cr.) An examination of current public health, environmental health, and health service delivery issues in the U.S. Topics include the organization and costs of health systems, access to care, and the interrelationships between risk factors and health; also, environmental challenges facing our society and their impact on health.
  • PBHL-H 126 Introduction to Careers in Health Care (1 cr.) Introduces students to different careers and opportunities in the field of health care administration.
  • PBHL-H 320 Health Systems Administration (3 cr.) An overview of the U.S. health care delivery system. It examines the organization, function, and role of the system; current system problems; and alternative systems or solutions.
  • PBHL-H 352 Health Finance and Budgeting (3 cr.) P: BUS-A 200 or BUS-A 201. A study of the financial management of health care facilities based on generally accepted business principles. Accounting and managerial control of cash, accounts receivable, inventory control, budgeting, and cost control, as well as accounting and evaluation of short- and long-term debt will be examined.
  • PBHL-H 353 Advanced Health Finance and Budgeting (3 cr.) P: H352. This course builds upon H352 Health Finance and Budgeting as well as examines the uses of contractual language and obligations. It uses a series of case studies to apply techniques and principles taught in PBHL-H 352.
  • PBHL-H 354 Health Care Economics (3 cr.) This course applies economics to the study of administrative and policy issues in the health care sector. Economic concepts are used to explain the system of health care financing and the organization of health care delivery in the U.S. The economic evaluation of health care programs is also discussed.
  • PBHL-H 365 Health Services Practicum (2 cr.) P: PBHL-H320; junior standing The Health Services Practicum will consist of a personal career-planning component coupled with weekly field visits to health care agencies in central Indiana. Students must preform satisfactorily in both parts of the practicum to receive a passing grade. 
  • PBHL-H 380 Health Services Management Internship (1-6 cr.) P: Permission of Instructor. Open to interested students upon approval of the faculty. Students are placed with governmental agencies or private and not-for-profit and organizations for assignment to a defined task relevant to their educational interests in health services management. Tasks may involve staff work or research. May be repeated for credit. Course is graded S/F (Satisfactory/Fail).
  • PBHL-H 401 Strategic Planning for Health Care Organizations (3 cr.) This course examines strategic planning techniques as they apply to health care organizations. Students will develop and defend a comprehensive strategic plan for a case facility. One half of the course will be conducted in a workshop format.
  • PBHL-H 411 Chronic Long-Term Care Administration (3 cr.) Administering programs across the continuum of care including nursing homes, hospice, home health, and assisted living; Medicare and Medicaid financing; quality improvement; care management; and needs of special populations, particularly, vulnerable elders.
  • PBHL-H 420 Health Policy (3 cr.) P: H320. This course will focus on current health policy issues within the context of the U.S. health care system. The course will familiarize students with the political environment of public policy, introduce major health care policy perspectives, and apply those analytical models to a series of health policy issues.
  • PBHL-H 432 Health Care Marketing (3 cr.) A practical study of marketing in health care institutions, health service organizations, and health insurers. A basic foundation in marketing principles, new methods in marketing products and services, and inexpensive marketing techniques will be examined.
  • PBHL-H 441 Legal Aspects of Health Care Administration (3 cr.) An overview of the liability and legal responsibility, as well as legal recourse, that health care facilities may exercise. This course will discuss policies and standards relating to health facility administration. Also included is a discussion of financial aspects unique to the hospital/health care facility environment, such as third-party payments and federal assistance.
  • PBHL-H 455 Topics in Public Health (1-3 cr.) Extensive discussion of selected topics in public health. The topic may change from semester to semester, based on resource availability and student demand. May be repeated for credit.
  • PBHL-H 472 Applied Health Care Administration (3 cr.) P: PBHL-H320 and Senior Standing. This course is a study of the complexities of multi-institutional arrangements and integrated services in the U.S. health care industry. The focus is on applying management skills to, and making comparisons of, the current driving forces among health care delivery system components.
  • PBHL-H 474 Health Administration Ethics Seminar (3 cr.) P: PBHL-H320 and Senior Standing. This course examines healthcare ethical decision making challenges from managerial perspective and explores broader policy issues associated with ethical problems in healthcare institutions. It provides an overview of general theories of ethical decision-making and through case studies, debates and research examines ethical challenges in everyday managerial activities.
  • PBHL-P 400 Topics in Public Health (1-3 cr.)