POST-BACCALAUREATE CERTIFICATE IN PUBLIC HEALTH (PBC) 

There has been a consistent demand for focused efforts that address the infrastructure and core services of public health. To address this need, the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health has developed a Certificate in Public Health (PBC) program of study. Those who work in public health but who have never had any formal public health training may have an interest in this program. The certificate is an 18-credit hour program and the content is the same as the core taught in the Master of Public Health graduate degree program.

Moreover, professionals with advanced degrees in related areas such as mental and emotional well-being, family and relationship skills, human growth and development, nutrition, kinesiology, substance abuse prevention, diseases and disorders, safety and injury prevention, community and environment health, consumer health as well as medicine and nursing may also be interested in this program for the purpose of enhancing their professional knowledge of key public health concepts.

This program of study requires eighteen (18) semester credit hours. The six (6) MPH core courses (Introduction to Public Health, Biostatistics I, Environmental and Occupational Health, The Health Care System, Introduction to Health Behavior and Health Education and Epidemiology I) comprise the coursework for the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program. Description of the course content is as follows.

PBHL 5003: Introduction to Public Health

An introduction to basic and contemporary issues of public health, including tools of community-based health assessment, surveillance, health promotion, disease prevention, policy and ethics will be presented. This course provides an overview in the diverse areas of public health practice.

PBHL 5013: Biostatistics I

Introductory topics in descriptive biostatistics and epidemiology, database principles, basic probability, diagnostic test statistics, tests of hypotheses, sample-size estimation, power of tests, frequency cross-tabulations, correlation, nonparametric tests, regression, randomization, multiple comparisons of means and analysis of variance for one- and two- factor experiments.

PBHL 5113: Environmental and Occupational Health

This course is intended to provide a detailed overview of the fields of environmental and occupational health, with an emphasis on the practical aspects of the recognition, evaluation and control of chemical, physical and biological hazards, including basic quantitative assessment of these hazards. Additional topics include significant legal and historical influences as well as currently important issues in the fields.

PBHL 5123: The Health Care System

Provides an overview of the structure and function of the U.S. healthcare system in delivering health services and public health interventions. Topics include organizational arrangements, financing, health status and system-level determinants of health, health insurance, the health workforce, health services costs and quality, access to care, and regulatory issues.

PBHL 5133: Introduction to Health Behavior and Health Education

Introduction to health behavior, health education, theory, and practice; defines key terms and concepts; theories of individual health behavior; variables influencing responses to interventions; interpersonal theories examining elements in the environment affecting health behavior; basic planning models; and includes discussion of ethical principles and application of theory in culturally distinct and/or other unique populations.

PBHL 5173: Epidemiology I

An introduction to epidemiology and the basic principles and methods of epidemiological research and practice. Overview of the history and the theoretical basis of epidemiology; measures of morbidity, mortality, disease transmission and risk; major study designs; measures of association; bias, confounding and interaction; evaluation of screening tests; inference; casualty. Prerequisite: PBHL 5013: Biostatistics I (may be taken concurrently) or equivalent.

APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE POST-BACCALAUREATE CERTIFICATE IN PUBLIC HEALTH

For additional specifics about the curricula content and degree requirements refer to the COPH Catalog or contact the Assistant Dean of Student Services at 501-526-6747.