Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health

Public Health Biology Competency Exam

About the Exam

All students who enter the Certificate or MPH programs, beginning with students entering Spring 2009, are required to take the Public Health Biology Competency Exam (PHBCED). The test covers three (3) major categories of Public Health Biology (Infectious Disease, Chronic Disease, and Current Topics in Public Health). 

The exam is made up of three (3) modules – Infectious Disease, Chronic Disease, and Current Topics in Public Health – with each module containing approximately 50 multiple choice questions.  To pass a module, the student must score ≥75% on the exam. There is no fee for taking the exam.

Students who do not pass one or more of modules will need to enroll into the corresponding course.  Details on the Biology course offerings this Fall 2009 can be found on the Course Offerings part of our website. 

http://www.uams.edu/coph/students/course_offerings.asp

You must EITHER pass the proficiency exam or the online course for all three parts of public health biology content to graduate from the College

For students currently enrolled in these programs, the exams will be offered this summer (2009) on the following dates (July 15^th, July 29^th, and August 5^th) in the UAMS Library learning Resource Center (LRC) located on the 5^th floor of the library.  The tests will be available during library hours 7:30 am—10:00 pm, with one exception.  On July 29^th, the exams will be available from 1:00pm—10:00pm.

Students interested in signing up for the exam will need to send an e-mail to the Director of Student Services for the College of Public Health, Ms. Lydia McDonald, at LLMcDonald@uams.edu .

Study Materials

Students are encouraged to study in preparation for the proficiency exam.  To assist you in your study, the Biology for Public Health syllabus is made available and links to serve as aids and resources for some of the material covered in the courses, but NOT all.