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 Fall 2010, 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 30 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(s).  Details on the Biology course offerings can be found on the Course Offerings part of our website. 

www.uams.edu/coph/students/course_offerings_F11-12.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.

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.

PBHL 5011 Biology for Public Health: Infectious Disease Syllabus
PBHL 5211 Biology for Public Health: Chronic Disease
PBHL 5311 Biology for Public Health: Current Topics in Public Health

The following text is an excellent resource for students taking the UAMS COPH Biology Competency Exams:

Battle, C. U. (2009). In Riegelman R. (Ed.), Essentials of public health biology: A guide for the study of pathophysiology (1st ed.). Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. (ISBN-13: 9780763744649)

Five copies of the text are available for checkout through the COPH Office of Student Services. There is also a website available to access flashcards to aid students with their study (see link below).

Covered Topics Include:

Module 1: Infectious Disease
(Battle text Chapters: 4, 7, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31)
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Pathogens
Immunology
Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease
Human Induced Evolution

Module 2: Chronic Disease
(Battle text Chapters: 3, 12, 13, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38)
Genetics
Cardiovascular Disease
Diabetes
Respiratory Disease
Biology of Addiction and Mental Illness

Module 3: Special Topics
(Battle text Chapters 5, 9, 10, 11, 19, 20, 39, 40, 41)
Biology of Growth and Development
Biology of Aging
Biology of Cancer
Nutrition
Obesity

Link for The Essentials of Public Health Biology Flashcards:
http://www.jbpub.com/essentialpublichealth/battle/flashcards.cfm

Supplemental Study Materials:
Learning Guide-Cardiovascular Diseases
Learning Guide-Growth and Development
Learning Guide-Respiratory Diseases