This course will provide a broad overview of the practice of public health. It is intended for those with a limited exposure to the field or in the need of a refresher of analytical and critical thinking skills prior to beginning a graduate level course of study. The course will specifically address basic algebraic and probability concepts, review the use of peer-reviewed literature, introduce students to literature citation using the AMA style, and provide a framework to approach public health practice.

Offered: Resident and Online

The course prepares the student in the development and application of statistical reasoning and methods in addressing, analyzing and solving problems in public health; healthcare; and biomedical, clinical and population-based research.

Offered: Resident and Online

This course is a study of human population patterns of disease and injury and the application of this study to the control of health problems.

Offered: Resident and Online

This course is a study of environmental factors including biological, genetic, physical and chemical factors that affect the health of a community.

Offered: Resident and Online

The course is a study of health policy and management concerns regarding the delivery, quality and cost of healthcare for individuals and populations. It reviews the structure, process and outcomes of health services including costs, financing, organization and accessibility to care.

Offered: Resident and Online

The course is a study of the behavioral, social and cultural factors related to population health disparities. The student will learn that research in this area contributes to the development and evaluation of public health policies, programs and services that promote and sustain health populations.

Offered: Resident and Online

Prerequisite: HLTH 501

This course prepares students to critically evaluate research protocols in public health. Students must be prepared to design practical research methodologies to evaluate contributing factors of contemporary health issues with measurable goals and objectives.

Offered: Resident and Online

This course explores the dynamics of chemical and non-chemical dependency including the psychological, physiological, and spiritual bases of addiction. Intervention modalities will be discussed for various forms of addictions.

This course reviews the Christian worldview and healthcare choices in the 21st century. Topics may include but are not limited to: genetic testing, eugenics, reproductive control, treating or terminating impaired infants, organ transplantation and euthanasia.

Offered: Resident and Online

This course is focused on the leading chronic disease indicators of morbidity and mortality in the United States, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Students will study prevention strategies using the ecological framework to examine individual, social, organizational, community, and population levels of prevention. Public health measures to reduce chronic disease will be emphasized.

Offered: Resident

This course acquaints students with the "soft" money world of private and public grants, promotes the development of grant writing skills and identifies the practical issues of managing a grant once acquired.

Offered: Resident and Online

This course provides students with medical and health related vocabulary and terminology necessary to communicate with Spanish speakers with limited English proficiency.

Offered: Resident

This course examines the framework and concepts used in public health policy. Processes of formulation, implementation and change will be discussed. Evidence-based decision making will be discussed. The role of politics in relation to health policy will be highlighted.

Offered: Online

Offered: Resident

Prerequisite: HLTH 501 and HLTH 503 and HLTH 505 and HLTH 507 and HLTH 509 and HLTH 511 (may be taken concurrently)

The purpose of the Competency Exam is to assess students' substantive and integrative knowledge of the field of Public Health. The exam draws from students' previous studies thereby eliciting the broad and comprehensive knowledge and understanding required in transitioning to practical experiences. The exam is meant to be a bridge between the concepts, theories, and skills presented in program coursework and critical analysis demanded in the field for a successful practicum experience.

Registration Restrictions: HLTH 600 will need to be taken in a single term. A department policy for the exam requires departmental review and approval of a faculty panel beyond the single term of enrollment.

Offered: Resident and Online

Prerequisite: HLTH 507

This course provides an overview of health policy and law in the United States. The course presents the basic machinery of policymaking and the legal process that underpin healthcare and public health systems. The course examines the fundamental difficulties and topical challenges in health policy and law. Students will learn to think systematically about health policy concerns and the many solutions available to public and private policymakers. Finally, this course outlines the strategies for producing a policy analysis and engaging in health advocacy, allowing students to apply analytic writing and advocacy abilities to policy and legal concerns in health care and public health.

Offered: Resident

This course introduces the student to global health priorities and the roles of institutional players in resolving the issues. Multiple determinants of health such as economic, environmental, biological and cultural are addressed with an emphasis on the health needs of lesser economically developed nations.

Offered: Resident and Online

This course addresses the delivery of essential healthcare to individuals, families and communities in lesser economically developed countries. Emphasis is on the utilization of community healthcare worker schemes and appropriate technology.

Offered: Resident and Online

This course examines cultural perspectives on beliefs and health risk perception in relationship to health behavior. The cultural aspects of healthcare use through "healers" and health systems are also examined.

Offered: Resident and Online

This course examines environmental hygiene and health problems related to water supply and sanitation. Low cost methods as well as appropriate technology applied to sanitation are discussed.

Offered: Resident and Online

This course provides the student with the knowledge base necessary to understand the mechanisms of infectious disease transmission, to select specific preventive methodologies in the control of particular diseases and to communicate the rationale for the various control methods.

Offered: Resident and Online

Online Prerequisite: HLTH 625

This course provides an overview of the immune system. The course will cover immune mechanisms believed to be related to vaccine induced disease protection. The course will examine vaccine development.

Offered: Online

This course provides an overview of public health issues as they relate to community health promotion and disease prevention. Theories and models relevant to community health programming as well as the connections between local, state, and national public health initiatives are presented. Emphasis is placed on acquisition of pertinent public health data to enable practical, applied, community-wide planning and cooperation among varied stakeholders.

Offered: Resident and Online

This course provides students with an overview of program planning, including methods for assessment, planning models and theories, and intervention strategies. Course content will focus on program planning in community settings.

Offered: Resident and Online

Prerequisite: HLTH 632

This course provides an introduction to quantitative, qualitative, and ethnographic methods of evaluation for health education programming. A variety of health education evaluation topics are included. Students will be introduced to both formative and summative evaluation as well as principles of measurement.

Offered: Resident and Online

Prerequisite: HLTH 509

This course examines the principles and practices of effective interpersonal, organizational, and community-based communication to shape attitudes and actions about health and healthcare. Students will explore the use of counseling, public campaigns, social media, and political processes to advocate for health among diverse populations.

Offered: Resident and Online

This course prepares students for employment as Executive Directors, Program Directors and / or House Managers of 501(c) (3) organizations. Topics include but are not limited to fund-raising, staffing, liability, budgeting, human rights issues, service coordination, and emergency preparedness.

Offered: Resident and Online

Online Prerequisite: HLTH 634

This course focuses on classroom and school-related public health issues confronting public and private schools in the 21st century. Solutions will be explored from the Christian worldview using "salt & light" strategies in the spirit of 1 Peter 3:15.

Offered: Online

This course presents an analysis of contemporary issues that contribute to health risk factors for aging populations. Students will learn methods and strategies leading to health promotion and disease prevention for the elderly. Spiritual health and cultural issues are also addressed as they relate to aging, death, and dying.

Offered: Online

This course reviews the basic principles of nutrition, the metabolism of proteins, fats, macro and micro nutrients and the role food choices play in health promotion and disease prevention.

Offered: Resident and Online

This course examines current research and governmental initiatives regarding food safety as well as "best practices" for food handling in foodservice systems.

Offered: Resident and Online

Prerequisite: HLTH 640

This course reviews current research on chronic disease and medical nutritional therapy in the context of public health. The class also explores nutrition and the aging process with an emphasis on the interactions of physiological stages and lifestyle choices.

Offered: Resident and Online

Prerequisite: HLTH 640

This course examines the societal, family and psychological influences on eating behaviors, their contribution to the development of Type 2 Diabetes, Anorexia and Bulimia and a review of treatment options.

Offered: Resident and Online

Prerequisite: HLTH 640 or EXSC 510

This course focuses on the role of nutrients and prescriptive diets in rehabilitation services, fitness and sport performance.

Offered: Resident and Online

Prerequisite: HLTH 501 and HLTH 503 and HLTH 511 (may be taken concurrently)

This course presents an overview of the methods used in conducting epidemiologic field investigations, including the collection, analysis, interpreration and reporting of primary source epidemiologic data. Students will learn principles of disease outbreak investigation.

Offered: Resident

Prerequisite: HLTH 501 and HLTH 503 and HLTH 511

This course provides advanced knowledge and skills for epidemiologic and public health research investigations. Students will focus on research methods specific to the field of epidemiology, including procedures for protecting human subjects, recruiting, and research question formulation, data collection, and analysis.

Offered: Resident

Prerequisite: HLTH 511

This course equips students with knowledge and skills for creating effective data visualizations, data dashboards, and data stories using Tableau, as well as creating maps and performing spatial analysis using ArcGIS. Registration

Note: A graduate level research methods course equivalent may substitute as a prerequisite requirement for HLTH 511

Offered: Resident and Online

Online Prerequisite: HLTH 503

This comprehensive course explores the principles and practices of epidemiology within the context of global health challenges. Students will gain a deep understanding of how diseases and health conditions spread across populations and borders, and how public health interventions can be designed and implemented on a global scale. Registration

Note: It is recommended that students successfully complete HLTH 652 prior to enrolling in this course.

Offered: Online

Online Prerequisite: GEOG 502 and GEOG 503 and GEOG 506 and GEOG 507 and HLTH 652 and HLTH 653 and STAT 545

This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and their applications in global health. Students will learn to harness the power of spatial analysis and visualization to address complex health challenges on a global scale. The course covers GIS concepts, data management, spatial analysis techniques, and advanced applications specific to global health issues.

Offered: Online

This course focuses on the biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of water and its relationship to human health. Students will learn how water and human health are interrelated between the transport of pollutants influence on waterborne pathogens and disease. Students will focus on the central role of public health toward proper management of water quantity and quality in preserving health through adequate sanitation and hygiene. Students will study both US and international water law, municipal and rural water distribution and sanitation systems, the incidence of disease, epidemiological, risk management, and problem-solving.

Offered: Online

Online Prerequisite: HLTH 501 and HLTH 505

The goal of this course is to introduce the student to the basic principles of toxicology. Humans are exposed to a variety of dangerous substances through occupational and environmental exposures. In order to interpret the public health implications of these exposures, one must have a good understanding of how these compounds get into the body, how they are processed in the body, and how they damage particular organ systems. To accomplish this, students will gain practical knowledge of the workings of specific organ systems and will be able to identify environmental chemicals and their mechanisms of action that underlie organ toxicity.

Offered: Online

This course provides an overview of the agencies that administer various health and environmental programs to prevent or control hazards in communities, and how the legal and regulatory frameworks are developed to protect public health. Students will examine the history, politics, economics, roles of scientific evidence, and the ethics of environmental health policy; and strategies and influences that shape environmental health laws and regulations.

Offered: Online

This course will survey the general principles and practices of environmental health risk assessment for toxic exposures in the environment and interactions with other factors contributing to human health risks. Specific topics covered, to begin with include, establishing the scope of an assessment, developing conceptual models, identifying/representing exposure release, contaminant transport in water sources and the atmosphere; modeling food chains, conducting exposure assessment, and effective risk mitigation and communication. A variety of case studies will be used to demonstrate the basic methods and results of risk assessment, including estimation/evaluation of potential risk based on empirical evidence, hazard and dose-response assessment for regulatory decisions, and uncertainty analysis and risk communication. Students will be introduced to and use key tools used in quantitative risk assessment.

Offered: Online

Prerequisite: ((HLTH 620 and HLTH 622 and HLTH 623 and HLTH 624 and HLTH 625) or (HLTH 630 and HLTH 632 and HLTH 633 and HLTH 634 and HLTH 635) or (HLTH 640 and HLTH 642 and HLTH 643 and HLTH 644 and HLTH 645) or (HLTH 552 and HLTH 625 and HLTH 642 and HLTH 650 and HLTH 651) or (HLTH 637 and HLTH 660 and HLTH 661 and HLTH 662 and HLTH 663) and HLTH 501 and HLTH 503 and HLTH 505 and HLTH 507 and HLTH 509 and HLTH 511 and PHGT 514 )

A real world field experience helping the student to integrate public health competencies through field practice and course assignments designed to provide opportunities to help hone skills for their future role as a public health professional. This course is conducted in a 16-week format to provide adequate time to gain valuable experience and fully develop a public health project or complete a public health research with a population impact.

Offered: Resident and Online