MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PUBLIC HEALTH (MSPH) IN GLOBAL DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CONTROL

Required and Elective Courses, 2022-2023

Required and Elective Courses

All students in the MSPH in the Global Disease Epidemiology and Control Program must take the required courses listed below. All required courses must be taken for a letter grade except for courses only offered for pass/fail grading. Below you'll find the lists of required and elective courses, as well as a general student timeline and an example of how a schedule might look for someone in their first year of the program.

Required Courses 2022-23
Course No.  Course Title  Term Credits
Year 1: General Degree Requirements 
550.860 Academic and Research Ethics at BSPH 1 0
223.840 Special Studies and Research GDEC: Individual Goals Analysis (IGA) 1 1
223.801 Global Disease Epidemiology and Control (GDEC) Program Seminar I 1 1
223.802 GDEC Program Seminar II 2 1
223.803 GDEC Program Seminar III 3 1
220.600 International Travel Preparation, Safety, and Wellness 2,3,4 1
Epidemiology (choose one option)
Option 1
340.721 Epidemiological Inference in Public Health I 1 5
340.722 Epidemiological Inference in Public Health II 2 4
Option 2
340.721 Epidemiological Inference in Public Health I 1 5
340.770 Public Health Surveillance 2,3 2
Option 3
340.751 Epidemiological Methods 1 1 5
340.752 Epidemiological Methods 2 2 5
Biostatistics 
140.621 Statistical Methods in Public Health I 1 4
140.622 Statistical Methods in Public Health II 2 4
140.623 Statistical Methods in Public Health III 3 4
140.624 Statistical Methods in Public Health IV 4 4
International Health 
220.601 Foundations of International Health  1,4 4
223.680 Global Disease Control Programs and Policies  4 4
Infectious Disease 
223.663 Infectious Disease and Child Survival  3 3
223.682 Clinical and Epidemiological Aspects of Tropical Diseases  4 4
Study Design and Implementation (choose one)
223.664 Design and Conduct of Community Trials  3 4
221.645 Large-Scale Effectiveness Evaluations of Health Programs  2,4 4
223.705 Good Clinical Practice: A Vaccine Trials Perspective  4 4
Vaccines 
223.662 Vaccine Development and Application 2 4
Environmental Health 
180.602 Environment and Health in LMICs 3 2
Management Sciences 
221.602 Applications in Managing Health Orgs in LMICs 1 3
Social and Behavioral Sciences - Qualitative Methods  
550.604 Qualitative Reasoning in Public Health  1,2 3
Social and Behavioral Sciences - Design Implementation 
224.689 Health Behavior Change at Individual, Household, and Community Levels  2 4
Leadership and Interprofessional Practice 
552.625 Building Collaborations Across Sectors in Improve Population Health  1,3 0.5
552.623 Principles of Negotiation and Mediation for Public Health Professionals  1,2,3 0.5
552.624 Applications of Negotiation and Mediation for Public Health Professionals  1,2,3 0.5
Year 2: Capstone & Practicum Requirements
223.810 GDEC Practicum 1-4 28+
223.850 MSPH Capstone GDEC 2-4 4+
Elective Courses 2022-23
Course No.  Course Title   Term  Credits 
International Health and Diseases 
221.627 Issues in the Reduction of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality in LMICs 2 4
Infectious Disease 
340.612 Epidemiological Basis of Tuberculosis Control  1,3 2
340.646 Epidemiology and Public Health Impact of HIV and AIDS 1,2 4
340.627 Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases  2 4
340.609 Concepts and Methods in Infectious Disease Epidemiology  3 3
340.677 Infectious Disease Dynamics: Theoretical & Computational Approaches  4 3
Chronic Disease
223.667 Chronic Diseases in LMICs: Prevalence and Epidemiology  3 4
Nutrition 
222.641 Principles of Human Nutrition in Public Health  1 4
222.647 Nutrition Epidemiology  3 3
222.630 Nutrition, Infection, and Immunity  4 3
222.649 International Nutrition  4 3
Population / Program Evaluation 
380.611 Fundamentals of Program Evaluation  1,3  4
221.641 Measurement Methods in Humanitarian Emergencies  2 2
380.600 Principles of Population Change  2 4
380.603 Demographic Methods for Public Health  3 4
223.866 Special Topics in Program Evaluation in IH 3 1
223.632 Methods for Planning and Implementing Evaluations of Large-Scale Health Programs in LMICs 4 4
Research Ethics 
306.665 Research Ethics and Integrity: US and International Issues  3 3
306.655 Ethical Issues in Public Health  2 3
Vaccines 
223.867 Special Topics in Vaccine Science  2,3 1
223.687 Vaccine Policy Issues  3 3
223.689 Biological Basis of Vaccine Development  4 3
Data Management/Survey Design
340.696 Spatial Analysis I: ARCGIS 1 3
340.697 Spatial Analysis II: Spatial Data Technologies  2 2
140.630 Introduction to Data Management  2,3,4  3
340.717 Health Survey Research Methods  2 4
223.600 Application of Spatial Analysis Tools to Inform Decision-Making in LMICs 3 4
380.711 Issues in Survey Research Design  3 3
140.632 Introduction to the SAS Statistical Package  4 3
Epidemiology Methods 
340.653 Epidemiological Inference in Outbreak Investigations  1 3
340.753 Epidemiological Methods 3 3 5
340.682 Pharmacoepidemiology Methods  2 3
Qualitative Methods 
224.690 Qualitative Research Theory and Methods  1,3 3
224.691 Qualitative Data Analysis  2,4 3
Environmental Health 
180.611 The Global Environment, Climate Change, and Public Health  1 4
182.626 Issues for Water and Sanitation in Tropical Environmental Health  3 2
182.640 Food and Water-Borne Diseases  3 3
Management Sciences 
221.722 Quality Assurance Management Methods for Developing Countries  1 4
312.603 Fundamentals of Budgeting and Financial Management  1-4 3
317.600 Introduction to Risk Sciences in Public Policy  1,3 4
305.607 Public Health Practice  2,4 4
552.626 Systems Thinking: Concepts and Methods  2,4 0.5
221.610 Pharmaceuticals Management for Under-Served Populations  3 3
Social and Behavioral Changes 
410.620 Program Planning for Health Behavior Change  1,4 3
221.635 Global Advances in Community-Oriented Primary Health Care  2 3
410.650 Introduction to Persuasive Communication: Theories and Practice  2 4
410.651 Health Literacy: Challenges and Strategies for Effective Communication  3 3
221.688 Social and Behavioral Foundations of Primary Health Care  3 4
410.630 Implementation and Sustainability of Community-Based Health Programs  4 3
Injury 
221.631 Evaluation of Safety Interventions in LMICs 3 3
Digital Health 
223.621 Design and Implementation of Global Digital Health Interventions I 3 3
223.662 Design and Implementation of Global Digital Health Interventions II 4 3
223.626 Special Topics in Global Digital Health  4 1
Communication 
410.653 Contemporary Issues in Health Communication  1 1
552.606 The Critical Importance of Evidence in Advancing Public Health Knowledge  1,3 0.5
260.720 Communications Primer for the Public Health Sciences  1-4 1
300.650 Crisis and Response in Public Health Policy and Practice  2 3
260.710 Communication Practice for Health Science Professionals  2,4 3
Climate Change 
180.611 The Global Environment, Climate Change, and Public Health  1 4
180.641 Climate Change and Public Health Problem Solving Seminar: Global Challenges and Solutions for Mitigation, Adaptation, and Sustainability  1 3
188.688 Global Sustainability & Health Seminar 2,4 1

Student Timeline

The MSPH degree can be completed in 1.5 years; all requirements should be completed within 2 years.

In the first year of their degree, MSPH students will engage in intensive coursework, complete a comprehensive departmental examination, and write their practicum proposal. The second year will consist of various elective courses, a capstone essay about an applied topic of international health, and a field-based practicum focused on a significant issue related to the health of underserved populations.

Sample Year 1 Plan

This is an example schedule for the first year of the MSPH in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control with required courses, listed in bold, and example elective courses. Please note this is just an example for students to use as a guide as they develop their own schedule.

To each term, add in selections from the following:

  • General: International Travel Preparation, Safety, and Wellness
  • Infectious Disease
  • Applied Epidemiology/Randomized Trials

1st Term

Academic & Research Ethics at BSPH 0 credits 
Special Studies and Research GDEC with Advisor 1 credit 
Global Disease Epidemiology and Control Program Seminar 1 1 credit 
Epidemiological Inference in Public Health I or Epidemiological Methods I 5 credits 
Statistical Methods in Public Health I 4 credits 
Foundations of International Health 4 credits 
Applications in Managing Health Organizations in LMICs 3 credits 
Qualitative Reasoning in Public Health (can be taken other terms) 0.5 credits 
Total: 18.5 required credits

3rd Term 

GDEC Program Seminar 3 1 credit 
Statistical Methods in Public Health III 4 credits 
Vaccine Policy Issues 3 credits 
Environment and Health in LMICs 2 credits 
Building Collaborations Across Sectors to Improve Population Health 0.5 credits 
Principles of Negotiation and Mediation for Public Health Professionals 0.5 credits 
Applications of Negotiation and Mediation for Public Health Professionals 0.5 credits 
Total: 11.5 credits + elective options

2nd Term

GDEC Program Seminar 2 1 credit 
Epidemiological Inference in Public Health II  or Public Health Surveillance 4/3 credits
Statistical Methods in Public Health II 4 credits 
Vaccine Development and Application 4 credits 
Health Behavior Change at Individual, Household, & Community Levels 4 credits
Total: 16-17 credits + elective options  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4th Term 

Statistical Methods in Public Health IV 4 credits 
Global Disease Control Programs and Policy 4 credits 
Total: 8 credits + elective options