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MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PUBLIC HEALTH (MSPH) IN SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS

Required and Elective Courses, 2022-2023

Required and Elective Courses

All students in the MSPH in the Social and Behavioral Interventions 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 Credit
Year 1: General Degree & Schoolwide Requirements
  Introduction to Online Learning S 0
550.860 Academic and Research Ethics at BSPH 1 0
International Health
220.601 Foundations of International Health (must take on-campus) 1 4
220.600 International Travel Preparation, Safety, and Wellness (only take once) 2,3,4 1
Epidemiology and Biostatistics 
340.721 Epidemiological Inference in Public Health I 1 5
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
Management and Leadership
221.602 Applications of Managing Health Orgs in LMICs 1 3
552.623 Principles of Negotiation and Mediation for Public Health Professionals (only take once) 1,2,3 0.5
552.624 Applications of Negotiation and Mediation for Public Health Professionals (only take once) 1,2,3 0.5
Social and Behavioral Interventions Program Series
224.840 Special Studies and Research SBI: Individualized Goals Analysis (IGA) 1 1
224.860 SBI Program Seminar I 1 1
224.861 SBI Program Seminar II 2 1
224.862 SBI Program Seminar III 3 1
224.689 Health Behavior Change at the Individual, Household, and Community Levels 2 4
224.692 Methods in Formative Research and Human-Centered Design for Intervention Development (must take on-campus in 4th term) 4 4
Qualitative Methods Requirements
224.690 Qualitative Research Theory and Methods (must take on-campus in 3rd term) 3 3
224.691 Qualitative Research Data Analysis (must take on-campus in 4th term) 4 3
224.697 Qualitative Research Practicum I 2 2
224.698 Qualitative Research Practicum II 3 2
224.699 Qualitative Research Practicum III 4 2
Public Health Policy (chose one of the following)
222.657 Food and Nutrition Policy (conflicts with 221.602.02 section but is compatible with 221.602.01 section) 1 2
410.668 Policy Interventions for Health Behavior Change 2 3
223.687 Vaccine Policy Issues (prerequisite needed: 223.662) 3 3
380.667 Women's Health Policy 4 3
380.771 Understanding and Changing International Reproductive Health Policy (conflicts with 224.691) 4 3
Public Health Biology (Choose one from Group 1 and one from Group 2)
Group 1:
260.600 Introduction to the Biomedical Sciences S/1 4
552.608 Biologic, Genetic, and Infectious Bases of Human Disease (take only once) S,1,2,3 0.5
Group 2:
222.641 Principles of Human Nutrition in Public Health 1 4
120.620 Fundamentals of Reproductive Biology 1 3
260.636 Evolution of Infectious Disease 1 3
340.646 Epidemiology and Public Health Impact of HIV and AIDS 1,2 4
187.610 Public Health Toxicology 1,2 4
550.630 Public Health Biology  1,4 3
223.662 Vaccine Development and Application (prerequisite for Vaccine Policy course) 2 4
260.631 Immunology, Infection, and Disease  2 3
223.663 Infectious Diseases and Child Survival  3 3
182.640 Food and Water-Borne Diseases  3 3
260.656 Malariology  3 4
380.661 Clinical Aspects of Maternal & Newborn Health  3 3
380.760 Clinical Aspects of Reproductive Health  3 3
223.689 Biologic Basics of Vaccine Development 4 3
330.623 Brain and Behavior in Mental Disorders  4 3
380.762 HIV Infection in Women, Children, and Adolescents  4 4
Social and Behavioral Sciences (Choose 2-3 courses, 6 credits minimum)
180.620 An Introduction to Food Systems and Public Health  1 4
221.621 Gender and Health: Foundational Theories and Applications  1 3
222.657 Food and Nutrition Policy 1 2
410.612 Sociological Perspectives on Health  1 3
410.690 Ethnographic Fieldwork 1 3
223.640 Identifying and Mitigating Misinformation to Improve Trust in Public Health  1 2
301.645 Health Advocacy  2,4 3
221.701 Applications to Gender Analysis Within Health Research & Interventions  2 2
330.620 Qualitative and Quantitative Methods for Mental Health Research & Psychological Research in Low Resource Settings  2 3
301.627 Understanding and Preventing Violence  2 3
340.629 The Epidemiology of LGBTQ Health  2 3
340.717 Health Survey Research Methods  2 4
380.642 Child Health and Development  2 3
380.720 Masculinity, Sexual Behavior, and Health: Adolescence & Beyond 2 3
410.615 Research Design in the Social and Behavioral Sciences  2 3
410.631 Intro to Community-Based Participatory Research: Principles & Methods  2 3
410.650 Introduction to Persuasive Communications: Theories and Practice  2 4
410.651 Health Literacy: Challenges and Strategies for Effective Communication  2 3
410.668 Policy Interventions for Health Behavior Change  2 3
700.622 Bioethics, Human Rights, and Global Health  2 3
180.625 Community-Driven Epidemiology and Environmental Justice  3 3
180.655 Baltimore Food Systems: A Case Study of Urban Food Environments  3 4
224.605 Indigenous Health  3,4 2
221.635 Global Advances in Community-Oriented Primary Health Care 3 3
221.642 Mental Health Aspects of Disaster: PH Preparedness & Response  3 2
221.650 Health Policy in LMICs 3 3
221.688 Social and Behavioral Foundations of Primary Health Care 3 4
224.694 Mental Health Intervention Programming in LMICs 3 3
330.634 Stigma and Public Health: Issues and Interventions  3 3
330.661 Social, Psychological, and Developmental Processes in Etiology of Mental Disorders  3 3
340.683 Human Rights in Public Health Practice  3 2
380.623 Adolescent Health and Development  3 3
380.663 Gender-Based Violence Research, Practice, and Policy: Issues and Current Controversies  3,4 3
380.665 Family Planning Policies and Programs  3 4
410.613 Psychosocial Factors in Health and Illness  3 3
410.654 Health Communication Programs I: Planning & Strategic Design  3 4
410.683 Global Perspectives on LGBT Health  3 3
410.752 Children, Media, and Health 3 3
224.801 Building Resilience During Times of Uncertainty: An Evidence-Based Guide to Strengthen Your Personal Agency  3 1
180.636 Human Rights and Health Seminar  4 3
221.616 Ethics of Public Health Practice in Developing Countries  4 2
222.654 Food, Culture, and Nutrition  4 4
300.652 Politics of Health Policy 4 4
221.605 History of International Health & Development  4 2
308.610 The Political Economy of Social Inequalities & Consequences for Health  4 3
340.667 Health Equity Research Methods to Address Social Determinants of Health  4 4
380.668 International Perspectives on Women, Gender, and Health  4 3
380.747 International Adolescent Health  4 3
380.771 Understanding and Changing International Reproductive Health Policy  4 3
410.619 Social Justice Policy, Practice, and Research  4 4
410.630 Implementation & Sustainability of Community-Based Health Programs  4 3
410.655 Health Communication Programs II: Implementation and Evaluation  4 4
410.663 Media Advocacy and Public Health: Theory and Practice  4 3
410.721 Translating Research into Public Health Programs and Policy  4 3
410.656 Entertainment Education for Behavior Change and Development  4 4
410.733 Communication Network Analysis in PH Programs  4 4
Evaluation-Related Research (Choose one of the following)
380.611 Fundamentals of Program Evaluation 1,3 4
221.627 Issues in the Reduction of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality in LMICs 2 4
221.645 Large-Scale Effectiveness Evaluations of Health Programs 2,4 4
340.717 Health Survey Research Methods  2,4 4
340.722 Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health II 2 4
221.631 Evaluation Methods for Injury Interventions  3 3
221.638 Health Systems Research and Evaluation in Developing Countries  3 4
222.647 Nutrition Epidemiology  3 3
223.664 Design and Conduct of Community Trials  3 4
300.713 Research and Evaluation Methods for Health Policy  3 3
380.711 Issues in Survey Research Design  3 3
140.624 Statistical Methods in Public Health IV 4 4
313.790 Introduction to Economic Evaluation  4 3
Environmental Health (Choose one of the following)
180.609 Principles of Environmental Health I 1 4
180.611 The Global Environment, Climate Change, and Public Health  1 4
182.640 Food and Water-Borne Diseases  3 3
180.606 Case Studies in Food Production and Public Health  4 4
185.600 One Health Tools to Promote and Evaluate Healthy and Sustainable Communities  4 3
Year 2: Capstone & Practicum 
224.810 Social and Behavioral Interventions Practicum  1-4  28+
224.850 MSPH Capstone Social and Behavioral Interventions  2-4 4+

 

Elective Courses 2022-23
Course No. Course Title Term Credits
221.639 Health Care in Humanitarian Emergencies  1,2 3
221.612 Confronting the Burden of Injuries: A Global Perspective  2 3
221.627 Issues in the Reduction of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality in LMICs 2 4
410.622 Strategic Leadership Principles and Tools for Health System Transformation in Developing Countries  2 4
221.646 Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries  2 3
221.605 History of International Health and Development  3 2
221.608 Managing Non-Governmental Organizations in the Health Sector  3,4 3
221.635 Global Advances in Community-Oriented Primary Health Care  3 3
221.650 Health Policy Analysis in LMICs 3 3
223.621 Design and Implementation of Global Digital Health Interventions  3 3
223.687 Vaccine Policy Issues  3 3
380.750 Migration and Health: Concepts, Rates, and Relationships  3 3
224.620 Grant Writing for Public Health Practice  3 2
221.616 Ethics of Public Health Practice in Developing Countries  4 2
221.624 Urban Health in Developing Countries  4 3
221.661 Project Development for Primary Health Care in Developing Countries  4 4
222.649 International Nutrition  4 3
223.680 Global Disease Control Programs and Policies  4 4
340.639 Assessing Epidemiologic Impact of Human Rights Violations  4 2
380.668 International Perspectives on Women, Gender, and Health  4 3
380.747 International Adolescent Health  4 3

 

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 Social and Behavioral Interventions required courses. Please note this is just an example for students to use as a guide as they develop their own schedule. Students will also select elective courses for each term.

1st Term 

Introduction to Online Learning (taken before 1st term) 0 credits
Special Studies: Individualized Goals Analysis (IGA) 1 credit
SBI Program Seminar I 1 credit
Academic & Research Ethics 0 credits
Foundations of International Health (taken on-campus) 4 credits
Epidemiological Inferences in Public Health I 5 credits
Statistical Methods in Public Health I 4 credits
Applications in Managing Health Organizations in LMICs 3 credits
Total: 18 required credits 

3rd Term 

SBI Program Seminar III 1 credit
Qualitative Theory & Research Methods (taken on-campus) 3 credits
Qualitative Research Practicum II 2 credits
Statistical Methods in Public Health III 4 credits
Food and Water-Borne Diseases (Environmental Health option) 3 credits
Fundamentals of Program Evaluation (Evaluation option) 4 credits
Total: 17 required credits 

 

2nd Term 

Online Human Subjects Training Module 0 credits 
SBI Program Seminar II 1 credit 
Health Behavior Change at the Individual, Household, and Community Levels 4 credits 
Qualitative Research Practicum I 2 credits 
Statistical Methods in Public Health II 4 credits 
Policy Interventions for Health Behavior Change (Policy option) 3 credits 
Health Survey Research Methods (SBS1) 4 credits 
Principles of Negotiations & Mediation for PH Professionals 0.5 credits 
Applications of Negotiations & Mediation for PH Professionals 0.5 credits 
Total: 19 required credits 

4th Term 

International Travel Preparation, Safety, and Wellness 1 credit 
Qualitative Data Analysis (taken on-campus) 3 credits 
Qualitative Research Practicum III 2 credits 
Methods in Formative Research & Human-Centered Design for Intervention Development 4 credits 
Food, Culture, and Nutrition (SBS2) 4 credits 
Clinical & Epidemiological Aspects of Tropical Diseases (Biology) 4 credits 
Total: 18 required credits