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
3rd Term
2nd Term
4th Term