Required and Elective Courses, 2023-2024
Required and Elective Courses
All students in the MSPH in the Health Systems 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 2023-2024
Course No. |
Course Title |
Term |
Credits |
---|---|---|---|
General Degree Requirements |
|||
Academic and Research Ethics |
1 |
0 |
|
Special Studies and Research Health Systems: Individual Goals Analysis |
1 |
1 |
|
Foundations of International Health (must take on-campus) |
1, 4 |
4 |
|
International Travel Preparation, Safety, and Wellness (take only once) |
2, 3, 4 |
1 |
|
Biostatistics Requirements |
|||
Statistical Methods in Public Health I |
1 |
4 |
|
Statistical Methods in Public Health II |
2 |
4 |
|
Statistical Methods in Public Health III |
3 |
4 |
|
Epidemiology Requirement | |||
340.721 | Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health I | 1 | 5 |
Health Systems Program Core Requirements |
|||
Health Systems Seminar I |
1 |
1 |
|
Health Systems Seminar II |
2 |
1 |
|
Health Systems Seminar III |
3 |
1 |
|
Health Systems Seminar IV |
4 |
1 |
|
Applications in Managing Health Organizations in Low and Middle-Income Countries |
1 |
3 |
|
Health Systems in Low and Middle-Income Countries (must be taken on-campus) |
2 |
3 |
|
Health Policy Analysis in Low and Middle-Income Countries |
3 |
3 |
|
Health Systems Research and Evaluation in Developing Countries |
3 |
4 |
|
Project Development for Primary Health Care in Developing Countries |
4 |
4 |
|
Applying Summary Measures of Population Health to Improve Health Systems (must take on-campus) |
4 |
3 |
|
Qualitative Research Requirement (choose one) |
|||
550.604 or |
Qualitative Reasoning in Public Health Qualitative Research Theory and Methods |
1, 2 1,3 |
2 3 |
Capstone and Practicum Requirement (Year 2 only) |
|||
Health Systems Practicum |
1 – 4 |
28+ |
|
MSPH Capstone Health Systems |
2 – 4 |
4+ |
Elective Courses 2023-2024
Course No. |
Course Title |
Term |
Credits |
---|---|---|---|
Digital Health |
|||
Design and Implementation of Global Digital Health Interventions I |
3 |
3 |
|
Design and Implementation of Global Digital Health Interventions II |
4 |
3 |
|
Special Topics in Global Digital Health |
4 |
1 |
|
Food Systems and Food Security |
|||
Introduction to Food Systems and Public Health |
1 |
4 |
|
Planning for Food Systems and Public Health |
3 |
3 |
|
Gender and Health |
|||
Gender and Health: Foundational Theories and Applications |
1 |
3 |
|
Applications to Gender Analysis Within Health Research and Interventions |
2 |
2 |
|
Health Economics |
|||
Introduction to Global Health Economics |
1 |
3 |
|
Economic Evaluation I |
1 |
3 |
|
Economic Evaluation II |
2 |
3 |
|
Economic Evaluation III |
3 |
3 |
|
Health Economics |
2 |
3 |
|
Intermediate Health Economics |
3 |
3 |
|
Health, Equity, and Economic Development |
3 |
3 |
|
Behavioral Economics in Health Decisions |
3 |
2 |
|
Econometrics I |
3 |
4 |
|
Globalization and Health: A Framework for Analysis |
4 |
3 |
|
Health Policy and Politics |
|||
Introduction to Health Policy |
1 |
4 |
|
International Political Science for Public Health Practitioners |
2 |
2 |
|
Formulating Policy: Strategies and Systems of Policymaking in the 21st Century |
2 |
3 |
|
Health Advocacy |
2, 4 |
3 |
|
The Political Economy of Social Inequalities and Consequence |
2, 4 |
3 |
|
Vaccine Policy Issues |
3 |
3 |
|
Research and Evaluation Methods for Health Policy |
3 |
4 |
|
Understanding and Changing International Reproductive Health Policy |
4 |
3 |
|
Health Systems Strengthening |
|||
Health Information Systems (online only) |
2 |
4 |
|
Financing Health Systems for Universal Health Care |
3 |
3 |
|
Health Management Information Systems |
3 |
3 |
|
Humanitarian Health |
|||
Introduction to Humanitarian Emergencies |
1 |
2 |
|
Health Care in Humanitarian Emergencies |
1, 2 |
3 |
|
Measurement Methods in Humanitarian Emergencies |
2 |
2 |
|
Leadership and Management in Humanitarian Health |
2 |
2 |
|
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Humanitarian Emergencies |
3 |
2 |
|
Armed Conflict and Health |
3 |
2 |
|
Migration and Health: Concepts, Rates, and Relationships |
3 |
3 |
|
Food Security and Nutrition in Humanitarian Emergencies |
4 |
2 |
|
Mental Health Aspects of Disaster: Public Health Preparedness and Response |
4 |
2 |
|
Management and Leadership |
|||
Fundamentals of Financial Accounting |
1 |
3 |
|
Fundamentals of Budgeting and Financial Management (online only) |
1 – 4 |
3 |
|
Quantitative Tools for Managers |
2, 3, 4 |
3 |
|
Strategic Leadership Principles and Tools for Health System Transformation in Developing Countries |
2 |
4 |
|
Strategic Planning |
3 |
3 |
|
Non-Governmental Organizations and the Administration of Global Health Programs |
4 |
3 |
|
Monitoring and Evaluation Methods |
|||
Fundamentals of Program Evaluation |
1, 3 |
4 |
|
Large-Scale Effectiveness Evaluations of Health Programs |
2, 4 |
4 |
|
Methods for Planning and Implementing Evaluations of Large-Scale Programs in LMICs |
4 |
4 |
|
Applications in Program Monitoring and Evaluation |
4 |
4 |
|
Non-Communicable Diseases and Injuries |
|||
Confronting the Burden of Injuries: A Global Perspective |
2 |
3 |
|
Hospital-Based Injury / Trauma Surveillance in LMICs |
4 |
3 |
|
Primary Health Care, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health Topics |
|||
Issues in the Reduction of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality in LMICs |
2 |
4 |
|
Health Behavior Change at the Individual, Household, and Community Levels |
2 |
4 |
|
Global Advances in Community-Oriented Primary Health Care |
3 |
4 |
|
Social and Behavioral Foundations of Primary Health Care |
3 |
4 |
|
Program Design and Implementation |
|||
Quality Assurance Management Methods for Developing Countries |
1 |
4 |
|
Program Planning for Health Behavior Change |
1, 4 |
3 |
|
Systems Thinking in Public Health: Applications of Key Methods |
2 |
3 |
|
Research Methods |
|||
Advanced Qualitative Methods |
|||
Qualitative Data Analysis |
2, 4 |
3 |
|
Introduction to Community-Based Participatory Research: Principles and Methods |
2 |
3 |
|
Concepts in Qualitative Research for Social and Behavioral Sciences |
2 |
3 |
|
Methods in Formative Research and Human Centered Design for Intervention Development |
3, 4 |
4 |
|
Advanced Statistical Methods |
|||
Analysis of Longitudinal Data |
1 |
4 |
|
Statistics for Psychosocial Research: Measurement |
1 |
4 |
|
Advanced Methods for Design and Analysis of Cohort Studies |
1 |
5 |
|
Multilevel and Longitudinal Models Data Analysis Workshop |
2 |
4 |
|
Spatial Analysis I: ArcGIS |
1 |
3 |
|
Spatial Analysis II: Spatial Data Technologies |
2 |
2 |
|
Spatial Analysis III: Spatial Statistics |
3 |
4 |
|
Spatial Analysis IV: Spatial Design and Applications |
4 |
3 |
|
Statistical Methods in Public Health IV |
4 |
4 |
|
Health Services Research Methods |
|||
Advanced Methods in Health Services Research: Research Design |
1 |
4 |
|
Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation I |
3 |
2 |
|
Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation II |
4 |
2 |
|
Health Survey Research |
|||
Health Survey Research Methods |
2 |
4 |
|
Issues in Survey Research |
3 |
3 |
|
Causal Inference in Medicine and Public Health |
3, 4 |
4 |
|
Methods of Analysis of Large Population Surveys |
4 |
3 |
|
Other Advanced Research Methods |
|||
Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health II |
2, 4 |
4 |
|
Implementation Research and Practice |
2 |
3 |
|
Design and Conduct of Community Trials |
3 |
4 |
|
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis |
3 |
6 |
|
Applications of Innovative Methods in Local and Global Health Equity Research |
3 |
4 |
|
Health Equity Research Methods to Address Social Determinants of Health |
4 |
4 |
|
Other Key Topics |
|||
The Global Environment, Climate Change, and Public Health |
1 |
4 |
|
Using Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Improve Public Health |
1 |
1 |
|
Climate Change and Public Health |
3 |
3 |
|
Water and Sanitation in Low-Income Countries |
3 |
2 |
|
Mental Health Intervention Programming in LMICs |
3 |
3 |
|
One Health Tools to Promote and Evaluate Healthy and Sustainable Communities |
4 |
3 |
|
History of International Health and Development |
4 |
2 |
|
Ethics of Public Health Practice in Developing Countries |
4 |
2 |
|
Urban Health in Developing Countries |
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 Health Systems 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.
1st Term
140.621 |
Statistical Methods in Public Health I |
4 credits |
340.721 |
Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health I |
5 credits |
550.604 |
Qualitative Reasoning in Public Health |
2 credits |
220.601 |
Foundations of International Health |
4 credits |
221.602 |
Applications in Managing Health Organizations in LMICs |
3 credits |
221.801 |
Health Systems Seminar |
1 credit |
221.840 |
Special Studies Health Systems: Individualized Goals Analysis |
1 credit |
550.860 |
Academic and Research Ethics at BSPH (can be taken any term) |
0 credits |
Total: 20 required credits |
3rd Term
140.623 |
Statistical Methods in Public Health III |
4 credits |
221.638 |
Health Systems Research and Evaluation in Developing Countries |
4 credits |
221.650 |
Health Policy Analysis in Low and Middle-Income Countries |
3 credits |
221.803 |
Health Systems Seminar |
1 credit |
223.632 |
Methods for Planning and Implementing Evaluations of Large-Scale Programs in LMICs |
4 credits |
Total: 12 required credits + 4 elective credits |
2nd Term
140.622 |
Statistical Methods in Public Health II |
4 credits |
221.646 |
Health Systems in Low and Middle-Income Countries |
3 credits |
221.802 |
Health Systems Seminar |
1 credit |
220.600 |
International Travel Preparation, Safety, and Wellness |
1 credit |
221.627 |
Issues in the Reduction of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality in LMICs |
4 credits |
221.645 |
Lage-Scale Effectiveness Evaluations of Health Programs |
4 credits |
Total: 9 required credits + 8 elective credits |
4th Term
221.620 |
Applying Summary Measures of Population Health to Improve Health Systems |
4 credits |
221.661 |
Project Development of PHC in Developing Countries |
4 credits |
221.804 |
Health Systems Seminar |
1 credit |
380.612 |
Applications in Program Monitoring and Evaluation |
4 credits |
221.624 |
Urban Health in Developing Countries (online only) |
3 credits |
Total: 9 required credits + 7 elective credits |