Public Health (PHP)

PHP 900 - Public Health Care Systems

Credits: 3

The focus of this course is on the pattern of services in the United States and on the structure and function of their component parts. It examines the impact on the system of a wide range of external factors including social, political, economic, professional, legal, and technological forces.

Equivalent(s): HMP 960A

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 901 - Epidemiology

Credits: 3

Exploration of factors underlying the distribution and determinants of states of health in various human populations. Emphasis is placed on investigative techniques, epidemiologic methodology, and disease prevention.

Prerequisite(s): PHP 900 with a minimum grade of B-.

Equivalent(s): HMP 960B

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 902 - Environmental Health

Credits: 3

This course offers a general introduction to the ecological basis of health and disease. It applies the principles and framework of ecosystems to human health problems associated with environmental hazards, including toxic and infectious agents that contaminate our air, water, food, the work place and other special environments. Links between environmental and occupational health effects will be explored within the public health model. Policy required for regulation and alternative strategies for prevention will be discussed.

Equivalent(s): HMP 960C

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 903 - Biostatistics

Credits: 3

This course introduces students to the principles of biostatistics. Students learn through classroom instruction, lab instruction and exercises, a variety of statistical methods in public health. Students review measures of central tendency, rates, and standardization, probability, sampling, hypothesis testing, comparisons, and simple, multiple and logistic regression techniques. Unlike other core courses in the MPH Program which are 8 weeks in length, this course is 16 weeks in length.

Equivalent(s): HMP 960D

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 904 - Social and Behavioral Health

Credits: 3

A graduate level course which provides fundamental concepts of the behavioral sciences as they illuminate public health. Since public health practice is the application of physical, biological and behavioral knowledge to living societies, a firm understanding of human social organization and behavior is essential. Individual and community responses to prevention, identification of symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, chronic ailments and rehabilitation are discussed. In each of these areas, the course explores the interaction between community, family, patient, and health care provider.

Equivalent(s): HMP 960F

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 905 - Public Health Administration

Credits: 3

This course focuses on public health managers, organizational culture, management process, management functions and roles, leadership, motivation, communication, and human resource management.

Equivalent(s): HMP 960E

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 906 - Public Health Finance and Budgeting

Credits: 3

This course introduces and develops the financial concepts, financial management and budgeting tools important for managing public health organizations, including utilizing financial statements, basic accounting conventions, the process of developing and managing a programmatic budget, grant submission and management, and resource allocation. Questions, problems, and case studies will be used to reinforce discussions, develop, and utilize problem-solving skills to apply to real world situations. Cannot earn credit if credit receive for PHP 985A Special Topic: Financial Resource Mgt.

Prerequisite(s): PHP 900 with a minimum grade of D-.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 907 - Public Health Policy

Credits: 3

An analysis of the public policy process, the development of public health policy in the United States, and a discussion of specific public health policy issues with international comparisons. This course begins with an analytical framework for analyzing the American political system and process. It is followed by a general introduction to health policy in the United States with examples of specific policies and programs. Students will be asked to examine specific public health policy in-depth.

Equivalent(s): HMP 960H

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 908 - Public Health Ethics

Credits: 3

This course examines selected ethical issues arising in public health policy and practice and ethical dilemmas faced by public health professionals, practitioners, and researchers. Students analyze competing personal, organizational, professional, and societal interests, values, and responsibilities. Case studies apply different models of ethical decision making and provide MPH students with an added opportunity to explore and clarify their values and those of their colleagues.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 912 - Public Health Law and Negotiation

Credits: 3

This course will provide an overview of legal systems as they relate to public health by addressing the legal basis needed to practice public health, enforce compliance with public health regulations, manage public health programs, and organizations. Core elements will be introduced such as, elements of law, legal practice, reasoning, negotiation, and their applications with public health, i.e., limitation and authority of state governments and agencies in matters affecting the publics' health will be discussed.

Prerequisite(s): PHP 900 with a minimum grade of D-.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 922 - Public Health Economics

Credits: 3

This course gives each student a hands-on opportunity to become familiar with a broad range of health economics issues and analyses. The objective is to help its graduates successfully compete for advancement in careers requiring knowledge of health policy analysis.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 924 - Policy and Practice of Community Health Assessment

Credits: 3

This course explores the process of community health assessment as a tool for bridging the gap between public health and the personal health care system. It provides an historical perspective of using population based measurements as a framework for health improvement initiatives. It examines several community health assessment methodologies and explores the complexity of developing a community-based health assessment.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 926 - Evaluation in Public Health

Credits: 3

An introduction to program evaluation as it relates to public health practice and research, primarily in the United States. Public health-specific examples are presented throughout the course. Includes discussion of striking a balance between scientific rigor and the practicalities often faced by program evaluators.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 934 - Work Environment Policy and the Health of Workers

Credits: 3

Overview of occupational safety and health policy in the U.S. Focus on the legal context, especially on OSHA, and provides an analytical framework for examining the role of social, economic, and political factors in the recognition and control of occupational hazards. Some attention to the more technical aspects of this field (e.g., industrial hygiene, ergonomics, general health and safety); emphasis on understanding current occupational health and safety policies and controversies.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 985A - Special Topics in Policy and Management

Credits: 1-3

Study of a special topic in Public Health Policy and Management.

Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 3 credits.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 990 - Field Study

Credits: 3

This course provides a 16-week long opportunity for students to synthesize, integrate, and apply the skills and competencies they have acquired during enrollment in the MPH Program and apply them to a public health problem or project in a professional public health practice setting. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the organization (not including preparation time) exploring how that organization deals with a particular public health issue and working on a project for that organization. In addition, students present the findings of their work in a poster session following the conclusion of the course. This public health experience is conducted under the direction of a faculty member and a community public health mentor. This class meets one hour prior to the regularly scheduled core and elective courses in the MPH Program.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 995 - Independent Study

Credits: 1-3

Directed readings and other activities to explore a specific topic related to public health.

Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 3 credits.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

PHP 998 - Integrating Seminar

Credits: 3

This final course in the MPH curriculum serves as the capstone to the MPH degree and provides the opportunity for students to work in teams, bringing both their individual and joint perspectives and expertise, to address a particular public health problem for a New Hampshire-based public health entity. This course incorporates substantive, analytical, administrative, and policy perspectives. Students make a formal presentation of recommendations at the conclusion of the course. This class meets one hour prior to the regularly scheduled core and elective courses in the MPH Program.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading