Master of Public Health Curriculum

 

adult students working together in class

A minimum of 42 hours are required for this degree, including 18 hours of core classes, six hours of essential skills classes, 12 hours of concentration classes, and six hours of professional experience. By taking approximately nine credit hours each semester, you can complete the program in as little as 21 months. We also have designed 3- and 4-year degree plans, giving you the flexibility to earn your MPH at a pace that fits your lifestyle. Many courses include occasional online, synchronous sessions which offer students valuable opportunities to interact and network with fellow students and faculty.

MPH Course DESCRIPTIONS


IMPORTANT NOTE: Course offerings are subject to change based on enrollment and other factors. Refer to UIndy’s online course search to verify that a course is offered in a specific semester.

New MPH students are required to attend a synchronous orientation in August before the start of their first semester. The orientation date is shared after acceptance into the MPH program. 

This course provides students with the breadth of biostatistical methods utilized in public health practice. Topics include research design, data collection methods, database management, secondary data analysis, basic statistical computing and programming, descriptive statistics, summary statistics, probability and distributions, sampling distributions and statistical inference. Emphasis is on the utilization of statistics and data for the evidence based design, implementation, and evaluation of public health programs and policies.
This course will introduce the key terms and concepts of epidemiology with an emphasis on application for public health practice and utilizing epidemiology to increase understanding of current population health issues including health disparities. Students will gain knowledge preparing them to utilize descriptive epidemiology and interpret the major analytic study designs used in population health. Examples of applications of epidemiology in modern public health settings that address a range of major, global population health issues will be covered.
This course examines the myriad physical environmental conditions that impact population health. Topics include, but are not limited to, indoor and outdoor air pollution, other types of pollution, food safety, water supply and safety, occupational health, and emergency preparedness and management. Examples, discussions, and assignments span the local to the global levels with an emphasis on disparities in health, environmental justice, and advocacy for improving environmental health.
This course provides students with an understanding of the core components of a health system, management and administration of health systems, and where public health fits within the system. Topics include health system infrastructure, health system management and administration, health policy overview, role of health and other policies in health disparities, related reforms of policy, international comparisons of health systems and policies, and population health indicators. Emphasis will be placed on recognizing the reciprocal relationships between public health practitioners, the health policies and systems within which they practice, and related health disparities.
This course facilitates exploration and understanding of the multitude of social and behavioral sciences that contribute to public health including psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, communication, and geography. Social, historical, political, cultural and behavioral factors will be critically analyzed to understand how they interact together to serve as determinants of health and health disparities. Emphasis will be placed on applying ecological approaches to population health problems and utilizing social and behavioral science applications as tools for promoting change and designing solutions to improve population health.
This course is designed for students to build knowledge and skills in the cross-cutting public health competency of diversity and culture. Students will be guided through intensive self-analysis followed by examination of the concepts and indicators of cultural competence necessary for effective professional practice with diverse clients, communities, staff, colleagues, and organizations. Evidence and review of the literature on the role of culturally competent health professionals and health disparities will also be included.
The focus of this course is on understanding and utilizing an equity-based approach to program design and development as a means of tackling health disparities found both in developed and less developed countries. Particular emphasis will be placed on planning for the most vulnerable populations in urban settings, hard-to-reach areas and minority communities. The course will culminate with creation of a proposal in response to a current RFP in the field of public health.
This course is designed to build the capacity of students to effectively build evidence to advocate for and support strategic interventions targeting health disparities. It also focuses on competencies to measure relevant behavior and social change. This course fulfills a skills elective requirement.
This course is designed for students planning careers involving analysis and formulation of, and advocacy for policies that impact population health. Policies across multiple settings including organizational, corporate, local, state and global public policies will be analyzed within the context of various ethical frameworks. Emphasis is placed on comprehensive analyses resulting in recognition of policy as a major tool of public health and recommendations for action and advocacy to impact population health policies.
This course provides students with a broad understanding of health informatics and exchange of health information to improve community health. Methods of health information collection, storage and utilization, ranging from organizational level to personal health records will be examined. Emphasis is on the context of rapidly changing regulations and expectations for improved management of public health and health care through partnership between public agencies, providers and patients. Topics include, but are not limited to, electronic health records (EHRs) and related management systems, current and future uses of aggregated health information for public use such as disease surveillance, and legal and ethical issues associated with use of EHRs for public health.
The purpose of this course is for students to systematically prepare for the required professional practice experience in the field. Requirements for the field experience will be detailed. Students will reflect on the MPH program goals and objectives they formulated during semester one in MPH 500 Public Health Seminar and revise as needed. Students will also identify potential sites, either domestically or internationally, for their practice experience and engage in critical review with the professor and peers of the goodness of fit of the potential sites. Expectations of professionalism are included.
The purpose of this course is for students to apply public health skills and knowledge in appropriate sites outside of academic and classroom settings. Students will complete 200 individual hours of supervised public health experience in sites including, but not limited to governmental, non-governmental, non-profit, industrial and for-profit settings. Sites and supervisors must be pre-approved by the instructor and the 200-hour experience must include attention to health disparities. Students will be required to document skill attainment at the end of the semester in a portfolio format.
The purpose of this course is to serve as an integrative seminar for students at the end of the MPH program. Students will be guided through an intensive process to complete one high-quality written product and one high-quality oral communication product in conjunction with, and to meet the needs or, an instructor-approved public health related agency.
This course examines issues of global patterns of health and disease through the lens of the social determinants of health (SDH) and equity perspectives. As such, it also explores these patterns within the framework of sustainable health development approaches in the United States as well as other developed and developing countries. Discussion will also address the role of participatory governance in addressing global patterns of health and disease to include strengthening local, national and global partnerships, as well as explore inter-linkages with urbanization, environmental degradation, and social justice concerns. This course is designed to highlight the disparities and inequities within the current global patterns of health and disease to set a foundation for action and research.
The purpose of this course is to examine sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues including HIV/AIDS at the population level in developed and developing countries. Current and prevalent health issues, programs, services, and policies will be examined through a lens that incorporates social, cultural, economic, political, environmental, and behavioral determinants. Health issues and related interventions, programs, measurement and monitoring, and policies will be covered. Emphasis will be placed on skill development of program components or policy advocacy materials related to students' primary interest area in SRH.

Students interested in a Special Topics in Public Health elective should speak to the program director.

This course focuses on current nutritional challenges affecting health in underserved populations globally including developed and developing countries. Students will gain an understanding of the epidemiology of malnutrition globally ranging from obesity and over-nutrition to hunger and other forms of under-nutrition including food insecurity. The impact of various nutrient inadequacies at different stages of the life cycle and their functional outcomes in terms of morbidity, psychological well-being, reproduction and growth will be highlighted. The role of world food production, food availability, and supply in relation to nutrition and health will be discussed in the context of socioeconomic development and current political/economic contexts. Emphasis will be placed on the role of public health practitioners in designing and delivering comprehensive nutrition programs and policies in a variety of settings.

This course is designed for students who intend to practice public health in the United States. Health disparities are approached utilizing the World Health Organization definition as differences in the overall rates of disease incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality or survival rates that are avoidable and unjust. A comprehensive view is taken with examination of differential health outcomes in the multiple areas where health disparities exist in the United States context: across race/ethnic groups, geographic residence, gender, age, disability, and sexual orientation status. A health equity perspective is utilized to understand multifactorial, root determinants of health disparities such as cultural factors, socioeconomic factors, racism/discrimination, and political factors. Emphasis is placed on practical skills and strategies for public health practitioners to infuse across multiple programs and policies to reduce health disparities in the US.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with the content and skills to address the rapid global transition of non-communicable diseases (NCD) as an international health pandemic. Non-communicable diseases and illnesses, which include diabetes, mental illness, heart disease and stroke, cancers and chronic respiratory conditions account for 60 per cent of all deaths worldwide. These major NCDs will be analyzed from a public health perspective and students will develop evidence based programs or policies for addressing a specific NCD in a specific setting of public health practice of their choice. Current research and models of prevention and management will also be critically analyzed.

Courses Under Development

This course is designed for MPH students who are pursuing careers as administrators and managers with supervisory responsibility in public health settings. Broad examination of common human resource issues facing public health administrators is followed by more detailed analysis and skill building for issues such as effective supervision and communication, recruiting, hiring and retention in the public health workforce, labor relations and polices in public health, and multi-sectoral leadership and advocacy required of public health administrators.
This course provides instruction and field application of qualitative research methods for studying community health issues. Emphasis is placed on participatory approaches and working directly with community members. Systematic approaches to collection, analysis, and utilization of qualitative data are addressed while maintaining a lens for health equity. Students will learn to identify the kinds of health research issues and questions most appropriate for qualitative methods and recognize practical applications for using qualitative and participatory data for assessment and evaluation of public health programs and policies.
Skip the page menu
Student Story
Emily Odle
Master of Public Health

My MPH coursework, especially what I learned in Health Program Planning in Diverse Communities, has served me well in my role as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the Ohio Association of Free Clinics. The skills and theories I learned allowed me to co-author three grants that raised $61,000 to fund a collaborative project to serve, educate, and empower those with asthma in the state of Ohio.

Back to top ↑