COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Below is a list of the courses that comprise the various programs offered in public health informatics. To find the required courses specific to the program in which you are interested, please refer to the program structure page as necessary.
Public Health Informatics Certificate
Graduate-level certificate program
Master of Public Health in Public Health Informatics
Master of Public Health degree program
Professional Enhancement Program
An accelerated Master of Public Health in Public Health Informatics degree option
BHIS 517 Health Care Information Security
3 hours. Health information security and methods to achieve it; stresses risk assessment and pre-emptive action; outlines important role of security policies and procedures; surveys security technology with focus on non-technical security approaches.
BSTT 400 Biostatistics I
4 hours. Descriptive statistics, basic probability concepts, one- and two-sample statistical inference, analysis of variance, and simple linear regression. Introduction to statistical data analysis software.
CHSC 400 Public Health Concepts and Practice
3 hours. Concepts, principles, discussions, exercises and case studies that provide an overview of the philosophy, purpose, history, organization, functions, tools, activities and results of public health practice.
CHSC 401 Behavioral Sciences in Public Health
3 hours. Provides grounding in the social and behavioral sciences to analyze public health issues. Includes analysis of individual, community, institutional and societal factors influencing health and illness.
EOHS 400 Principles of Environmental Health Sciences
3 hours. Environmental influences on health: population, food, energy; community hygiene and injury control; solid/hazardous wastes, air and water pollution, radiation; industrial hygiene and occupational health.
EPID 400 Principles of Epidemiology
3 hours. Introduction to descriptive and analytic epidemiology, determinants of health and disease in populations, and application of epidemiologic methods to disease control; includes use of basic epidemiologic software. Prerequisite(s): Credit or concurrent registration in BSTT 400 or consent of the instructor.
HPA 400 Principles of Management in Public Health
3 hours. A detailed discussion of the conceptual and theoretical foundations to the principles of management with an emphasis on public health and healthcare settings.
HPA 465 Health Information and Decision Support Systems
4 hours. Introduction to computer assisted management information and decision systems in health organizations: analysis and design of databases; data and information flow; reports; and uses microcomputers.
HPA 481 Development of Public Health Surveillance Information Systems
3 hours. Examination of the process and methods of designing and evaluating public health information surveillance systems. Prerequisite(s): HPA 465 or consent of the instructor.
HPA 494 Legal and Ethical Issues in Public Health Informatics
3 hours. Examination of the legal and ethical issues involved in the use of health related information in public health. Prerequisite(s): HPA 465 or consent of the instructor.
HPA 494 Survey of Public Health Information Systems
4 hours. Detailed examination of current local, state and federal public health information systems and technologies; future trends will be discussed. Some of the current public health information systems to be studied include Public Health Information Network (PHIN), National Electronic Disease Surveillance Systems (NEDDS), CDC-WONDER, InfoAids and eCORNERSTONE. The movement towards open source applications will be reviewed. The integration of electronic health records and personal health records into public health surveillance systems will be covered.
HPA 494 Management of Communication Systems for Public Health Applications
4 hours. Examination and management of current information communication systems in and between public health agencies including examination of issues, standards, technologies and system configurations. Emerging wireless communication technologies for public health applications will be examined. Future trends in information and communications systems will be discussed. Prerequisite(s): HPA 465 or consent of the instructor.
HPA 494 Overview of Public Health Informatics Methods
3 hours. Examination of Web-based applications in public health practice, public health geographic information systems and principles and practice of datamining in public health. Prerequisite(s): HPA 465 or consent of the instructor.
HPA 494 Public Health Information Systems Evaluation and Project Management
3 hours. Review of theories of Information Systems Evaluation; planning, design, development, implementation and maintenance of public health information systems projects; fundamentals of IT project management; change management; industry standards for project management. Prerequisite(s): HPA 465 or consent of the instructor.
HPA 563 Web-Based Public Health Information Systems
4 hours. Examination of Web based applications in public health practice and factors in the design of Web based public health education and database systems. Prerequisite(s): HPA 465; and consent of the instructor.
HPA 564 Geographic Information System Application in Public Health
3 hours. Examination of GIS applications in Public Health and the process of designing a GIS based public health investigation. Prerequisite(s): BSTT 400 and HPA 465 and consent of the instructor.
HPA 565 Datamining Applications in Public Health
3 hours. Presents the key public health information system sources, describes the process of datamining and introduces the student to a sample of datamining techniques. Extensive computer use required. Prerequisite(s): BSTT 400.
IPHS 650 Field Experience in Public Health
3 TO 5 hours. Field experience in public health practice through an association or public health oriented community program for students in the Master of Public Health degree program. Prerequisite(s): All course requirements should be completed for the Master of Public Health degree.
IPHS 698 Master of Public Health Capstone Experience
1 hour. Individual project in public health directed toward the MPH capstone experience which is required for the degree. Prerequisite(s): Consent of the instructor.
