0 SCH. The Comprehensive Examination is a culminating experience option for the MPH degree intended to test the mastery of the competencies required. A student who chooses this option must register for this course in the semester in which he/she intends to take the examination. Pass/No Pass Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course provides an introduction to theoretical approaches used in developing and implementing behavioral, social and cultural change to improve health for populations in specific settings. In addition, this course provides an overview of the behavioral and social factors that determine the health and wellness of individuals and communities. Health promotion and prevention programs designed to change social conditions and/or health behaviors should be based on social and behavioral theories and research. Health professionals and practitioners in various fields also apply social and behavioral theories and research to evaluate effectiveness of policies and programs. Students learn the importance of integrating multidisciplinary social, cultural, and political/economical perspectives to address health disparities and assess impacts of health policy. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course provides an introduction to community assessment as it pertains to the functions of public health. As one of the core functions of public health, community assessment facilitates problem solving and policy development. The course covers concepts relevant to community diagnosis such as statistics on health status, health resources, health needs and health problems as well as the systematic collection, assembly, analysis, and interpretation of data related to the characteristics, resources, and health of the community. Prerequisites: BACH 5300 and EPID 5300 or permission of instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course is an overview of the concepts, theories, models and applications of program planning and interventions for the community. This course will use the intervention mapping model to plan, implement public health programs and design the program evaluation. This course is the second in a series of three courses to prepare the student to assess, implement, and evaluate community intervention programs. Prerequisites: BACH 5300. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course serves as a foundation for understanding and applying research methods in the social and behavioral sciences. Emphasis will be placed on applying both quantitative and qualitative methods to research problems associated with health promotion and disease prevention. The course will prepare students to critically evaluate research reports and assist students in conducting their own research projects. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300 and BACH 5300 or permission of instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course focuses on models and procedures for evaluating community health programs. In addition, the course reviews the theoretical foundations, design, implementation, efficacy, and effectiveness of selected public health interventions. The course is designed to address practitioner competencies related to community health program evaluation. Prerequisites: BACH 5300, BACH 5310 and BACH 5312 or permission of the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course provides a comprehensive overview of the history of tobacco use and its impact on morbidity and mortality. Students learn about the production and marketing of tobacco products; the relationship between smoking and disease; the politics of tobacco legislation; effects of government and workplace regulatory policies; industry responses to regulation; research on smoking cessation and tobacco use in developing nations. Prerequisite: BACH 5300 or permission from the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3SCH. This course explores the causes and consequences of the many types of traumatic injury in the United States. Injuries associated with transportation, work-life, home-life, intimate partner and family violence, criminal activity, and natural disasters are included. The role of the public health and safety policy in preventing injury is critically examined. Prerequisite: BACH 5300 or permission of the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. The objective of this course is to provide students with an understanding about the determinants and consequences of health inequalities and learn to advocate for reducing existing health disparities. Prerequisites: BACH 5300 or permission of instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. Maternal and Child Health (MCH) will underscore the impact of family and community context in shaping women's health and reproductive success over the life course. Students will learn to advocate for the needs of women, mothers, and children to prevent disease and promote health. Prerequisites: BACH 5300 or permission of instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This introductory course provides the student with an overview of the conditions, practices and obstacles encountered in delivering primary health care in the international arena. The differences and commonality of the challenges facing the health care provider are explored. The history of international health and the roles of government and non-governmental agencies are presented along with specific models of intervention and evaluation of major international health problems. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course is designed to provide a step-by-step approach to developing, implementing, and evaluating a health communication plan designed to influence voluntary behavior change of target audiences to improve their personal welfare and that of their society. The role of media and other channels will be evaluated as part of health communication strategies. National and international health communication campaigns will be analyzed. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course introduces students to the major theories and concepts guiding research on human sexuality. Student learn how the study of sexuality informs public health practice. A number of controversial issues are explored including: sexuality education, sexual risk taking, sexual orientation, unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and disease, and sexual harassment and violence. Ethical issues related to sexual health promotion are addressed. Prerequisite: BACH 5300 or permission of the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course introduces students to public health perspectives on mental health and mental illness. The course focuses on conceptions of mental health and illness, and the social and policy factors that sustain the inadequate system of care for persons with serious mental illness. Students will learn about the consequences of mental illness; the history of deinstitutionalization in the United States; the role of psychotherapeutic medications in contemporary treatment; the relationships between mental illness, homelessness, poverty, and the myths and prejudices associated with mental illness. Prerequisite- BACH 5300 or permission of instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. The student conducts an individual project that addresses a well-focused public health question or issue. Work is conducted under the supervision of a faculty committee. A written report of the project is required as well as an oral presentation by the student to the supervisory faculty committee. BACH 5390 is designed to partially meet the culminating experience requirement for the MPH. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in BACH 5390 until the requirements are completed. Pass/No Pass Effective 2012-08-15

1-3 SCH. This course is designed to give students exposure to cutting edge topics in community health. Examples of such topics include: health advocacy, social marketing, promoting health behaviors, topics seminars, etc. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. The thesis requires the student to conduct and prepare the written thesis under the supervision of a faculty committee. The thesis is written in traditional academic style or in journal article manuscript format. The student must complete an oral defense of the thesis. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in BACH 5395 until the requirements are completed and the thesis is approved by the dean. This course may be repeated for credit. A minimum of 6 SCH is required to meet the MPH culminating experience requirement. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course provides students with experience in public health practice through directed work in practice settings. Students are required to commit 200 hours to the practice experience, produce a written report of project(s) undertaken in the placement, and prepare a poster presentation of their practice experience. Placements and practice activities are selected to complement the student's academic and professional plans. Students must obtain approval of their choice of practice placement and plan for the practice experience in the semester prior to registering in BACH 5397. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in BACH 5397 until all the requirements are completed. Prerequisites: BACH 5312 prior to enrolling in this course. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

1-3 SCH. For students capable of independently completing topical studies or projects through conferences and activities directed by the instructor. Topical or project work is chosen by the student with the consent of the instructor. This course may be repeated for credit. Offered each semester. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

0 SCH. This academic activity constitutes the final evaluation necessary to advance to PhD Candidacy and to advance to the PhD culminating experience, the Dissertation. The evaluation affords the doctoral student with the means to demonstrate level of mastery in the PhD core and concentration- specific competencies. Enrollment requires permission of the Academic Advisor. Pass/No Pass Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course covers the principal theories in the social and behavioral sciences and health education as they are used to understand and influence the health status of populations. The development of theory in medical anthropology, medical sociology, health psychology, and health education are examined. Detailed examples of application in the fields of addictive behaviors and obesity research illustrate the theoretical approaches. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. The course integrates qualitative research design with grounded theory, participatory research and evaluation, and ethical guidelines for community health and mental health research. Methods and techniques include ethnography, participant observation, interviews, narratives, oral and life histories, natural and group observation, focus groups, and qualitative data analysis. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. An advanced methods seminar in research design and methodology. The course objective is to provide students with instruction and hands-on experience in applying methods of primarily quantitative analysis to research problems associated with social and behavioral aspects of public health. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course examines the core causes, correlates, consequences, prevention, and treatment of obesity. The course provides an overview of the epidemiology, physiology, and chronic disease implications of obesity, and the current state of preventive and therapeutic interventions for children and adults. A broad range of obesity determinants will be addressed, including biological mechanisms, psychosocial and behavioral factors, food systems and food access, obesogenic environments, and political economy. Prerequisite- BACH 5300 or permission of instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. Alcohol and drug abuse and other behavioral addictions are associated with significant personal, familial, social and economic consequences. This course introduces the student to theories of addiction, and provides an overview of its epidemiology, prevention, and treatment. The importance of evidence-based practice is emphasized. Prerequisite: BACH 5300 or permission of instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course addresses the major public health issues presented by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Topics include the: virology of HIV, routes of disease transmission, natural history of AIDS, provision of care, HIV prevention around the globe, and legal and ethical issues. The impact of government policies and programs is examined. Prerequisite: BACH 5300 or permission of instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. Public health practitioners spend an enormous amount of time emphasizing the importance of healthy behaviors. Despite these efforts, many patients continue to engage in unhealthy or self-destructive patterns. This course covers an increasingly popular form of behavior change counseling known as Motivational Interviewing. This course will provide a foundation in Motivational Interviewing (MI) with an emphasis on evidence-based interventions such as motivational interviewing that have proven effective in counseling, healthcare, and other public health settings. Through a mixture of didactic presentation, role-play, and discussion, the course focuses on interventions for many of the leading health indicators as identified by Health People 2010-- such as smoking, alcohol and other drug use, physical activity, obesity, and responsible sexual behavior. MPH students will be eligible to take this course with the prior permission of the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. The goal of this course is to provide an overview of special health problems associated with aging with special focus on demographic, socioeconomic, historical, and cultural factors influencing these health problems and challenges in studying aging in the field of public health. Special emphasis is given to demographic trends, mortality and life expectancy, theories of aging, special methodological issues in studying aging and health, chronic diseases and disability, the interface between physical and mental health, the influence of social and psychological factors, mental health and dementia, and long-term care and institutionalization. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course is based on the premise that social structure (norms, status, institutions, culture) is a fundamental cause of health and illness. Disparities in health and health care can be reduced by focusing on macro-level forces that produce an unequal distribution and access to resources. Therefore, this course analyzes social determinants of population health such as social class, gender, race/ethnicity, family, neighborhoods, and social institutions. Then, we will discuss the consequences and explanations of these patterns which will include reviewing the empirical and theoretical literature on mechanisms and processes that mediate between social factors and their health effects. This course concludes with strategies to promote public health through social action and social research. Prerequisites: BACH 6300, BIOS 6300 and BACH 6312. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

1-3 SCH. This course is designed to give students exposure to cutting edge topics in social and behavioral sciences. Examples of such topics include; community based participatory research, global economic development and health, program design and evaluation, chronic disease prevention, topical seminars, etc. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course will provide students with the necessary instruction to prepare dissertation proposals. Topics include scientific writing, preparation of manuscripts for publication, grant writing, proposal writing, and oral presentation skills. Prerequisites: Completion of most required coursework for DrPH curriculum (enrollment is permitted if a student is taken one final elective concurrently with this course). Pass/No Pass Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. The doctoral dissertation must consist of original research or public health program development and testing that is focused on a particular health problem. The student's advisor is expected to provide guidance in the selection of a suitable project that provides for a clear direction for implementing the research or program. The student must complete an oral defense of the dissertation. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in BACH 6395 until the requirements are completed. This course may be repeated for credit. A minimum of 9 SCH is required for the DrPH degree. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Effective 2012-08-15

1-3 SCH. This academic activity includes research and other scholarly projects carried out by the student under the supervision of a School of Public Health faculty member (instructor). A brief proposal should be written and approved by the academic advisor, and a final report should be submitted to the supervising instructor for credit. Topical or project work is chosen by the student with the consent of the supervising instructor and approval from the academic advisor. This course may be repeated for credit. Offered each semester. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

4 SCH. This academic activity provides doctoral students with experience in public health practice through directed work in practice settings. Students are required to commit a substantial number of hours to the residency experience, produce two written reports of project(s) undertaken in the placement. One of the written reports should be presented in the form of a publishable article to be submitted to a public health related peer-review journal. The other report is described in the Public Health Practice Residency Manual. Placements and practice activities are selected to complement the student's academic and professional plans. Students must obtain approval of their choice of practice placement and plan for the residency experience plan prior to registering. Requirements may be completed over the period of more than one semester with approval of the academic advisor and the practice coordinator. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in BACH 6497 until the requirements are complete. This course requirement may not be waived. Pass/No Pass Effective 2012-08-15

0 SCH. The Comprehensive Examination is a culminating experience option for the MPH degree intended to test the mastery of the competencies required. A student who chooses this option must register for this course in the semester in which he/she intends to take the examination. Pass/No Pass Effective 2010-04-01

3 SCH. This course provides students with the basic knowledge and skills to effectively use biostatistics in research design and data analysis and to understand articles in related professional journals. Topics include choosing correct statistical methods and experimental designs in public health research and practice; descriptive statistics; probability and probability distributions; estimation and hypothesis testing; simple linear regression; introduction to analysis of variance and an introduction to the use of statistical software packages. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course presents the methods in regression beyond the introductory level, to include multiple and partial correlation and regression, residual analysis, logistic regression, polynomial regression, poisson regression, and selection of predictor variables. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300 and BIOS 5310. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. Develops skills in the use of statistical packages in public health research. Emphasis is on data definition, verification, descriptive examination, and graphical presentation. Statistical packages will include SAS software. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. This course covers a wide selection of nonparametric statistical tests as alternatives to parametric tests. The strength and weakness of each test, as well as test efficiency, will be discussed and statistical software will be used throughout the course. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300 and BIOS 5310. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. This course presents the ANOVA model beyond the introductory level, to include various experimental designs, in-depth treatment of multiple comparison methods, factorial repeated measure ANOVA, analysis of covariance, power analysis, and determination of sample size. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300 and BIOS 5310. BIOS 5312 is recommended. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. The goal of this course is to provide an overview of data collection and management. The topics include study design, data form design and coding, defining a database and a database system, data collection and entry, quality control, and database management. Also, privacy, confidentiality and security concerns as well as ethical and legal issues will be discussed. Examples of databases may be illustrated by use of EPI Info. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300 and BIOS 5314. BIOS 5310 is recommended. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

1-9 SCH. Generally intended for non-departmental students, the course provides exposure and introduction to specialized topics in biostatistics. The topics will be selected from a wide range of areas based on current trends in public health and essentially for public health professionals. The course may be taken multiple times for credit provided that the topics are distinct. Letter Grade Effective 2011-05-16

3 SCH. The thesis requires the student to conduct and prepare the written thesis under the supervision of a faculty committee. The thesis is written in traditional academic style or in journal article manuscript format. The student must complete an oral defense of the thesis. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in BIOS 5395 until the requirements are completed and the thesis is approved by the dean. This course may be repeated for credit. A minimum of 6 SCH is required to meet the MPH culminating experience requirement. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Effective 2011-06-06

3 SCH. This course provides students with experience in public health practice through directed work in practice settings. Students are required to commit 200 hours to the practice experience, produce a written report of project(s) undertaken in the placement, and prepare a poster presentation of their practice experience. Placements and practice activities are selected to complement the students' academic and professional plans. Students must obtain approval of their choice of practice placement and plan for the practice experience in the semester prior to registering in BIOS 5397. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in BIOS 5397 until all the requirements are completed. Course Prerequisites: Students must have completed 21 SCH of core, required, or departmental (BIOS) electives. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

1-3 SCH. For students capable of independently completing topical studies or projects through conferences and activities directed by the instructor. Topical or project work is chosen by the student with the consent of the instructor. May be repeated for credit. Offered each semester. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

0 SCH. This academic activity constitutes the final evaluation necessary to advance to PhD Candidacy and to advance to the PhD culminating experience, the Dissertation. The evaluation affords the doctoral student with the means to demonstrate level of mastery in the PhD core and concentration- specific competencies. Enrollment requires permission of the Academic Advisor. Pass/No Pass Effective 2012-01-11

3 SCH. The course emphasizes the design, implementation, analysis, and reporting of research investigations. Topics include two-sample inference using t-distributions, alternatives to t-test based analyses, comparisons among several samples, linear combinations, and multiple comparisons, simple and multiple linear regression methods, regression diagnostics, variable selection, and related methods, the repeated measures and other multivariate responses, exploratory tools for summarizing multivariate responses, logistics methods for binary response variables and binomial counts, log-linear regression for Poisson counts, hierarchical (multilevel) and structural equation modeling will be discussed and life tables, Kaplan-Meier and proportional hazards methods for analysis of time to event data. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300, BIOS 5310 or permission from course instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The course provides a modern introduction to the theory of probability and statistical inference. Topics include basic concepts of probability, conditional probability, independence, random variables, distributions, expectations, moments, probability models, convergence concepts, sampling distributions, frequentist and Bayesian approaches to estimation, hypothesis testing, and interval estimation. Rigorous proofs are deemphasized and replaced with extended discussions of interpretation of results and simulations for illustration. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The course covers the basic ideas of sampling from an applied perspective. Topics include simple random sampling, stratification, systematic selection, cluster sampling, multistage sampling, probability proportional to size sampling, cost models, sampling error estimation techniques, nonsampling errors, and compensating for missing data. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300 and BIOS 5310 or permission of the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course introduces descriptive and inferential statistics for univariate and multivariate categorical data with applications in public health and clinical field. Theory and application of contingency tables, measures of association and tests for homogeneity between populations and independence of variables will be covered. Log linear and logistic regression analyses methods will be investigated using public use public health data sets available. Students must complete BIOS 5300 and BIOS 5310 or obtain permission from the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. This course covers the general concepts and methodologies in clinical trials and statistical techniques in survival analysis. Topics covered include: phase I, II and III clinical trials, basic study design, ethical considerations, organization, study population, patient recruitment, protocol adherence and compliance, adverse event, data management, closeout, issues in reporting results as well as statistical techniques such as designs for phase I, II and III clinical trials, randomization, blindness techniques, sample size determination, and interim analysis. In addition, survival analysis will cover survival distributions, censored data, Kaplan-Meier curve and life-table analysis, logrank test, hazard function, and the Cox regression. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300 and BIOS 5310 or obtain permission from the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. This course provides students with the basic knowledge and skills to provide statistical consulting to persons and organizations in a wide variety of settings, including medical centers, hospitals, industry, and government. Students will be instructed in scientific writing, and will practice reading and writing about medical research. This course brings together the skills that students have learned in other core classes, such as BIOS 5300 and BIOS 5310: Biostatistics I and II, BIOS 5324: Data Management, and BIOS 5314: Introduction to Statistical Packages. Students will complete an original research project whereby they assess, analyze, write, and present findings from actual health care data. This course serves as part requirement for Clinical Research students who choose to opt out of writing a master's thesis. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300, BIOS 5310, and BIOS 5312. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course provides various advanced topics in biostatistics that are needed and useful for doctoral level biostatisticians. Some topics, such as probability and inference, and liner model are essential and required for completion a doctoral degree in biostatistics. Most other topics cover techniques that are often used in biostatistical practice. The course provides some theoretic basis for biostatistics and meanwhile focuses on applications. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300, BIOS 5310, or obtain permission of instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-26

3 SCH. This course will provide students with the necessary instruction to prepare dissertation proposals. Topics include scientific writing, preparation of manuscripts for publication, grant writing, proposal writing, and oral presentation skills. Prerequisites: Completion of most required coursework for DrPH curriculum (enrollment is permitted if a student is taking one final elective concurrently with this course). Pass/No Pass Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The doctoral dissertation must consist of original research or public health program development and testing that is focused on a particular health problem. The student's advisor is expected to provide guidance in the selection of a suitable project that provides for a clear direction for implementing the research or program. The student must complete an oral defense of the dissertation. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in BIOS 6395 until the requirements are completed. This course may be repeated for credit. A minimum of 9 SCH is required for the DrPH degree. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Effective 2011-06-07

1-3 SCH. This academic activity includes research and other scholarly projects carried out by the student under the supervision of a School of Public Health faculty member (instructor). A brief proposal should be written and approved by the academic advisor and a final report should be submitted to the supervising instructor for credit. Topical or project work is chosen by the student with the consent of the supervising instructor and approval from the academic advisor. This course may be repeated for credit. Offered each semester. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

4 SCH. This academic activity provides doctoral students with experience in public health practice through directed work in practice settings. Students are required to commit a substantial number of hours to the residency experience, produce two written reports of project(s) undertaken in the placement. One of the written reports should be presented in the form of a publishable article to be submitted to a public health related peer-review journal. The other report is described in the Public Health Practice Residency Manual. Placements and practice activities are selected to complement the student's academic and professional plans. Students must obtain approval of their choice of practice placement and plan for the residency experience plan prior to registering. Requirements may be completed over the period of more than one semester with approval of the academic advisor and the practice coordinator. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in BIOS 6497 until the requirements are complete. This course requirement may not be waived. Pass/No Pass Effective 2011-01-28

0 SCH. The Comprehensive Examination is a culminating experience option for the MPH degree intended to test the mastery of the competencies required. A student who chooses this option must register for this course in the semester in which he/she intends to take the examination. Pass/No Pass Effective 2010-04-01

3 SCH. An introduction to the environmental (physical, chemical, biological) determinants that influence human health and means of controlling these determinants. This course will discuss municipal water supply and disposal, ambient and indoor air quality, solid and hazardous wastes, food protection, vector control, pesticides, occupational safety, toxicology, risk assessment/risk communication and genomics. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course addresses the nature or biological agents including the sources, pathways, routes of entry, and health effects of infectious and allergenic agents that are found in either workplaces or the general environment. Lectures and case studies will provide training on how to identify, measure, and control biological agents that are present in a variety of settings. Basic concepts from aerosol science, industrial hygiene, microbiology, infectious disease epidemiology, sanitation, behavioral science, and environmental engineering are applied to problems of infectious or allergic disease prevention and control. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course will examine the quality and safety aspects of our food supply from the "Farm to the Table." It will provide students with information necessary to hygienic practices in food protection. It will thoroughly discuss the relationship of microorganism and sanitation, food contamination sources, personal hygiene and sanitary food handling, quality assurance, cleaning compounds, cleaning equipment, waste disposal, food processing and preparation, and pest control. Prerequisites: EOHS 5300 or concurrent enrollment in EOHS 5300 or obtain permission from the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. This experiential course focuses on issues surrounding public health on the Texas-Mexico border. Border health issues addressed include cultural diversity; water and waste water treatment; air and water pollution; and zoonotic, acute infectious and chronic disease control. Course includes on-site study in Laredo and/or other border communities. Enrollment limited. Prerequisites: EOHS 5300, BACH 5300 plus 6 hours of additional course work and approval of the instructor. All students must have a Passport prior to taking this course. International students must also have a U.S. multi-entry Visa and purchase a travel Visa for Mexico prior to taking this course. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. The course is to introduce students to knowledge in air pollution and public health, especially in developing countries, and thereby to provide a firmer basis for improving public health in low and middle income countries. Studies from a wide range of less heavily researched Asian, African and Latin American countries are reviewed in the course. The course also examines issues of particular relevance to low and middle income countries for vehicular pollution. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course covers how water quantity and quality affect population health from regional and global perspectives, and human efforts to reduce its impacts on public health. The course provides training on recognition, evaluation, and control of water contaminants and discussions on current issues related to water. The water contaminants include microbial organisms, chemicals, and radioactive materials both from natural and anthropogenic sources. Human efforts to reduce the impacts of water contamination and to conserve water include; water and wastewater treatment technologies and policy and regulations. In addition, climate efforts on water quality and quantity will be discussed both in regional and global perspectives. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. Identification of hazards, and methodologies used, for the evaluation and control of physical and chemical hazards in the environment relative to potential adverse health effects and the etiology of related illnesses and diseases. Federal and state regulatory requirements will be discussed and other guidelines from professional organizations addressed. Prerequisite: EOHS 5300 or obtain permission from the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. Theory and application, through lecture and laboratory exercises, of sampling and analytical instruments and methodologies for environmental and occupational exposure measurement of chemical, physical, and biologic agents in the environment. Where feasible, labs will include walk-through surveys, field collection of samples, and sample preparation and analysis. Prerequisites: EOHS 5300 or consent of the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course provides an overview of the principles of occupational diseases in the US and in the global workplace, how they present and how they affect worker health and productivity. The student will be able to identify key occupational hazards and exposures and resulting occupational diseases which increase morbidity, mortality, absenteeism and decrease presenteeism and productivity in the workplace. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. The goal of this course is to introduce students to the application of molecular biology as exposure assessment tool in epidemiological research. This course covers both major theoretical concepts and practical applications using biological responses (biomarkers) to study and protect public health. Prerequisites: EOHS 5300 or permission of the course instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course will deal with some important topics in environmental toxicology. Some of the topics that will be covered include: dose-response curves and nature of threshold for carcinogens and non-carcinogens; determination of air concentrations within and outside the workplace; development of standards; mechanism(s) of carcinogenicity and promotion; latency periods; exposure assessment; risk assessment. Prerequisite: EOHS 5300 or obtain permission from the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. GIS in Health is an applied course covering the theory and applications of geographic information systems (GIS) for public health. This course is designed for students with interests in learning about methods for analyzing the spatial patterns of disease burdens and their relationships to environmental hazards and includes an overview of GIS and spatial analysis principles in public health. The practical component of this class involves the use of desktop GIS software packages including ArcGIS and other spatial analysis software such as SatScan. In addition, this course also covers location allocation (LA) techniques for measuring and evaluating accessibility to public health facilities. Letter Grade Effective 2010-04-27

3 SCH. The purpose of this course is to provide students with analytical tools to think critically about policy, science, and decisions that affect occupational and environmental protection to public health. The focus of this course is on the interface between the fields of occupational and environmental, public health, policy and decision sciences. The course examines current approaches to occupational and environmental regulations such as command and control, comparative risk assessment, and market-based incentives. It also discusses environmental justice issues, sustainable development, and policies concerning particular environment problems in the United States and global community. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

1-3 SCH. This course is to provide exposure to students to a specialized topics in Environmental and/or Occupational Health Sciences. The topics will be selected by the instructor in either specialized areas, innovative topics, timely issues or current methodologies. Topics may include such areas as: exposure methodologies; environment and disease; control and measurement issues for nanotechnology; ultra-fine particles; social justice and environmental exposures in developed and developing countries; probabilistic methods for risk analysis; gene-environment interactions; drinking water quality; etc. This course may be repeated for credit with advisor's permission. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The thesis requires the student to conduct and prepare the written thesis under the supervision of a faculty committee. The thesis is written in traditional academic style or in journal article manuscript format. The student must complete an oral defense of the thesis. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in EOHS 5395 until the requirements are completed and the thesis is approved by the dean. This course may be repeated for credit. A minimum of 6 SCH is required to meet the MPH culminating experience requirement. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Effective 2011-06-07

3 SCH. This course provides students with experience in public health practice through directed work in practice settings. Students are required to commit 200 hours to the practice experience, produce a written report of project(s) undertaken in the placement, and prepare a poster presentation of their practice experience. Placements and practice activities are selected to complement the students' academic and professional plans. Students must obtain approval of their choice of practice placement and plan for the practice experience in the semester prior to registering in EOHS 5397. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in EOHS 5397 until all the requirements are completed. Course Prerequisites: Students must have completed 21 SCH of core and/or department required coursework. Letter Grade Effective 2010-04-01

1-3 SCH. For students capable of independently completing topical studies or projects through conferences and activities directed by the instructor. Topical or project work is chosen by the student with the consent of the instructor. This course may be repeated for credit. Offered each semester. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

0 SCH. This academic activity constitutes the final evaluation necessary to advance to PhD Candidacy and to advance to the PhD culminating experience, the Dissertation. The evaluation affords the doctoral student with the means to demonstrate level of mastery in the PhD core and concentration- specific competencies. Enrollment requires permission of the Academic Advisor. Pass/No Pass Effective 2012-01-11

3 SCH. This course provides the students with knowledge and skills in the identification, effect on human health, risk assessment, and control of environmental health determinants. Student must obtain permission from the instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course introduces what genomics is and how genomics are applied to public health. The first half of the course covers basic human genetics and genomics, basic analysis tools for genomics, and data and information sources. The second half discusses how genomics are currently being used in the research of public health science. Ethical and medical limitations to genetic testing and limitations of current public health genomic research are also discussed. In addition, laboratory practices and the project provide training to utilize databases, acquire appropriate information, and analyze the genetic data. Prerequisites: completion of all PhD core courses is strongly recommended. Instructor's consent is required for all MPH students. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course examines mode of transportation of environment toxins and the potential for uptake by humans, plants and animals. The course covers terminology and risk concepts, methods and applications of qualitative and quantitative exposure and risk assessment methodologies and applications in public health. Class discussions, reading assignments, lectures and case studies will be used to develop knowledge and skill to perform environmental risk assessment. Issues concerning the application and use of risk assessment for human health based decisions, regulatory authorities, exposure guidance levels and assumptions and uncertainties in development of exposure guidance levels will be discussed. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300, EOHS 5300, or permission of instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

1-3 SCH. This course is to provide exposure to students to a specialized topics in Environmental and/or Occupational Health Sciences. The topics will be selected by the instructor in either specialized areas, innovative topics, timely issues or current methodologies. Topics may include such areas as: exposure methodologies; environment and disease; control and measurement issues for nanotechnology; ultra-fine particles; social justice and environmental exposures in developed and developing countries; probabilistic methods for risk analysis; gene-environment interactions; drinking water quality; etc. This course may be repeated for credit with advisor permission. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The doctoral dissertation must consist of original research or public health program development and testing that is focused on a particular health problem. The students' advisor is expected to provide guidance in the selection of a suitable project that provides for a clear direction for implementing the research or program. The student must complete an oral defense of the dissertation. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in EOHS 6395 until the requirements are completed. This course may be repeated for credit. A minimum of 12 SCH is required for the PhD degree. Pre-requisites: Permission of advisor and PhD program director. Pass/No Pass Effective 2011-01-19

1-3 SCH. This course is to provide research and other scholarly projects to be carried out by the student under the supervision of a School of Public Health faculty member. A brief proposal with objectives and/or hypothesis, method of accomplishing goals, and deliverable timelines will be prepared by the student and approved by both the academic advisor and supervising instructor. Course may be offered each semester. May be repeated for credit with advisor's permission. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

0 SCH. The Comprehensive Examination is a culminating experience option for the MPH degree intended to test the mastery of the competencies required. A student who chooses this option must register for this course in the semester in which he/she intends to take the examination. Pass/No Pass Effective 2010-04-01

3 SCH. The overall purpose of this course is to introduce public health students to epidemiology so that they understand how epidemiology contributes to (1) identifying factors that cause diseases, (2) assessing the public health importance of diseases, (3) describing the natural history of diseases, and (4) evaluating procedures for preventing diseases. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course illustrates concepts, methods, and strategies used in epidemiologic studies, beyond the principles discussed in EPID 5300. Topics include analysis of birth cohorts, measures of disease frequency and association, bias, confounding, effect modification, stratification and adjustment, quality control, and reporting of epidemiologic results. The primary objective of the course is to present the main issues in establishing causal relationships from observational data. Prerequisite: EPID 5300 and BIOS 5300. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. Creating a survey instrument is a multistep process. If executed properly, the instrument will produce valuable information; otherwise a poorly designed survey produces little information of meaning and is a waste of time. This introductory course provides the student with a foundation of theoretical research and survey concepts and practical implementation and analytical skills. Each student will construct their own research question with corresponding objectives, map these objectives to meaningful and measurable survey items, submit a research proposal and instrument to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval, put survey instrument into a designated population collect enter, and analyze data and present results in a final written project and oral presentation. This comprehensive course teaches the theory and applications of survey methodology in the guise of a structured research project; from conception of the research question to presentation of collected data and drawing of corresponding conclusions. This introductory course is designed for epidemiology and other public health students requiring a basic knowledge research survey and questionnaire design, implementation and analysis. This course will include lectures, in-class assignments, a group project, class discussion, oral and written presentation and readings. A lecture outline will be provided before class; students may need to take additional notes. Prerequisite: EPID 5310, EPID 5313, and BIOS 5310 or permission by instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This class is an introduction to database design and statistical programming. The goal of this course is two-fold: to introduce basic database applications design, creation, and management skills. Students will learn how to design and develop a database based on study design and data collection requirements, query the database, generate reports, create subsets of data, and import and export files. These concepts are universal and applicable to other database management systems. In addition, students will learn basic principles of statistical programming using SAS 9.1. In corporation with SAS Global Academic Program, students will learn important statistical programming skills that will allow them to successfully compete in the job market. These programming skills include but not limited to: retrieving raw data, creating and modifying variables, merging datasets, data manipulation, and basic descriptive statistical analysis. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-14

3 SCH. New investigators often find the choice of statistical analysis to be the most difficult step in conducting research. Statistical approaches can vary from simple t-tests to complex hierarchical regression analysis. Exploring and applying the best practices of epidemiology data analysis is critical to meet the growing demand for more efficient analysts who can accurately analyze and interpret complex datasets that will be necessary to setting future public health priorities. This course is designed to provide practice experience in analyzing different types of epidemiologic data. We will learn how to apply analytic methods to answer specific epidemiologic research questions and interpreting the results. Students will be given public health scenarios reflective of current issues in our world and will be asked to formulate hypothesis, identify the most appropriate statistical approach for calculating risk, utilize statistical software to calculate risk, critically interpret findings, and effectively communicate findings to professional and lay audiences. This course is intended for MPH students and serves to fulfill one of the five required courses in epidemiology. Prerequisite: BIOS 5310, EPID 5310, and EPID 5313 or equivalent. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course is designed for graduate students interested in chronic disease epidemiology. The chronic diseases that will be discussed in this course are cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, mellitus, cancers, oral health. Screening of chronic diseases will also be covered. Prerequisite: EPID 5300. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course is designed to give graduate students in public health an introduction about infectious diseases of major public health importance. The course will cover the basics of microbiology, immunology, outbreak investigation, the principles of disease surveillance, and prevention strategies, especially vaccination. Prerequisite: EPID 5300 or permission of the course instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

1-3 SCH. This course is designed to give students exposure to cutting edge topics in epidemiology. Examples of such a topic include (but are not limited to) pharamacoepidemiology, perinatal epidemiology, structural equation modeling, meta-analysis in epidemiology, topical seminars, etc. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The thesis requires the student to conduct and prepare the written thesis under the supervision of a faculty committee. The thesis is written in traditional academic style or in journal article manuscript format. The student must complete an oral defense of the thesis. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in EPID 5395 until the requirements are completed and the thesis is approved by the dean. This course may be repeated for credit. A minimum of 6 SCH is required to meet the MPH culminating experience requirement. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Effective 2011-06-07

3 SCH. This course provides students with experience in public health practice through directed work in practice settings. Students are required to commit 200 hours to the practice experience, produce a written report of project(s) undertaken in the placement, and prepare a poster presentation of their practice experience. Placements and practice activities are selected to complement the student's academic and professional plans. Students must obtain approval of their choice of practice placement and plan for the practice experience in the semester prior to registering in EPID 5397. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in EPID 5397 until all the requirements are completed. Course Prerequisites: Students must have completed 21 SCH of core and/or department required coursework. Letter Grade Effective 2010-04-01

1-3 SCH. For students capable of independently completing topical studies or projects through conferences and activities directed by the instructor. Topical or project work is chosen by the student with the consent of the instructor. This course may be repeated for credit. Offered each semester. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

0 SCH. This academic activity constitutes the final evaluation necessary to advance to PhD Candidacy and to advance to the PhD culminating experience, the Dissertation. The evaluation affords the doctoral student with the means to demonstrate level of mastery in the PhD core and concentration- specific competencies. Enrollment requires permission of the Academic Advisor. Pass/No Pass Effective 2012-01-11

3 SCH. This course illustrates methods, concepts, and strategies used in epidemiologic studies, beyond the principles discussed in EPID 5300. Topics include a review of basic study designs, analysis of birth cohorts, measures of disease frequency and association, bias, confounding, effect measure modification, stratification, adjustment, research ethics, causal inference, data analysis, and reporting of epidemiologic study results. Students are evaluated by exercises, class participation, a midterm and final exam, and a final research paper. Epidemiology students may NOT register for this course. Epidemiology students should register for EPID 5310. Prerequisites: EPID 5300 and BIOS 5300. Letter Grade Effective 2010-04-01

3 SCH. This is an advanced, doctoral level course for students who require extensive preparation in epidemiologic theory and methodology. Topics covered include causal inference; study design; the analysis of crude, stratified, and matched data; approaches to assessing effect modification and adjusting for confounding; estimating dose response associations; modeling data; bias and the critical evaluation of epidemiological studies. Prerequisites: EPID 5310, BIOS 5300, and BIOS 5310. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course is designed to integrate methods introduced in Applied Data Analysis in Epidemiology and Advanced Methods in Epidemiology 1, along with new methods in data synthesis in order to prepare students to apply these methods as independent researchers in epidemiology. Students will have the opportunity to 1.) critically evaluate and interpret epidemiologic evidence, 2.) synthesize such evidence, 3.) analyze real data, and 4.) write manuscripts. Students will learn to interpret and synthesize information from ecologic, cross-sectional, case-control, cohort and clinical trial studies. Descriptive methods of synthesis as well as systematic meta-analysis methods will be covered. Classes will include both didactic instruction as well as hands-on practice interpreting, critically reviewing, synthesizing, analyzing and writing up results from epidemiologic studies. Course evaluations will be based on the students' performance in class participation, exercises, as well as written and oral projects demonstrating the students' ability to understand and apply epidemiologic methods, critically evaluate and synthesize information from the literature, analyze real data and write manuscripts. Prerequisites: EPID 5314 and EPID 6310. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course is designed to introduce students to the methods involved in the design, conduct, analysis and evaluation of results from clinical trials. Topics include planning a trial, randomization, blinding, trial designs, ethics, analyses and writing a protocol. This course also provides examples of how these methods are applied in actual clinical trials. Course evaluations will be based on the students' performance in class participation, the mid-term examination, as well as a written project demonstrating the students' ability to apply these methods in planning for a clinical trial. Prerequisites: EPID 5300. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The focus of the course is on the basic concepts and methodology of molecular epidemiology, particularly in cancers. Designed for students who have a strong biology background and want to pursue doctoral study in the area of molecular epidemiology, we will explore how molecular biomarkers are integrated into population based studies to more accurately define and measure exposures and outcomes and how these measures in turn guide study development. Examples are discussed using current epidemiologic literature to emphasize methodologic issues relevant to molecular epidemiology. We also consider the ethical issues posed by this rapidly evolving field. Prerequisites: EPID 5310 or EPID 6300 or permission of course instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. This course includes the application of epidemiologic methods to two important professional areas of public health. The first one is devoted to the planning, management, and data analysis of public health surveillance systems. The steps for planning a surveillance system, criteria for identifying high priority health events for surveillance, types of surveillance systems, data collection, data processing, quality control, analysis and the interpretation of surveillance data are included. This part of the course also encompasses the basis for evaluation of surveillance systems and the methods used for screening of disease. A small-scale computerized surveillance system is developed as part of the course. The second part of the course, deals with the basic epidemiologic methodology used to assist in the planning and evaluation of health programs of disease control and prevention. It includes the methodology for the design of instruments for data collection, assessment of health care needs, and the epidemiologic evaluation of the impact of health interventions. Prerequisites: EPID 5300 and BIOS 5300. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. This course will explore study design, measurement, and analytic issues applicable to epidemiologic research into the social determinants of health. The format of the course is a seminar offered to students with a basic knowledge of epidemiologic and biostatistical principles. The course is organized around key concepts in social epidemiology. Students will be expected to critically examine the scientific literature, form scientifically-based critiques, reach empirically and theoretically grounded conclusions and actively participate in class discussions. This course is intended for persons who have an interest in research and some background in epidemiology and/or behavioral sciences. Prerequisites: EPID 5300 and BIOS 5300 or permission of the course instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. The overall purpose of this course is to introduce the methods and concepts involved in nutritional epidemiologic research. Topics that will be discussed in this course include the assessment on diet, physical activity and body composition, the reliability and validity of dietary assessment, advantage and disadvantage of different study designs in nutritional epidemiologic research, gene-nutrient interaction and the use of biomarkers, specific statistical issues involved in nutritional epidemiologic research, and the development of a research proposal on nutritional epidemiologic studies. Prerequisites: EPID 5300, EPID 5310 or EPID 6300, BIOS 5300, and BIOS 5310. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. The course is designed to apply principles learned in the introductory and intermediate epidemiologic methods courses to the critical evaluation and interpretation of cancer epidemiology studies. Basic methodological concepts and problematic issues specific to cancer epidemiology studies and/or cancer sites will be emphasized, rather than descriptive epidemiology of specific cancers. The course is conducted in a participatory seminar format using assigned articles as a stimulus for discussion. Prerequisites: EPID 5300 and EPID 5310. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. The purpose of this course is to prepare students to examine the unified set of concepts, principles and methodologies that govern occupational epidemiology. It is designed to build on a foundation of coherent epidemiological concepts and foster the understanding of the principles and methods of occupational epidemiologic study design, analysis, and interpretation. This course is designed specifically for the epidemiology concentration and other public health students requiring a more thorough knowledge of the concepts and methods used in occupational epidemiologic research. Building upon material covered in previous epidemiology courses, this course stresses etiologic study designs, methodological issues and analytic methods as they relate to occupational studies. Prerequisites: EPID 5300 and BIOS 5300 or permission of the course instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

1-3 SCH. This course is designed to give students exposure to cutting edge topics at the doctoral level in epidemiology. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-19

3 SCH. This course will provide students with the necessary instruction to prepare dissertation proposals. Topics include scientific writing, preparation of manuscripts for publication, grant writing, proposal writing, and oral presentation skills. Prerequisites: completion of most required coursework for DrPH curriculum (enrollment is permitted if a student is taken one final elective concurrently with this course). Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The doctoral dissertation must consist of original research or public health program development and testing that is focused on a particular health problem. The student's advisor is expected to provide guidance in the selection of a suitable project that provides for a clear direction for implementing the research or program. The student must complete an oral defense of the dissertation. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in EPID 6395 until the requirements are completed. This course may be repeated for credit. A minimum of 9 SCH is required for the DrPH degree. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Effective 2011-06-07

1-3 SCH. This academic activity includes research and other scholarly projects carried out by the student under the supervision of a School of Public Health faculty member (instructor). A brief proposal should be written and approved by the academic advisor and a final report should be submitted to the supervising instructor for credit. Topical or project work is chosen by the student with the consent of the supervising instructor and approval from the academic advisor. This course may be repeated for credit. Offered each semester. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

4 SCH. This academic activity provides doctoral students with experience in public health practice through directed work in practice settings. Students are required to commit a substantial number of hours to the residency experience, produce two written reports of project(s) undertaken in the placement. One of the written reports should be presented in the form of a publishable article to be submitted to a public health related peer-review journal. The other report is described in the Public Health Practice Residency Manual. Placements and practice activities are selected to complement the student's academic and professional plans. Students must obtain approval of their choice of practice placement and plan for the residency experience plan prior to registering. Requirements may be completed over the period of more than one semester with approval of the academic advisor and the practice coordinator. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in EPID 6497 until the requirements are complete. This course requirement may not be waived. Pass/No Pass Effective 2011-01-28

0 SCH. The Comprehensive Examination is a culminating experience option for the MPH degree intended to test the mastery of the competencies required. A student who chooses this option must register for this course in the semester in which he/she intends to take the examination. Pass/No Pass Effective 2010-04-01

1 SCH. The size and complexity of the healthcare system requires a solid understanding of the healthcare delivery system, the key components of care management and evidence based practices to become effective agents of change and improvement. This seminar course examines current issues in healthcare management and challenges related to healthcare organizations, resources, quality, safety, equity, effectiveness and efficiency. The interplay between health care organizations and patients, stakeholders within the organizations and the factors impacting healthcare delivery will also be discussed. The seminar uses various learning methods including presentations by local healthcare leaders, synthesis reports and online modules on quality and safety from the Institute of Healthcare and Improvement. Letter Grade Effective 2011-07-21

1 SCH. Regulations involved with human subject research will be discussed, both from an historical and contemporary perspective. Case studies will be discussed, and students must complete the IRB Tutorial on line, and submit the Certificate of Completion for course credit. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

2 SCH. The course examines the disparities in health care among minority populations for several specific diseases. The course is offered as a lecture series divided into three sections for each health care problem: basic science, clinical and public health. It is the intention of the course to bring to light the behavioral and cultural characteristics of the minority populations that contribute to the disproportionate presence of the disease in that population, and the disparity in treatment available. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. What is "population health" and why does it matter? How does the U.S health care system compare to health systems in other countries? Why are U.s health care costs so high? How is the U.S health system financed? What are the basic principles of health insurance? Who are the uninsured? What is the state of U.S health care reform? It is critical that public health professionals be able to answer these questions and understand the components of the U.S health care system. This course will answer these questions through an introduction to the areas of Health Management and Health Policy concerned with the delivery, quality and costs of health care for individuals and populations. The course will examine the structure, processes and outcomes of health services, financing, organization, outcomes and accessibility of care. This course will give an overview and prepare you for future study in health management and policy. This introductory course is introduced for MPH students and serves to fulfill a core course requirement in Health Management and Policy. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This capstone course is designed to allow students the opportunity to apply methods and techniques learned in the MHA program to a practical health administration problem. All students will participate as members of a team to conduct a project focused on a health administration problem and will present their results orally and in a written report. This course is designed to partially meet the culminating experience requirement for students in the Master of Health Administration program. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course will provide a basic understanding of the United States health care system. Components of the health care system will be examined in addition to their interactions. Problems which arise from this "unplanned system" will be analyzed and health policies which have been enacted or recommended will be explored. Key actors in health policy and their perspectives will be discussed. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course is an introduction to the concepts and tolls of public policy analysis as applied to health and health care services. The first part of the course is intended to familiarize students with public institutions and processes which govern health policy in the United States. The later portion of the course examines some current health policy issues drawing upon the concepts and tolls of policy analysis. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. The course will integrate alternative disciplinary perspectives from management, social science, policy analysis, and health services literatures to provide an understanding of how health care organizations work. Students will become familiar with the internal and external environments confronting health care managers, as well as essential tools and skills for managing health care organizations. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of contemporary topics in health information systems. The course will emphasize electronic medical records, vendor selection, and the process for implementing information technology. Other topics include health care reform and "meaningful use," as well as ICD10-CM classification system. We will also cover the principles of database design and Microsoft Access software. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course will cover various quantitative techniques, such as regression and forecasting, that are used in health management. Each topic will be covered in three stages: theory, example problem, and a real health care application. Students will use Microsoft Excel software to solve problems. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300. Letter Grade. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. This course focuses on issues in strategic management and marketing. It will concentrate on modern analytic approaches. The course is intended to provide a pragmatic approach to guide the formulation and implementation of corporate, business and functional strategies. This course explores the issues of defining corporate missions, objectives and goals. Students will focus on analysis of a firm's external and internal environment to identify and create competitive advantage. The course emphasizes the cultural, ethical, political, and regulatory issues faced in any global business environment and the need for leadership for a successful management of strategic change. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course is an introduction to the concepts, methods, and applications of public health program planning and evaluation. The course will explore the role of planning and evaluation in improving program implementation and management and public policy. Design and application of evaluations will include both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The course is designed to address the complexities of managing human resources in the dynamic healthcare environment and to develop an awareness of creative strategies to address these challenges. The topics that will be covered in this course include the relationship between cultural competence and disparity, diverse healthcare professionals, basic HR functions such as, job design/ analysis/ recruitment/ selection/ retention, motivation and change, career development and training, performance measures, compensation and benefits, labor relations, legal and ethical issues, and safe working environments. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-19

3 SCH. This course offers an introduction to accounting, financial theory and practice in health care settings. It is designed to familiarize students with important financial concepts and issues confronting managers in the health sector. Letter Grade Effective 2012-08-15

3 SCH. This course is the sequel to Health Finance 1. It is designed to provide additional material and more in-depth financial theory and practice for MPH and MHA students. Topics include: payment systems, management control, capital budgeting, capital structure, and special topics concerning health finance and public policy. Prerequisite: HMAP 5330. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. Introduction to the statutes and case law governing the practice public health professionals. Emphasis on the constitutional basis for public health issues and the role of administrative law in public health. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course is designed to offer graduate students in public health exposure to the Texas legislative session. Students will interact with legislators, staff, advocates, and other key actors in the legislative process. The intent of the course is to instill first-hand knowledge of the state legislative process, perspectives of legislators and staff, and stakeholders. Each student will select, track, and analyze a proposed bill and present this analysis in writing and to their peers and instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-19

3 SCH. An overview of microeconomics theory, demand and supply of health services, hospital and physician service markets, role of public sector, comparative health systems and cost effectiveness analysis. A background in economics and statistics is helpful. Prerequisite: BIOS 5300 or permission of instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-28

3 SCH. The student conducts an individual project that addresses a well-focused public health question or issue. Work is conducted under the supervision of a faculty committee. A written report of the project is required as well as an oral presentation by the student to the supervisory faculty committee. HMAP 5391 is designed to partially meet the culminating experience requirement for the MPH. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in HMAP 5391 until the requirements are completed. Pass/No Pass Effective 2009-08-01

1-3 SCH. This course covers current topics in health management and policy. Topics vary by semester. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This internship is a 13 week field experience providing opportunities to employ skills and principles learned in the classroom while working in a healthcare setting. Prerequisites: students are eligible to enroll after completing 27 SCH. Students must confer with the MHA Program Director prior to enrolling in this course. Students are required to commit 500 contact hours in order to receive credit for this course. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The thesis requires the student to conduct and prepare the written thesis under the supervision of a faculty committee. The thesis is written in traditional academic style or in journal article manuscript format. The student must complete an oral defense of the thesis. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in HMAP 5395 until the requirements are completed and the thesis is approved by the dean. This course may be repeated for credit. A minimum of 6 SCH is required to meet the MPH culminating experience requirement. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Effective 2011-06-07

3 SCH. This course provides students with experience in public health practice through directed work in practice settings. Students are required to commit 200 hours to the practice experience, produce a written report of project(s) undertaken in the placement, and prepare a poster presentation of their practice experience. Placements and practice activities are selected to complement the student's academic and professional plans. Students must obtain approval of their choice of practice placement and plan for the practice experience in the semester prior to registering in HMAP 5397. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in HMAP 5397 until all the requirements are completed. Course Prerequisites: Students must have completed 21 SCH of core and/or department required coursework. Letter Grade Effective 2010-04-01

1-3 SCH. For students capable of independently completing topical studies or projects through conferences and activities directed by the instructor. Topical or project work is chosen by the student with the consent of the instructor. This course may be repeated for credit. Offered each semester. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

0 SCH. This academic activity constitutes the final evaluation necessary to advance to PhD Candidacy and to advance to the PhD culminating experience, the Dissertation. The evaluation affords the doctoral student with the means to demonstrate level of mastery in the PhD core and concentration- specific competencies. Enrollment requires permission of the Academic Advisor. Pass/No Pass Effective 2012-01-08

2 SCH. This course will critically examine the concepts, methods, and application of quality improvement techniques and the role of management in achieving quality improvement in the delivery of health care services. The course is intended to add to the student's knowledge, skills and abilities regarding the how healthcare quality is defined and assessed, the demand for quality care by key stakeholders, relationship between healthcare consumerism and clinical quality improvement and outcomes and economic impact of quality improvement. The course is taught using a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) instructional strategy which centers on team skills, self-directed learning and case analysis. Letter Grade Effective 2011-07-21

3 SCH. The purpose of this course is to provide a basic understanding of the U.S. Health Care System. This course describes how various health care components work individually and how they work (or fail to do so) together to create a "health care system." While the focus of the course is on the American health care system, comparisons to international health care systems will be included. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course provides an in-depth review of the major health policy issues currently facing the United States policy community. The class will explore health policy analysis as a discipline and a profession. Critical analysis of the literature is emphasized to sharpen student's skills in understanding the nature of the debates, underlying assumptions, application of evidence, and the crafting and evaluation of policy options. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The organization, financing, delivery and utilization of long-term care, comprehensively designed, are examined with emphasis on affordability, access and quality in a managed care environment for older adults. Note: the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Managed Care Technical Assistance Program will support this course. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course provides an examination of three fundamental areas of leadership in public health: 1) leadership theory distinguishing leaders from managers and strategies from tactics, 2) the role of the leader in the translation of public health findings into legislation and 3) developing the skills to mobilize the community and resources. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

This course explores current thinking in organizational management using a systems perspective based on the seven principles of performance excellence: leadership, purposes and plans, beneficiaries and constituencies, programs and services, workforce and workplace, assessment and information use, and outcomes and achievements. A fundamental premise of the course is that organizations are composed of interrelated processes that make them behave as complex systems. This course will prepare students to function in managerial and leadership positions in both the public and private sectors. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-26

3 SCH. A survey of the history of health insurance in the United States. Theoretical issues in health insurance, cost containment in public and private sectors, global finance of health services, long term care and the problem of the uninsured. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course is a study of the fundamental legal issues that should be understood by both a Public Health practitioner and a practicing health lawyer, including structural and operational issues affecting health care providers and payers. Discussions will cover federal and state fraud and abuse issues, self-referral laws, false claims issues, antitrust issues, confidentiality, and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement issues. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course is designed to offer graduate students in public health exposure to the Texas legislative session. Students will interact with legislators, staff, advocates, and other key actors in the legislative process. The intent of the course is to instill first-hand knowledge of the state legislative process, perspectives of legislators and staff, and stakeholders. Each student will select, track, and analyze a proposed bill and present this analysis in writing and to their peers and instructor. Doctoral students will receive greater exposure to and will be expected to apply course assignment(s) to the following competencies: advocacy, communication, critical analysis, leadership, professionalism and ethics. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-19

3 SCH. The course considers a variety of special topics with a focus on managed care issues. Issues include: actuarial problems in managed care, rate setting for hospital and physician services, mergers and acquisitions, antitrust in the health sector, the role of equity markets in health services, cost benefit and cost effectiveness analysis. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The course provides an examination of fundamental and current ethical issues in public health. Through lectures, readings, case studies, and historical examples students will explore principles of ethics and theories of justice applicable to the public health profession. Students will develop skills of ethical analysis and apply them to major issues in public health practice, research, management and policy. Examples of such issues include professional ethics, community contexts, human subject research, social justice, healthcare resource allocation, the relationship between the individual and the state. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. The course will provide an overview of current health services research of interest to public health and health management and policy. Methodologies related to health services research will be presented and critiqued. Students will gain experience in presenting and providing critiques of current research. The course will culminate in an original health services research project by each student. Prerequisites: BIOS 5300 and BIOS 5310. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

3 SCH. This course builds upon the concepts and skills presented in the Health Services Research 1 course. Students will continue to develop skills in use of the Stata analytic software which is becoming standard in health services research. Students will learn and apply more complex analytic methods than those covered in Health Services Research 1. Considerable emphasis is placed on applying these methods to existing data bases (national and state) in a computer lab setting. The course is intended to assist doctoral students in developing and implementing methods such as ordered logit and probit analyses, analysis of complex sample design data, fixed-effects and other methods. Prerequisite: HMAP 6380. Letter Grade Effective 2012-01-13

1-3 SCH. This course covers current topics in health management and policy. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. This course will provide students with the necessary instruction to prepare dissertation proposals. Topics include scientific writing, preparation of manuscripts for publication, grant writing, proposal writing, and oral presentation skills. Prerequisites: Completion of most required coursework for DrPH curriculum (enrollment is permitted if a student is taken one final elective concurrently with this course). Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

3 SCH. The doctoral dissertation must consist of original research or public health program development and testing that is focused on a particular health problem. The student's advisor is expected to provide guidance in the selection of a suitable project that provides for a clear direction for implementing the research or program. The student must complete an oral defense of the dissertation. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in HMAP 6395 until the requirements are completed. This course may be repeated for credit. A minimum of 9 SCH is required for the DrPH degree. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Effective 2011-06-07

1-3 SCH. This academic activity includes research and other scholarly projects carried out by the student under the supervision of a School of Public Health faculty member (instructor). A brief proposal should be written and approved by the academic advisor and a final report should be submitted to the supervising instructor for credit. Topical or project work is chosen by the student with the consent of the supervising instructor and approval from the academic advisor. This course may be repeated for credit. Offered each semester. Letter Grade Effective 2009-08-01

4 SCH. This academic activity provides doctoral students with experience in public health practice through directed work in practice settings. Students are required to commit a substantial number of hours to the residency experience, produce two written reports of project(s) undertaken in the placement. One of the written reports should be presented in the form of a publishable article to be submitted to a public health related peer-review journal. The other report is described in the Public Health Practice Residency Manual. Placements and practice activities are selected to complement the student's academic and professional plans. Students must obtain approval of their choice of practice placement and plan for the residency experience plan prior to registering. Requirements may be completed over the period of more than one semester with approval of the academic advisor and the practice coordinator. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in HMAP 6497 until the requirements are complete. This course requirement may not be waived. Pass/No Pass Effective 2011-01-28

0 SCH. The Certified in Public Health (CPH) Exam is the culminating experience for the MPH- Professional Option degree. The exam is rooted in the five basic core and cross-competencies of public health to reflect the nature of the field and the way one area of knowledge blends into another. The certification exam is administered to graduates of and students of CEPH accredited schools and programs of public health. The student must register for this course in the semester in which he/she intends to take the examination. Enrollment in course requires permission of the Academic Advisor. Grading Basis: Pass/No Pass. Pass/No Pass Effective 2012-01-07

1-3 SCH. This course is designed to give students up-to-date and important information on topics in public health. Topics will vary and be relevant to the master degree program's competencies. Examples include: public health program development, public health trends, and emerging public health issues. Activities are included to promote reflection, application, exploration, analysis and experimentation. May be taken more than once. Letter Grade Effective 2010-04-01

3 SCH. This course provides students with experience in public health practice through directed work in practice settings. Students are required to commit 200 hours to the practice experience, produce a written report of project(s) undertaken in the placement, and prepare a poster presentation of their practice experience. Placements and practice activities are selected to complement the students' academic and professional plans. Students must obtain approval of their choice of practice placement and plan for the practice experience in the semester prior to registering in PHED 5397. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in PHED 5397 until all the requirements are completed. Course Prerequisites: Students must have completed 18 SCH of required coursework. Letter Grade Effective 2011-07-26

0 SCH. This academic activity, the Integrated Competency Evaluation (ICE), constitutes the final evaluation prior to participation in the DrPH degree program's culminating experience, the Doctor in Public Health Residency. The ICE affords the doctoral student with the means to demonstrate their level of mastery in each of the required DrPH program competencies: advocacy, communication, community and cultural orientation, critical analysis, leadership, management, and professionalism and ethics. This comprehensive written report includes a personal assessment of competency mastery, documented by examples of higher education and professional education outcomes, as well as, public health work related experiences. A portfolio binder and an oral evaluation may be required. Enrollment requires permission of the DrPH Program Director and Academic Advisor. Pass/No Pass Effective 2012-08-15

1 SCH. The objective of this seminar course is to introduce doctoral students to the application of research in the various disciplines within public health. The course will address numerous aspects of research, including but not limited to: research design and methodology, institutional procedures for review and approval of research involving human subjects, ethical issues of investigative research, the integration and application of new knowledge and theory, analytical and critical thinking, problem solving skills, and proper implementation strategies. This will be accomplished through directed readings, presentations by faculty and invited guests, case analysis, and discussions of current research. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: PHED 6310 or PHED 6314 or permission of the chair of the PhD Program Committee or the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Pass/No Pass Effective 2011-01-27

1 SCH. This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to effectively integrate science into public health practice, address important public health issues, and demonstrate leadership in working with public health teams and community partners. Improvement in key DrPH program competencies are addressed, with a particular focus on the following skills: professional interaction, oral and written communication, team building, negotiation and conflict resolution, consensus building, collaboration, organizational learning, persuasion, and meeting facilitation. Professional Development II must be completed in subsequent semester. Enrollment requires permission of the DrPH Program Director and Academic Advisor. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-26

1 SCH. This course must be taken in subsequent semester of Professional Development I. The primary focus is the continuous improvement of DrPH Program competencies and skills addressed in the first seminar course. Additional emphasis is placed on the following: advocacy, leadership, and professional interaction, with public health and community leaders. Important components of the course include preparation for the Doctor in Public Health Residency and the completion of the Integrated Competency Evaluation (ICE) by the conclusion of the semester. This course should be completed before initiating the Doctor in Public Health Residency. Enrollment requires permission of the DrPH Program Director and Academic Advisor. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-26

2 SCH. Students will demonstrate competence in a specific area of public health science as evidenced by writing, presenting and defending a research grant proposal. This course address numerous aspects of grant writing including these key skills: developing specific aims, writing research plans, creating budgets, and obtaining IRB approval. This is accomplished by a variety of activities, including, but not limited to: review of literature, presentations and discussions of grant writing strategies, and individual mentoring. Doctoral competencies addressed include: research theories and applications, critical analysis, research methodology, scientific communications, and professional ethics. Prerequisite: PHED 6310 or PHED 6314 or permission of the chair of the PhD Program Committee or the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-27

3 SCH. This course provides students with instruction and facilitates personal experience in applying research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, to research problems associated with public health. The course will prepare students to read and critically evaluate proposed and published research and assist students in designing their own research/evaluation projects. The doctoral competencies addressed include: research theories and applications, communication, critical analysis, research methodology, scientific communications, discovery and translational research, as well as, professionalism and ethics. Course requirements will be geared toward the PhD in Public Health Sciences degree program. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-27

3 SCH. This course will provide students with instruction and facilitates personal experience in applying research methods, both qualitative and quantitative, to research problems associated with public health. The course prepares students to read and critically evaluate proposed and published research and assist students in designing their own research/evaluation projects. The doctoral competencies addressed include: research theories and applications, communication, critical analysis, research methodology, scientific communications, discovery and translational research, as well as, professionalism and ethics. Course requirements will be geared toward the DrPH in Public Health Practice degree program. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-26

3 SCH. This course expands the knowledge and skills required to plan, develop, implement, manage and evaluate programs appropriate to a variety of public health practice settings. The focus is on evidence-based applications and draws on appropriate theories and models. The DrPH competencies addressed include: advocacy, communication, community and cultural orientation, critical analysis, leadership, management, and professionalism and ethics. As appropriate, partnerships with community-based organizations and agencies are included. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-19

3 SCH. This course is designed to guide doctoral students in the acquisition of new knowledge and skills related to the art and science of teaching. The course experiences will provide opportunities for hands-on application of pedagogical/androgogical methods of benefit to the practice of academic teaching, as well as, other forms of public speaking. The course consists of a combination of theory, practice, readings and classroom discussions to promote reflection, exploration, analysis and experimentation. The doctoral competencies addressed include: advocacy, communication, scientific communication, community and cultural orientation, critical analysis, leadership, and professionalism and ethics. Enrollment requires permission of the Instructor. Prerequisite: PHED 6310, PHED 6314 or permission of the instructor. Pass/No Pass Effective 2011-01-19

1-3 SCH. This course is designed to give students up-to-date and advanced information on topics in public health. Topics will vary and be relevant to the doctoral programs competencies. Examples include: public health program development, research and/or practice trends, and the translation and dissemination of public health research. Activities are included to promote reflection, application, exploration, analysis, and experimentation. May be taken more than once. Enrollment requires permission of Academic Advisor and Instructor. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-27

3 SCH. This academic activity provides DrPH students with leadership experience in public health practice through directed work in practice settings. Students are required to commit a substantial number of hours to the residency experience and produce a final doctoral project that relates to the work conducted within the residency, contributes to the field of public health practice, and meets DrPH program competencies. Placements and practice activities are selected to complement the student's academic and professional plans. The DrPH residency may be completed over the period of two or three semesters with approval of academic advisor. The student must maintain continuous enrollment in PHED 6397 until the requirements are complete; a minimum of 9 SCH is required. Pass/No Pass Effective 2011-01-28

1-3 SCH. This academic activity includes research and other scholarly projects carried out by the student under supervision of a School of Public Health faculty member (instructor). A brief proposal should be written and approved by the academic advisor and a final report should be submitted to the supervising instructor for credit. Topical or project work is chosen by the student with the consent of the supervising instructor and approval from the academic advisor. This course may be repeated for credit. Offered each semester. Letter Grade Effective 2011-01-01