PUBLIC HEALTH CORE KNOWLEDGE

All graduate professional degree public health students must complete sufficient

coursework to attain depth and breadth in the five core areas of public health knowledge.


 Interpretation. The core areas of public health knowledge are defined in Criterion 2.1. Concepts and competencies from these five areas must be integrated into all professional public health degree curricula offered by the school of public health, including those offered at the master’s and doctoral levels. Schools may define the public health core requirements more broadly than this, depending on the mission of the school and the competencies it establishes for its graduates. At a minimum, the five core areas constitute the intellectual framework through which public health professionals in all specializations approach problem solving.

Required Documentation

2.3.A. Identification of the means by which the school assures that all graduate professional degree students have fundamental competence in the areas of knowledge basic to public health. If this means is common across the school, it need be described only once. If it varies by degree or program area, sufficient information must be provided to assess compliance by each program. The 20-credit core curriculum provides a multidisciplinary perspective and allows MPH students to establish a foundational knowledge of the core and cross-cutting competencies. It includes stand-alone courses in each of the five core disciplines of public health. Also included are a one- credit overview of public health, a two-credit public health biology course, a two-credit capstone course, and a noncredit grand rounds course, as shown in Table 2.3.1. DrPH students entering without an MPH from an accredited school of public health complete the full school core curriculum.

Table 2.3.1 Required Courses Addressing Public Health Core Knowledge Areas for MPH Degree

Core Knowledge Area Course Number & Title Credits

Biostatistics

(two options, depending on the program)

BIOST 2011 Principles of Statistical Reasoning 3 BIOST 2041 Introduction to Statistical Methods I

AND BIOST 2042 Introduction to Statistical Methods II

6 total Epidemiology EPIDEM 2110 Principles of Epidemiology 3 Environmental Health Sciences EOH 2013 Environmental Health and Disease** 3 Social & Behavioral Sciences BCHS 2509 Social and Behavioral Sciences and

Public Health** 3

Health Services Administration HPM 2001 Health Policy and Management in

Public Health** 3

Public Health PUBHLT 2014 Public Health Overview 1 PUBHLT 2015 Public Health Biology** 2 PUBHLT 2016 Capstone: Problem Solving in

Public Health 2

PUBHLT 2022 The Dean's Public Health Grand

Rounds* 0

* Two semesters are required.

**Exceptions: Students enrolled in MPH programs in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Environmental and Occupational Health, and Health Policy & Management enroll in a more advanced course in their field in lieu of the core course specified above. BCHS students complete the full BCHS core curriculum as the substitute to school level core course. EOH students complete the course EOH 2175 Principles of Toxicology. HPM students complete the course HPM 2135 Health Policy. In several of the programs that require a strong background in biology for admission, it is common for students to be exempted from PUBLHT 2015, Public Health Biology. Such exemptions are made on a case-by-case basis.

The overall core curriculum structure was most recently revised and implemented for the 2006- 07 academic year. Core content is continually evolving, however. Primary responsibility for course content review lies with the core curriculum committee, which consists of the core course faculty and student representatives. This committee was reconstituted in the fall of 2014 as the 66 |

MPH program committee, with the addition of the directors of each MPH program. Courses are reviewed and discussed annually by this committee. Members of the Educational Policies and Curriculum Committee (EPCC) also provide significant input as they review and update competencies (see section 2.6E). Revisions for the 2014-2015 academic year target smaller classes and more assignments to improve student engagement and communication skills. The capstone and BCHS core courses have added extra sections; the HPM core course has added a writing assignment and substantial teaching assistant (TA) support to work with students on writing.

To ensure that all GSPH students acquire an appropriate level of core curriculum mastery, a 2009 policy requires students to earn a B or higher grade for core courses. The complete policy is described in the academic handbook.

CPH exam scores consistently show that student achievement in all core areas is strong, as shown in table 2.3.2. Student satisfaction with the core curriculum is also high, as shown in tables X.

Table 2.3.2. Average scores by area for the CPH exam, shown as a percentage of NBPHE average

Biostat EnvSci Epid HPM BehavSci Cross Cutting February 2014 (n=48) 93% 99% 92% 88% 92% 96% October 2013 (n=7) 120% 112% 127% 110% 115% 106% February 2013 (n=49) 91% 92% 91% 96% 92% 95% October 2012 (n=14) 105% 94% 100% 97% 102% 97% February 2012 (n=62) 94% 93% 93% 87% 98% 94%

2.3.B. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the school’s strengths, weaknesses, and plans relating to this criterion.

Strengths | The core curriculum for MPH students provides a solid foundation in the public health core domains, including cross-cutting competencies. The five separate disciplinary core courses provide very cohesive individual courses taught by dedicated sole instructors. Weaknesses | At the same time, the separate disciplinary structure of the core courses limits opportunities for cross-cutting themes and reinforcement of learning objectives. The core curriculum committee discusses content of all courses regularly to identify and seize new opportunities for collaboration and integration.

Plans |We plan to keep the disciplinary core structure, but continue our efforts to foster collaboration among core course instructors. Course content will continue to evolve in response to competencies.