Keck School of Medicine
Department-Specific Programs
Department of Preventive Medicine
Master of Science in Applied Biostatistics/Epidemiology
Course Requirements
General requirements include at least 38 units of required courses as follows: 25 units of core courses and at least 9 units of elective courses. In addition, each student must register for four units of 594ab Thesis and write a master’s thesis.
| Core courses (25 units) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 510L | Principles of Biostatistics | 4 |
| PM 511aL | Data Analysis | 4 |
| PM 512 | Principles of Epidemiology | 4 |
| PM 517a | Research Methods in Epidemiology | 3 |
| PM 518a | Statistical Methods for Epidemiological Studies | 3 |
| PM 523 | Design of Clinical Studies | 3 |
| PM 527 | Epidemiology of Infectious Disease | 4 |
| Electives (at least 9 units) | units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 511bL | Data Analysis | 4 |
| PM 515 | Behavioral Epidemiology | 3 |
| PM 516ab | Statistical Problem Solving | 1-1 |
| PM 517b | Research Methods in Epidemiology | 3 |
| PM 529 | Environmental Health | 3 |
| PM 530 | Biological Basis of Disease | 4 |
| PM 533 | Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology | 3 |
| PM 590 | Directed Research | 1-12 |
| PM 611 | Advanced Topics in Epidemiology | 3 |
| Thesis (4 units) | units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 594ab | Thesis | 2-2 |
Electives will be determined by the student’s needs and interests and will be approved by the student’s adviser. When appropriate, courses not listed above may be chosen with approval of the student’s adviser. Sufficient familiarity in computer languages to operate major software packages for data management and analysis is required.
Thesis Requirement
A master’s thesis is required of all students. This thesis consists of a research project approved by the faculty and chosen from problems encountered within the department, in other departments of the Keck School of Medicine or university or elsewhere in the community.
Master of Science in Biostatistics
Course Requirements
General requirements include at least 36 units of required courses as follows: 25 units of core courses and at least 7 units of elective courses. Each student must also register for four units of 594ab Thesis and write a master’s thesis.
| Core Courses (25 units) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 510L | Principles of Biostatistics | 4 |
| PM 511abL | Data Analysis | 4-4 |
| PM 512 | Principles of Epidemiology | 4 |
| PM 513 | Experimental Designs | 3 |
| PM 518a | Statistical Methods for Epidemiological Studies | 3 |
| PM 522a | Introduction to the Theory of Statistics | 3 |
| Electives (at least 7 units) | units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 516ab | Statistical Problem Solving | 1-1 |
| PM 518b | Statistical Methods for Epidemiological Studies | 3 |
| PM 520 | Advanced Statistical Computing | 3 |
| PM 522b | Introduction to the Theory of Statistics | 3 |
| PM 523 | Design of Clinical Studies | 3 |
| PM 534 | Statistical Genetics | 3 |
| PM 544L | Multivariate Analysis | 3 |
| PM 552 | Survival Methods in Clinical Trials | 3 |
| PM 590 | Directed Research | 1-12 |
| PM 603 | Structural Equation Modeling | 4 |
| PM 604 | Health Behavior Research Methods | 4 |
| (or MATH 506, MATH 542, MATH 543, MATH 545L, MATH 547, MATH 548, MATH 549, MATH 550) | ||
| Thesis (4 units) | units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 594ab | Thesis | 2-2 |
The student’s choice of elective courses will be directed by needs and interests and must be approved by the student’s graduate adviser. When appropriate, elective courses not listed above may be substituted with approval of the adviser. Sufficient familiarity in computer languages to operate major software packages for data management and analysis is required.
Thesis Requirement
A master’s thesis is required of all students. This thesis consists of a research project approved by the faculty and chosen from problems encountered within the department, in other departments of the Keck School of Medicine or university or elsewhere in the community.
Master of Science in Molecular Epidemiology
Course Requirements
The M.S. program requires 37 graduate-level units with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 including epidemiology core courses, 14 units; molecular biology core courses, 12 units; at least 3 elective units; laboratory research plus thesis, 8 units. Students must also complete a master’s thesis.
Prerequisite: PM 510 Principles of Biostatistics
| Epidemiology Core courses (14 units) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 511aL | Data Analysis | 4 |
| PM 512 | Principles of Epidemiology | 4 |
| PM 518a | Statistical Methods for Epidemiological Studies | 3 |
| PM 533 | Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology | 3 |
| Molecular Biology Core Courses (12 units) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| BIOC 543 | Human Molecular Genetics | 4 |
| INTD 504 | Molecular Biology of Cancer, or | |
| INTD 555 | Biochemical and Molecular Basis of Disease | 4 |
| INTD 571 | Biochemistry | 4 |
| Electives (at least 3 units) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| INTD 561 | Molecular Biology | 4 |
| PM 517a | Research Methods in Epidemiology | 3 |
| PM 523 | Design of Clinical Studies | 3 |
| Laboratory research + thesis (8 units) | units | |
|---|---|---|
| DPT 590abcd | Directed Research | 1-1-1-1 |
| DPT 594ab | Thesis | 2-2 |
(1) DPT refers to the department offering the laboratory/directed research experience and thesis supervision. DPT is one of the following departments (but not restricted to): PM, BIOC, PATH.
(2) Laboratories should expose students to: statistical and epidemiological methods, molecular techniques, human genetics, population-based studies.
Master of Public Health
Course Requirements
The master’s degree program in public health (MPH) requires a minimum of 47 semester units of required and elective graduate study. The MPH is also available online.
| Core Requirements | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 501 | Foundations in Health Education and Promotion | 4 |
| PM 508 | Health Service Delivery in the U.S., or | |
| PM 509 | Comparative Health Care Systems | 4 |
| PM 510L | Principles of Biostatistics | 4 |
| PM 512 | Principles of Epidemiology | 4 |
| PM 529 | Environmental Health: An Epidemiological Approach | 4 |
| PM 564 | Public Health Leadership and Management | 3 |
In addition, at least another 20 to 24 units including the practicum and capstone, must be completed in their selected track of study.
Track 1: Health Education and Health Promotion
| Required Courses (12 units) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 526* | Communications in Public Health, or | |
| PM 562* | Intervention Approaches for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention | 4 |
| PM 528 | Program Design and Evaluation | 4 |
| PM 563 | Organizing and Mobilizing Communities for Public Health | 4 |
| At least 4 units from the following**: PM 505, PM 514, PM 525, PM 526*, PM 530, PM 536, PM 542, PM 562*, PM 564, PM 587 (4 unit courses) |
| At least 4 units from any 500- or 600-level course** |
| 2 units of a practicum (PM 596) and 2 units of the capstone (PM 597), ending in a final report. |
Track 2: Biostatistics/Epidemiology
| Required Courses (at least 12 units) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 511aL | Data Analysis (SAS) | 4 |
| PM 511bL | Data Analysis (STATA) | 4 |
| Select one course from the following: | ||
| PM 527* | Epidemiology of Infectious Disease | 4 |
| PM 536* | Program Evaluation and Research | 4 |
| PM 537* | Chronic Disease Epidemiology | 4 |
| At least 4 units from the following**: PM 514, PM 517ab, PM 518ab, PM 527*, PM 530, PM 532, PM 536*, PM 537*, PM 542, PM 546, PM 558, PM 587 (4 unit courses); PM 515, PM 523, PM 538, PM 586 (3 unit courses) |
| At least 4 units from any 500- or 600-level course** |
| 2 units of a practicum (PM 596) and 2 units of the capstone (PM 597), ending in a final report. |
The elective courses will be directed by the student’s needs and interests and must be approved by the student’s graduate adviser. Sufficient familiarity in computer languages to operate major software packages for data management and analysis is required.
Track 3: Health Communication
| Required Courses (8 units) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 526 | Communications in Public Health | 4 |
| PM 536 | Program Evaluation and Research | 4 |
| At least 8 units from: CMGT 510, CMGT 511, CMGT 528, CMGT 583, CMGT 587 (4 unit courses); PM 530, PM 542, PM 562, PM 587 (4 unit courses); JOUR 508, JOUR 536 (3 unit courses) |
| At least 4 units from any 500- or 600-level course |
| 2 units of a practicum (PM 596) and 2 units of the capstone (PM 597), ending in a final report. |
Track 4: Child and Family Health
| Required Courses (12 units) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 528 | Program Design and Evaluation | 4 |
| PM 580 | Foundations of Child Health | 4 |
| PM 585 | Child Health Policy | 4 |
| At least 4 units from: PM 530, PM 540, PM 581, PM 582, PM 583, PM 584, PM 585, PM 587 (4 unit courses) |
| At least 4 units from any 500- or 600-level course |
| 2 units of a practicum (PM 596) and 2 units of the capstone (PM 597), ending in a final report. |
Track 5: Global Health Leadership
| REQUIRED COURSES (12 UNITS) | UNITS | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 525 | Culture and Health: Global Perspectives | 4 |
| PM 565 | Introduction to Global Health | 4 |
| PM 576 | Global Health Research and Programs | 4 |
| At least 4 units from the following**: PM 530, PM 557, PM 563, PM 567, PM 568, PM 577, PM 578, PM 587 (4 unit courses) |
| At least 4 units from any 500- or 600-level course** |
| 2 units of a practicum (PM 596) and 2 units of the capstone (PM 597), ending in a final report. |
Track 6: Public Health Policy
| Required Courses (12 units) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 547 | Public Health Policy and Politics | 4 |
| PPD 501ab | Economics for Policy, Planning and Development | 2-2 |
| PPD 560 | Methods for Policy Analysis | 4 |
| At least 4 units from: PM 514, PM 528, PM 530, PM 536, PM 542, PM 548, PM 555, PM 577, PM 578, PM 585, PPD 513, PPD 514, PPD 542, or PPD 560 |
| At least 4 units from any 500- or 600-level course |
| 2 units of a practicum (PM 596) and 2 units of the capstone (PM 597), ending in a final report |
Track 7: Environmental Health
| Required Courses (12 units) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 553 | Human Exposure Assessment for Public Health | 4 |
| PM 554 | Biological Effects of Environmental Toxins | 4 |
| PM 555 | Environmental Health, Policy and Practice | 4 |
| At least 4 units from: PM 530, PM 556, PM 557, PM 558 |
| At least 4 units from any 500- or 600-level course |
| 2 units of a practicum (PM 596) and 2 units of the capstone (PM 597), ending in a final report. |
Track 8: GeoHealth (Online Option Only)
| Required Courses (8 units) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| SSCI 581 | Concepts for Spatial Thinking | 4 |
| SSCI 583 | Spatial Analysis | 4 |
| At least 8 units from: SSCI 584, SSCI 588, SSCI 589 |
| At least 4 units from any 500- or 600- level course |
| And, 2 units of a practicum (PM 596) and 2 units of Capstone (PM 597), ending in a final report |
| The elective courses will be directed by the student’s needs and interests and must be approved by the student’s graduate adviser. |
Practicum Requirement
A practicum (PM 596) is required of all students. The practicum is provided by an internship rotation through an area of public health practice in a county, state, federal or community-based agency. The practicum offers students the opportunity to observe as well as participate in applying their newly acquired skills and tools. All students are expected to participate in at least one internship and attend a corresponding seminar. An electronic portfolio describing the project and evaluating the outcomes completes the course requirement.
Capstone Requirement
Completion of the capstone course (PM 597) is required of all MPH students during their last semester prior to graduation and is the culminating experience for the master’s program. The course draws on students’ prior training in the five core areas of public health; their additional required course work in their selected track of study; and their “real world” experience gained in the field prior to their graduation. The capstone class is closely linked to the MPH practicum and is designed to challenge students to reflect and integrate their training and experience with the goal of developing their own individual point of view regarding the role of public health in contributing to the improvement of the health and well-being of populations in the United States, as well as abroad.
Criteria
Students enrolled in one of the MPH professional dual degree programs (e.g., M.D./MPH, Pharm.D./MPH, DPT/ MPH, and Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology)/MPH, MPl/MPH) may waive 4 units of the elective requirement and thus are required a minimum of 43 units to graduate. All other students must complete a minimum of 47 units to graduate.