Degree Program

The Social and Behavioral Sciences Program is an academic track within the Department of Health Services. Students must complete the core courses for an MPH in the Department of Health Services.

Specific SBS track requirements are:

• an advanced course in Biostatistcs
• one course in Qualitative Methods or Program Evaluation
• one elective course in social and behavioral sciences
• quarterly participation in the SBS seminar to evaluate social science publications, develop thesis projects, and communicate with social science scholars

Special course work concentrations may be devoted to:

• Health behavior and health promotion
• Population health, social determinants, and health disparities
• Community collaboration
• Qualitative Methods

Other areas of concentration can be designed in consultation with faculty advisors.

Students are encouraged to take elective courses in public health and in other relevant areas such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, geography, political science, and history in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Required course work consists of a minimum of 63 credits and it is typically completed within two academic years. All required courses must be taken for a grade.

The SBS Program admits 8-12 students each year. Each student is matched with a faculty member who is responsible for advising the student as they progress through the program.

Upon satisfactory completion of the MPH Program in Social and Behavioral Sciences, students should be able to:

• Meet the learning objectives of the MPH core curriculum and the MPH in Health Services
• Identify and evaluate the relative contribution of social and behavioral determinants including race, class, ethnicity, gender, level of economy, attitudes and beliefs, and health and illness behaviors to the health status of populations
• Describe how social and behavioral processes affect the etiology, incidence, and prevalence of the major diseases in the population
• Identify and discuss possible ways to remove barriers to self-care and the use of effective health care services, including those outside the health sector
• Identify political, economic, and social processes that influence the development, evaluation, implementation, financing, and advocacy for policies and programs that improve the public's health
• Analyze the organizational relationships among community and health promoting agencies in order to plan and implement effective health services
• Collaborate with community representatives and agencies on the assessment of health problems, setting of priorities, and the planning, implementation, and evaluation of health services
• Apply both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in the study of problems in health status, health care, and population health in order to identify effective policies, programs, services, and behaviors
• Read and apply quantitative and qualitative research findings contained in medical, public health and social science journals to professional activities
• Describe how communication processes affect individuals' health behavior and apply communication theory to the development of effective health communication interventions