Online MPH - Epidemiology & Biostatistics Concentration

There are 6 required core and breadth courses for all students earning an MPH degree. These courses, taken primarily in the first year of the program, provide students with a foundation in the concepts and competencies relevant to addressing determinants of health, using both qualitative and data-driven approaches.

• Health and Social Behavior (PHW200G, 3 units)
• Intro to Environmental Health Science (PHW200F, 3 units)
• Health Policy and Management (PHW200E, 3 units)
• Introduction to Probability and Statistics (PHW142, 4 units)
• Epidemiologic Methods (PHW250, 3 units)
• Interdisciplinary Seminar (PHW289, 3 units)

Elective options include global health, spatial data science, community health science, and regulatory science courses.

In addition to the six required core and breadth courses for all students earning an MPH degree, students in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Concentration must complete: 1) two epidemiology and biostatistics core requirements; 2) one course in data management; 3) at least five additional units of courses in Epidemiology and Biostatistics; and 4) a sufficient number of elective courses to complete the 42 units required for the MPH degree.

Required Epidemiology & Biostatistics Courses (2 courses, 8 units)

• PHW241: Intermediate Biostatistics for Public Health (4 units, Spring Full Term)
• PHW250B: Epidemiologic Methods II (4 units, Fall Full Term)

Competency in Data Management (select 1 course, 2 units)

• PHW251: R for Public Health (2 units, Fall Full Term)

Course outside of OOMPH that can fulfill the Data Management Requirement:

• PH271K: Introduction to Data Management and Programming in SAS for Public Health (2 units, Spring Full Term)

Additional Courses in Epidemiology & Biostatistics (select at least 5 units)

• PHW219: Introduction to Survey Methods (3 units, Spring 1 or Summer 2)
• PHW225A: Introduction to Applied Implementation Science (1 unit, Spring 1)
• PHW225B: Implementation Science Case Studies in Low and Middle Income Countries (1 unit, Spring 2)
• PHW251B: Data Visualization for Public Health (2 units, Fall Full Term)
• PHW252: Epidemiological Analysis (Note: PHW250B and PHW241 must be completed prior to enrollment, PHW251: R for Public Health is highly recommended) (4 units, Fall Full Term)
• PHW252A: Introduction to Causal Inference for Public Health Professionals (4 units, Spring Full Term)
• PHW253: Outbreak Investigations (3 units, Fall 2)
• PHW268: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) for Health and Development (3 units, Summer 2)
• PHW272C: Applied Spatial Data Analysis for Public Health (3 units, Spring 2)

Course outside of OOMPH that can be used towards the minimum 5 units

• PH252C: Intervention Trial Design (2 units, Spring Full Term)

To complete the 42 units required for the MPH degree, students in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Concentration select 2–3 elective courses, depending on how many units are needed. Electives are any non-required courses within the OOMPH program (including the “Additional Courses in Epidemiology & Biostatistics” above and beyond the required 5 units); you can select electives to match your interest and schedule. Below is a sampling of electives that are often popular with Epidemiology and Biostatistics students grouped by areas of interest, but the full list of course offerings can be found on the Course Catalog page.

Interested in infectious disease epidemiology and control?

The intersection of Epidemiology and Infectious Disease involves the study of factors that determine the distribution of health and disease in human populations. The infectious disease curriculum is designed to emphasize the biology and molecular biology of host-pathogen interactions. The epidemiology curriculum is focused on evidence-based methods of infectious disease control, including public health preparedness.

Infectious Diseases Courses

• PH253W: Outbreak Investigations (3 units, Fall 2)
• PH257W: Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management (3 units, Summer 1)
• PH260W: Infectious Diseases (3 units, TBA)

Interested in improving healthcare outcomes globally?

Global Health offers students from different levels of public health background an opportunity to apply fundamental principles toward improving population health at a global level. Through diverse courses taught by global health faculty from UC Berkeley and UCSF Global Health Sciences, students gain a trans-disciplinary perspective of how global challenges are being addressed in the field across public health and health science disciplines. Students will be trained on how to integrate new knowledge with their professional and personal experiences.

Global Health Courses

• PH209W: Comparative Health Systems (3 units, Spring 2)
• PH212W: Foundations of Global Health (3 units, Fall 1)
• PH213W: Global Health Ethics (3 units, Fall 2)

Interested in how spatial data can inform healthcare decisions?

Spatial Data Science for Public Health immerses students in the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which is becoming increasingly central to public health practice, methods, and techniques. As locational information is aligned with health data, public health practitioners increasingly rely on geo-data to increase impact. Students in this track will be empowered to process, manipulate, and visual-spatial data.

Spatial Data Science for Public Health Courses

• PH272AW: Intro to GIS for Public Health (3 units, Spring 1)
• PH272CW: Applied Spatial Data for Public Health (3 units, Spring 2)
• PH277W: GIS for Public Health Practice (3 units, Spring 2)

Interested in public health programs to improve healthcare outcomes?

Community Health Sciences offers a combined study of populations, including historically marginalized groups, to include ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status, drawing upon epidemiological, anthropological, and demographic research. These courses encompass the use of program planning tools, behavioral determinants of population health, exposure to evaluation methods, and real-world practice with survey methods in addressing population needs.

Community Health Sciences Courses

• PH205W: Program Planning and Development (3 units, Summer 2)
• PH206AW: Nutrition Assessment (3 units, Spring 1)
• PH207AW: Maternal and Child Health Nutrition (3 units, Fall 1)
• PH218W: Evaluation of Health & Social Programs (3 units, Spring 2)
• PH219W: Social and Behavioral Research: Introduction to Survey Methods (3 units, Spring 1 or Summer 2)

Interested in drug safety, market access, and the cost of prescription drugs?

Regulatory Science concerns the development and use of tools, standards, and approaches to more efficiently develop products and to more effectively evaluate produce safety, efficacy, and quality with the overarching objective of improving global health. With the increasing role of regulatory agencies as knowledge stewards and brokers (data sets), comes the expansion of the regulatory mission from solely protection to the protection and promotion of the health of the public.

Regulatory Science Courses

• PH209W: Comparative Health Systems (3 units, Spring 2)
• PH226FW: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (1 unit, Spring 1)
• PH236AW: Regulatory Science, Drug Discovery and Public Health (3 units, Fall 2)