2014-15-Undergraduate-Catalog

PUBLIC HEALTH (PH)Course Descriptions • 451PH 101 Introduction to Public HealthPublic health is the science and art of preventing disease and promoting health through the organized efforts andinformed choices of society, organizations, communities and individuals. This course provides an introduction topublic health concepts and practice by examining the purpose, history, organization, functions and results of publichealth practice. Three credits.PH 202 Global HealthGlobal health is the study of the biological, social and environmental factors that contribute to the creation andmaintenance of health and disease in populations around the world. These factors include infectious disease,nutrition, economic factors, clean water, pollution and globalization, among others. This course will introducestudents to the study of global health by exploring these topics in detail. Three credits.PH 301 EpidemiologyEpidemiology is the basic science of public health, a discipline responsible for improving health and preventingdisease in populations. This course will describe the study designs used to study disease in human populations,including randomized trials and four types of observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional andecological) and provide an overview of basic analytic strategies used in public health settings. Prerequisite: MATH207. Three credits.PH 320 Infectious Disease EpidemiologyThis course provides an introduction to infectious disease epidemiology and will focus on the tools of basicepidemiology in identifying, preventing and controlling infectious disease problems. This course will explore theepidemiology of globally important infectious diseases and will cover basic epidemiologic methods, pathogenesis ofselected infectious diseases and case-studies on performing outbreak investigations. An emphasis will be placed onunderstanding the relationships between the host, the agent and the environment as they relate to diseasecausation. Prerequisite: PH 301 or PH 202. Three credits.PH 375 Physical Activity and Chronic DiseaseThis course will examine the etiologic link between physical activity and risk of chronic disease with a focus onprevention, including premature mortality, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes mellitus, cancer, obesity, skeletalhealth and pregnancy complications. A review of study designs and physical activity measurement methods will bepresented. Prerequisite: PH 301. Three credits.PH 395 Public Health TopicsStudy of specific topics within the field of Public Health. Three credits.PH 490 Internship in Public HealthThe public health internship provides an opportunity for each student to work in a public health setting in aposition that utilizes coursework knowledge and skills. The student will acquire the internship position withapproval from the instructor in advance of final registration. Junior/Senior standing, Public Health major/minor, and aminimum GPA of 2.75 required. Three credits.PH 495 Topics in Public HealthStudies of specific topics, issues or themes in Public Health. Three credits.PH 499 Program PlanningThis course serves as a culminating experience for public health majors with an emphasis on experiential learning.Students will integrate concepts and skills from the core public health disciplines in the context of applied publichealth. Prerequisites: PH 301 and WR 302 with grades of “C-“ or better. Three credits.