Academics

Pitt Public Health Core Curriculum

Pitt Public Health Core Curriculum

As an integral part of our educational programs, the school wide core curriculum enables students to gain a broad understanding of the areas of knowledge that are central to public health practice.

About the Core Curriculum
Goals of the Core Curriculum
Policies (advising and registration, grading)
Degree Specific Information
     - MPH
     - MHA
     - MS
     - DrPH
     - PhD
Classes and Descriptions
Class Sequence for Fall 2013, Spring 2014, and Summer 2014

About the Core Curriculum

The core curriculum provides the foundational knowledge and competencies that all public health professionals need. Based on the ASPH Core Competencies, it covers the following broad areas:

  • Epidemiology
  • Biostatistics
  • Environmental and occupational health
  • Behavioral and community health sciences
  • Health policy and management
  • Public health biology
  • Public health professionalism
  • Systems thinking
  • Program planning
  • Communication and informatics
  • Diversity and culture in public health practice
  • Leadership

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Goals

The core curriculum enables graduates to:

  • Command the essential competencies of public health’s core content areas, and apply those competencies to complex public health issues.
  • Explain how their chosen public health concentration contributes uniquely to the study of population health, and how it intersects with other public health disciplines.
  • Articulate and advocate the values and ethics that distinguish public health as an historic, contemporary, and cohesive field of practice and inquiry.
  • Successfully plan and execute programs and/or research intended to advance the public's health and health awareness, nationally and globally. 
  • Communicate effectively and appropriately with diverse groups of professional colleagues and public constituents.
  • Locate, assemble, and critically analyze data, information, and knowledge resources.
  • Develop a sense of identity, authority, and service in public health, and within their elected area of specialization.
  • Assume key management roles in health organizations, and provide leadership in creating, implementing, and interpreting policy that promotes the ideals of public health.

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Policies

Required Courses

Students pursuing an MPH and DrPH students without an MPH must take all of the school-wide core courses unless their program has been granted a waiver of certain courses. Students in MS and PhD programs take selected core courses, as described below.

Capstone Course Policy

Policy Updated | Summer 2011
All new students are to complete the Pitt Public Health core courses in a sequence that will prepare them to meet the prerequisites of the Capstone (PUBHLT 2016) course. Students should enroll in the Capstone course once they have completed all of the Pitt Public Health core courses (prerequisites for PUBHLT 2016) or if they are simultaneously enrolled in one other core course and the Capstone course. For full-time students Overview of Public Health and Public Health Biology should be completed in the first term of enrollment. See the core course sequence matrix below.

Biostatistics Core Course Policy

Policy instituted | March 2012
Policy and Introductory BIOST course information

Grading Policy

All Pitt Public Health students must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0 or better. A grade of B or better is the desired grade for all required school-wide core courses. The rationale is that students who earn a B or better will be able to demonstrated competencies in the subject matter and thus be better prepared to enter public health practice.

If a student earns a C, the student and his/her advisor should meet to discuss the grade and the student is strongly encouraged to re-take the course. However, the final decision will be left to the advisor and the student.

If a student receives a grade below a C, that student must repeat the course. This policy is effective for all students beginning in August, 2009 for courses taken in the fall term 2009 and thereafter.

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Degree Specific Information

What's the difference between degrees?

Master in Public Health (MPH) 

PUBHLT 2014 Public Health Overview (1 credit)
PUBHLT 2015 Public Health Biology (2 credits)
not required for MMPH students
BIOST 2011* Principles of Statistical Reasoning (3 credits)
BIOST 2041* Introduction to Statistical Methods I (3 credits)
BIOST 2042* Introduction to Statistical Methods II (3 credits)
EPIDEM 2110 Principles of Epidemiology (3 credits)
BCHS 2509 Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Health (3 credits)
not required for BCHS students
EOH 2013 Environmental Health and Disease (3 credits)
not required for EOH students
HPM 2001 Health Policy and Management in Public Health (3 credits)

PUBHLT 2016

Capstone: Problem Solving in Public Health (2 credits)

PUBHLT 2022 The Dean's Public Health Grand Rounds (0 credits) - two terms required;
Completed during first and second terms. Offered fall and spring.

*Students are required to take either:
-BIOST 2011
-BIOST 2041 and BIOST 2042
Selection of BIOST course should be done in consultation with your advisor.

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Master of Health Administration (MHA)

HPM 2141 Managerial Epidemiology (3 credits)
PUBHLT 2011 Essentials of Public Health (3 credits)
PUBHLT 2022 The Dean's Public Health Grand Rounds (0 credits) - two terms required;
Completed during first and second terms. Offered fall and spring.

 

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Master of Science (MS)

PUBHLT 2011 Essentials of Public Health (3 credits)
EPIDEM 2110 Principles of Epidemiology (3 credits)
PUBHLT 2022 The Dean's Public Health Grand Rounds (0 credits) - two terms required;
Completed during the first and second terms. Offered fall and spring.

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Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

Students seeking a DrPH take the same school-wide core as MPH students, unless they enter with an MPH degree, in which case they are only required to take:

PUBHLT 2022The Dean's Public Health Grand Rounds (0 credits) - two terms required;
Completed during first and second terms. Offered fall and spring.


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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

EPIDEM 2110 Principles of Epidemiology (3 credits)
PUBHLT 2011 Essentials of Public Health (3 credits)
PUBHLT 2022 The Dean's Public Health Grand Rounds (0 credits) - two terms required.
Completed during first and second terms. Offered fall and spring.


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Class Sequence

This is the typical sequence for core courses. Students can plan for future terms to be similar.

Course

Fall 2013
(2141)

Spring 2014
(2144)

Summer 2014
(2147)

BCHS 2509
Social and Behavioral Sciences
and Public Health
 

Mondays
6-8:50 p.m.

Mondays
2-4:55 p.m. 
(12 week)

BIOST 2011
Principles of Statistical Reasoning

Mondays
5:30-7:25 p.m.
Labs:
Wednesdays
5:30-7:25 p.m.
or
Thursdays
8:30-10:25 a.m.

 

 

BIOST 2041
Introduction to Statistical Methods I

Mondays and Wednesdays
5:30-6:50 p.m.
Breakout Sessions:
Mondays and Wednesdays
7-7:50 p.m.

   
BIOST 2042
Introduction to Statistical Methods II
 

Mondays and Wednesdays
11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

 
EOH 2013 
Environmental Health and Disease
 

Tuesdays
5-6:25 p.m.
(1.5 hours lecture;
1.5 hours online via 
CourseWeb)  

 
EPIDEM 2110
Principles of Epidemiology 

Tuesdays and Thursdays
5:30-6:50 p.m.
Breakout Sessions:
Tuesdays and Thursdays 
7-7:30 p.m. 

 

Tuesdays and Thursdays 
5-6:20 p.m. 
(12 week) 

HPM 2001
Health Policy and 
Management in Public Health 
 

Fridays
1:30-4:25 p.m.

Summer 2013 will be the
last summer offering
of HPM 2001. Starting with
fall 2014 the course
will be offered each
fall and spring semester.

PUBHLT 2011
Essentials of Public Health 
 

Wednesdays and Thursdays
5:30-6:55 p.m.

 
PUBHLT 2014
Public Health Overview
(Two sessions per term: students select one session) 

Session 1 
and 2: 
Wednesdays
4-5:25 p.m.  

   
PUBHLT 2015
Public Health Biology 

Mondays
2-3:55 p.m. 

 

Mondays
5-6:50 p.m. 
(12 week) 

PUBHLT 2016
Capstone: Problem Solving 
in Public Health 

Mondays
4-5:55 p.m. 

Mondays
4-5:55 p.m. 

 Tuesdays and Thursdays
2-3:55 p.m.
(6 week 1)

PUBHLT 2022
The Dean's Public Health
Grand Rounds

Various
Details

Various
Details