MPH Functional Certificate: Health Communication and Promotion

This certificate provides multi-disciplinary knowledge and practical skills for developing and implementing communications-based strategies to motivate healthy behaviors, change social norms, and promote public health programs and policies. Students will gain knowledge and skills, including qualitative research, intervention and campaign development, risk communication, media advocacy, and the use of social media, websites, print and broadcast media, and other communications channels to advance public health.

Upon graduation, students will be able to:

  • Design a strategic plan for an intervention and communications strategy that is theory-driven, science-based, audience-centered, practicable, and evaluable.
  • Use a wide range of communications venues in support of social marketing campaigns, corporate responsibility campaigns, and media advocacy campaigns.
  • Develop effective communications that are appropriate to audiences with lower health literacy.
  • Design a process and outcome evaluation for a communications campaign.
  • Prepare and deliver a clear and effective oral briefing on a public health topic to the general public and to policy makers.

Course Requirements

  • SB 733 Mass Communication and Public Health (4 cr)
  • SB 806 Communication Strategies for Public Health (4 cr)
  • Choose 8 credits from the following:
    • SB 813 Web-Based Health Communication Strategies (4 cr)
    • SB 818 Qualitative Research Methods (4 cr)
    • SB 833 Designing and Implementing a Public Health Communications Campaign (4 cr)
    • SB 860 Strategies for Public Health Advocacy (4 cr)
    • GH 804 mHealth (2 cr)
    • MC 730 Leading to Face Challenges and Receive Results in Public Health (2 cr)
    • MC 785 Reproductive Health Advocacy: From Rights to Justice (2 cr)
    • MC 802 Implementing Community Initiatives (4 cr)
    • MC 815 Sexual and Reproductive Advocacy: Practice in Global and Local Context (4 cr)
    • PH 712 Public Health Responses to Emergencies in the United States (2 cr)
    • PM 785 Mental Health Advocacy (2 cr)

Integrative Learning Experience

Students will have the option to complete a media content analysis or a media campaign plan as their Integrative Learning Experience.