Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• SPH SB 818: Qualitative Research Methods
  This course provides an introduction to the use of qualitative research methods in public health. Students will gain experience in the use and application of qualitative research methods including participant observation, in-depth and key informant interviewing, focus group discussions, systematic data collection, and document analysis. Students examine different qualitative methods and techniques and learn how they can be used alone or in conjunction with quantitative methods. The course also includes attention to topics such as credibility, transferability, dependability, triangulation, site and resource identification, sampling methods, and interview and focus group guide design. Students will focus a semester-long project on a topic of their choice. Students will gain experience with basic data analysis, including coding and memoing and development of data displays. At the end of the course, students will present the results of their research and propose next steps for future research on their topic.
• SPH SB 820: Assessment and Planning for Health Promotion
  Graduate Prerequisites: SPH PH720 or instructor permission. - This practice-based course will introduce students to neighborhoods of Boston or the greater Boston area, and provide opportunities for acquiring and practicing applying community health assessment skills with an eye toward advancing health equity. We address the fundamental question: How do public health scientists and practitioners demonstrate that a health issue in a community warrants intervention? Students will learn to consult the literature, large data sets (such as the U.S. Census, hospitalization data, vital records, and national survey data) and geographic/mapping data, as well as conduct key informant interviews or surveys and site visits to assess health promotion needs and assets of a specific neighborhood and groups. The course will culminate in the production of a community needs assessment report integrating the various sources of data gathered over the course of the semester.
• SPH SB 821: Intervention Strategies for Health Promotion
  Graduate Prerequisites: SPH PH720 or instructor permission. - This course focuses on strategic planning for public health practice. Social science approaches are included. Working in teams through a sequence of written assignments, students develop a strategic plan for a program designed to change a health behavior or a health outcome. Work in class and during team consultations are designed to give students practice with elements of the strategic planning process, ideas for their project, and interim feedback on their written assignments.
• SPH SB 822: Quantitative Methods for Program Evaluation
  This course provides an overview of the major principles and methods associated with systematic evaluation of public health programs. The overall goal is to help students develop skills needed to review, critique, plan, and conduct evaluation research. The course covers: program logic models; formative, process and outcome evaluations; threats to internal and external validity; quasi-experimental and experimental study designs; probability and non-probability sampling methods; sample size and power analysis; measurement of constructs; questionnaire development; statistical analysis strategies; and dissemination evaluation.
• SPH SB 832: Trauma, Trauma-Informed Care, Recovery & Resilience
  Graduate Prerequisites: SPHPH 720 or instructor permission. This course will provide students the opportunity to understand the public health impact of trauma (e.g., interpersonal violence, military-related, disasters) and strategies for prevention. The first part of the course is devoted to building foundational understanding of key concepts and frameworks associated with trauma-informed and equitable practices and systems from the literature. The second half of the course will focus on exploring concrete strategies for promoting resiliency/protective factors and preventing trauma/risk factors at multiple levels (individual, community, institutional, etc.). Students will apply their knowledge and skills to create a trauma-informed and equitable strategic plan for a context of their choosing (e.g., healthcare, community-based organization, education, etc.).
• SPH SB 855: Social Justice in Action: Theories and Methods for Community Health Sciences
  Enrollment restricted to doctoral students and other degree candidates with consent of instructor. In this four-credit course, students will explore critical social and behavioral theories that inform community health research through a social justice lens. Students will examine foundational theories —such as Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, Eco-Social Theory, and Structural Violence—and their applications in addressing systemic inequities in public health. By analyzing these frameworks, we will discuss how they explain and challenge power dynamics that shape health outcomes for marginalized communities. Students will learn to apply these theories to health equity research, considering the influence of privilege, positionality, and radical self- awareness in shaping their research perspectives. The curriculum introduces a range of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods—such as ethnography, discourse analysis, and structural equation modeling— focusing on the theoretical underpinnings of these approaches. Rather than emphasizing technical skills, this course prioritizes understanding how to critically engage with and apply methods that expose and address health disparities. Through case studies, discussions, and hands-on projects, students will develop the skills to conduct research that actively promotes social justice and health equity. Central themes include evaluating power structures, creating equitable research questions, and developing strategies for community-engaged health research. The course emphasizes active learning, encouraging students to critique existing research and design culturally congruent and ethically rigorous approaches to public health challenges.
• SPH SB 860: Strategies for Public Health Advocacy
  Graduate Prerequisites: SPH PH720 or instructor permission. This course is for advanced MPH students. This course explores the role public health practitioners can play in advocating for programs and policies to improve the public's health and examines strategies and techniques to promote the adoption of public health policies through legislation or regulation. It first introduces the concept of advocacy and its relationship to the practice of public health. It then reviews the theory and practice of community organizing, including basic organizing philosophy, building coalitions, community empowerment, and basic strategies for community change. It then covers the public policy making process, the role of public opinion in public policy formation, the role of the news media in setting the policy agenda and in framing issues, the role of marketing and public relations in shaping public opinion, and the influence of lobbying at the federal, state, and local levels. Students learn basic skills in community organizing, grassroots mobilization, policy analysis, media advocacy, and legislative lobbying. Classes include lectures and discussions, class exercises, and discussions of advocacy case studies, and culminate in a mock state legislative hearing in which students must advocate for or against a public health policy proposal. Students will prepare framing memos, press releases, op-eds, and legislative testimony relating to a policy issue.
• SPH SB 865: Community-Engaged Research for Social Justice
  Enrollment is restricted to doctoral students and other degree candidates with the instructor's consent. This seminar offers an advanced examination of the theories, ethics, and practices that underpin community-engaged research for social justice. Students will critically explore how equitable partnerships between researchers and communities can address the structural and social determinants that shape health inequities. Grounded in traditions of critical pedagogy and social theory—including the work of Paulo Freire, Michel Foucault, and other leading scholars—the course interrogates how power, knowledge production, racism, and colonial legacies influence public health research and practice. Through lectures, dialogue, guest speakers, and case analyses, students will examine participatory approaches, including community-based participatory research (CBPR) and community–academic partnerships. Emphasis is placed on centering community expertise across the research continuum—from problem formulation and study design to data interpretation and dissemination. Students will develop the skills to design and implement research that not only generates knowledge but also helps dismantle racial inequities, redress the impacts of colonial and imperial systems, and advance transformative social change in public health. This seminar provides an in-depth exploration of the theoretical frameworks and practices for developing, implementing, and disseminating community-engaged research for social justice. Students will thoroughly understand the role of equitable partnerships between researchers and communities to address social factors that influence health. Students will learn how to conduct community-engaged research that seeks to dismantle racial inequities in health and redress the impacts of colonial/imperial projects that sustain health inequalities. The course integrates the work of leading scholars, including Paulo Freire, Michel Foucault, among others. Through lectures, discussions, guest speakers, and case studies, we will analyze methods to conduct community-engaged research for social justice, including community-based participatory research and community-academic partnerships. Students will learn how to center community voices in the research process, from problem definition and data collection to analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of findings. Discussions will investigate the implications of these dynamics on social change for public health.
• SPH SB 900S: FT Doctoral Study in Community Health Sciences
  Doctoral Student Summer Enrollment for students engaged in coursework.
• SPH SB 905S: PT Doctoral Study in Community Health Sciences
  Doctoral Student Summer Enrollment for students engaged in coursework.
• SPH SB 921: Directed Studies in Social & Behavioral Sciences
  Directed studies provide the opportunity for students to explore a special topic of interest under the direction of an SPH faculty member. Directed studies with a non-SPH faculty member or an adjunct faculty member must be approved by and assigned to the department chair. Students may register for a 1, 2, 3, or 4-credit directed study by submitting a signed proposal and registration form. Students are placed in a section by the Registrar's Office according to the faculty member with whom they are working. Students may take no more than eight credits of directed study or directed research during their MPH education.
• SPH SB 922: Directed Research in Social & Behavioral Sciences
  Directed research provides the opportunity for students to explore a special topic of interest under the direction of an SPH faculty member. Directed research with a non-SPH faculty member or an adjunct faculty member must be approved by and assigned to the department chair. Students may register for 1, 2, 3, or 4 credits. To register, students must submit a signed proposal and registration form. Students are placed in a section by the Registrar's Office according to the faculty member with whom they are working. Students may take no more than eight credits of directed study or directed research during their MPH education.
• SPH SB 980: FT Continuing Study in Community Health Sciences
  Graduate Prerequisites: For Doctoral Students who have completed coursework. Doctoral students who have completed all academic course requirements, must register for Continuing Study every Summer semester until they have successfully defended their dissertation and graduated from SPH. Students are certified full time.
• SPH SB 985: PT Continuing Study in Community Health Sciences
  Graduate Prerequisites: For Doctoral Students who have completed coursework. Doctoral students who have completed all academic course requirements, must register for Continuing Study every Fall and Spring semester until they have successfully defended their dissertation and graduated from SPH. Students are certified part-time and charged for the equivalent of two credits of tuition, and all relevant fees.