MPH Functional Certificate: Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Epidemiology and biostatistics are the quantitative sciences of public health, investigating causes and prevention of disease and injury and assessing patterns of health in populations around the globe. This 16-unit certificate provides training in design, statistical programming, data analysis, and valid interpretation of experimental (e.g., clinical) trials and observational studies. Students will gain knowledge and skills in the methods required to conduct and communicate public health research.

Upon graduation, students will be able to:

• Calculate and apply appropriate epidemiologic and statistical measures to draw valid inferences and summaries from public health data.
• Evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic and statistical reports from public health studies.
• Analyze key sources of public health data, reflecting comprehension of the basic ethical and legal principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, analysis, and dissemination of epidemiologic and public health information.
• Synthesize the results of epidemiologic and statistical analyses to craft public health messages in written/oral presentations for both public health professionals and external audiences.
• Demonstrate the application of epidemiology and biostatistics for informing etiologic research, planning and evaluation of interventions, public health surveillance, or health policy.

Course Requirements

• SPH BS 723 Introduction to Statistical Applications in SAS (4 units) or BS 730 Introduction to Statistical Applications in R (4 units)
• SPH EP 770 Concepts and Methods in Epidemiology (4 units)
• 4 units of the following study criticism courses:
  • SPH EH 757 Environmental Epidemiology (4 units)
  • SPH EP 722 Data Collection Methods for Epidemiologic Research (2 units)
  • SPH EP 730 Epidemiology of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (2 units)
  • SPH EP 740 Introduction to the Epidemiology of Aging (2 units)
  • SPH EP 748 Drug Epidemiology (4 units)
  • SPH EP 752 Cancer Epidemiology (4 units)
  • SPH EP 755 Infectious Disease Epidemiology (4 units)
  • SPH EP 758 Nutritional Epidemiology (4 units)
  • SPH EP 759 Reproductive Epidemiology (4 units)
  • SPH EP 764 Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in the Developed & Developing World (2 units)
  • SPH EP 775 Social Epidemiology (4 units)
  • SPH EP 784 Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in the Developed & Developing World (2 units)
  • SPH EP 790 Mental Health Epidemiology (2 units)
  • SPH EP 797 Concepts in the Measurement of Psychosocial Constructs (2 units)
  • SPH EP 850 Applications of Intermediate Epidemiology (4 units)
  • SPH EP 857 Design and Conduct of Cohort Studies (2 units)
  • SPH EP 858 Design and Conduct of Case-Control Studies (2 units)
  • SPH GH 801 How to License a New Vaccine (4 units)
  • SPH MC 759 Perinatal and Child Epidemiology (4 units)
• 4 credits from the following data analysis courses:
  • SPH BS 728 Public Health Surveillance, a Methods Based Approach (2 units)
  • SPH BS 805 Intermediate Programming in SAS for Applied Linear Models (4 units)
  • SPH BS 818 Basic Survival Analysis (2 units)
  • SPH BS 819 Logistic Regression (2 units)
  • SPH BS 835 Applied Biostatistical Methods for Public Health Practice (4 units)
  • SPH BS 845 Data Science and Statistical Modeling in R (4 units)
  • SPH BS 851 Applied Statistics in Clinical Trials I (4 units)
  • SPH BS 852 Biostatistical Methods for Observational Studies (4 units)
  • SPH BS 858 Statistical Genetics (4 units)
  • SPH BS 859 Applied Genetic Analysis (4 units)

Integrative Learning Experience (ILE)

The ILE for the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Certificate is designed to be completed during a student’s last semester in the program and is focused on rigorous data analysis, requiring students to select a research question, conduct an analysis, and contextualize their findings in a written report.