MPH Functional Certificate: Health Communication and Promotion

This 16-unit certificate provides multidisciplinary 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.

Learning Outcomes

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.
• Apply a range of appropriate communication venues to support public health goals based on analysis and evaluation of alternative venues.
• Create effective materials and messages using strategies and tools tailored to diverse audiences, including those with lower health literacy.
• Develop an evaluation plan for a communication strategy.
• Demonstrate professional oral presentation skills to inform and persuade diverse audiences.

Course Requirements

• SPH SB 733 Mass Communication and Public Health (4 units) or SPH SB 767 Health (Mis)Information: Understanding and Countering Infodemics (4 units)*
• SPH SB 806 Designing Strategic Interventions and Communications to Advance Public Health (4 units)
• Choose 8 units from the following:
  • SPH GH 701 Global Health Storytelling (4 units)
  • SPH GH 806 Using Digital Technologies to Improve Health Outcomes (4 units)
  • SPH MC 785 Reproductive Health Advocacy: From Rights to Justice (2 units)
  • SPH PH 712 Public Health Responses to Emergencies in the United States (2 units)
  • SPH PM 785 Mental Health Advocacy (2 units)
  • SPH PM 851 Organizing and Advocacy for Health Policy Change (4 units)
  • SPH SB 745 Homelessness: Stories, Solutions, and Advocacy (4 units)
  • SPH SB 818 Qualitative Research Methods (4 units)
  • SPH SB 822 Quantitative Methods for Program Evaluation (4 units)
  • SPH SB 860 Strategies for Public Health Advocacy (4 units)

*If both courses are completed, the second one may be counted as an HCP elective.

Integrative Learning Experience (ILE)

In the HCP ILE assignment, students will apply the variety of skills and competencies achieved throughout their training in the HCP Certificate to a thorough assessment of a public health communication need/objective identified within an organization (or a project within an organization), and subsequent strategic development of an approach to support this need/objective. Students will be asked to identify an existing or emerging public health organization or project of interest and pinpoint at least one communication objective they seek to address with media executions that support the communication objective.