MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences

• Health Equity
• Mental Health
• Community-engaged Health
• Aging Health
• Maternal, Paternal and Reproductive Health
• Nutrition, Exercise and Health Behavior
• Sexuality and Health
• Stigma Prevention and Health
• Global Health

• Focus on student voice and participation: SBS believes in the importance of student voices and includes students in helping shape department decisions and policies with student representation on committees and in decision-making.
• Community and research engagement: SBS fosters unique opportunities to get involved in cutting edge research with faculty and on-the-ground public health practice opportunities with local and global community-based organizations that help you bring the skills you learn in class to have real world public health impact.
• Interdisciplinary focus: The SBS curriculum takes an interdisciplinary approach and focuses on integrating methods from epidemiology and the social sciences, training scientists with a broad skill set that allows them to answer a host of complex research questions.
• A sense of community and commitment: SBS creates a sense of community among its students, faculty, and community partners with different identities and experiences through fostering a shared purpose of achieving health equity and social justice.

The MPH degree requires a total of 20 course units. The MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) requires the student to complete or acquire an exemption from the following courses. Full time students must carry a minimum of 4 course units each semester. If a course is waived, a substitute course must be identified. In addition, all 2-year MPH students are required to complete an Applied Practice Experience (APE). Please refer to the Applied Practice Experience Guidelines for more information.

• EPH 505 Biostatistics in Public Health - 1 unit
• EPH 507 Social Justice and Health Equity - 1 unit
• EPH 508 Foundations of Epidemiology for Public Health - 1 unit
• EPH 510 Health Policy and Health Care Systems - 1 unit
• EPH 513 Major Health Threats: Determinants and Solutions - 1 unit
• EPH 100/EPH 101 Professional Skills Series - 0 units
• EPH 521 Applied Practice Experience - 0 units (APE workplans must first be approved by the Office of Public Health Practice. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the APE in the summer before their 2nd year. If not, students will have opportunity to complete the APE requirement in fall or spring terms using the APE course (internship or independent project), or a practicum course.)

One of the following:

• EPH 525 Thesis - 2 course units
• SBS 574 Developing a Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Intervention - 1 unit

Required Courses for SBS (3 course units)

• SBS 529 Foundations of Behavior Change - 1 unit
• SBS 525/SBS 526 Seminar in Social and Behavioral Sciences (two semesters) - 0 units

One of the following:

When you graduate from YSPH, you have options! Our curriculum is closely mapped to the core and departmental competencies so that you will have a foundation in the skills you need for a successful career in public health. See our Career Management Center pages to see where our alumni live and work after completing their MPH studies.

The core curriculum of the MPH program focuses on competencies in evidence-based approaches to public health (1–4), public health and health care systems (5–6), planning and management to promote health (7–11), policy in public health (12–15), leadership (16–17), communication (18–20), interprofessional practice (21), and systems thinking (22).

Upon completing the core curriculum, the student will be able to:

1. Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice.
2. Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context.
3. Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate.
4. Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy, or practice.
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5. Compare the organization, structure, and function of health care, public health, and regulatory systems across national and international settings.
6. Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities, and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community, and societal levels.
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7. Assess population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health.
8. Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs.
9. Design a population-based policy, program, project, or intervention.
10. Explain the basic principles and tools of budget and resource management.
11. Select methods to evaluate public health programs.
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12. Discuss multiple dimensions of the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence.
13. Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes.
14. Advocate for political, social, or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations.
15. Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity.
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16. Apply principles of leadership, governance, and management, which include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration, and guiding decision-making.
17. Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges.
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18. Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors.
19. Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation.
20. Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content.
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21. Perform effectively on interprofessional teams.
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22. Apply systems-thinking tools to a public health issue.

Upon receiving an MPH with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences, the student will be able to:

• Describe the consequence of understanding health from multiple levels, including the individual, the social group, and society (e.g., understand a broad ecological model of health).
• Develop interventions to address health inequalities and promote health equity.
• Apply social and behavioral theory in the design and implementation of prevention interventions aimed toward improving health.
• Evaluate health promotion interventions.
• Apply ethical principles to the collection of social and behavioral health data.