Foundational Competencies:

1. 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
   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
   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 basic principles and tools of budget and resource management
   11. Select methods to evaluate public health programs
   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
   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
   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
   21. Perform effectively on interprofessional teams
   22. Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue

Concentration-Specific Competencies:

1. 1. Define skills, knowledge and abilities of health-related professions relevant to effective interprofessional public health practice.
   2. Communicate one's skills, knowledge and ability when engaging with community partners in interprofessional public health practice.
   3. Demonstrate high personal and professional ethical conduct in contributing to team-based activities.
   4. Employ legal-ethical reasoning to advance interprofessional public health policy & practices.
   5. Demonstrate use of Systems Thinking (ST) in promoting effective public health programs and policies.

Curriculum

The curriculum requires successful completion of 48 graduate credits, distributed among the foundational disciplines of public health practice - epidemiology, biostatistics, social sciences, health systems administration and policy, environmental health, as well as our program-specific requirements in interprofessional practice, public health law, and research methods, an applied practice experience, five to seven electives that build upon an individual’s area of interest and an integrative learning experience.  Matriculation requires commitment to a rigorous course of study, such that the degree can be earned through two years of full-time (minimum of 12 credits per semester) or four years of part-time (minimum of 6 credits per semester) study.

Students who have successfully completed relevant courses at another institution or UConn courses prior to their application to the program may request a transfer or waiver of up to 6 credits, allowing them to graduate with a minimum of 42 earned credits.  Transfer or waiver of credits is based on the appropriateness of content, equivalence of requirements, and minimum grades of B.

Applied Practice Experience (APE)
(3 credits)

Every student must complete a three-credit, semester-long, practice-based experience during their second year of study.  The practicum is one of many opportunities to demonstrate mastery of public health competencies gained through their academic experience. Students work to examine the extent, causes, and responses to a public health problem in Connecticut. They meet periodically with the practicum director and faculty advisors to plan and complete information retrieval and primary data collection regarding (a) what burden/challenges does a selected topic pose for Connecticut health, (b) what is the current capacity of practitioners, programs, and services in Connecticut to address these issues, and (c) what additional regulatory and policy strategies can be put forth to ameliorate current conditions?  The principal educational strategies utilized are self-directed learning, peer instruction, and reflective self-assessment.  Students are highly encouraged to participate in the program’s group practicum projects although they have the opportunity to complete individual practicum projects when appropriate.

Electives
(15 to 21 credits)

Elective courses are organized around the three core functions of public health (assessment, assurance and policy development).  Students should choose electives in order to build knowledge and expertise on their topics of special interest.

Integrative Learning Experience (ILE)
(3 to 9 credits)

All students are required to complete a project integrating their academic and practical experience within the program.  The ILE can be completed as a 9-credit academic thesis that exemplifies the scholarship of discovery or a 3-credit practice project demonstrating the scholarship of application. The ILE should address a significant public health concern, pursue novel inquiry and/or initiative, and demonstrate the student’s mastery of one or more of the program competencies.  A thesis typically will focus on a theoretical statement about the relationships among one or more exposures, interventions and/or outcomes,  a qualitative/quantitative descriptive study measuring the distribution or determinants of a relevant public health concern, an analytic study utilizing accepted research designs to evaluate one or more hypotheses regarding the causes/consequences of a health concern within a community or efficacy/effectiveness of a potentially relevant intervention for population health, or a meta-analysis that synthesizes existing knowledge in order to generate a composite estimate of  risks and/or consequences of a population health concern.  By comparison, a practice project will provide a case study detailing the unique or important manifestation of a health issue or intervention in order to describe relevant background, process, outcome and lessons to be learned, a  program evaluation that assesses whether an intervention is effective in achieving a desired outcome, an educational resource intended to enhance public health practices by communities, a data management protocol to improve access, efficiency and impact of data collection and analysis, or a policy analysis bringing together available data from various sources for critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of policy options for decision makers.