Public Health (PHLT)

PHLT 101. Public Health: Past, Present and Future. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. The course introduces students to the five core areas of public health—biostatistics, epidemiology, social and behavioral sciences, environmental health, and health policy and administration. Students will explore major public health issues from multiple perspectives to understand how biological, social, environmental and policy factors interact to shape population health. Through case studies and historical examples, the course highlights key milestones in the evolution of public health and examines how the field continues to adapt to emerging challenges. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze health problems using a public health and interdisciplinary lens and consider what the future of public health practice may hold.

PHLT 203. How Health Policy and Health Systems Work. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Students will gain a practical understanding of how health policy is created, implemented and evaluated, and how the U.S. health care system works. The course examines who makes policy, how decisions are influenced and how policies shape access, cost and quality of care. Real-world examples and contemporary issues help students understand policy in action across local, state and federal levels. Students will also compare the U.S. health system with those in other high-income countries to understand differences in access, cost and quality.

PHLT 205. Introductory Data Science for Public Health. 4 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture and 2 lab hours. 4 credits. Prerequisite: MATH 131, MATH 139, MATH 141, MATH 151 or MATH 200 or a satisfactory score on the VCU Mathematics Placement Test. The course introduces key concepts, tools and applications of data science in public health. Students will learn to acquire, manage, analyze and visualize health data using point-and-click statistical software such as SPSS. Emphasis is placed on interpretation of results, with examples drawn from public health and clinical research. The course provides foundational applied statistical training, preparing students for more advanced, programming-based analysis in subsequent courses.

PHLT 300. Epidemiology: The Science of Public Health. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: MATH 131, MATH 139, MATH 141, MATH 151, MATH 200, STAT 208, STAT 210, or STAT 212, or a satisfactory score on the VCU Mathematics Placement Test; BIOL 101. Curious about how we track disease outbreaks, uncover health risks or improve population health? The course introduces students to epidemiology, the foundational science behind public health. Students will learn how data is used to understand who gets sick, why and how we can prevent illness at the community and global level. Through real-world examples and interactive lectures, students will explore how epidemiologist investigate disease patterns, identify causes and evaluate public health strategies, from flu trends to environmental exposures.

PHLT 302. Health Promotion: Theory and Practice. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: PHLT 101. The course introduces key public health theories and frameworks used to understand, predict and influence health behaviors. Students learn core health promotion skills, including identifying priority behaviors, assessing behavioral determinants and developing audience-centered strategies and materials. The course also covers the essential steps of planning, implementing and evaluating evidence-based public health interventions.

PHLT 305. Health in a Global World. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to students with a minimum of 60 credits or by permission of the program director. The course introduces the global health landscape. Students will explore the factors that influence global health such as culture and politics. The course will expose students to global health issues, health systems on a global stage, global health interventions, and how global health issues impact population health in the United States.

PHLT 501. Social Drivers of Health. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. The course examines indicators of health-related social needs, including how social, economic and structural conditions shape health outcomes across populations. Students will explore frameworks, such as the Social Ecological Model, to understand the complex interactions among individual, community and systemic factors that influence health. Emphasis is placed on the importance of community engagement and cross-sector partnerships and on translating data into action through evidence-based decision making.

PHLT 502. Emerging Topics in Global Health. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits toward graduation. The course provides an in-depth exploration of emerging or specialized issues in global health. Content will vary by semester and may address timely challenges, innovative practices or areas of growing importance to the field. Students will engage in critical analysis, discussion and/or application of concepts to real-world global health contexts. Through readings, case studies and/or collaborative learning, the course emphasizes the integration of public health theory, research and practice with a global health lens.

PHLT 580. Public Health Ethics. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 1 credit. Enrollment is restricted to graduate public health majors and clinical research certificate students. This course explores basic theoretical perspectives, values and principles underlying the field of public health ethics, and examines: the Public Health Code of Ethics; differences between public health ethics and medical ethics; ethical aspects of federal and state public health practices, including legal powers given to public health, and related privacy and confidentiality issues; social justice and the effects of structural bias, inequity and racism; application of ethical analysis frameworks to public health issue analysis and decision-making; barriers to the ethical practice of public health; and how to respond to unethical events.

PHLT 591. Special Topics. 1-6 Hours.

Semester course; 1-6 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 1-6 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits. The course introduces students to current and specialized issues in public health. Content will vary by semester and may highlight timely challenges, new practices or areas of growing importance in the field. Students will build understanding of core concepts through readings, case studies and class discussions. Emphasis is placed on connecting public health theory to real-world examples and developing skills to apply what they learn in practical contexts.

PHLT 593. Foundations of Public Health Profession. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 2 credits. Enrollment is restricted to students in the Master of Public Health program. The purpose of this course is to provide students with insight into (1) public health as a discipline and the work of public health organizations and (2) knowledge of and skill in some of the practical and professional skills necessary for the field. The course addresses public health history, philosophy and values, roles, and responsibilities, including the 10 Essential Public Health Services. Students learn about the varied roles of state, local and non-governmental agencies through sessions with public health professionals. This course also provides students with training in the appropriate policies and procedures for the conduct of human subjects research protection; basic leadership principles for effectively leading work and other teams; effective approaches for conducting difficult conversations; techniques for negotiation and conflict mediation; and approaches for effective resource management for a project or organization.

PHLT 594. MPH Practicum. 1-2 Hours.

Semester course; 1-2 practicum hours. 1-2 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of two credits. Enrollment is restricted to students in the Master of Public Health program. Students typically work 120 practical hours over one semester (8 hours per week on average) in a professional public health setting and engage in selected training to develop a foundation of basic skills in areas such as communication, leadership and professionalism. The practicum placement will be made according to the student's area of interest. Students will work as members of collaborative public health teams fulfilling varied missions. Each student will have a personalized experience, which could include team tasks, shadowing public health professionals, attending meetings, data entry, descriptive data analysis, transcription of focus group discussions, creation of health promotion materials, and participating in other organizational activities that will provide a basic foundation of knowledge and experience in public health research and/or practice. Graded as satisfactory/unsatisfactory.

PHLT 600. Introduction to Public Health Practice. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online). 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to students in the Master of Public Health program or by permission of the instructor. Describes the public health system in the United States. Explores the disease prevention and philosophy and foundations of public health management, economics, law, ethics and education. Examines the use of epidemiology and statistics to determine personal, environmental, and occupational health problems.

PHLT 601. Contemporary and Controversial Issues in Public Health. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or online). 3 credits. This course introduces students to current issues and controversies in public health such as HIV transmission risk behavior, poverty, globalization, gun control, health care access and obesity. Students will be able to describe these controversies and argue differing perspectives on the major issues.

PHLT 604. Principles of Environmental Health. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to students in the Master of Public Health program or by permission of the instructor. The course is designed to provide an overview of environmental health. It provides an introduction to the methods used to understand the impact of environmental hazards on human health, such as toxicology, exposure assessment and environmental epidemiology; surveys the nature and control of environmental hazards that may cause or exacerbate health issues; and touches on some hot topics and current controversies in the field. In addition to providing a broad introduction to environmental health, this course aims to teach students how to research environmental health topics and critically assess environmental health literature.

PHLT 691. Special Topics. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 1-3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits. The course provides an in-depth exploration of emerging or specialized issues in public health. Content will vary by semester and may address timely challenges, innovative practices or areas of growing importance to the field. Students will engage in critical analysis, discussion and/or application of concepts to real-world public health contexts. Through readings, case studies and/or collaborative learning, the course emphasizes the integration of public health theory, research and practice.

PHLT 693. Public Health Internship. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 field experience hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 1-3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of three credits toward graduation. Prerequisites: BIOS 543 and PHLT 593 and EPID 571 or HCPR 601 or SBHD 605. Enrollment is restricted to students in the Master of Public Health program. Students will spend 180 hours (60 hours per credit) in a planned, supervised experience working to support a community agency or organization. Such agencies might include a nonprofit organization such as the Institute for Public Health Innovation or a local, state or federal public health agency. Graded as satisfactory/unsatisfactory.

PHLT 694. MPH Capstone Project. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 field experience/independent study/research hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 1-3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of three credits. Enrollment is restricted to students in the Master of Public Health program and requires submission of a program-approved capstone project proposal and agreement form and approval by the program director. Each student will complete a research project that demonstrates the application of the knowledge acquired in the M.P.H. program. The student will answer one or more relevant research or applied practice questions; the final product is a scholarly written report of publishable quality. A proposal must be submitted for approval and credits are assigned commensurate with the complexity of the project. Arrangements are made directly with a faculty member and approved by the graduate program director.