Graduate Certificate in Public Health at Pennsylvania State University

The purpose of the graduate certificate in Public Health is to provide students with foundational graduate-level course work in public health. Upon completion of the Public Health certificate, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate their knowledge in core areas of public health, which include biostatistics, epidemiology, health services administration, and social and behavioral sciences.
2. Apply their knowledge and skills to solving public health problems.

All courses in the certificate program may be applied to the M.P.H. degree program, subject to restrictions outlined in GCAC-309 Transfer Credit. Students must earn a grade of B or better for a course to be applied to the M.P.H. degree program. Certificate program students who wish to have the certificate courses applied to the M.P.H. degree program must formally apply and be admitted to the Penn State M.P.H. degree program. Admission into the Penn State M.P.H. degree program is a separate step and is not guaranteed.

Evidence-based Approaches to Public Health

• Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice.
• Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context.
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate.
• Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice.

Public Health & Health Care Systems

• Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings.

Planning & Management to Promote Health.

• Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities' health.
• Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs.
• Select methods to evaluate public health programs.

Policy in Public Health

• Discuss multiple dimensions of the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence.
• Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes.
• Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations.
• Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity.

Communication

• Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors.
• Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation.
• Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content.

Systems Thinking

• Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue.