Program Overview

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Introduction to the MPH: Community & Behavioral Health Promotion Program

The community and behavioral health master's program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee focuses on preparing students through innovative approaches to community engagement and collaborative practice. This program applies a social justice and equity-centered approach to public health training and practice, utilizing methodical approaches that address quantitative, qualitative, and community-engaged techniques.

Program Type and Format

• The program type is a Master's degree.
• The program format is On Campus.

Program Details

The MPH program requires a total of 48-49 credits. All students enrolled in the MPH program take a common set of core classes designed to give basic skills and knowledge of public health concepts. The core curriculum consists of at least 24-25 credit hours, including four credits for the Field Experience (3 credits) and Leadership in Public Health (1 credit) courses and a two-credit capstone seminar.

MPH Required Common Core Courses

Course	Credits
PH 702: Introduction to Biostatistics	3
PH 703: Environmental Health Sciences	3
PH 704: Principles and Methods of Epidemiology	3
PH 705: Principles of Public Health Policy and Administration	3
PH 706: Perspectives on Community and Behavioral Health	3
PH 708: Health Systems and Population Health	3
PH 733: Overview of Qualitative Methods for Public Health	1
PH 790: Field Experience in Public Health	3
PH 791: Leadership in Public Health	1
PH 800: Capstone in Public Health	2

Required Courses for Community & Behavioral Health Promotion

Course	Credits
PH 700: Structures of Inequality and Population Health	3
PH 725: Theories and Models of Health Behavior	3
PH 726: Community Health Assessment	3
PH 727: Program Planning and Implementation in Public Health	3
PH 728: Program Evaluation in Public Health	3

Electives

Students must choose two electives (six credits minimum) from the following:

• PH 729: Survey Research Methods in Public Health (3 credits)
• PH 776: Qualitative Approaches in Public Health Policy and Administration (3 credits)
• PH 831: Community Engagement and Participatory Research Approaches in Public Health (3 credits)

Additionally, students must choose one elective (three credits minimum) from the following:

• PH 719: Social Justice in Public Health (3 credits)
• PH 730: Overview of Children with Special Health Care Needs (3 credits)
• PH 740: Special Topics in Public Health (3 credits)
• PH 752: Public Health and Mental Health (3 credits)
• PH 820: Maternal and Child Health Foundations, Policy and Practice (3 credits)
• PH 999: Independent Study (1-3 credits)
• Other classes as approved by advisor.

Community & Behavioral Health Promotion Track Competencies

1. Demonstrate a broad knowledge and understanding of community and behavioral health theories and their application to health promotion and prevention.
2. Apply relevant theories, concepts, and models from the social and behavioral sciences to public health research and practice.
3. Design public health programs, including their implementation and evaluation components.
4. Design a plan to assess community-level public health needs and assets.
5. Assess social and behavioral factors influencing the health of individuals and communities.
6. Apply qualitative and quantitative methods to the assessment of public health problems, the articulation of community strengths, and the evaluation of prevention and intervention programs.
7. Identify and apply evidence-based approaches to the development and implementation of social and behavioral science interventions.
8. Demonstrate the capacity to effectively explain and discuss planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health programs.

Careers in Community and Behavioral Health Promotion

Graduates with community and behavioral health master's degrees work for health nonprofits, community research organizations, hospitals, and other jobs with a health education or health programming component. Job growth for health educators, community health workers, and health services managers is higher than average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Faculty

The faculty for the Community & Behavioral Health Promotion program includes:

• Young Cho, PhD, Associate Professor
• Paul Florsheim, PhD, Emeritus Professor, Licensed Clinical Psychologist
• Amy Harley, PhD, MPH, RD, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs
• Rose Hennessy Garza, PhD, Assistant Visiting Professor
• Emmanuel Ngui, DrPH, Associate Professor, Director of Maternal & Child Health Catalyst Training Program
• Lance Weinhardt, PhD, Associate Dean for Research, Professor
• Musa Yahaya, PhD, Teaching Faculty II

Faculty Research Interests

The faculty's research interests include:

• Substance abuse risk factors among minority populations
• Effective substance abuse intervention and treatment programs
• Public health issues relevant to high-risk adolescents
• Interpersonal developmental processes related to health and mental health across the lifespan
• Physical activity participation, healthy food consumption, and subsequently chronic disease prevalence in low-income and racial/ethnic minority communities
• Health inequalities in maternal and child health populations
• Disparities in obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease with a focus on the role of social determinants of health
• Disparities in the neighborhood food environment and in access to healthy and nutritious foods
• Developing effective primary and secondary HIV-prevention interventions for resource-poor settings