Program Overview

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Public Health Data Science (Advanced Certificate)

Overview

The advanced certificate in Public Health Data Science will provide students and practitioners with training in biostatistics, epidemiology, regression, and data science, as applied to public health research and practice. This will prepare them to work at the intersection of these fields to advance public health research and practice.

Program Description

Public Health Data Science draws upon methods from statistics, epidemiology, and computer science. The advanced certificate in Public Health Data Science will provide students and practitioners with training in biostatistics, epidemiology, regression, and data science, as applied to public health research and practice.

Who Should Enroll?

The advanced certificate is currently open to non-student professionals and GPH students in the MPH and MS programs. Current GPH students should review the curriculum page for further information. Students will work in many possible settings. The certificate training provides a very broad base of knowledge that will gain them entry into several types of positions:

• Academic Medical Center, e.g., Biostatistics Departments, Predictive Analytics Cores
• Pharmaceutical Company
• Health Insurance Company
• Financial Consulting
• UNICEF, WHO, etc.

Prerequisites

Applicants must have already obtained an undergraduate degree. They should have work experience in data science OR they should be currently enrolled in or have completed a Masters of Public Health, a Masters of Science in Biostatistics, a Masters of Science in Epidemiology, a PhD in Public Health, a Masters of Public Policy, Masters of Public Administration, Law or Medical, Dental or Nursing degree program. Other graduate degree programs will be considered on a case-by-case basis. They should be able to articulate a clear interest in and understanding of Public Health Data Science.

Admissions

All applicants are required to submit the following:

• Application form: Applicants not currently enrolled in a GPH Master's program must apply through SOPHAS Express. Current GPH Master's students should apply through this application form.
• Official transcripts from each institution attended (or an evaluation of your credentials if you graduated from a foreign institution)
• One letter of recommendation
• Personal statement
• Resume/CV
• English language proficiency exam (TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic) results for all applicants whose native language is not English and who did not receive the equivalent of a US bachelor's degree at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction.

Program Requirements

The advanced certificate may be taken as a hybrid of online and classroom-based courses. The courses focus on methods for study design and analysis and on statistical computing and data science tools. Listed below are the required five courses that provide the training for the Public Health Data Science advanced certificate.

• GPH-GU 2995 or GPH-GU 5995: Biostatistics for Public Health
• GPH-GU 2106 or GPH-GU 5106: Epidemiology
• GPH-GU 2182: Statistical Programming in R
• GPH-GU 2353: Regression I: Linear Regression and Modeling
• GPH-GU 2338: Machine Learning in Public Health

Sample Plan of Study

The sequence below is for students who want to complete the certificate in two semesters. Students who take fewer credits each term should speak to an advisor to map out their courses.

• 1st Semester/Term:
  • GPH-GU 2995 or GPH-GU 5995: Biostatistics for Public Health
  • GPH-GU 2106 or GPH-GU 5106: Epidemiology
  • GPH-GU 2182: Statistical Programming in R
• 2nd Semester/Term:
  • GPH-GU 2338: Machine Learning in Public Health
  • GPH-GU 2353: Regression I: Linear Regression and Modeling

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Public Health Data Science Advanced Certificate, graduates will have the skills and competencies to:

1. Apply descriptive and inferential methodologies according to the type of study design for answering a particular research question.
2. Harness basic concepts of probability, random variation, and commonly used statistical probability distributions.
3. Distinguish among the different measurement scales and the implications for selection of statistical methods to be used based on these distinctions.
4. Implement the appropriate analytic methods for calculating key measures of association.
5. Understand and apply ethical principles to data acquisition, management, storage, sharing, and analysis
6. Interpret results of statistical analyses found in public health research studies.

Policies

Program Policies

Double-Counting of Credits

Upon completion of the certificate and the MPH or the MS in Epidemiology, students will have a total of 53 credits. The certificate is 16 credits, 9 credits of which may be double-counted with the 46-credit MPH or MS.

Upon completion of the certificate and the MS in Biostatistics, students will have a total of 49 credits. The certificate is 16 credits, 13 credits of which may be double-counted with 46-credit MS.