Public Health

60 College Street, 203.785.6383
http://publichealth.yale.edu
M.S., M.Phil., Ph.D.

Dean
Megan Ranney

Director of Graduate Studies
Christian Tschudi (203.785.6383)

Professors Serap Aksoy, Heather Allore (Internal Medicine), Frederick Altice (Internal Medicine), Paul Anastas, Michelle Bell (School of the Environment), Cynthia Brandt (Emergency Medicine), Richard Bucala (Internal Medicine), Susan Busch, Michael Cappello, Kei-Hoi Cheung (Emergency Medicine), Elizabeth Claus, Theodore Cohen, Leslie Curry, Louise Dembry (Internal Medicine), Mayur Desai, Vincent DeVita (Internal Medicine), Robert Dubrow, James Dziura (Emergency Medicine), Denise Esserman, David Fiellin (Internal Medicine), Lynn Fiellin (General Medicine), Erol Fikrig (Internal Medicine), Howard Forman (Radiology and Biomedical Imaging), Alison Galvani, Alan Gerber (Political Science), Thomas Gill (Internal Medicine), Peter Glazer (Therapeutic Radiology), Cary Gross (Internal Medicine), Robert Heimer, Jason Hockenberry, Jeannette Ickovics, Melinda Irwin, Akiko Iwasaki (Immunobiology), Amy Justice (Internal Medicine), Edward Kaplan (School of Management), Trace Kershaw, Jaehong Kim (Chemical and Environmental Engineering), Marissa King (School of Management), Albert Ko, Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin (Psychiatry), Harlan Krumholz (Internal Medicine), Ann Kurth (Nursing), Becca Levy, Judith Lichtman, Shuangge (Steven) Ma, Xiaomei Ma, Robert Makuch, I. George Miller (Pediatrics), Ruth Montgomery (Rheumatology), Linda Niccolai, Marcella Nunez-Smith (Internal Medicine), John Pachankis, Elijah Paintsil (Pediatrics), A. David Paltiel, Catherine Panter-Brick (Anthropology), Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, Melinda Pettigrew, Robert Pietrzak (Psychiatry), Edieal Pinker (School of Management), Jeffrey Powell (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), Megan Ranney, Carrie Redlich (Occupational Medicine), Robert Rosenheck (Psychiatry), Joseph Ross (Internal Medicine), Mark Russi (Internal Medicine), Peter Salovey (Psychology), Mark Schlesinger, Fiona Scott-Morton (School of Management), Eugene Shapiro (Pediatrics), Jody Sindelar, Andre Sofair (Internal Medicine), Donna Spiegelman, Jacob Tebes (Psychiatry), Jeanette Tetrault (General Medicine), Jeffrey Townsend, Christian Tschudi, Prathibha Varkey (General Medicine), Vasilis Vasiliou, Sten Vermund, Joseph Vinetz (Internal Medicine), David Vlahov (Nursing), Emily Wang (General Medicine), Marney White, David Yanez (Anesthesiology), Kimberly Yonkers (Psychiatry), Heping Zhang, Hongyu Zhao, Julie Zimmerman (Chemical and Environmental Engineering)

Associate Professors Rene Almeling (Sociology), Hamad Altalib (Neurology), Peter Aronow (Political Science), Deepa Camenga (Emergency Medicine), Xi Chen, Zack Cooper, Forrest Crawford, J. Lucian Davis, Andrew Dewan, Michaela Dinan, Nicole Deziel, Jennifer Edelman (General Medicine), Abigail Friedman, Gregg Gonsalves, Nathan Grubaugh, Nicola Hawley, Josephine Hoh, Caroline Johnson, Manisha Juthanki-Mehta (Infectious Diseases), Danya Keene, Kaveh Khoshnood, Sarah Lowe, Edward Melnick (Emergency Medicine), Jamie Meyer (Infectious Diseases), Joan Monin, Chima Ndumele, Ijeoma Opara, Sunil Parikh, Robert Pietrzak (Psychiatry), Virginia Pitzer, Krystal Pollitt, Yusof Ransome, Eric Schneider (Surgery), Jason Schwartz, Veronika Shabanova (Pediatrics), Jodi Sherman (Anesthesiology), Erica Spatz (Internal Medicine), Katie Wang, Shiyi Wang, Zuoheng (Anita) Wang, Joshua Warren, Melissa Weimer (General Medicine), Daniel Weinberger, Inci Yildirim (Infectious Diseases), Yize Zhao, Yong Zhu

Assistant Professors  Amy Bei, Drew Cameron, Daniel Carrn, Chelsey Carter, Kai Chen, Jen-hwa Chu (Internal Medicine), Rachel Dreyer (Emergency Medicine), Leah Ferrucci, Laura Forastiere, Julie Gaither (Pediatrics), Leying Guan, Ashley Hagaman, Kevin Hall (Cardiology), George Hauser (Laboratory Medicine), Kathryn Hawk (Emergency Medicine), Evelyn Hsieh (Internal Medicine), Yuan Huang, Samah Fodeh-Jarad (Emergency Medicine), Skyler Jackson, Olivia Kachingwe, Michael Kane, Tassos Kyriakides, Michael Leapman (Urology), Morgan Levine (Pathology), Fan (Frank) Li, Zeyan Liew, Terika McCall, Robert McDougal, Ryan McNeil (General Medicine), Carol Oladele (Internal Medicine), Carlos Oliveira (Pediatrics), Victoria Perez, Kendra Plourde, Tormod Rogne, Brita Roy (General Medicine), Yasmmyn Salinas, Wade Schultz (Laboratory Medicine), Sheela Shenoi (Internal Medicine), Jamie Tam, Jacob Wallace, Karen Wang (General Medicine), Shannon Whirledge (Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences), Reza Yaesoubi, Xiting Yan (Internal Medicine), Emma Zang (Sociology), Xin Zhou

Fields of Study

Programs of study are offered in the areas of biostatistics, chronic disease epidemiology, environmental health sciences, epidemiology of infectious diseases, epidemiology of microbial diseases, health informatics, health policy and management, and social and behavioral sciences.

Special Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

Generally the first two years of the Ph.D. program are devoted primarily to course work and rotations for students in some areas. All doctoral students are required to successfully complete a minimum of ten graduate-level courses and must satisfy the individual departmental requirements, detailed below. Courses such as Dissertation Research, Preparing for Qualifying Exams, Research Ethics and Responsibility, and Seminar do not count toward the course requirements. However, students must register for these courses in order for them to appear on the transcript.

All first-year Ph.D. students must enroll in and complete training in Research Ethics and Responsibility (EPH 600). This course introduces and prepares students for responsible conduct in research, including data acquisition and management, mentor/trainee responsibilities, publication practices and authorship standards, scientific misconduct, and conflict of interest. Research Ethics and Responsibility is offered annually and is graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.

The Graduate School uses grades of Honors, High Pass, Pass, or Fail. Students are required to earn a grade of Honors in at least two full-term courses and must achieve a High Pass average. (This applies to courses taken after matriculation in the Graduate School and during the nine-month academic year.)

Teaching and research experiences are regarded as an integral aspect of the graduate training program. All students are required to serve as teaching fellows for two terms at the TF level 10 or 20, typically during years two and three. During the first term of teaching, students must attend a training session conducted by the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. First-year students are encouraged to focus their efforts on course work and are not permitted to serve as teaching fellows. A Ph.D. student who has fulfilled the teaching requirement is not permitted to serve as a teaching fellow without special permission from their adviser and the DGS. In the rare instances this exception is approved, the student will only be allowed to serve at the TF-10 level.

At the end of years one and two, advisers will be asked to complete a progress report for each student evaluating the student’s academic progress and describing the student’s readiness for teaching and/or conducting research. This is then discussed with the student and reviewed by the DGS. Students who have not progressed adequately will be asked to meet with the DGS to address the situation.

The qualifying exam is typically taken by the end of the second full academic year. With the assistance of the faculty adviser, generally after qualifying exams, each student requests appropriate faculty members to join a dissertation advisory committee (DAC). The DAC reviews and approves the prospectus as developed by the student and submits it to the DGS and the Graduate Studies Executive Committee (GSEC) for approval. The dissertation prospectus must be approved by the end of the third year.

To be admitted to candidacy, students must: (1) satisfactorily complete the course requirements for their department as outlined below, achieve grades of Honors in at least two full-term courses, and achieve an overall High Pass average; (2) obtain an average grade of High Pass on the qualifying exam; and (3) have the dissertation prospectus approved by the GSEC. Students who have been admitted to candidacy are required by the Graduate School to complete an annual Dissertation Progress Report.

Each DAC is required to meet as a group at least twice each year, and more frequently if necessary. The student schedules meetings of the DAC. The chair/adviser of the DAC produces a summary evaluation of progress and plans for the next six months.  The student and the DGS receive a copy of the final document. The DAC reviews the progress of the dissertation research and decides when the dissertation is ready to be submitted to the readers. This decision is based on a closed defense of the dissertation, which involves a formal oral presentation by the student to the DAC. (At the adviser’s discretion, other invited faculty may be present.) Upon completion of the closed defense, the chair/adviser of the DAC submits the recommendation to the DGS along with the names of three appropriate readers.

Doctoral dissertations originating in Public Health must also be presented in a public seminar. This presentation is scheduled after the submission of the dissertation to the readers and preferably prior to the receipt and consideration of the readers’ reports. At least one member of the DAC supervising the dissertation and at least one member of the GSEC are required to attend the presentation.

Required Course Work

Biostatistics

Ph.D. students in biostatistics (BIS) have the choice of two pathways: the Biostatistics Standard Pathway and the Biostatistics Implementation and Prevention Science Methods Pathway. Students in the Biostatistics Standard Pathway are required to take a minimum of sixteen courses and students in the Implementation and Prevention Science Methods Pathway are required to take a minimum of fifteen courses (not including BIS 525BIS 526, BIS 699, and EPH 600). Course substitutions must be identified and approved by the student’s adviser and the DGS. Students funded by specific fellowships may be subject to additional requirements and should discuss this with their adviser.

Core requirements (or their equivalents) for both pathways

BIS 525Seminar in Biostatistics and Journal Club 10
BIS 526Seminar in Biostatistics and Journal Club 10
BIS 610Applied Area Readings for Qualifying Exams1
BIS 623Advanced Regression Models1
or S&DS 612 Linear Models
BIS 628Longitudinal and Multilevel Data Analysis1
BIS 643Theory of Survival Analysis1
BIS 691Theory of Generalized Linear Models1
BIS 699Summer Internship in Biostatistical Research 10
EPH 508Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health 21
EPH 600Research Ethics and Responsibility 10
EPH 608Frontiers of Public Health 21
S&DS 610Statistical Inference1

Students in the Standard Pathway (in consultation with their academic adviser and approved by the DGS) also choose a minimum of eight additional electives that will best prepare them for their dissertation research. 

Implementation and Prevention Science Methods Pathway: Additional required courses

BIS 537Statistical Methods for Causal Inference1
BIS 629Advanced Methods for Implementation and Prevention Science1
BIS 631Advanced Topics in Causal Inference Methods1
EMD 533Implementation Science1

Implementation and Prevention Science Methods Pathway: Suggested electives

BIS 536Measurement Error and Missing Data1
BIS 567Bayesian Statistics1
BIS 646Nonparametric Statistical Methods and Their Applications1
BIS 662Computational Statistics1
CDE 516Principles of Epidemiology II1
CDE 534Applied Analytic Methods in Epidemiology1
EMD 538Quantitative Methods for Infectious Disease Epidemiology1
HPM 570Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Decision-Making 11
HPM 575Evaluation of Global Health Policies and Programs1
HPM 586Microeconomics for Health Policy and Health Management1
HPM 587Advanced Health Economics1
HPM 611 11
SBS 541Community Health Program Evaluation1
SBS 574Developing a Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Intervention1
SBS 580Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health 11
SBS 676Questionnaire Development1
S&DS 541Probability Theory 11
S&DS 565Introductory Machine Learning1
or S&DS 665 Intermediate Machine Learning
S&DS 600Advanced Probability1

Chronic Disease Epidemiology

Ph.D. students in chronic disease epidemiology (CDE) must complete a minimum of seventeen courses (not including EPH 600) from the following courses or their equivalents. Course substitutions must be identified and approved by the student’s adviser and the DGS.

CDE 516Principles of Epidemiology II1
CDE 534Applied Analytic Methods in Epidemiology1
CDE 610Applied Area Readings for Qualifying Exams1
CDE 617Developing a Research Proposal 11
or EMD 625 How to Develop, Write, and Evaluate an NIH Proposal
CDE 619Advanced Epidemiologic Research Methods (or alternative course approved by student's adviser)1
CDE 650Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine and Health Care1
EHS/CDE 502Physiology for Public Health1
EPH 508Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health 31
EPH 600Research Ethics and Responsibility 20
EPH 608Frontiers of Public Health 31

In consultation with their dissertation adviser, students choose three 600-level course units in biostatistics (or equivalent substitutions approved by the student's adviser); CDE 634, Advanced Applied Analytic Methods in Epidemiology and Public Health, and S&DS 563, Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences, may serve as an option for these three courses. Students will also choose five additional electives that will best prepare them for their dissertation research.

Environmental Health Sciences

Ph.D. students in environmental health sciences (EHS) must take a minimum of thirteen courses (not including EHS 525, EHS 526, and EPH 600). However, more courses may be required by a student’s adviser. Course substitutions must be identified and approved by the student’s adviser and the DGS.

Required courses

CDE 617Developing a Research Proposal1
or EMD 625 How to Develop, Write, and Evaluate an NIH Proposal
EHS 503Public Health Toxicology1
EHS 507Environmental Epidemiology1
EHS 508Environmental and Occupational Exposure Science1
EHS 525Seminar and Journal Club in Environmental Health 10
EHS 526Seminar and Journal Club in Environmental Health 10
EHS 619Research Rotation1
EHS 620Research Rotation1
EPH 505Biostatistics in Public Health1
EPH 508Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health 21
EPH 600Research Ethics and Responsibility 10
EPH 608Frontiers of Public Health 21

Suggested electives (minimum of four required)

BIS 505Biostatistics in Public Health II1
BIS 623Advanced Regression Models1
BIS 628Longitudinal and Multilevel Data Analysis1
CDE 516Principles of Epidemiology II1
CDE/EHS 520Case-Based Learning for Genetic and Environmental Diseases1
CDE 534Applied Analytic Methods in Epidemiology1
EHS/CDE 502Physiology for Public Health1
EHS 511Principles of Risk Assessment1
EHS 530Our Air, Our Health1
EHS/EMD 537Water, Sanitation, and Global Health1
EHS 545Molecular Epidemiology1
EHS 547Climate Change and Public Health1
EHS 560Methods in Climate Epidemiology1
EHS/CDE 563Biomarkers of Exposure, Effect, and Susceptibility in the Epidemiology of Noncommunicable Disease1
EHS/CDE 566Causal Inference Methods in Public Health Research1
EHS 567Fundamentals of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering1
EHS 568Introduction to GIS for Public Health1
EHS 569Advanced GIS Workshop1
EHS 581Public Health Emergencies: Disaster Planning and Response1
ENV 755Modeling Geographic Space 13
ENV 756Modeling Geographic Objects 13

Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases

Ph.D. students in epidemiology of microbial diseases (EMD) must complete a minimum of ten courses (not including EPH 600). Course substitutions must be identified and approved by the student’s adviser and the DGS.

Courses in biostatistics, epidemiology, and microbiology are strongly recommended. The specific courses recommended depend on the background of individual students and their stated research interests. An individual program that includes courses, seminars, and research rotations is developed by the student and the student’s academic adviser. All students are required to complete three distinct research rotations. These are done in the fall and spring terms and in the summer between the first and second years. These research rotations (EMD 670, EMD 671, and EMD 672) are graded and account for three of the required ten courses.

Required courses

EMD 625How to Develop, Write, and Evaluate an NIH Proposal1
or CDE 617 Developing a Research Proposal
EMD 670Advanced Research Laboratories1
EMD 671Advanced Research Laboratories1
EMD 672Advanced Research Laboratories1
EPH 508Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health 11
or CDE 516 Principles of Epidemiology II
EPH 600Research Ethics and Responsibility 20
EPH 608Frontiers of Public Health 11

The following courses are suggested as appropriate for Ph.D. students in EMD. However, in consultation with the student’s adviser, other courses in the School of Public Health or in other departments may also be appropriate.

CDE/EHS 566Causal Inference Methods in Public Health Research1
EHS 568Introduction to GIS for Public Health1
EMD 531Genomic Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases1
EMD 533Implementation Science1
EMD 538Quantitative Methods for Infectious Disease Epidemiology1
EMD 539Introduction to the Analysis and Interpretation of Public Health Surveillance Data1
EMD 553Transmission Dynamic Models for Understanding Infectious Diseases1
EMD 567Tackling the Big Three: Malaria, TB, and HIV in Resource-Limited Settings1
EMD 582Political Epidemiology1
HPM 570Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Decision-Making1
MGT 611Policy Modeling 14
S&DS 530Data Exploration and Analysis1
S&DS 538Probability and Statistics1

Health Policy and Management

Ph.D. students in health policy and management (HPM) are required to develop expertise in one of three areas of specialization: Economics; Organizational Theory and Management; or Political and Policy Analysis.

Students are required to complete the following coursework (or the equivalent in the topic areas covered in these courses). This course listing represents a suggested general program of study, but the specifics of course requirements are adapted to the particular interests and professional aspirations of each student. The standard number of courses taken is sixteen (excluding EPH 600HPM 617, and HPM 618), with the option of obtaining credits for previous courses. With the approval of the academic adviser and the DGS, alternative courses that better suit the needs of the student may satisfy the coursework requirement. The departmental representative to the GSEC, in conjunction with the student’s adviser, is responsible for determining if core course requirements have been satisfied by previous coursework or alternative courses. If so, the student should apply for a course waiver through the Graduate School. HPM students can only waive up to three of the sixteen courses.

Core Requirements (All Students)1

EPH 508Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health 21
EPH 600Research Ethics and Responsibility 30
EPH 608Frontiers of Public Health 21
HPM 610Applied Area Readings1
HPM 617Colloquium in Health Services Research 30
HPM 618Colloquium in Health Services Research 30

Methods and Statistics: Suggested courses (minimum of four)

BIS 623Advanced Regression Models1
BIS 628Longitudinal and Multilevel Data Analysis1
ECON 556Topics in Empirical Economics and Public Policy1
ECON 558Econometrics1
HPM 583Methods in Health Services Research1
MGMT 737Applied Empirical Methods1
PLSC 500Foundations of Statistical Inference1
PLSC 503Theory and Practice of Quantitative Methods1
SBS 580Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health1
SOCY 580Introduction to Methods in Quantitative Sociology1
SOCY 581Intermediate Methods in Quantitative Sociology1
SOCY 582Statistics III: Advanced Quantitative Analysis for Social Scientists1
S&DS 563Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences1
S&DS 565Introductory Machine Learning1

Health Policy and Management: Suggested courses (minimum of two, all with Ph.D. readings)

EPH 510Health Policy and Health Care Systems1
HPM 514Health Politics, Governance, and Policy1
HPM 570Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Decision-Making1
HPM 573Advanced Topics in Modeling Health Care Decisions1
HPM 587Advanced Health Economics1
Area of Specialization Course Requirements

A minimum of four courses, all with Ph.D. readings, are required in the student’s area of specialization.

Economics: Required courses

ECON 545Microeconomics1
ECON 558Econometrics 11

Students are also required to take a year-long sequence in econometrics, selected in consultation with the student's adviser (this will count towards the required Methods and Statistics courses).  In addition, students take two field courses in a concentration area in which they plan to develop expertise. Sets of courses across topics can be selected to meet research interests.

Economics: Concentration areas and courses (other courses may be substituted in consultation with the student’s adviser) 

Behavioral Economics
MGMT 758Foundations of Behavioral Economics1
PSYC 553Behavioral Decision-Making I: Choice1
Industrial Organization
ECON 600Industrial Organization I1
ECON 601Industrial Organization II1
Labor Economics
ECON 630Labor Economics1
ECON 631Labor Economics1
Public Finance
ECON 556Topics in Empirical Economics and Public Policy1
ECON 680Public Finance I1
ECON 681Public Finance II1

Organizational Theory and Management
Four courses are required, selected in consultation with the student’s adviser.

Political and Policy Analysis: Suggested courses (four required, selected in consultation with the student's adviser)

PLSC 800Introduction to American Politics1
PLSC 801Political Preferences and American Political Behavior1
PLSC 803American Politics III: Institutions1

Students will also choose one additional elective that will best prepare them for their dissertation research.

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Ph.D. students in social and behavioral sciences (SBS) or the Maternal Child Health Promotion Pathway must complete a minimum of fifteen courses (not including EPH 600) from the following courses or their equivalents. Course substitutions must be identified and approved by the student’s adviser and the DGS.

Core requirements (All Students)

CDE 617Developing a Research Proposal 11
or EMD 625 How to Develop, Write, and Evaluate an NIH Proposal
EPH 508Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health 31
EPH 600Research Ethics and Responsibility 20
EPH 608Frontiers of Public Health 31
SBS 574Developing a Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Intervention1
or SBS 541 Community Health Program Evaluation
or SBS 593 Community-Based Participatory Research in Public Health
SBS 580Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health1
SBS 610Applied Area Readings for Qualifying Exams 1
SBS 699Advanced Topics in Social and Behavioral Sciences1

In consultation with their dissertation adviser, SBS students (not in the Maternal and Child Health Promotion Pathway) will choose three advanced-level (600 or above) statistics or methods courses from biostatistics, psychology, political science, sociology, anthropology, or statistics and data science (S&DS 563, Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences; CDE 516, Principles of Epidemiology II; CDE 634, Advanced Applied Analytic Methods in Epidemiology and Public Health, and SBS 676, Questionnaire Development, also qualify as statistics or methods courses). Students must also take five additional electives that will best prepare them for their dissertation research.

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Promotion Pathway: Required courses (in addition to SBS core requirements listed above)

EMD 533Implementation Science1
HPM 542Health of Women and Children1
SBS 594Maternal-Child Public Health Nutrition1

MCH Promotion Pathway: Required electives (any three from this list and two additional electives chosen in consultation with the student's adviser) 

BIS 505Biostatistics in Public Health II1
BIS 621Regression Models for Public Health1
or BIS 623 Advanced Regression Models
BIS 628Longitudinal and Multilevel Data Analysis1
BIS 630Applied Survival Analysis1
CDE 516Principles of Epidemiology II1
CDE 566Causal Inference Methods in Public Health Research1
or EMD 582 Political Epidemiology
CDE 634Advanced Applied Analytic Methods in Epidemiology and Public Health1
EPH 505Biostatistics in Public Health1
HPM 575Evaluation of Global Health Policies and Programs1
S&DS 563Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences1

M.D./Ph.D. Program Requirements for Public Health

All M.D./Ph.D. students must meet with the director of graduate studies (DGS) in public health, if they are considering affiliating with public health. Students in this program are expected to meet the guidelines listed below in the time frame outlined. The DGS must approve any variations to these requirements.

Teaching

One term of teaching is required. If students are approved by the DGS to teach beyond this requirement, they can be compensated. In the rare instance that teaching beyond the requirement is approved, the student will only be allowed to serve as a TF 10. If a student has served as a teaching fellow elsewhere on campus, this experience may be counted toward the requirement. DGS approval is required to waive the teaching requirement on the basis of previous Yale teaching experience.

Rotations/Internships

Students should do two rotations/internships with potential advisers in public health. The purpose of these rotations/internships is to learn research approaches and methodologies and/or to allow the student time to determine if the faculty’s research interests are compatible with the student’s research interests. These rotations/internships are usually done during the summer between the first and second years of medical school. In some cases, students may need to defer this requirement until the summer after the second year after taking certain courses and/or completing readings in order to possess the background necessary for a successful rotation/internship.

Required Course Work

M.D./Ph.D. students are generally expected to take the same courses as traditional Ph.D. students. Departmental requirements vary; therefore, students should confer with the DGS and their Ph.D. adviser.

Timeline for Qualifying Exam

Students generally will take medical school courses in years one and two. Students can take public health courses or other appropriate courses during this time, if scheduling allows. Once affiliated with the public health program, students will complete all course requirements for the department. This generally takes a minimum of two terms but can take up to four terms after affiliating with public health. The qualifying exam is commonly completed after the fourth term of affiliation with the Ph.D. program in public health, but it can be done earlier with approval of the Ph.D. adviser and the DGS.

Prospectus Timeline

Following completion of the qualifying exam, students should focus on the prospectus, which must be approved by the Public Health Graduate Studies Executive Committee (GSEC) before the end of the student’s sixth term as an affiliated Ph.D. student in public health.

Admission to Candidacy

To be admitted to candidacy, students must: (1) satisfactorily complete the course requirements for their department as outlined above, achieve grades of Honors in at least two full-term courses, and achieve an overall High Pass average; (2) obtain an average grade of High Pass on the qualifying exam; and (3) have the dissertation prospectus approved by the GSEC. All M.D./Ph.D. students must be admitted to candidacy before the start of their fourth year in the Ph.D. program (i.e., before the start of the seventh term).

Master’s Degrees

M.Phil. The M.Phil. is awarded to doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy. When students advance to candidacy, the registrar’s office automatically submits a petition for the awarding of the M.Phil. degree.

Terminal Master’s Degree Program The School offers a terminal master’s degree program leading to an M.S. in public health in four concentrations: biostatistics (a two-year program), chronic disease epidemiology (a one-year program), epidemiology of infectious diseases (a one-year program), and health informatics (a two-year program). All students must fulfill both the departmental and Graduate School requirements for a terminal M.S. degree.

Students must have an overall grade average of High Pass, including a grade of Honors in at least one full-term graduate course (for students enrolled in the one-year programs in chronic disease epidemiology and epidemiology of infectious diseases) or in at least two full-term graduate courses (for students enrolled in the two-year programs in biostatistics and health informatics). In order to maintain the minimum average of High Pass, each grade of Pass must be balanced by one grade of Honors. For more details, please see Course and Honors Requirements under Policies and Regulations.

A biostatistics, chronic disease epidemiology, or epidemiology of microbial diseases student who is withdrawing from the Ph.D. program, and has successfully completed all required course work for the terminal M.S. degree (described below), may apply and be recommended for the M.S. in public health. In the other departments, students must have successfully completed (prior to withdrawal) at least ten courses in the doctoral program and a capstone experience, achieving a minimum of two Honors grades and an overall High Pass average. Students who withdraw after qualifying or receiving the M.Phil. are not eligible for an M.S. degree.

Fields of Study

Terminal M.S. with Concentration in Biostatistics

The M.S. with a concentration in biostatistics is a two-year program that provides training in clinical trials, epidemiologic methodology, implementation science, data science, statistical genetics, and mathematical models for infectious diseases. Students have a choice of three pathways: the Biostatistics Standard Pathway, the Biostatistics Implementation and Prevention Science Methods Pathway, and the Biostatistics Data Science Pathway. In contrast to the more general M.P.H. degree, the M.S. degree emphasizes the mastery of biostatistical skills from the beginning of the plan of study. While graduates of this program may apply to the Ph.D. degree program, the M.S. degree is itself quite marketable as a terminal degree. Part-time enrollment is permitted.

Degree Requirements

The biostatistics concentration requires the completion of fifteen required and elective courses for the Standard Pathway and the Implementation and Prevention Sciences Pathway. Sixteen required and elective courses must be completed for the Data Science Pathway. These requirements exclude the Seminar, BIS 525/BIS 526; the Summer Internship, BIS 695EPH 100; and EPH 101.

NOTE: Half-term courses cannot count as an elective unless an additional half-term course is taken and the biostatistics faculty have approved both courses as an elective. 

The Graduate School requires an overall grade average of High Pass, including grades of Honors in at least two full-term graduate courses for students enrolled in a two-year program. In order to maintain the minimum average of High Pass, each grade of Pass on the student’s transcript must be balanced by one grade of Honors. Each grade of Fail must be balanced by two grades of Honors. If a student retakes a course in which the student has received a failing grade, only the newer grade will be considered in calculating this average. The initial grade of Fail, however, will remain on the student’s transcript. A grade awarded at the conclusion of a full-year course in which no grade is awarded at the end of the first term would be counted twice in calculating this average.

Curriculum

Required Courses for All Pathways (or substitutions approved by the student’s adviser and the DGS)

BIS 525Seminar in Biostatistics and Journal Club 10
BIS 526Seminar in Biostatistics and Journal Club 10
BIS 623Advanced Regression Models1
or S&DS 612 Linear Models
BIS 628Longitudinal and Multilevel Data Analysis1
BIS 630Applied Survival Analysis1
or BIS 643 Theory of Survival Analysis
BIS 678Statistical Practice I1
BIS 695Summer Internship in Biostatistics 10
EPH 100Professional Skills Series 10
EPH 101Professional Skills Series 10
EPH 509Fundamentals of Epidemiology1
EPH 608Frontiers of Public Health 21
S&DS 541Probability Theory1
or S&DS 551 Stochastic Processes
or S&DS 600 Advanced Probability
S&DS 542Theory of Statistics1
or S&DS 610 Statistical Inference

Additional Required Courses: Standard Pathway

BIS 679Advanced Statistical Programming in SAS and R1
BIS 681Statistical Practice II1
A minimum of two of the following biostatistics electives:
BIS 534Stochastic Models and Inference for the Biomedical and Social Sciences (A minimum of two of the following biostatistics electives:)1
BIS 536Measurement Error and Missing Data1
BIS 537Statistical Methods for Causal Inference1
BIS 540Fundamentals of Clinical Trials1
BIS 550Topics in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science1
BIS 555Machine Learning with Biomedical Data1
BIS 560Introduction to Health Informatics1
BIS 567Bayesian Statistics1
BIS 568Applied Machine Learning in Healthcare1
BIS 620Data Science Software Systems1
BIS 629Advanced Methods for Implementation and Prevention Science1
BIS 631Advanced Topics in Causal Inference Methods1
BIS 633Population and Public Health Informatics1
BIS 634Computational Methods for Informatics1
BIS 638Clinical Database Management Systems and Ontologies1
BIS 640User-Centered Design of Digital Health Tools1
BIS 643Theory of Survival Analysis 11
BIS 645Statistical Methods in Human Genetics1
BIS 646Nonparametric Statistical Methods and Their Applications1
BIS 662Computational Statistics1
BIS 691Theory of Generalized Linear Models1
BIS 692Statistical Methods in Computational Biology1
Additional electives must be approved by the Standard Pathway faculty liaison
A minimum of three electives must be taken from either the biostatistics electives list or the list below:
CDE 566Causal Inference Methods in Public Health Research1
CDE 634Advanced Applied Analytic Methods in Epidemiology and Public Health1
CPSC 540Database Design and Implementation1
CPSC 546Data and Information Visualization1
CPSC 552Deep Learning Theory and Applications1
CPSC 570Artificial Intelligence1
CPSC 577Natural Language Processing1
CPSC 582Current Topics in Applied Machine Learning1
CPSC 583Deep Learning on Graph-Structured Data1
CPSC 640Topics in Numerical Computation1
CPSC 670Topics in Natural Language Processing1
CPSC 677Advanced Natural Language Processing1
CPSC 680Trustworthy Deep Learning1
CPSC 752Biomedical Data Science: Mining and Modeling1
EMD 553Transmission Dynamic Models for Understanding Infectious Diseases1
ENAS 912Biomedical Image Processing and Analysis1
HPM 573Advanced Topics in Modeling Health Care Decisions1
HPM 583Methods in Health Services Research1
INP 558Computational Methods in Human Neuroscience1
INP 599Statistics and Data Analysis in Neuroscience1
MGT 510Data Analysis and Causal Inference 12
MGT 556Big Data & Customer Analytics 12
MGT 803Decision Making with Data 12
S&DS 517Applied Machine Learning and Causal Inference1
S&DS 530Data Exploration and Analysis1
S&DS 551Stochastic Processes1
S&DS 562Computational Tools for Data Science1
S&DS 563Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences1
S&DS 565Introductory Machine Learning1
S&DS 569Numerical Linear Algebra: Deterministic and Randomized Algorithms1
S&DS 600Advanced Probability1
S&DS 610Statistical Inference1
S&DS 611Selected Topics in Statistical Decision Theory1
S&DS 612Linear Models 21
S&DS 625Statistical Case Studies1
S&DS 631Optimization and Computation1
S&DS 632Advanced Optimization Techniques1
S&DS 661Data Analysis1
S&DS 662Statistical Computing1
S&DS 663Computational Mathematics Situational Awareness and Survival Skills1
S&DS 664Information Theory1
S&DS 665Intermediate Machine Learning1
S&DS 674Applied Spatial Statistics1
S&DS 685Theory of Reinforcement Learning1
Additional electives must be approved by the Standard Pathway faculty liaison

Students wishing to complete a thesis may enroll in BIS 649 and BIS 650, Master’s Thesis Research. This would be an additional requirement and cannot replace any of the required courses noted above. All students who complete a thesis will be required to present their research during a public seminar to the Biostatistics faculty and students in order to graduate. 

Additional Required Courses: Implementation and Prevention Science Methods Pathway

BIS 629Advanced Methods for Implementation and Prevention Science1
BIS 679Advanced Statistical Programming in SAS and R1
BIS 681Statistical Practice II 11
EMD 533Implementation Science1
At least one of the following:
BIS 536Measurement Error and Missing Data1
BIS 537Statistical Methods for Causal Inference1
BIS 631Advanced Topics in Causal Inference Methods1
At least two of the following:
CDE 516Principles of Epidemiology II1
CDE 534Applied Analytic Methods in Epidemiology1
EMD 538Quantitative Methods for Infectious Disease Epidemiology1
HPM 570Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Decision-Making 11
HPM 575Evaluation of Global Health Policies and Programs1
HPM 586Microeconomics for Health Policy and Health Management1
HPM 587Advanced Health Economics1
HPM 611 11
SBS 541Community Health Program Evaluation 11
SBS 574Developing a Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Intervention1
SBS 580Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health1
S&DS 565Introductory Machine Learning1
Alternative electives must be approved by the Implementation Science Pathway director.

Additional Required Courses: Data Science Pathway

BIS 620Data Science Software Systems1
BIS 687Data Science Capstone1
Two of the following biostatistics, computer science, or statistical methods courses
BIS 536Measurement Error and Missing Data1
BIS 537Statistical Methods for Causal Inference1
BIS 540Fundamentals of Clinical Trials1
BIS 550Topics in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science1
BIS 555Machine Learning with Biomedical Data 11
BIS 567Bayesian Statistics1
BIS 629Advanced Methods for Implementation and Prevention Science1
BIS 634Computational Methods for Informatics 11
BIS 645Statistical Methods in Human Genetics1
BIS 646Nonparametric Statistical Methods and Their Applications1
BIS 662Computational Statistics 11
CB&B 752Biomedical Data Science: Mining and Modeling1
CPSC 519Full Stack Web Programming1
CPSC 526Building Distributed Systems1
CPSC 539Software Engineering1
CPSC 565Theory of Distributed Systems1
CPSC 577Natural Language Processing1
CPSC 640Topics in Numerical Computation1
EMD 553Transmission Dynamic Models for Understanding Infectious Diseases1
S&DS 541Probability Theory 31
S&DS 551Stochastic Processes 41
S&DS 611Selected Topics in Statistical Decision Theory1
S&DS 625Statistical Case Studies1
S&DS 661Data Analysis1
S&DS 664Information Theory1
Additional electives must be approved by the Data Science Pathway director
One of the following machine learning courses:
BIS 555Machine Learning with Biomedical Data 11
BIS 568Applied Machine Learning in Healthcare1
BIS 634Computational Methods for Informatics 11
BIS 662Computational Statistics 11
BIS 691Theory of Generalized Linear Models1
CB&B 555Unsupervised Learning for Big Data1
CB&B 567Topics in Deep Learning: Methods and Biomedical Applications1
CB&B 663Deep Learning Theory and Applications1
CB&B 745Advanced Topics in Machine Learning and Data Mining1
CPSC 569Randomized Algorithms1
CPSC 583Deep Learning on Graph-Structured Data1
CPSC 644Geometric and Topological Methods in Machine Learning1
CPSC 670Topics in Natural Language Processing1
S&DS 517Applied Machine Learning and Causal Inference1
S&DS 538Probability and Statistics1
S&DS 562Computational Tools for Data Science1
S&DS 565Introductory Machine Learning1
S&DS 569Numerical Linear Algebra: Deterministic and Randomized Algorithms1
S&DS 631Optimization and Computation1
S&DS 632Advanced Optimization Techniques1
S&DS 665Intermediate Machine Learning1
S&DS 674Applied Spatial Statistics1
S&DS 684Statistical Inference on Graphs1
S&DS 685Theory of Reinforcement Learning1
S&DS 686High-Dimensional Phenomena in Statistics and Learning1
Additional electives must be approved by the Data Science Pathway director
One of the following Database courses:
BIS 550Topics in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science 11
BIS 638Clinical Database Management Systems and Ontologies1
BIS 679Advanced Statistical Programming in SAS and R1
CPSC 537Introduction to Database Systems1
MGT 660Advanced Management of Software Development 24
Additional electives must be approved by the Data Science Pathway director

Two additional electives are required from the biostatistics, machine learning, or database list. Other courses from public health or other departments must be approved by the Data Science Pathway faculty liaison.

Students wishing to complete a thesis may enroll in BIS 649 and BIS 650, Master’s Thesis Research. This would be an additional requirement and cannot replace any of the required courses noted above. All students who complete a thesis will be required to present their research during a public seminar organized by the Biostatistics department.

Competencies

Upon receiving an M.S. in the biostatistics concentration of public health, the student will be able to:

  • Select from a variety of analytical tools to test statistical hypotheses, interpret results of statistical analyses, and use these results to make relevant inferences from data.
  • Design efficient computer programs for study management, statistical analysis, as well as presentation using R, SAS, and other programming languages.
  • Demonstrate oral and written communication and presentation skills to effectively communicate and disseminate results to professional audiences.

Terminal M.S. with Concentration in Chronic Disease Epidemiology

This one-year program is designed for medical and health care professionals (e.g., M.D., Ph.D., D.V.M., D.D.S., D.M.D.) or others seeking the skills necessary to conduct epidemiological research in their professional practice. Part-time enrollment is permitted.

Degree Requirements

The chronic disease epidemiology concentration consists of required and elective course work and satisfactory completion of the capstone experience. A total of ten courses is required (excluding the Seminar, CDE 525/CDE 526). It is expected that this program will be completed during a single academic year when a student enrolls full-time. Students with an M.P.H. or relevant graduate degree may be eligible to substitute advanced courses for some of the required courses. Written permission of the DGS is required prior to enrolling in substitute courses.

The Graduate School requires an overall grade average of High Pass, including a grade of Honors in at least one full-term graduate course for students enrolled in a one-year program. In order to maintain the minimum average of High Pass, each grade of Pass on the student’s transcript must be balanced by one grade of Honors. Each grade of Fail must be balanced by two grades of Honors. If a student retakes a course in which the student has received a failing grade, only the newer grade will be considered in calculating this average. The initial grade of Fail, however, will remain on the student’s transcript. A grade awarded at the conclusion of a full-year course in which no grade is awarded at the end of the first term would be counted twice in calculating this average.

Curriculum

Required Courses (or approved substitutions)

CDE 516Principles of Epidemiology II1
CDE 525Seminar in Chronic Disease Epidemiology 10
CDE 526Seminar in Chronic Disease Epidemiology 10
CDE 617Developing a Research Proposal 21
or CDE 600 Independent Study or Directed Readings
or EMD 625 How to Develop, Write, and Evaluate an NIH Proposal
EPH 508Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health1
EPH 608Frontiers of Public Health 31

Quantitative courses (choose three from the following or an approved substitution)

BIS 536Measurement Error and Missing Data1
BIS 537Statistical Methods for Causal Inference1
BIS 575Introduction to Regulatory Affairs1
BIS 621Regression Models for Public Health1
BIS 628Longitudinal and Multilevel Data Analysis1
BIS 630Applied Survival Analysis1
CDE 634Advanced Applied Analytic Methods in Epidemiology and Public Health1
S&DS 530Data Exploration and Analysis1
S&DS 563Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences1

Chronic Disease Epidemiology (choose two of the following)

CDE 502Physiology for Public Health1
CDE 532Epidemiology of Cancer1
CDE 534Applied Analytic Methods in Epidemiology1
CDE 535Epidemiology of Heart Disease and Stroke1
CDE 545Health Disparities by Race and Social Class: Application to Chronic Disease Epidemiology1
CDE 551Global Noncommunicable Disease1
CDE 562Nutrition and Chronic Disease1
CDE 572Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle Interventions1
CDE 582Health Outcomes Research: Matching the Right Research Question to the Right Data1
CDE 588Perinatal Epidemiology1
CDE 597Genetic Concepts in Public Health1
CDE 650Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine and Health Care1

Students must complete one additional elective, chosen in consultation with their adviser.

Competencies

Upon receiving an M.S. in the chronic disease epidemiology concentration of public health, the student will be able to:

  • Evaluate the scientific merit and feasibility of epidemiologic study designs.
  • Review and evaluate epidemiologic reports and research articles.
  • Analyze data and draw appropriate inferences from epidemiologic studies.
  • Write an epidemiologic research proposal.

Terminal M.S. with Concentration in Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases

This one-year program offers two areas of specialization: a quantitative area aims to provide quantitatively focused research training in the epidemiology of infectious diseases, focusing on the analysis of communicable disease data as well as modeling and simulation; and a clinical area aims to provide research training for clinicians and clinical trainees interested in furthering their research expertise. Part-time enrollment is permitted. Part-time students must complete the degree requirements in two years. 

Degree Requirements

The epidemiology of infectious diseases concentration requires a total of ten courses (excluding the yearlong Seminar, EMD 525/EMD 526), including satisfactory completion of the capstone course. There are two capstone course options:

Option 1 Students may elect to enroll in EMD 625, How to Develop, Write, and Evaluate an NIH Proposal. Students in this course develop an NIH-style research proposal focusing on a topic related to infectious disease epidemiology. This course is taken by students in the final term of their M.S. program. Students meet as a group for cross-cutting didactic sessions on reading RFAs, NIH peer review and scoring, and effective grant writing and grantsmanship. Students work one-on-one outside of these sessions with faculty mentors to construct their grant proposals over the course of the term. They work with other students in the course to refine their projects and will do an oral presentation of their proposal at the final capstone course symposium at the end of the term.

Option 2 Students may elect to enroll in EMD 563, Laboratory and Field Studies in Infectious Diseases. This course provides students with hands-on training in laboratory or epidemiological research techniques. Students work one-on-one with faculty members on existing or new projects. Students choosing this option write-up and present their findings at the final capstone course symposium at the end of their final term.

The Graduate School requires an overall grade average of High Pass, including a grade of Honors in at least one full-term graduate course for students enrolled in a one-year program. In order to maintain the minimum average of High Pass, each grade of Pass on the student’s transcript must be balanced by one grade of Honors. Each grade of Fail must be balanced by two grades of Honors. If a student retakes a course in which the student has received a failing grade, only the newer grade will be considered in calculating this average. The initial grade of Fail, however, will remain on the student’s transcript. A grade awarded at the conclusion of a full-year course in which no grade is awarded at the end of the first term would be counted twice in calculating this average.

Curriculum

Required Courses: Quantitative Specialization (or substitutions approved by the student’s adviser and the DGS)

BIS 623Advanced Regression Models1
BIS 630Applied Survival Analysis1
EMD 517Principles of Infectious Diseases I1
EMD 518Principles of Infectious Diseases II1
EMD 525Seminar in Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases 10
EMD 526Seminar in Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases 10
EMD 538Quantitative Methods for Infectious Disease Epidemiology1
EMD 553Transmission Dynamic Models for Understanding Infectious Diseases1
or EMD 539 Introduction to the Analysis and Interpretation of Public Health Surveillance Data
EMD 625How to Develop, Write, and Evaluate an NIH Proposal1
or EMD 563 Laboratory and Field Studies in Infectious Diseases
EPH 508Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health1
EPH 608Frontiers of Public Health (EPH 600 no longer required for MS students ) 21

In addition, students must complete one elective course in epidemiology of infectious diseases (approved by the student’s adviser and the DGS).

Required Courses: Clinical Specialization (or substitutions approved by the student’s adviser and the DGS)

BIS 505Biostatistics in Public Health II1
or CDE 534 Applied Analytic Methods in Epidemiology
EMD 517Principles of Infectious Diseases I1
EMD 518Principles of Infectious Diseases II1
EMD 525Seminar in Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases 10
EMD 526Seminar in Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases 10
EMD 530Health Care Epidemiology: Improving Health Care Quality through Infection Prevention1
or EMD 536 Outbreak Investigations: Principles and Practice
EMD 567Tackling the Big Three: Malaria, TB, and HIV in Resource-Limited Settings1
or EMD 533 Implementation Science
EMD 625How to Develop, Write, and Evaluate an NIH Proposal1
or EMD 563 Laboratory and Field Studies in Infectious Diseases
EPH 505Biostatistics in Public Health1
EPH 508Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health1
EPH 608Frontiers of Public Health (EPH 600 no longer required for MS students ) 21

In addition, students must complete one elective course in epidemiology of infectious diseases (approved by the student’s adviser and the DGS).

Suggested electives for both specializations 

EMD 531Genomic Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases1
EMD 537Water, Sanitation, and Global Health1
EMD 541Health in Humanitarian Crises1
EMD 546Vaccines and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases1
EMD 580Reforming Health Systems: Using Data to Improve Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries1
EMD 582Political Epidemiology1

Alternate electives must be approved in consultation with the student's adviser and the DGS. 

Competencies

Upon receiving an M.S. in the epidemiology of infectious diseases concentration of public health, the student will be able to:

  • Explain the role of quantitative and qualitative methods and sciences in describing and assessing a population’s health (especially in terms of risk/burden of infectious diseases).
  • Explain ecological perspective on the connection between human health, animal health, and ecosystem health with respect to microbial threats.
  • Analyze datasets that arise in the context of outbreaks, epidemics, and endemic infectious diseases. (Quantitative specialization only)
  • Design observational and/or experimental studies to study the relationship between host, microbial, or environmental factors on the occurrence or control of infectious diseases. (Clinical specialization only)

Terminal M.S. with Concentration in Health Informatics

This two-year program provides well-rounded training in health informatics, with a balance of core courses from such areas as information sciences, clinical informatics, clinical research informatics, consumer health and population health informatics, and data science, and more broadly health policy, social and behavioral science, biostatistics, and epidemiology. First-year courses survey the field; the typical second-year courses are more technical and put greater emphasis on mastering the skills in health informatics. Part-time enrollment is not permitted.

Degree Requirements

The health informatics concentration consists of a total of fourteen courses: eight required courses, four electives, and satisfactory completion and presentation of a yearlong capstone project. Students demonstrating a mastery of topics covered by the required courses may replace them with more advanced courses but must receive written permission from the DGS and their adviser prior to enrolling in the substitute courses.

The Graduate School requires an overall grade average of High Pass, including grades of Honors in at least two full-term graduate courses for students enrolled in a two-year program. In order to maintain the minimum average of High Pass, each grade of Pass on the student’s transcript must be balanced by one grade of Honors. Each grade of Fail must be balanced by two grades of Honors. If a student retakes a course in which the student has received a failing grade, only the newer grade will be considered in calculating this average. The initial grade of Fail, however, will remain on the student’s transcript. A grade awarded at the conclusion of a full-year course in which no grade is awarded at the end of the first term would be counted twice in calculating this average.

Curriculum

Required Courses

BIS 550Topics in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science1
BIS 560Introduction to Health Informatics1
BIS 562Clinical Decision Support1
or BIS 640 User-Centered Design of Digital Health Tools
BIS 633Population and Public Health Informatics1
BIS 634Computational Methods for Informatics1
BIS 638Clinical Database Management Systems and Ontologies1
BIS 685Capstone in Health Informatics1
BIS 686Capstone in Health Informatics1
EPH 508Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health1
or EPH 509 Fundamentals of Epidemiology
EPH 608Frontiers of Public Health 11
MS Suggested Electives in Informatics, Statistics and Data Science (4 course units)
BIS 540Fundamentals of Clinical Trials1
BIS 567Bayesian Statistics1
BIS 568Applied Machine Learning in Healthcare1
BIS 620Data Science Software Systems1
BIS 621Regression Models for Public Health1
BIS 628Longitudinal and Multilevel Data Analysis1
BIS 630Applied Survival Analysis1
BIS 662Computational Statistics1
BIS 691Theory of Generalized Linear Models1
CB&B 555Unsupervised Learning for Big Data 1
CB&B 567Topics in Deep Learning: Methods and Biomedical Applications1
CB&B 645Statistical Methods in Computational Biology1
CB&B 663Deep Learning Theory and Applications1
CB&B 745Advanced Topics in Machine Learning and Data Mining1
CDE 566Causal Inference Methods in Public Health Research1
CPSC 546Data and Information Visualization1
CPSC 564Algorithms and their Societal Implications1
CPSC 577Natural Language Processing1
CPSC 582Current Topics in Applied Machine Learning1
CPSC 670Topics in Natural Language Processing1
EMD 533Implementation Science1
EMD 553Transmission Dynamic Models for Understanding Infectious Diseases1
EPH 510Health Policy and Health Care Systems1
HPM 560Health Economics and U.S. Health Policy1
HPM 570Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Decision-Making1
HPM 573Advanced Topics in Modeling Health Care Decisions1
IMED 625Principles of Clinical Research1
MGT 525Competitive Strategy 14
MGT 534Personal Leadership 14
MGT 656Management of Software Development 14
SBS 512Social Entrepreneurship Lab1
S&DS 517Applied Machine Learning and Causal Inference1
S&DS 530Data Exploration and Analysis1
S&DS 562Computational Tools for Data Science1
S&DS 563Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences1
S&DS 565Introductory Machine Learning1
S&DS 583Time Series with R/Python1
S&DS 584Applied Graphical Models1
S&DS 610Statistical Inference1
S&DS 663Computational Mathematics Situational Awareness and Survival Skills 11
S&DS 664Information Theory1
S&DS 670Theory of Deep Learning1

In addition, in the second year of the program, students are required to complete an independent capstone project (BIS 685/BIS 686) under the direction of a faculty member. This project may fall into one of the main areas—clinical informatics; clinical research informatics; population health informatics; and implementation of new methods and technology—and may include elements from several of these areas. Students are required to prepare a carefully written report and make an oral presentation of the work to the faculty and students. A capstone committee consisting of two faculty members and one outside reader will provide guidance to the candidate as to the suitability of the project and will monitor its progress.

Competencies

Upon receiving an M.S. in the health informatics concentration of public health, the student will be able to:

  • Select informatics methods appropriate for a given public health context.
  • Compare the health information system structure and function across regional, national, and international settings.
  • Assess population informatics needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health.
  • Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health informatics.
  • Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation.
  • Apply systems thinking tools to a public health informatics issue.

Ph.D. or terminal M.S. degree program materials are available upon request to the Office of the Director of Graduate Studies (c/o M. Elliot), School of Public Health, Yale University, PO Box 208034, New Haven CT 06520-8034; 203.785.6383; email, phdms.publichealth@yale.edu

required Courses

For a complete list of Public Health courses, see the School of Public Health bulletin, available online at https://bulletin.yale.edu; and Yale Course Search at https://courses.yale.edu.

All Ph.D. students are required to take the following courses. Students entering the program with an M.P.H. may be exempt from EPH 608.

Research Ethics and Responsibility
Frontiers of Public Health