Department of Health Behavior (GRAD)

 

The Gillings School's Department of Health Behavior is the home for master of public health concentrations in global health, health equity and social justice and health behavior, as well as a dual master's degree and a doctoral degree. The department’s students develop the skills they need to be community change agents for issues that undermine public health both locally and globally, including: violence, obesity, cancer, HIV, health policy, and health disparities.

The Department of Health Behavior’s mission is to provide leadership in research, teaching, and practice to understand the social and behavioral determinants of health problems and develop effective interventions that are built on theory, scientific evidence, and respect for basic values of justice and human dignity in North Carolina, nationally, and internationally.

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)

The redesigned UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s master of public health (M.P.H.) program is for people who are passionate about solving urgent local and global public health problems. With a legacy of outstanding education, cutting edge research and globally recognized leadership, the UNC Gillings School is creating the next generation of public health leaders through our integrated training program and 21st-century curriculum. The Department of Health Behavior hosts the Health Behavior, Health Equity, Social Justice and Human Rights (EQUITY), and Global Health concentrations.

Master’s-to-Doctoral (M.S.P.H.-Ph.D.)

The master’s-to-doctoral program (M.S.P.H.-Ph.D.) is for bachelor’s trained students seeking the Ph.D. in health behavior. Training focuses initially on acquiring master’s level core competencies in public health and health behavior, resulting in the M.S.P.H. degree. Students then complete all requirements for the Ph.D. in health behavior.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in the Department of Health Behavior is for students with a prior M.P.H. or related master’s degree. Students are trained to lead research that will advance understanding of health-related behaviors and their determinants at all social levels as they contribute to critical public health problems. Doctoral students gain skills and knowledge in the empirical, conceptual, and theoretical foundations of the field, research methods, intervention development and evaluation, and professional development topics. Graduates apply their training to research focused on domestic and global public health problems.

Graduate Certificate in Total Worker Health®

The Department of Health Behavior and the North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center offer the Graduate Certificate in Total Worker Health® to train students from diverse disciplines to work effectively together to protect and promote workers’ health.

Carolina Graduate Certificate in Innovation for the Public Good (CIPG)

The Carolina Graduate Certificate in Innovation for the Public Good (CIPG) gives master's and doctoral students an educational pathway to explore modern change-making and practice the skills they need to help create meaningful change in the world. The certificate is sponsored by three academic units: the College of Arts and Sciences, Gillings School of Global Public Health, and the School of Education.

 

Professors

Clare Barrington, Global Health, Infectious Diseases, Minority Health, Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Noel Brewer, Biases in Health Decisions, Health Communication, Decision Making, Cancer Prevention and Control
Edwin Fisher, Diabetes, Community and Peer Interventions, Chronic Disease Management, Smoking and Smoking Cessation
Vivian Go, Global Health, Opiates, HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Substance Abuse, Violence Prevention
Carol Golin, Adherence to Chronic Medical Therapy, Patient-Provider Communication, Medical Decision Making for HIV Therapy and Prevention
Laura Linnan, Applied Research in Worksites and Other Community-Based Settings, Multiple Risk Factor Behaviors, Organizational Change
Suzanne Maman, HIV/AIDS, Global Health, Associations Between HIV and Violence
Kurt Ribisl, Tobacco Control Policy, Built Environment and Health, Cancer Prevention and Control
Deborah Tate, Obesity, Computer/Internet Interventions, Health Communication

Associate Professors

Lynn White Blanchard, Research Around Public Service (Including Community Partnerships and Collaborations), Program Evaluation, Service Learning
Carolyn Crump, Worksite Health Promotion and Evaluation, Program Planning, Management
Melissa Gilkey, Adolescent Health, Cancer Prevention, Health Services Research, Barriers to Vaccination
Shelley Golden, Public Policies and Health Behavior, Tobacco Policy, Place-Based Health
Larissa Jennings Mayo-Wison, Adolescent Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Economic/Mobile Health Interventions
Alexandra Lightfoot, Community-Based Participatory Research, Health Disparities, Healthy Choices and Behaviors to Support the Growth and Development of Youth, Educational Inequities
K. Elizabeth (Beth) Moracco, Women's Health, Violence Against Women, Evaluation Research
H. Luz McNaughton Reyes, Adolescent Health, Reproductive Health, Global Health
Nora Rosenberg, HIV/AIDS, Adolescent Health, Global Health, Women's Health, Sexual Behavior

Assistant Professors

Liz Chen, M.P.H. Concentration Lead, Adolescent Health, Design Thinking, Technology
Melissa Cox, Adolescent Health, Alcohol Use, Place-Based Health
Dane Emmerling, Pedagogy, Health Equity
Marissa Hall, Cancer Prevention Policy, Chronic Disease, Obesity Prevention
Abigail Hatcher, Interventions for Intimate Partner Violence
Lauren Hill, HIV/AIDS, Global Health
Megan Ellenson Landfried, Community Engagement, Culturally Relevant Interventions
Sarah Mills, Racial/ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Tobacco Use, Tobacco-Related Disease
Patsy Polston, Community Engagement, Health Inequities
Ha Viet Tran, HIV/AIDS, Substance Abuse, Global Health
Deshira Wallace, Cardiovascular Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, U.S. Latin and Latin American Health

Adjunct Professors

Vangie Foshee, Adolescent Violence Prevention
Robert Foss, Alcohol and Transportation-Related Injury, Adolescent Injury, Social Policy Approaches to Injury Prevention
Adam Goldstein, Tobacco Intervention
Krista Perreira, Child Development and Adolescence, Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Latino Health, Education, and Employment, Demography of Immigration
Christopher Ringwalt, Drug Prevention, Survey Research, Program Evaluation
Carol Runyan, Injury Control, Violence Prevention, Worksite Injury Prevention
Michael Schulman, Occupational Injury; Injury Prevention and Control; Work, Violence and Health Among Adolescents
Paschal Sheeran, Social Psychology, Health Behavior Change

Adjunct Associate Professors

Johanna Birckmayer, Health Policy, Tobacco Control
Lori Carter-Edwards, Aging, Evidence-Based Public Health, Minority Health, Women's Health
Susan Gaylord, Alternative Therapies and Integrative Health Care, Aging, Health Beliefs and Care Pathways
Christine Jackson, Parenting and Family-Based Public Health, Health Communication, and Community-Based Intervention
Shawn Kneipp, Health of Disadvantaged Populations; Welfare Policy, Employment, and Women’s Health
Kathleen MacQueen, (Adjunct Assistant) Qualitative Research Methods and Approaches in Research Design, Ethics in Public Health and Research (Including Applied Ethics Research), Social and Behavioral Dimensions of Clinical Trials Research (Especially HIV Prevention Trials)
Kathryn Pollak, Patient-Physician Communication, Smoking Cessation, Health Disparities
Wizdom Powell, Men's Health, Population Health Disparities, Social and Health Behavior Theory
Scott Rhodes, Sexual Health, HIV and Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention, Health Disparities Among Vulnerable Communities
LaHoma Romocki, HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health, Health Literacy, Diabetes, HPV Vaccine Feasibility, Cancer 
Celette Skinner, Cancer Screening, Cancer Genetics, Tailored Interventions
Paige Hall Smith, Violence Against Women, Women's Health, Breastfeeding
Brian Southwell, Health Communication
Deborah Stroman, Diversity and Inclusion, Sport Business, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Leadership Development
Anna Waller, Injury Prevention and Control, Data System Users (especially Database Design), Emergency Department Data and Surveillance
Godfrey Woelk, Project Design, Execution, and Analysis in HIV Prevention and Care, Maternal Health, Hypertensive Diseases of Pregnancy, Child Health, Community-Based HIV and Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention
Michael Yonas, (Adjunct Assistant) Social and Contextual Factors Associated with Youth Violence and Dating Violence, Community-Based Participatory Research

Adjunct Assistant Professors

Mary Altpeter, Health Promotion and Older Adults, Particularly Older Women; Community-Based Research and Health Promotion with Older Adults; Community-Based Research with Rural Populations
Amrita Bhowmick, Health Care Marketing
Stephanie Baker, Racial Inequities in Cancer Care Treatment
Marcy Boynton, Novel Applications of Intensive Repeated Measures Designs, Health Communication, Effect of Stress and Coping Processes on Health Decision-Making
Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, Impact of Incarceration on Health Outcomse
Felicia Browne, HIV Behavioral Intervention
Justin Byron, Health Communication, Tobacco Control
Ewan Cobran, Cancer, Health Disparities
Delesha Miller Carpenter, Chronic Disease Self-Management, Patient-Provider Communication, Social Support
Lori Carter-Edwards, Cardiovascular Disease, Community Engagement, Evidence-Based Public Health, Faith-Based Organizational Health Promotion, Diabetes, Obesity, Health Disparities, Health Equity, Hypertension
Ewan Cobran, Oncology, Medically Underserved Populations and Cancer Health Disparities
Donald Conserve, HIV Prevention, Treatment, and Care Among Multiple Populations
Melissa Cox, Adolescent and Young Adult Alcohol Abuse
Robert Flewelling, Substance Abuse Prevention, Community-Based Intervention, Adolescent Health Risk Behaviors
Moses Goldmon, Minority Health, Obesity, Public Health Leadership, Community Engagement
Jennifer Gierisch, Cancer Prevention/Control, Health Communication, Chronic Disease Management, Mental Health, Tobacco Use Prevention/Control, Women's Health
Lisa Gilbert, Sexual and Reproductive Health, STD/HIV Prevention and Sex Education, Health Communication, Behavior Change Theory and Practice, Adolescent and Women's Health
Susan Haws, Adolescent Health, School-Based Health, Substance Abuse
Megan Lewis, Social Relationships and Health, Cardiovascular Disease, Social Ecology
Kathleen MacQueen, Social, Behavioral and Ethical Aspects of Biomedical HIV Prevention Trials; Vaccines, Microbicides and PrEP
David McCoy, American Indian Health, Health Care of Rural and Minority Populations, Budgetary and Policy Aspects of the Delivery of Health Care
Margaret Molloy, Prevention, Health Behavior Change, Health Policy
Allison Myers, Tobacco Control, Public Health Policy, Health Equity 
Melva Fager Okun, Tobacco Cessation, Nutrition, Physical Activity
Robert Pleasants, Injury Prevention and Control
Cherie Rosemond, Aging, Interdisciplinary Community Engagement
English Sall, Organizational Development and Metrics and Evaluation for Social Impact and Humanitarian Aid
Arjumand Siddiqi, Social Epidemiology, Children's Health and Development, Social Policy and Health
Maihan Vu, Qualitative Research, Adolescent Health, Obesity and Physical Activity
Michael Yonas, Qualitative Research, Participatory Research Approaches, Social Determinants of Health

Adjunct Instructors

Margaret (Molly) Cannon, International Health, Diabetes Prevention/Control, Health Care Delivery, Injury Prevention/Control
Denise Dickinson, Intervention Design and Program Management, Home-Based Interventions for Families
Elizabeth French, Patient Advocacy, Professional Development
Bernard Glassman, Emerging Technologies for Health Communication, Communication About Emerging Health Technologies, Writing About Science for Results
Sally Herndon, Health Policy, Tobacco Use Prevention/Control
Maija Leiff, Carolina Collaborative for Research on Work and Health (CCRWH)
Alexis Moore, (Lecturer), Community-Based and Rural Health Promotion, Lay Health Advisors, Breast and Cervical Cancer
Ingrid Morris, Health Policy, Health Promotion, Obesity Prevention
Carol Patterson, Obesity Prevention, Coping Mechanisms for Chronic Illness, Community Networking in Research Endeavors
Patsy Polston, Water Research, Healthy Environments for Underserved Populations
Elizabeth Stern, Intimate Partner Violence, Training and Education, Latino Health, Sexual Violence
Karen Strazza, Community-Based Public Health, Community-Based Participatory Research, Minority Health, International Health
Katherine Turner, International Women's Health, Education and Training, Sexual and Reproductive Health Education and Counseling, Cultural Competency (Especially on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health)
Gina Upchurch, Health Policy, Aging, Pharmaceutical Care
Amy Vincus, Global Monitoring and Evaluation, Adolescent Health, Substance Use Prevention, Sexual Violence
Karen Webb, Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Coalition-Building

Professors Emeriti

Brenda DeVellis
Robert DeVellis

Jo Anne L. Earp
Leslie Lytle

Allan Steckler

HBEH

Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level Courses

IDEAs in Action General Education logoHBEH 411.  Pathways to Effective Community Engagement.  2 Credits.  

This course is designed to provide a framework for students to reflect on their existing public service and community engagement experiences, critically examine important issue areas, build skills and consider how what they are learning may inform their career paths. Students will participate in weekly group lecture and recitation sessions as well as completing at least 30 hours of work in partnership with a community organization.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-SERVICE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Service Learning.  
Grading Status: Pass/Fail.  
HBEH 510.  Foundations of Equity, Ethics, and Engagement in Public Health.  3 Credits.  

Students will 1) explore how health inequities appear in different populations; 2) examine historical and relevant events to unpack how these inequities came to be; and 3) gain an overview of self-reflective and community engagement strategies used by health behavior practitioners and researchers to ethically partner with others to identify and address health inequities.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 520.  Introduction to Global Health.  3 Credits.  

This course introduces fundamental terminology, frameworks, problems, and solutions in global health. We will explore the historical and modern-day influences that have shaped the systems, issues, actors, and priorities of global health today. This course will expose students to: critical global health challenges; leaders across diverse sectors who are working to develop innovative solutions, policies, and programs to address these challenges; and roles that students can play to contribute to improving global health.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 531.  Community Engagement and Assessment to Advance Health Equity and Social Justice.  3 Credits.  

Engaging communities to identify their strengths, needs and priorities and determine action steps to address them is at the core of public health practice. Conducting a health assessment with communities is an essential public health function required in local and global contexts. This class will examine approaches to the assessment process, compare qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, and examine strategies for ensuring effective and equitable community engagement throughout the assessment process.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 532.  Development and Evaluation of Health Behavior Interventions.  4 Credits.  

This course will provide exposure to interventions designed to address determinants of health issues across all levels of the social ecological framework. Students will think critically about the purpose, design, and success of public health interventions. Throughout the course, students will learn the relevant terminology, frameworks, and processes to design, adapt, implement, and evaluate interventions in health behavior.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, SPHG 352 or instructor permission for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 609.  Leadership for Alternative Breaks.  2 Credits.  

This experiential service-learning course will focus on interpersonal leadership theories, skill development, and application, with an in-depth emphasis on leadership as a behavior (i.e., self in relation to others). Students in this course serve as alternative break leaders through the APPLES Service-Learning Program. Leadership practices learned in this course will be directly applied to their experience as a break leader and to long-term leadership growth and development.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Service Learning.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 610.  Alternative Spring Break.  2 Credits.  

This course will explore issues, theories, and experiences relevant to social action, coalition building, and social change. The content of this course will be examined by confronting the possibilities and limitations of service and service-learning as it relates to APPLES Alternative Spring Break experiences.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Service Learning.  
Grading Status: Pass/Fail.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoHBEH 611.  Philanthropy as a Tool for Social Change.  3 Credits.  

In this course students learn about and experience the process of awarding grants to local agencies. In addition to participating in the grant-making process, students learn about the nonprofit sector and the philosophy and practice of philanthropy through readings, class exercises, and guest speakers.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-SERVICE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Service Learning.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 625.  Injury as a Public Health Problem.  3 Credits.  

This course examines unintentional injuries from a public health perspective. The course covers core concepts in injury prevention and control, including the epidemiology of unintentional injury, prevention strategies, behavioral models, child and adolescent injury, messaging framing, the Haddon matrix, and injury surveillance.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Corequisite, EPID 600.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EPID 625, MHCH 625.  
HBEH 626.  Violence as a Public Health Problem.  3 Credits.  

This course covers core concepts in violence prevention and control, including the epidemiology of violence, prevention strategies for inter-personal and intra-personal violence, behavioral models that describe power structures that reinforce personal and societal factors affecting self-harm and violence towards others, and violence directed towards children and adolescents.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EPID 626, MHCH 626.  
HBEH 690.  Special Topics in Health Behavior.  1-3 Credits.  

Special topics in health behavior. An experimental course designed for faculty who wish to offer a new course. Content will vary from semester to semester.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 6 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

Graduate-level Courses

HBEH 700.  Foundations of Health Equity, Social Justice and Human Rights.  3 Credits.  

This is a required course for masters' students in the EQUITY concentration. The course will expose students to the broad context through which public health practitioners and researchers understand and address public health issues in regards to health equity, social justice and human rights. This course will provide students with an overview of the field, as well as an introduction to concepts and topics that are relevant across the MPH curriculum.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 701.  A Holistic Approach to Understanding & Achieving Health Equity.  3 Credits.  

This course will take a holistic approach to understanding and achieving health equities. We will explore how inequities appear in different populations; examine historical and relevant events to unpack how these inequities came to be; and identify strategies to intervene to reduce or eliminate these inequities. We will identify and develop a model to be utilized as a tool when addressing public health related issues.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 705.  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Health: A Population Perspective.  3 Credits.  

This seminar course explores health challenges faced by LGBT populations. Discussions will span a variety of health behaviors and outcomes, determinants of health, developmental stages, identities, and settings. Students will be able to identify conceptual frameworks and considerations relevant in LGBT health research and practice.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 706.  Effective Training for Global Health.  1 Credits.  

Students are introduced to adult learning principles, effective training methods, course design and evaluation for international audiences and settings, and characteristics of culturally-competent trainers. Students work in teams to: design a course and activity; facilitate the activity; and provide and incorporate feedback to foster peer sharing and learning.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 710.  Community Capacity, Competence, and Power.  3 Credits.  

The nature and delineation of participatory action research and its relevance to concepts, principles, and practices of community empowerment. Students learn methods (such as photovoice) through learning projects.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 715.  Communication for Health-Related Decision Making.  2 Credits.  

Course provides foundation and skills to understand and improve decision making that affects people's health. It teaches theoretical basis and evidence-based applications of health-related decision making.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 720.  Leading for Racial Equity: Examining Structural Issues of Race and Class.  2 Credits.  

This multidisciplinary seminar prepares participants from graduate programs and communities to address the challenges of racial, ethnic, and tribal equity. Co-instructors promote applied leadership through: a firm definition and analysis of racism, power, and privilege; historic and current structures that sustain inequities; and anti-racism tools and resources for system change.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 723.  Critical History of Public Health.  3 Credits.  

This course critically examines the history of public health as a mechanism for understanding current issues in public health. Using critical theory, students will analyze a variety of topics through a historical lens, critiquing the institutions, power dynamics, ideologies, practices, and consequences of various public health efforts, particularly as they relate to engaging with communities. Students should have at least one year of public health coursework.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 726.  Adolescent Health.  3 Credits.  

Topics covered include the epidemiology of health problems, developmental issues, health services, and psychosocial influences on adolescent problem behaviors. Course materials are useful for research generation and practical application. Three seminar hours per week.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: MHCH 726.  
HBEH 730.  Theoretical Foundations of Health Behavior.  3 Credits.  

This course will provide an overview of social and behavioral science theories and frameworks that are currently used to: 1) understand health related behaviors; and 2) guide development of interventions and policies designed to prevent, reduce or eliminate major public health problems. We will use an ecological framework to examine theories at multiple levels of the social ecology, focusing on applications that will impact health at the population level.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 735.  Applied Intersectionality for Public Health.  3 Credits.  

This course will introduce some of the foundational thinking that has given rise to intersectionality as a framework for understanding the intersection of multiple marginalized populations in health equity. The course will also survey methods and measurement approaches in intersectionality research. The latter part of the course will focus on applications of intersectionality research in public health, including implementation science and public policy.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 744.  Research Practicum for MSPH-to-PhD Students I.  1-2 Credits.  

Individually designed and mentored research practicum for enhancing knowledge and skills in research through work on a research project.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 2 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 745.  Research Practicum for MSPH-to-PhD Students II.  1-2 Credits.  

Mentored research practicum in writing a publishable manuscript.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HBEH 744.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 2 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 746.  Community-Led Capstone Project.  3 Credits.  

Capstone (HBEH 746/992) is a year-long, community-led, group-based, mentored service-learning course that gives students an opportunity to apply HB MPH knowledge and skills to community-identified public health projects in partnership with local organizations. As the culminating experience of the HB MPH program, the products produced for this course serve as a substitute to The Graduate School's master's thesis requirement.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 748.  Design Thinking for the Public Good.  3 Credits.  

This course will train an interdisciplinary group of graduate students to apply the mindsets, methods, and process associated with design thinking (i.e. human-centered design) to solve real world problems. Design thinking is a creative problem solving process that prioritizes ethnographic market research, convergent and divergent thinking, as well as rapid prototyping. Students will collaborate with community members to design solutions (products, services, etc.) that are desirable, feasible, and viable.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLCY 748.  
HBEH 749.  mHealth for Behavior Change.  2 Credits.  

This special topics seminar examines the impact and potential of mobile health interventions and apps for health behavior change. The overall course objective is to understand state of the science and future potential to leverage mobile phones and wearable technologies in innovative and powerful behavior change interventions to improve health. The course considers adaptation of eHealth interventions for mobile delivery, unique opportunities with mHealth, data collection via mobile devices and sensors, and using the data.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: NUTR 749.  
HBEH 750.  Interpreting Health Behavior Research.  2 Credits.  

This course reviews quantitative methods in health behavior research, focusing on validity of conclusions drawn from observational and evaluation studies. The goal is to help public health practitioners be savvy consumers of published research studies and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of planned programs. Permission of the instructor required for non-majors.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 752.  Health Behavior Survey Methods.  2 Credits.  

This course is a critical examination and application of the concepts and methodologies necessary for effectively selecting, adapting, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based public health interventions. Restricted to Health Behavior MPH Concentration Students, others must seek permission of instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 753.  Qualitative Methods in Health Behavior.  3 Credits.  

Approaches to designing qualitative research studies for the development and evaluation of public health programs. Emphasis is on the practice of collecting and analyzing data from individual interviews, focus group discussions, and observations. All students in the course are required to have completed CITI Human Subjects Training. Information on completing the training can be found at the CITI website: http://www.citiprogram.org/default.asp?language=english.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HBEH 750.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 754.  Advanced Qualitative Research Methods in Health Behavior and Health Research.  3 Credits.  

This course provides advanced graduate students in public health and related fields the opportunity to explore different analytic approaches and techniques and develop analysis and writing skills. Students will apply methods they learn to analyze, interpret and write-up the results of their own qualitative research.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HBEH 753.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 756.  Social and Peer Support in Health: An Ecological and Global Perspective.  3 Credits.  

Course will survey social support in health, including the nature and key processes of social support, cultural influences in different countries, and approaches to promoting peer support in health promotion around the world. Term assignment will entail planning a peer support program or research project of the student's choice.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 760.  Research Methods with Health Behavior Applications I.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor for non-majors. Fundamentals of quantitative research in health behavior, including conceptualization of research questions and hypotheses, sampling, and experimental and observational research designs.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 761.  Applied Statistical Methods in Health Behavior Research I.  3 Credits.  

Fundamentals of statistical inference and estimation and hypothesis testing for linear models (ANOVA, ANCOVA, regression analysis) with continuous and categorical outcome data. Applications with health behavior data. Permission of the instructor for non-majors.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 762.  Multilevel Modeling with Applications to Health Behavior.  1-3 Credits.  

This course prepares students to analyze nested or longitudinal data using random coefficient models using SAS. Three hours per week.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HBEH 761.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 763.  Scale Development Methods.  3 Credits.  

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a foundational theoretical knowledge of psychological assessment and a skills-oriented understanding of common qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques for scale construction. A secondary course objective is to expose students to structural latent variable models and related advanced latent variable modeling techniques relevant to scale development. This course is intended for doctoral students. Previously offered as HBEH 852.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HBEH 750; Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 765.  Cancer Prevention and Control Seminar.  3 Credits.  

An interdisciplinary overview of cancer prevention and control. Emphasis on projects and activities from perspectives of epidemiology, health behavior and education, and health policy and management. Appropriate research design and methodologies are covered.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: HPM 765, EPID 772.  
HBEH 770.  Social Determinants of Health in the US.  3 Credits.  

This course examines the social, economic, cultural, organizational, and institutional factors that impact public and population health in the US. These factors include population characteristics (social class, age, gender, cultural background, race, ethnicity), individual beliefs and behaviors, and socio-political systems and practices that affect public health problems and policies. Although the course focuses on the United States, many of the same factors affect health and longevity across population subgroups in other countries.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 772.  Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Health Behavior Interventions.  2 Credits.  

Designed to provide practical tools that can be used in real world settings, this course will examine methods to plan health behavior interventions and determine if and how a particular health-related program works. Several major types of evaluation will be covered, with emphasis on process and impact evaluation. Restricted to Health Behavior MPH Concentration Students.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, SPHG 711, SPHG 712, SPHG 713, HBEH 730, and HBEH 750.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 775.  Introduction to Public Health Policy and The Policy-Making Process.  3 Credits.  

This course introduces skills needed to effectively assess and influence a four phase policy process: 1) Defining the problem toward structural solutions; 2) Developing a policy or structural solution by using systems thinking and policy agenda windows and applying policy analysis tools to optimize the solution; 3) Using advocacy strategies to influence the solution toward enactment; and 4) Clarifying the implementation components that need to be in place and the political games that ensue.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 780.  Program Planning and Proposal Development for Global Health.  3 Credits.  

This course is designed to introduce students to key concepts in global health program planning and proposal development. You will learn how to consider context when designing programs, design programs based on theory and evidence, and consider key operational issues in planning. This is a required course for the Global Health MPH concentration. For those outside of the concentration, permission to enroll will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Restricted to Global Health MPH students.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 782.  Professional Development for Global Health.  1 Credits.  

Professional Development is part of the required training sequence for second year MPH students in the Global Health concentration.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, MHCH 780 and HBEH 781.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 784.  Implementation Science in Global Health.  3 Credits.  

Implementation science aims to improve health through the translation of evidence-based intervention into routine care. This course will provide an overview of the foundational skills of implementation science in global health including tailoring to the local context, systematic approaches to identifying implementation barriers and selecting appropriate implementation strategies, and using rigorous study designs to evaluate implementation outcomes. Restricted to students enrolled in the Global Health MPH Concentration.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 785.  Critical issues in work, worker and workplace health.  3 Credits.  

This course prepares students to contribute as members of an interdisciplinary team to protect and promote workers' health. Students will learn that work is a social determinant of health and explore the context in which worker health protection/promotion practitioners work. Students will be able to summarize key regulations and policies that impact work and worker health.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ENVR 795.  
HBEH 786.  Essential Methods for Evaluating Worker and Workplace Health.  3 Credits.  

Required course for the graduate certificate in Total Worker Health. Students in this course will develop skills for deploying a comprehensive, multi-level assessment of worker and workplace health. Students will draw on the evidence base to articulate a plan for engaging employees in assessments; describe how to conduct individual worker assessments ethically and legally; conduct several types of organizational assessment; summarize administrative data (such as use of sick leave in the worksite) and practice communicating.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 787.  Planning, Implementing and Evaluating Total Worker Health Interventions.  3 Credits.  

Required course for the graduate certificate in Total Worker Health. Students in this course will apply the Comprehensive Planning-Implementation-Evaluation Framework to recommend a Total Worker Health intervention to address the needs of a specific group of workers. They will learn to use multiple data sources to identify a priority worker health/safety issue; identify and/or adapt worker-health interventions from the literature; and write an implementation and evaluation plan for their Total Worker Health intervention.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Pre- or corequisite, HBEH 785 or ENVR 795.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 790.  Racialization and Health.  3 Credits.  

Racialization, or the process of race making in time and place, is a concept that is foundational to public health practice and research. This course will use historical and sociological perspectives to learn about the construction of ethnoracial groups across the Americas, how racialization is defined in law, manifested in geography, medicine, and occupation. We will also apply the racialization framework to the critique racialized data in public health.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 799.  Special Studies in Behavior Change.  1-6 Credits.  

Experimental course to be offered by faculty to determine the need and demand for the subject. Topics will be chosen by faculty based on current public health issues.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 811.  Development and Evaluation of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Interventions.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor for non-majors. Doctoral seminar on application of theory and empirical evidence to intervention development, evaluation paradigms, and methods of process and outcome evaluations.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 812.  Professional Development for Doctoral Students I.  2 Credits.  

Focus is on professional development competencies needed for doctoral training and career advancement. Emphasis is on topics relevant to students early in training.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 813.  Professional Development for Doctoral Students II.  1 Credits.  

Focus is on professional development competencies needed for doctoral training and career advancement. Emphasis is on topics relevant to students nearing the dissertation phase and training completion.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 815.  Foundations of Health Behavior I.  3 Credits.  

A critical examination of the conceptual, theoretical, and empirical bases of public health and health education, health transitions, globalization, and issues around social justice. Restricted to doctoral students majoring or minoring in Health Behavior.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 816.  Foundations of Health Behavior II.  3 Credits.  

A critical examination of the social determinants of health, health disparities, principles of individual and collective behavior and behavior change, and the role of health behavior in emerging public health issues. Restricted to doctoral students majoring or minoring in Health Behavior.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 825.  Seminar in Interdisciplinary Health Communication.  3 Credits.  

Permission required for non-majors. Interdisciplinary overview of communication theory and research and critical analysis of applications of theory to interventions using communication for health. Three hours per week.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HBEH 730.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: MEJO 825.  
HBEH 842.  Primary Practicum for Doctoral Students.  1-4 Credits.  

Individually designed and mentored practicum for gaining and strengthening skills in research.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 843.  Secondary Practicum for Doctoral Students.  1-4 Credits.  

Individually designed and mentored practicum for gaining and strengthening skills in teaching, research, or another area relevant to professional goals.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 851.  Causal Modeling and Structural Equations.  3 Credits.  

This seminar is designed to refine a wide range of research skills in health behavior by using data collected by others. Three seminar hours per week.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, BIOS 545; Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 860.  Research Proposal Development.  3 Credits.  

Restricted to doctoral students in department. Integration and application of detailed components of research methods to preparation and writing of a research grant proposal. Introduction to proposal submission and review process for various funding agencies.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 861.  Global Mental Health.  3 Credits.  

Global fundamentals, characteristics, public health impacts, prevention, and management of mental health and mental illness. Master's and doctoral students, fellows, and upper-level undergraduates.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 891.  Special Studies in Behavior Change.  1-6 Credits.  

An independent course designed for study areas of natural or planned change; personal and nonpersonal methods, in health related fields. To be arranged with faculty in each case.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 892.  Special Topics in Program Design and Evaluation.  1-6 Credits.  

Required preparation, to be arranged with the faculty in each case. An independent course of study designed for students who wish to pursue advanced studies in program design and evaluation. Repeatable within degree (for six hours).

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 893.  Special Studies in Behavior Change.  1-6 Credits.  

An independent course of study for students who wish to pursue studies in social class and variations in planned change. To be arranged with faculty in each case. Fall, spring, and summer.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 897.  Advanced Topics in Health Behavior.  1-6 Credits.  

For doctoral students who wish to pursue an independent study or research in a selected area. Student will work with a faculty member in designing the study.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 960.  Principles and Practices of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.  3 Credits.  

This course is designed to introduce medical students and other health professionals to the underlying philosophies, practitioners, techniques, and evidence of efficacy of alternative therapeutics currently in use in the United States, including chiropractic, dietary, mind-body, acupuncture, homeopathy, and healing.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HBEH 992.  Master's (Non-Thesis).  3 Credits.  

Capstone is a year-long, group-based, mentored, service-learning course. Over the course of two semesters, each team works with a partner organization and its stakeholders to produce a set of deliverables. Capstone sessions provide opportunities for students to prepare for, reflect upon, cross-share about, and present their Capstone projects. Majors only.

HBEH 994.  Doctoral Research and Dissertation.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) — Health Behavior Concentration

The Health Behavior concentration prepares students for leadership positions in public health practice. Through coursework and a year-long service-learning project, students will gain experience using social and behavioral science to develop, implement, and evaluate programs and policies. Graduates of this concentration are equipped to promote health, prevent disease and injury, foster social justice, and reduce health inequities at all levels of the social ecological framework — from the individual to organizations, communities, and policies.

Requirements

Requirements for the M.P.H. degree in the Health Behavior concentration

M.P.H. Integrated Core
SPHG 711Data Analysis for Public Health Fall 12
SPHG 712Methods and Measures for Public Health Practice Fall 12
SPHG 713Systems Approaches to Understanding Public Health Issues Fall 12
SPHG 701Leading from the Inside-Out Spring 12
SPHG 721Public Health Solutions: Systems, Policy and Advocacy Spring 12
SPHG 722Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating Public Health Solutions (MPH Comprehensive Exam administered in class) Spring 14
M.P.H. Practicum
SPHG 703MPH Pre-Practicum Assignments Spring 10.5
SPHG 705MPH Practicum (200 minimum hours) Summer 10
SPHG 707MPH Post-Practicum Assignments Fall 20.5
M.P.H. Concentration
HBEH 730Theoretical Foundations of Health Behavior Fall 13
HBEH 750Interpreting Health Behavior Research Fall 12
HBEH 752Health Behavior Survey Methods Spring 12
HBEH 753Qualitative Methods in Health Behavior Spring 13
HBEH 746Community-Led Capstone Project Fall 23
HBEH 772Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Health Behavior Interventions Fall 22
M.P.H. Electives
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
M.P.H. Culminating Experience
HBEH 992Master's (Non-Thesis) Spring 23
Total Hours42

Competencies

Students will develop the following Health Behavior competencies, building on the foundational public health knowledge they attain in the Gillings M.P.H. Integrated Core courses.

HBEH01. Identify health behavior and social science theories, integrate constructs across levels of social ecological framework, and apply conceptual models to public health practice.
HBEH02. Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative research findings and their relevance to health behavior practice.
HBEH03. Develop qualitative data collection and analysis skills for health behavior practice.
HBEH04. Develop, adapt and evaluate health behavior programs and policies and scale them up using implementation science.
HBEH05. Engage with communities using participatory strategies and principles of effective partnerships to plan, implement, evaluate, and disseminate health behavior programs.

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) — Health Equity, Social Justice, and Human Rights Concentration

Students in the interdisciplinary Health Equity, Social Justice, and Human Rights (EQUITY) concentration develop the skills to improve population health through identifying health inequities and eliminating them with innovative approaches. Graduates possess a foundational understanding of how social determinants contribute to health inequities and have hands-on experience applying strategies, methods, and interventions to advance social justice and human rights.

Requirements  

Requirements for the M.P.H. degree in the Health Equity, Social Justice, and Human Rights concentration

M.P.H. Integrated Core
SPHG 711Data Analysis for Public Health Fall 12
SPHG 712Methods and Measures for Public Health Practice Fall 12
SPHG 713Systems Approaches to Understanding Public Health Issues Fall 12
SPHG 701Leading from the Inside-Out Spring 12
SPHG 721Public Health Solutions: Systems, Policy and Advocacy Spring 12
SPHG 722Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating Public Health Solutions (MPH Comprehensive Exam administered in class) Spring 14
M.P.H. Practicum
SPHG 703MPH Pre-Practicum Assignments Spring 10.5
SPHG 705MPH Practicum (200 minimum hours) Summer 10
SPHG 707MPH Post-Practicum Assignments Fall 20.5
M.P.H. Concentration
HBEH 720Leading for Racial Equity: Examining Structural Issues of Race and Class Fall 12
HBEH 700Foundations of Health Equity, Social Justice and Human Rights Fall 13
ENVR 784Community-Driven Research and Environmental Justice Spring 12
EPID 826Introduction to Social Epidemiology Fall 22
PUBH 748Leadership in Health Policy for Social Justice Fall 23
HBEH 746Community-Led Capstone Project Fall 23
M.P.H. Electives
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
M.P.H. Culminating Experience
HBEH 992Master's (Non-Thesis) Spring 23
Total Hours42

Competencies 

Students will develop the following Health Equity, Social Justice, and Human Rights competencies, building on the foundational public health knowledge they attain in the Gillings M.P.H. Integrated Core courses.

HSH01. Critically evaluate the ways in which current and historical policies, institutions, and groups influence social determinants of health and contribute to inequities in health across the life course.
HSH02. Integrate relevant strategies, methodologies, and measures for research, practice, and policies that advance health equity, social justice, and human rights.
HSH03. Interpret data to identify the systemic inequities across multiple sectors, such as health, education, criminal justice, business, housing, and economic development.
HSH04. Critique multilevel, structural, and systems approaches to public health research and practice using principles of health equity, social justice, and human rights.
HSH05. Evaluate how health programs and policies address health equity, social justice, and human rights.
HSH06. Incorporate cultural humility principles in public health research, practice, and policy.

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) — Global Health Concentration

Designed to train professionals to solve public health problems locally and globally, the Global Health concentration provides students with skills to advance the health and well-being of populations in diverse global settings. Students will gain skills in the development, implementation, and evaluation of public health programs and projects that are aligned with local culture, contexts, and resources. This concentration is available only in a residential format.

Requirements  

Requirements for the M.P.H. degree in the Global Health concentration

M.P.H. Integrated Core
SPHG 711Data Analysis for Public Health Fall 12
SPHG 712Methods and Measures for Public Health Practice Fall 12
SPHG 713Systems Approaches to Understanding Public Health Issues Fall 12
SPHG 701Leading from the Inside-Out Spring 12
SPHG 721Public Health Solutions: Systems, Policy and Advocacy Spring 12
SPHG 722Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating Public Health Solutions (MPH Comprehensive Exam administered in class) Spring 14
M.P.H. Practicum
SPHG 703MPH Pre-Practicum Assignments Spring 10.5
SPHG 705MPH Practicum (200 minimum hours) Summer 10
SPHG 707MPH Post-Practicum Assignments Fall 20.5
M.P.H. Concentration
PUBH 711Critical Issues in Global Health Fall 13
MHCH 780Cultural Humility Fall 11
HBEH 780Program Planning and Proposal Development for Global Health Spring 13
HBEH 784Implementation Science in Global Health Fall 23
HBEH 782Professional Development for Global Health Fall 21
MHCH 723Introduction to Monitoring and Evaluation Spring 23
PUBH 710Introduction to Global Health Ethics Spring 21
M.P.H. Electives
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
M.P.H. Culminating Experience
ENVR 992Master's Technical Report Spring 23
Total Hours42

Competencies 

Students will develop the following Global Health competencies, building on the foundational public health knowledge they attain in the Gillings M.P.H. Integrated Core courses.

GLBH01. Analyze how the roles, relationships, and resources of entities influencing global health policies and practices affect disparities in health outcomes.
GLBH02. Develop methods to select, recruit, and engage a diverse range of stakeholders to advance research, policy, and practice in global health and to achieve sustainable results in resource-constrained settings.
GLBH03. Develop skills for monitoring and evaluating the processes and outcomes of global health programs and policies.
GLBH04. Apply strategies to work effectively in diverse local and global sociocultural and political settings.
GLBH05. Apply ethical approaches in global health research and practice.

Admissions

Please visit Applying to the Gillings School first for details and information. Application to the residential M.P.H. is a two-step process. Please apply separately to (1) SOPHAS and (2) UNC–Chapel Hill (via the Graduate School application). Visit https://gradschool.sites.unc.edu/master-of-public-health/ for more details. If you are interested in the online M.P.H., please visit the MPH@UNC website and fill out an inquiry form.

Milestones

The following list of milestones (non-course degree requirements) must be completed; view this list of standard milestone definitions for more information. 

Practicum

Prior to beginning a practicum, students must: 1) have final grades in SPHG 711, SPHG 712, SPHG 713, SPHG 701, SPHG 721, SPHG 722 and SPHG 703 and 2) receive approval from the practicum team to begin their practicum hours.

To satisfy degree requirements, a Gillings M.P.H. practicum must:

  • Be an applied public health practice experience that addresses a health issue from a community or population (not individual) perspective.
  • Take place in a professional public health setting such as a health department, nonprofit organization, hospital or for-profit firm. To be appropriate for a practicum, University-affiliated settings must be primarily focused on community engagement, typically with external partners. University health promotion or wellness centers may also be appropriate. Faculty-supervised lab settings are not appropriate for the practicum.
  • Allow for the application of graduate-level public health skills.
  • Yield at least two student-generated, practical, non-academic work products (e.g., project plans, grant proposals, training manuals or lesson plans, surveys, memos, videos, podcasts, presentations, spreadsheets, websites, photos with accompanying explanatory text, or other digital artifacts of learning), produced for the practicum site’s use and benefit, that demonstrate attainment of five CEPH M.P.H. Foundational Competencies.
  • Be mentored by a supervisor (preceptor) with public health expertise and experience to guide the practicum work. (See “Preceptor Requirements” below.)
  • Take place in a location approved for student travel (UNC Travel Policy), and the student must complete UNC Gillings International Pre-Departure Travel Requirements prior to travel if applicable.
  • Comprise a minimum of 200 hours (equivalent to five weeks of full-time work).

Comprehensive Exam (Master's Written Exam)

A milestone degree requirement for all graduate students at UNC–Chapel Hill, including M.P.H. students at the Gillings School of Public Health, is the comprehensive exam. The comprehensive exam will cover the public health foundational knowledge and competencies covered in the  M.P.H. Core courses: SPHG 711, 712, 713, 721, 722. Students will have an opportunity to demonstrate synthesis and higher order learning of the 22 core competencies achieved in the M.P.H. Core courses during the exam. The written exam will be administered in SPHG 722 and graded by Gillings faculty.  Clear instructions on how to prepare for and complete the comprehensive exam will be provided.  Should students not successfully pass the comprehensive exam a remediation plan will be developed. Students cannot retake the comprehensive exam for 90 days after the initial exam and must be registered in at least one credit while taking the comprehensive exam. 

Culminating Experience (Thesis Substitute)

M.P.H. students must have permanent grades in all M.P.H. Core or concentration courses before taking the culminating experience (992) course. An Incomplete in any M.P.H. Core or concentration course will prevent a student from beginning the culminating experience (992) course. Each student completes a 3-credit culminating experience and produces a high-quality written product that is completed in the last term of the program of study. The high-quality written product demonstrates a synthesis of two foundational and two concentration-specific competencies appropriate to the student’s educational and professional goals. This culminating experience ideally is delivered in a manner that is useful to external stakeholders, such as nonprofit or governmental organizations, and could take the form of a course-based capstone project or master’s paper but will be tailored to the concentration a student chooses.

Academic Advising and Faculty Mentoring 

We are committed to providing quality academic advising and mentoring for all students. We ensure that M.P.H. students get the guidance they need with several components: 1) an orientation program that provides an overview of the types and sources of M.P.H. advising; 2) cohort advising sessions in year 1 to disseminate information that is relevant to course planning and registration (one-on-one advising is available to students at any point). One-on-one advising in year two as students prepare for graduation; 3) faculty mentoring that provides students with tailored support for their academic, professional, personal development, and practicum support.

M.P.H. students will complete a 14-credit-hour Integrated Core taught by an interdisciplinary team of instructors. The 6-credit first semester focuses on understanding public health issues, and the second semester, 8-credit focuses on creating solutions to those issues.

All M.P.H. students complete COMPASS (Core Online Modules to Promote and Accelerate Student Success). These self-paced online modules are open for students prior to their first academic year. Students can complete any and all parts of COMPASS up to and including the first week of class.

Electives

Students in the M.P.H. program are required to take 9 credits of elective coursework. Students are expected to use their electives in a thoughtful way to strengthen their public health knowledge/skills and are encouraged to consult with their academic coordinator early prior to the registration period for this purpose. In addition to those courses offered in the Gillings School there are many appropriate electives elsewhere in the University. 

For information on policies and procedures, please visit the Gillings School Student Handbook website.

Residency Requirements

Exit Survey

Department of Health Behavior

Visit Program Website

Chair

Kurt M. Ribisl

kurt_ribisl@unc.edu

Vice Chair for Academic Affairs

Shelley Golden

shelley_golden@unc.edu

Academic Program Support Specialist

Rachel Evans

rachme95@email.unc.edu