2025-2026 Course List

Addresses the history, organization, influences, and delivery of healthcare in the United States (U.S.) and abroad. A focus will be on analyzing the factors, including the U.S. Constitution, that have shaped the healthcare system compared to other parts of the globe. Additional focus will be placed on the legal and social justice framework for urgent public health issues.

Focuses on the determinants of health, the concept of culture, and the intersection of health issues, culture, and health status. Linkages between health and development are addressed and research methods instrumental in identifying relationships between culture and health are discussed. The course examines diverse strategies for measuring health and explores how public health efforts (domestic and global) benefit from understanding and working with cultural processes. Emphasis is on the burden of disease, risk factors, populations most affected by different disease burdens, and key measures to address the burden of disease in cost-effective ways.

Presents the overarching framework, principles, sciences, and core responsibilities associated with public health practice in the United States. It provides the necessary foundation for further studies related to specific disciplines (e.g., health education and promotion or nutrition and dietetics) associated with cross-cutting approaches of public health practice.

Overviews basic principles and applications of epidemiological concepts and methods in the study of public health problems in populations. The focus of the course is on the interpretation and assessment of epidemiologic research, both descriptive and analytic, and its application to public health practice and relevance to the key disciplines of public health. Examples of the use of the principles of epidemiology will be presented so that students will have sufficient understanding to apply such principles in future public health work.

Examines and applies research methods common to public health topics. Course requires an extensive literature review as part of a research proposal.

Focuses on preventing and reducing risks associated with alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs in school and community settings. Emphasizes planning, implementing, assessing, and evaluating alcohol, tobacco, and other drug education in K-12 schools.

Human health problems comprise a wide range of infectious, degenerative, and genetically-based disease factors. In addition to these factors, human disease results from a wide range of environmental and socially- caused pathologies. This course presents the basic scientific and biomedical concepts of modern public health problems and explores, in depth, mechanisms and models of the major categories of disease. The biologic principles presented in this course are foundations to developing and implementing public health disease prevention, control, or management programs in the students future.

Designed to make students familiar with the steps of grant writing, explore the various sources of grants available to health professionals, and develop skills and competencies to successfully write grant proposals.

Specific managerial components will be emphasized, such as organizational patterns, fiscal administration, and personnel management common to the healthcare system. Administrative functions of policy settings, planning coordination, public issue involvement, and community relations will be included. Particular attention is given to the human side of management.

Explores current issues, controversies, and concerns affecting sexual health. Relationships between social, cultural, psychological, environmental, and physical factors of sexuality will be examined.

Provides a thorough background on the practical aspects of health planning, including development, adoption, and implementation of health programs.

Provides a solid theoretical and philosophical foundation for professional health education practice. Current and historical health education, theoretical and philosophical models, and concepts are explored. Application of these models and concepts to professional practice is emphasized.

Focuses on advanced development of communication and advocacy skills for the health education specialist. The course provides in-depth coverage of health communication theory, application, and evidence. Students will critique a current health communication campaign.

Reviews the basic principles and techniques used in Biostatistics and will incorporate a final project that entails analyzing data, using the SPSS program, to answer hypothesized questions, and make conclusions using the inferential statistical process.

Focuses on the complexity of health behavior change and the skills necessary for a health promotion professional to assess, plan, and evaluate behavior change interventions for individuals and communities. Health behavior change theories and strategies will be discussed. Emphasis will be given to the impact of policy and environmental influences on behavior.

Provides students with the opportunity to apply what they have learned in their courses through supervised, practical experiences in public health settings to meet the needs of the setting.

A culminating experience where students synthesize and integrate knowledge learned in their program through projects specific to their educational and professional goals. Projects are high-quality written products that address multiple competencies within the student's area of focus.

Course requires completion of Alternate Plan Paper and oral presentation for group review.

A concentrated work experience for those students preparing for a career in community health.

Credit for students working on their thesis. Permission of advisor and department chairperson required.

This course provides an orientation to the mission and core competencies of the Honors Program. Students will analyze and categorize the competency themes, identify appropriate learning goals, and develop an e-portfolio for their use in the Honors Program.

This course provides the opportunity to explore and engage in experiences, conversations, and reflections surrounding the selected colloquium topic(s). Students will learn about the topic(s) and relevant issues from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.

Students will engage in significant learning experiences outside of the traditional classroom setting. A practicum involves both experiential and reflection components. Practicums are supervised by a faculty or staff mentor.

This required portfolio course intended for students in the middle of their honors program experience allows students to develop their portfolio based on experiences they have had since completion of HONR 201. Throughout the course, students will critically examine their experiences in the competency areas and reflect on what they have learned from these experiences. This course helps students prepare for HONR 475: Honors Portfolio Capstone, which students are required to take in their final year. Final grade of B or higher in HONR 201 or permission of Honors Program Director.

Prerequisites:

Final grade of B or higher in HONR 201 or permission of Honors Program Director.

Seminars are offered by University faculty from a wide variety of disciplines. In addition, interdisciplinary seminars can be offered.