Advanced Certificate in Public Health

ONLINE PROGRAM 

The Public Health Advanced Certificate is a 15 credit program consisting of the five core public health courses. It is designed to provide a set of integral skills and knowledge for all public health professions, training students to think critically about the health challenges of populations and gain deeper understanding of multiple factors that lead to these challenges. The Public Health Advanced Certificate will enable students to approach public health problems using an array of evidence-based approaches, tools, and methods.

Most students should be able to complete the certificate program in one year. All courses are available online in both the fall and spring semesters.

Completion of this certificate program will prepare students for the Certified in Public Health (CPH) exam, which is the only professional certification in public health. Learn more here: https://www.nbphe.org.

The credits earned in the certificate program may be applied to the CUNY MPH program or transferred into academic programs at other institutions (subject to transfer policies). The maximum number of allowable transfer credits that can be transferred into the advanced certificate is 3 credits. These credits must be at the graduate level, from an accredited public health program, with a grade of B or better, and should not have been used toward another degree.

Students who successfully complete the Public Health Advanced Certificate will be eligible to apply to  the CUNY MPH degree program through a streamlined process.

Please note that financial aid and student loans are not available for this certificate program. You may be eligible for payment plans with CUNY. For more information on payment plans, please review the SPH payment options page.

For students who began matriculating in Spring 2019 or earlier, please review the previous curriculum for the Advanced Certificate in Public Health here.

Admission Requirements

  • SOPHAS Express online application
  • Application fee: $50
  • Bachelor’s degree in any discipline (GPA of at least 3.0)
  • Please upload any official or unofficial copies of your transcripts directly to the SOPHAS express application
  • Resume or CV
  • Personal statement/statement of purpose (500 words maximum)
  • TOEFL scores are required if language of instruction for prior degrees was not English
  • Transcript evaluation from WES or ECE for international transcripts

Deadline to Apply

  • Fall 2023: May 1, 2023

For students who began matriculating in Spring 2019 or earlier, please review the previous curriculum for the Advanced Certificate in Public Health here.

Required Coursework PUBH 610 Public Health Leadership & Management
PUBH 611 Health Equity, Communication, and Advocacy
PUBH 612 Designing and Evaluating Public Health Interventions
PUBH 613 Designs, Concepts, and Methods in Public Health Research
PUBH 614 Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis Methods in Public Health Research
Elective Coursework No Electives Required
Practice Experience No Fieldwork Required
Culminating Experience No Capstone Required
Total Credits Required 15

For students who began matriculating in Spring 2019 or earlier, please review the previous competencies for the Advanced Certificate in Public Health here.

  • Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice
  • Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
  • Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate
  • Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice
  • Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings
  • Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and societal levels
  • Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health
  • Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs
  • Design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention
  • Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management
  • Select methods to evaluate public health programs
  • Discuss multiple dimensions of the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence
  • Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes
  • Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations
  • Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity
  • Apply principles of leadership, governance and management, which include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration and guiding decision making
  • Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges
  • Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors
  • Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation
  • Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content
  • Perform effectively on interprofessional teams
  • Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue
  • Apply concepts from relevant scientific disciplines, such as toxicology and physiology, to anticipate effects of environmental, occupational and nutritional exposures on both human health and overall planetary health

For students who began matriculating in Spring 2019 or earlier, please review the previous course sequence for the Advanced Certificate in Public Health here.

For students beginning their program during the fall semester:
Semester Course Credits
Year 1 Fall PUBH 610: Public Health Leadership and Management 3
PUBH 611: Health Equity, Communication, and Advocacy 3
PUBH 613: Designs, Concepts, and Methods in Public Health Research 3
Year 1 Spring PUBH 612: Designing and Evaluating Public Health Interventions 3
PUBH 614: Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis Methods in Public Health Research 3

 

For students beginning their program during the spring semester:
Semester Course Credits
Year 1 Spring PUBH 610: Public Health Leadership and Management 3
PUBH 611: Health Equity, Communication, and Advocacy 3
PUBH 613: Designs, Concepts, and Methods in Public Health Research 3
Year 1 Fall PUBH 612: Designing and Evaluating Public Health Interventions 3
PUBH 614: Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis Methods in Public Health Research 3
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