Advanced Certificate in Public Health - CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy

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.

Admissions Information

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

Curriculum

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

Competencies

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

Recommended Course Sequence

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
Year 1 Spring	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
Year 1 Fall	PUBH 614: Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis Methods in Public Health Research	3