School of Public Health
Faculty
Dean
Philip Nasca, Ph.D.
State University of New York at Buffalo
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Diane Dewar, Ph.D.
University at Albany
Undergraduate Program Director
Dwight C. Williams, M.S.W.
Rutgers University
Professor
Bonnie Steinbock, Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley
Associate Professors
Diane Dewar, Ph.D.
University at Albany
Igor B. Kuznetsov, Ph.D
New York University
Jennifer Manganello, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University
Barry Sherman, Ph.D.
University of Chicago
Clinical Associate Professor
Dwight C. Williams, M.S.W.
Rutgers University
Assistant Professor
Haider Khwaja, Ph.D.
University of New Brunswick
Adjunct Professor
Brenda A. Kirkwood, Dr.PH
George Washington University
Coordinator
Lue Ellis, B.S.
College of Saint Rose
Public Health’s mission is to address the physical, mental, and environmental concerns of populations at risk for disease and injury. Through a unique partnership between the University at Albany and the New York State Department of Health, the School of Public Health trains students to promote and improve the health of the population through education, research, community service, and leadership.
The School of Public Health is comprised of four academic departments: Biomedical Sciences; Environmental Health Sciences; Epidemiology & Biostatistics; and Health Policy, Management & Behavior. The School offers an undergraduate minor in Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinay Studies with a faculty-initiated concentration in Public Health. It also offers the following graduate degrees: Master of Science, Master of Public Health, Doctor of Philosophy, and Doctor of Public Health.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Interdisciplinary Studies major with a faculty-initiated concentration in Public Health requires an application during the sophomore or junior year. Applications are reviewed by the School’s Undergraduate Committee. Applicants must have completed a minimum of 24 credits prior to admission, and must have earned a grade of B or higher in A MAT 108. In addition, students should have completed the pre-core requirements and at least one public health course.
Please visit the School’s website https://www.albany.edu/sph/ or contact Lue Ellis, the School’s Undergraduate Program Coordinator for additional details: [email protected] or 518-442-3155.
Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a faculty-initiated concentration in Public Health
This degree sequence includes the educational objectives of nurturing critical thinking, analysis, and synthesis of information, and recognizing the historical and societal context of current trends in public health and health care delivery. It also provides an introduction to disease control and health promotion interventions, and determinants of health from a global perspective.
General Program B.S.: A minimum of 39 credits distributed as follows:
Pre-Core Courses (9 credits)
A BIO 120 General Biology I
A MAT 108 Elementary Statistics
A PHI 115 Moral Choices
Public Health Core Courses (21 credits)
H SPH 201 Introduction to Public Health
H SPH 231 Concepts in Epidemiology
H SPH 321 Global Environmental Issues and their Effect on Human Health
H SPH 332 Epidemiology and Biostatistics
H SPH 341 Promoting Healthy People and Communities
H SPH 342 How U.S. Health Care Works: Myths and Realities
H SPH 460Z Capstone: Evidence-Based Public Health
Electives (9 credits)
Students must complete at least 9 credits (three courses) of elective coursework, approved by the advisor. Of these 9 credits, 6 credits must be at the 300 level or above. Suggested elective courses are listed below, grouped into areas of emphasis that correspond to the main fields that make up public health. Because the undergraduate major is designed to give students broad interdisciplinary exposure to public health, students are advised to choose one elective from three different areas of emphasis. In rare circumstances, and with the approval of the advisor, a student who wishes to focus on a single discipline in greater depth can choose all electives from a single area of emphasis.
Note: Students may select other courses not listed below as part of their area of emphasis, with approval from their advisor. All elective courses in departments outside the School of Public Health will be available to students pursuing the Interdisciplinary Studies major on a space-available basis.
Policy and Management Emphasis
H SPH 202 From Cholera to Cancer: History, Challenges and Achievements in Public Health
H SPH/H HPM 310 Health Care in the U.S.: Key Policy Issues
H SPH/H HPM/A ECO 381 Economics of Health Care
A COM 465 Communication in Health Care Organizations
H SPH 490 Field Placement in Public Health (Policy/Management focus)
H HPM 500 Health Care Organization, Delivery and Finance (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
H HPM 550 Financial Management of Healthcare Institutions (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
Social Behavior and Community Health Emphasis
H SPH 202 From Cholera to Cancer: History, Challenges, and Achievements in Public Health
A PSY 329 Health Psychology
A COM 465 Health Communication: Doctor-Patient Interaction
H SPH 343 Mass Media and Health Behavior
H SPH 490 Field Placement in Public Health (Social Behavior focus)
H HPM 525 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
H HPM 521 Introduction to Family and Community Health (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
H HPM 531 Childhood Obesity from a Public Health Perspective (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
Epidemiology Emphasis
A ANT 119 The City and Human Health
H SPH 202 From Cholera to Cancer: History, Challenges, and Achievements in Public Health
A ANT 418 Culture, Environment, and Health
H SPH 490 Field Placement in Public Health (Epidemiology focus)
H EPI 501 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology I (Approval of department chair required)
H EPI 502 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology II (Approval of department chair required)
H EPI 503 Principles of Public Health (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
H EPI 514 Computer Programming for Data Management and Analysis in Public Health (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
Biomedical and Environmental Health Sciences Emphasis
A ANT 119 The City and Human Health
A ANT 418 Culture, Environment, and Health
A CHM 425 Introduction to Undergraduate Research in Chemistry
H SPH 490 Field Placement in Public Health (Biomedical and/or Environmental Health Sciences focus)
H BMS 505 Biological Basis of Public Health (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
H BMS 622 Cancer Biology (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
H EHS 590 Introduction to Environmental Health (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
All undergraduate H SPH courses, H HPM 310, and H HPM 381, offered by the School of Public Health, are considered “liberal arts and sciences” courses for the purposes of meeting B.A. and B.S. degree requirements.
Courses in the School of Public Health are preceded by the school’s letter H.
