COURSE CURRICULUM

The Master of Science (MS) in Population Health Sciences is a 30-credit-hour graduate program designed to prepare students to analyze, understand, and improve health outcomes at the population level through interdisciplinary training in public health, healthcare systems, and data-driven research. The program emphasizes the integration of clinical care and public health approaches, with a strong focus on social determinants of health, health disparities, and evidence-based strategies for improving healthcare delivery and policy. Students complete a common 18-credit core curriculum that provides foundational knowledge in population health essentials (POPH 520), health policy and planning (POPH 521), biostatistics (POPH 522), epidemiology (POPH 523), health economics (POPH 524), and health outcomes research (POPH 525), ensuring strong analytical and conceptual preparation for advanced study and professional practice. In addition, students select electives from a range of applied and specialized areas such as healthcare finance, informatics, data management, qualitative methods, cultural competency, and advanced epidemiology, allowing them to tailor their training to specific interests and career goals. The program offers two completion pathways: a thesis option and a non-thesis option. In the thesis track, students complete 18 hours of core courses, 6 hours of electives, and 6 hours of thesis research (POPH 599), culminating in an independent research project that demonstrates mastery of population health research methods. In the non-thesis track, students complete 18 hours of core courses, 9 hours of electives, and a 3-credit capstone experience (POPH 595) focused on applied population health practice and real-world problem solving. Both options are designed to develop strong competencies in research methods, data analysis, healthcare systems thinking, and applied health policy, preparing graduates for careers in public health agencies, healthcare organizations, research institutions, and further doctoral or professional study.