MSTP Medical Science Training Program
Curriculum
Epidemiology
MSTP Required Curriculum
Program of Study (72 Total Credit Hours)
Year 1 - Fall:
| SPM 501 | Epidemiology Principles | 4.0 cr |
| STA 527 | Introduction to Medical Statistics | 4.0 cr |
| SPM 519 | Principles of Measurement In Public Health | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 590 | Departmental Seminar | 1.0 cr |
| MST 601 | MSTP Seminar (Required each semester) | 1.0 cr |
Year 1 - Spring:
| Basic Requirements: | ||
| SPM 502 | Advanced Methodology | 3.0 cr |
| STA 506 | Introduction to Statistical Computing | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 515 | Epidemiology of Cardio- Vascular Disease (Advanced Epidemiology Course) | 3.0 cr |
| RPN 525 | Cancer Epidemiology (Advanced Epidemiology Course) | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 590 | Departmental Seminar | 1.0 cr |
| MST 601 | MSTP Seminar | 1.0 cr |
Year 1 - Summer:
| Independent Study of Ph.D. Focus Area** | 2.0 cr |
Year 2 - Fall:
| STA 504 | Regression Analysis | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 614 | Introduction to Molecular Epidemiology (Adv. Epidemiology Course) | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 513 | Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (Advanced) | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 513 | Departmental Seminar | 1.0 cr |
| MST 601 | MSTP Seminar | 1.0 cr |
Year 2 - Spring
| SPM 506 | Application of Statistics to Epidemiology (Advanced) | 3.0 cr |
| PTR 502 | Analysis of Health Related Data | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 590 | Departmental Seminar | 1.0 cr |
| MST 601 | MSTP Seminar | 1.0 cr |
**The purpose in taking the Independent Study on the Ph.D. Focus Area at the end of the Year 1 Spring Semester is to deliberately accelerate the student’s development of a proposal for a dissertation project under the guidance of the faculty mentor and to allow the proposal defense to take place shortly after successful completion of the Preliminary Examination at the end of Year 2.
The Comprehensive Examination should be successfully completed at the end of Year 1.
Transferred Courses (Medical School, Years 1 and 2):
| IMC 500 | Medicine and Society | 2.0 cr |
| IMC 602 | Cardiovascular Disease | 7.2 cr |
| IMC 604 | Pulmonary Disease | 8.0 cr |
To complete the required 60 course credits before sitting for the Preliminary Examination after the second year, we strongly recommend only transferring 17.2 course credits from medical school and taking the remaining 43 course credits in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine.
In addition to the required fundamental classes in epidemiology and biostatistics, four advanced epidemiology courses are required along with the Independent Study on the Ph.D Focus Area. It is strongly recommended that you take the following courses as the four advanced epidemiology courses:
- SPM 515 Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease
- SPM 614 Introduction to Molecular Epidemiology
- SPM 513 Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases
- RPN 525 Cancer Epidemiology
The student can petition the Director of Graduate Studies to substitute in other Advanced Epidemiology courses.
Take four of the following Advanced Epidemiology Courses:
| SPM 511 | Nutritional Epidemiology | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 513 | Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 515 | Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease | 3.0 cr |
| RPN 525 | Cancer Epidemiology | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 551 | Epidemiologic Applications to Environmental Health | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 552 | Epidemiologic Applications to Occupational Health | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 561 | Advanced Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 606 | Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 611 | Case-Control Studies | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 614 | Introduction to Molecular Epidemiology | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 620 | Epidemics and Outbreaks | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 621 | Advanced Topics in Cardiovascular Disease, Epidemiology and Prevention | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 622 | The Role of Physical Activity in the Etiology, Treatment and Prevention of Chronic Disease | 3.0 cr |
| SPM 624 | Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology | 3.0 cr |
To complete the Ph.D. in Epidemiology and Community Health Program in three years, it would be necessary to ensure that the date collection is designed to be completed early in the third year. If data collection consists of a survey questionnaire mailed to a community population or a questionnaire administered to a well-defined high volume clinic population, then data collection could be completed early in the third year with the rest of the third year devoted to data analysis and writing the dissertation.
Electives in Epidemiology and Public Health:
| RPN 503 | Oncology for Scientists |
| RPN 541 | Responsible Conduct of Research |
| SPM 553 | Fundamentals of Grant Development |
| SPM 507 | Introduction to Health Care Organization |
| SPM 517/SOC 578 | Methods of Survey Research |
| SPM 523 | Introduction to Program Planning and Evaluation |
| SPM 527/PTR 529 | Study of Health Behaviors |
| SPM 528/PTR 528 | The Public Health Practice of Tobacco Control |
| SPM 530 | Administrative Theory and Practice for Public Health Practitioners |
| SPM 532/LAW 620 | Bridging Law, Science and Public Health |
| SPM 533 | Principles of Public Health |
| SPM 534 | Introduction to International Public Health |
| SPM 536 | Management for Public Health Professionals |
| SPM 537 | Public Health Law |
| SPM 538 | Community Health Assessment and Surveillance |
| SPM 539/MGH 633 | Introduction to Health Economics |
| SPM 540/MGH 634 | Epidemiology and Health Policy |
| SPM 543 | Public Health Practice |
| SPM 549 | Environmental Health (required for MPH) |
| SPM 615 | Geographic Medicine |
| SPM 625 | Principles of Primary Care Research |
| SPM 626 | Arthropods of Public Health Importance |
| SPM 632/MGH 632 | Strategic and Operations Management in Health Care Systems |
| SPM 634 | Managed Health Care: Current and Future Practices |
| SPM 635 | Designing & Evaluating Advanced Medical Management Systems |
| LAW 692 | Health Law and U.S. Food and Drug Administration |