MS Division Requirements

• Community Health Sciences
• Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
• Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Health Policy and Administration

Community Health Sciences

In addition to the general program requirements of the Graduate College and School of Public Health, Community Health Sciences requires the following. Students should also refer to the CHS Student Handbook.

Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

MS Core

EPID 400 Principles of Epidemiology (3 sh)

BSTT 400 Biostatistics I (3 sh)

BSTT 401 Biostatistics II (4 sh)

Sub-total 10 sh

Division Core

All students are required to take a minimum of 12 sh in EOHS courses, choosing at least one course in each of the following three areas:

Exposure Assessment and Measurement

EOHS 405 Environmental Calculations (1 sh)

EOHS 440 Chemistry for Environmental Professionals (3 sh)

EOHS 421 Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene (2 sh)

EOHS 418 Analysis of Water and Wastewater Quality (2 sh)

EOHS 428 Industrial Hygiene Laboratory I (2 sh)

EOHS 438 Air Quality Laboratory (2 sh)

EOHS 542 Water Chemistry (3 sh)

EOHS 543 Environmental Organic Chemistry (3 sh)

Health Assessment

EOHS 450 Principles of Occupational/Environmental Medicine (2 sh)

EOHS 455 Environmental and Occupational Toxicology (3 sh)

EOHS 551 Occupational Diseases (4 sh)

EOHS 558 Industrial Toxicology (2 sh)

EOHS 554 Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology (2 sh)

Intervention Strategies

EOHS 411 Water Quality Management I (3 sh)

EOHS 431 Air Quality Management I (3 sh)

EOHS 461 Community Health and Consumer Protection (2 sh)

EOHS 482 Occupational Safety Science (2 sh)

EOHS 556 Risk Assessment in Environmental and

Occupational Health (2 sh)

Sub-total 12 sh

Electives

Students should select courses with their advisor in a discipline of interest.

At least 9 sh of coursework in the student’s discipline must be at the 500 level.

Sub-total 10 sh

Capstone Requirement

A capstone experience is required of all students in EOHS. For students in the MS program, the capstone experience is the MS research (IPHS 598) and written thesis.

Sub-total 16 sh

Program Total: 48 sh

Additional Requirements for Students Enrolled in the Occupational Medicine Residency Program, Applied Science Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ASAC-ABET) - Accredited Industrial Hygiene Program or ASAC-ABET - Accredited Hazardous Waste/Industrial Hygiene Program

Occupational Medicine Residency Program

Additional Requirements (if not selected to meet divisional core requirements)

EOHS 421 Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene (2 sh)

EOHS 551 Occupational Diseases 2 (4 sh)

EOHS 558 Industrial Toxicology (2 sh)

EOHS 554 Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology (2 sh)

EOHS 482 Occupational Safety Science (2 sh)

HPA 400 Principles of Management in Public Health (3 sh)

EOHS 400 Principles of Environmental Health Sciences (3 sh)

Sub-total (divisional core and residency requirements) (12 + 10 sh = 22 sh)

Program Total: 48 sh

ASAC-ABET - Accredited MS Program in Industrial Hygiene

Additional Requirements (if not selected to meet divisional core requirements)

EOHS 405 Environmental Calculations (1 sh)

EOHS 421 Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene (2 sh)

EOHS 428 Industrial Hygiene Lab I (2 sh)

EOHS 431 Air Quality Management I (3 sh)

EOHS 438 Air Quality Lab (2 sh)

EOHS 424 Environmental Acoustics (2 sh)

EOHS 482 Occupational Safety Science (2 sh)

EOHS 529 Industrial Hygiene Lab II (2 sh)

EOHS 523 Engineering Controls/Industrial Ventilation (4 sh)

EOHS 570 Hazardous Materials Management (3 sh)

EOHS 584 Radiation Protection (3 sh)

either EOHS 558 Industrial Toxicology (2 sh)

or EOHS 551 Occupational and Environmental Diseases (4 sh)

Sub-total (divisional core and additional requirements) 31 sh

Program Total: 56 sh

ASAC-ABET - Accredited Program in Hazardous Waste/Industrial Hygiene

Additional Requirements (if not selected to meet divisional core requirements)

EOHS 405 Environmental Calculations (1 sh)

EOHS 421 Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene (2 sh)

EOHS 428 Industrial Hygiene Laboratory I (2 sh)

EOHS 529 Industrial Hygiene Laboratory II (Field Studies, 2 sh)

EOHS 523 Industrial Hygiene: Engineering Control/Ventilation (4 sh)

EPID 400 Principles of Epidemiology (3 sh)

BSTT 400 Biostatistics I (3 sh)

BSTT 401 Biostatistics II (4 sh)

EOHS 584 Radiation Protection (3 sh)

EOHS 431 Air Quality Management I (3 sh)

EOHS 438 Air Quality Laboratory (2 sh)

EOHS 424 Environmental Acoustics (2 sh)

EOHS 482 Occupational Safety Science (2 sh)

EOHS 570 Hazardous Materials Management (3 sh)

either EOHS 440 Chemistry for Environmental Professions (3 sh)

or EOHS 594A Groundwater Contamination (3 sh)

either EOHS 558 Industrial Toxicology (2 sh)

and EOHS 554 Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology (2 sh)

or EOHS 551 Occupational and Environmental Diseases I (4 sh)

Research:

IPHS 598 Research in Public Health Sciences 16 sh

Program Total: 59 sh

Trainees are also expected to:

- Attend interdisciplinary seminar

- Attend Occupational Medicine Clinic (on a rotating basis this usually works out to once/3 weeks)

- Take the 40-hour hazardous waste worker training course during the 2 years in the program

- Participate in at least one extended field test

Prerequisites for entering the HSAT program are a full year of general chemistry, at least one semester of organic chemistry, mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and a course in human physiology.

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Epidemiology

Minimum credit hour requirement: 48 semester hours

Required Courses:

SPH Core Courses (6 semester hours)

BSTT 400 Biostatistics I (3 sh)
EPID 400 Principles of Epidemiology (3 sh)

Epidemiology Requirements (16 semester hours)

EPID 401 Quantitative Methods - I (2 sh)
EPID 402 Quantitative Methods - II (2 sh)
EPID 410 Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (2 sh)
EPID 411 Epidemiology of Chronic Disease (3 sh)
EPID 591 Current Epidemiologic Literature (2 sh)
EPID 595 Research Seminar (1 sh)
BSTT 401 Biostatistics II (4 sh)

Electives (10 semester hours)

Epidemiology Substantive Area 500-Level Courses (6 sh)

• In addition to 500-level divisional requirements (e.g., Cardiovascular, Cancer, Aging, Infectious, Pediatrics, Genetics)
  

Other 500-Level Electives (4 sh)

• At least 1sh must be outside of Epi/Bio Division
  

Thesis Research (16 semester hours)

IPHS 598 Research in the Public Health Sciences - MS

Any specific course requirement may be waived on the basis of previous course work or experience. Please refer to the section on Academic Policies and Standards for course waiver rules and procedures.

Standards of Performance for Epidemiology MS Program
Epidemiology majors must achieve a grade of A or B in epidemiology and biostatistics courses. If a grade below "B" is achieved in such a course, it may be repeated once. Failure to maintain this standard will be grounds for dismissal from the epidemiology program.

Research in the Public Health Sciences - MS (IPHS 598)
The MS Dissertation in Epidemiology at UIC SPH is intended to prepare the student to conduct epidemiology studies as a part of a research team. The thesis process involves a) developing a thesis proposal in conjunction with a thesis advisor and committee, and b) completion of the research, writing, and defense of the dissertation. With the assistance of the advisor, the student should select appropriate faculty for his/her thesis committee. The committee must be comprised of three members at a minimum, with at least one member a tenured faculty. The members of the thesis committee will meet with the student to approve the thesis proposal, and to determine that the student is adequately prepared to undertake it. The student must undergo Institutional Review Board (IRB) training and review or exemption prior to conducting research if human subjects are involved.

The student may generate his or her own research hypothesis or work with a faculty member who outlines a research hypothesis. The use of existing data to test a hypothesis using standard epidemiological study designs and analytic techniques is recommended. However, other formats (e.g. descriptive studies and studies with limited field work), may be acceptable. It is anticipated that the thesis results will be suitable for publication in a peer reviewed scientific journal.

Note: the written and defended thesis is required for submission mid-semester. Students are recommended to plan their program completion and graduation accordingly.

Additional MS learning objectives for students in epidemiology:

1. Demonstrate the ability to develop a scientific framework for problem conceptualization, study design, concepts of bias and causality.
2. Demonstrate critical reading skills and the ability to synthesize epidemiological and related biological science information into testable hypotheses.
3. Be able to develop appropriate study designs, control sources of error, conduct data analyses, and interpret results.
4. Be able to manage and analyze data using statistical and epidemiological software packages.
   

Biostatistics

Minimum credit hour requirement: 48 semester hours

In addition to the EPID 400 (3 SH) core MS course requirement, students in Biostatistics must take the following courses:

Note: Biostatistics students should not take BSTT 400 as an SPH course requirement.

Required Courses

BSTT 502 Applied Biostatistics I (4 sh)
BSTT 504 Applied Biostatistics II (4 sh)
BSTT 512 Survival Analysis (3 sh)
BSTT 511 Categorical Data Analysis (3 sh)
BSTT 521 Multivariate Analysis (3 sh)
STAT 401 Introduction to Probability (4 sh)
STAT 411 Statistical Theory (4 sh)
BSTT 440 Applied Sampling (3 sh)
BSTT 503 Biostatistics Tools (2 sh)
BSTT 513 Longitudinal Data Analysis (4 sh)
BSTT 514 Biostatistical Consulting (2 sh)
BSTT 522 Biostatistical Investigations (4 sh)

Electives (minimum requirement) 5 sh
Electives: At least one elective course must be selected from the SPH core courses not given in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division: CHSC 400, EOHS 400, HPA 400, or HPA 401.

Standards of Performance for Biostatistics MS Program
Biostatistics majors are allowed only one grade of C in required courses. A student who receives two Cs in required courses will not be allowed to graduate from the program. A student may re-take a course one time and attempt to replace the C with a higher grade; however it should be noted that nearly all of the courses required for the MS in Biostatistics are offered only once a year and must be taken in a particular sequence, so re-taking a course is likely to delay graduation by a full year.

MS Comprehensive Examination
All MS students in biostatistics take a comprehensive exam at the end of their second program year. This exam consists of two parts. The first part, a three-hour written exam, will cover basic methodological material from the required biostatistics and mathematics courses. The second part will be a seven day take-home exam in which the student is tested on the ability to perform data analysis and to describe and discuss the results.

Additional MS learning objectives for students in biostatistics:

1. Be able to apply biostatistical methods to public health problems, most particularly epidemiologic problems, and understand the rationale and assumptions underlying these methods.
2. Develop the ability to manage data files on the computer and to analyze data using the major statistical packages.
3. Demonstrate the ability to recognize the appropriate research design and perform appropriate statistical analyses in a consulting role.
   

Health Policy and Administration

No additional requirements.