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UIC School of Public Health Student Handbook 2008-2009

The Master of Public Health: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR EOHS • CULMINATING EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

To print the PEP curricular table for the EOHS MPH, please download here(pdf)

Professional Enhancement Program (PEP) MPH Curriculum

TOTAL Credit Hours = minimum of 42 semester credit hours (SH)

http://www.uic.edu/sph/eohs.htm

School-Wide

Core

Requirements

· EPID 400 Principles and Methods (3 SH)

· BSTT 400 Biostatistics I (4 SH)

· HPA 400 Principles of Management in Public Health (3 SH)

· CHSC 400 Public Health Concepts and Practice (3 SH)

· EOHS 400 Principles of Environmental Health Sciences (3 SH)

· CHSC 401 Behavioral Sciences in Public Health (3 SH)

Required Non-Credit Training:
(http://tigger.uic.edu/depts/ovcr/research
/protocolreview/irb/education/initial.shtml)

· HIPAA Research 101 (non-credit)

· Investigator Training 101 (non-credit)

Culminating Experience:

· IPHS 650 Field Experience in Public Health (3-5 SH)*

· IPHS 698 MPH Capstone Experience (1 SH)**

SUB-TOTAL: 23-25 semester credit hours

Divisional Core Requirements

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

Exposure Assessment and Measurement

Health Assessment

Intervention Strategies

Select at least one of the following:

· EOHS 405 Environmental Calculations (2 SH)

· EOHS 418 Analysis of Water and Wastewater Quality (2 SH)

Select at least one of the following:

· EOHS 450 Principles of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (2 SH)

· EOHS 455 Environmental and Occupational Toxicology (3 SH)

Select at least one of the following:

· EOHS 408 Biological, Chemical, Explosives, and Nuclear Weapons as Public Health Threats (3 SH)

· EOHS 411 Water Quality Management (4 SH)

· EOHS 421 Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene (2 SH)

· EOHS 428 Industrial Hygiene Laboratory I (2 SH)

· EOHS 438 Air Quality Laboratory (2 SH)

· EOHS 440 Chemistry for Environmental Professionals (3 SH)

· EOHS 542 Water Chemistry (4 SH)

· EOHS 543 Environmental Organic Chemistry (4 SH)

· EOHS 557 Design and Analysis of Experiments (4 SH)

· EOHS 564 Geographic Information System Application in Public Health (3 SH)

· EOHS 565 Datamining Applications in Public Health (3 SH)

· EOHS 495 Environmental/ Occupational Health Seminar (1 SH)

· EOHS 551 Occupational Diseases (4 SH)

· EOHS 554 Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology (2 SH)

· EOHS 555 Advanced Toxicology (3 SH)

· EOHS 571 Injury Epidemiology (3 SH)

· EOHS 431 Air Quality Management I (3 SH)

· EOHS 461 Community Health and Consumer Protection (2 SH)

· EOHS 463 Safety Management Systems (2 SH)

· EOHS 482 Occupational Safety Science (2 SH)

· EOHS 556 Risk Assessment in Environmental and Occupational Health (3 SH)

· EOHS 572 Environmental Risk Assessment and Management (4 SH)

SUB-TOTAL: 12 semester credit hours

Electives

Students must complete the number of electives necessary to bring total program hours to a minimum of 42 semester credit hours.

SUB-TOTAL: 5-7 semester credit hours

For Occupational Medicine Residents

Occupational Medicine Residency Program

Students must complete the School-Wide Course Requirements and all of the following courses in lieu of the Divisional Core Requirements:

· EOHS 421 Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene (2 SH)

· EOHS 455 Environmental and Occupational Toxicology (3 SH)

· EOHS 482 Occupational Safety Science (2 SH)

· EOHS 551 Occupational Diseases (4 SH)

· EOHS 554 Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology (2 SH)

Electives – Students must complete the number of electives necessary to bring total program hours to a minimum of 42 semester credit hours.

Culminating Experience:

· IPHS 650 Field Experience in Public Health (3-5 SH)*

· IPHS 698 MPH Capstone Experience (1 SH)**

TOTAL HOURS

Minimum of 42 semester credit hours

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To print the Comprehensive curricular table for the EOHS MPH, please download here(pdf)

Comprehensive MPH Curriculum

TOTAL Credit Hours = minimum of 43 semester credit hours (SH)

http://www.uic.edu/sph/eohs.htm

School-Wide

Core

Requirements

· EPID 400 Introduction to Epidemiology: Principles and Methods (3 SH)

· BSTT 400 Biostatistics I (4 SH)

· HPA 400 Principles of Management in Public Health (3 SH)

· CHSC 400 Public Health Concepts and Practice (3 SH)

· EOHS 400 Principles of Environmental Health Sciences (3 SH)

· CHSC 401 Behavioral Sciences in Public Health (3 SH)

Required Non-Credit Training:
(http://tigger.uic.edu/depts/ovcr/research
/protocolreview/irb/education/initial.shtml)

· HIPAA Research 101 (non-credit)

· Investigator Training 101 (non-credit)

Culminating Experience:

· IPHS 650 Field Experience in Public Health (3-5 SH)*

· IPHS 698 MPH Capstone Experience (1 SH)**

SUB-TOTAL: 23-25 semester credit hours

Divisional

Core

Requirements

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

Exposure Assessment and Measurement

Health Assessment

Intervention Strategies

Select at least one of the following:

· EOHS 405 Environmental Calculations (2 SH)

· EOHS 418 Analysis of Water and Wastewater Quality (2 SH)

Select at least one of the following:

· EOHS 450 Principles of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (2 SH)

· EOHS 455 Environmental and Occupational Toxicology (3 SH)

Select at least one of the following:

· EOHS 408 Biological, Chemical, Explosives, and Nuclear Weapons as Public Health Threats (3 SH)

· EOHS 411 Water Quality Management (4 SH)

· EOHS 421 Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene (2 SH)

· EOHS 428 Industrial Hygiene Laboratory I (2 SH)

· EOHS 440 Chemistry for Environmental Professionals (3 SH)

· EOHS 438 Air Quality Laboratory (2 SH)

· EOHS 542 Water Chemistry (4 SH)

· EOHS 543 Environmental Organic Chemistry (4 SH)

· EOHS 557 Design and Analysis of Experiments (4 SH)

· EOHS 564 Geographic Information System Application in Public Health (3 SH)

· EOHS 565 Datamining Applications in Public Health (3 SH)

· EOHS 495 Environmental/ Occupational Health Seminar (1 SH)

· EOHS 551 Occupational Diseases (4 SH)

· EOHS 554 Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology (2 SH)

· EOHS 555 Advanced Toxicology (3 SH)

· EOHS 571 Injury Epidemiology (3 SH)

· EOHS 431 Air Quality Management I (3 SH)

· EOHS 461 Community Health and Consumer Protection (2 SH)

· EOHS 463 Safety Management Systems (2 SH)

· EOHS 482 Occupational Safety Science (2 SH)

· EOHS 556 Risk Assessment in Environmental and Occupational Health (3 SH)

· EOHS 572 Environmental Risk Assessment and Management (4 SH)

SUB-TOTAL: 12 semester credit hours

Electives, Tracks, and Concentrations

Students may use their electives to pursue a course of study in one of the following optional tracks, or divisional or inter-disciplinary concentrations; or may customize their program of study by selecting from a broad range of course work to meet their career goals and interests.

Optional Tracks

With the approval of the faculty advisor, MPH students choose from among a series of grouped quantitative courses to acquire skills that can be applied to occupational and environmental content. These include three courses, one of which should be at the 500 level.

Following are a few samples of three-course quantitative tracks, but other series may be developed with the advisor's approval.

EOHS Epidemiology/Biostatistics: EPID 403 Introduction to Epidemiology: Principles and Methods (3 SH), BSTT 401 Biostatistics II (4 SH), EOHS 554 Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology (2 SH)

Environmental Health Data Management and Analysis: BSTT 401 Biostatistics II (4 SH), HPA 465 Health Information and Decision Support Systems (4 SH), EOHS 564 Geographic Information System Application in Public Health (3 SH)

Environmental Chemistry: EOHS 418 Analysis of Water and Wastewater Quality (2 SH), EOHS 440 Chemistry for Environmental Professionals (3 SH), EOHS 542 Water Chemistry (3 SH)

Human Health Risk Assessment: BSTT 401 Biostatistics II (4 SH), EOHS 455 Environmental and Occupational Toxicology (3 SH), EOHS 556 Risk Assessment in Environmental and Occupational Health (3 SH)

SUB-TOTAL: 8-19 semester credit hours

Optional

Concentration

ASAC-ABET – Accredited MPH Program in Industrial Hygiene

To meet ABET requirements students must complete 19 semester credit hours from the following courses as part of their divisional and elective choices. In addition, students must adhere to the divisional requirements as stipulated for their individual program of study.

· EOHS 405 Environmental Calculations (2 SH)

· EOHS 421 Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene (2 SH)

· EOHS 424 Environmental Acoustics (2 SH)

· EOHS 428 Industrial Hygiene Laboratory I (2 SH)

· EOHS 431 Air Quality Management I (3 SH)

· EOHS 438 Air Quality Laboratory (2 SH)

· EOHS 482 Occupational Safety Science (2 SH)

· EOHS 523 Engineering Controls/Industrial Ventilation (4 SH)

· EOHS 529 Industrial Hygiene Lab II (2 SH)

· EOHS 570 Hazardous Materials Management (3 SH)

· EOHS 584 Radiation Protection (3 SH)

· EITHER EOHS 455 Environmental and Occupational Toxicology (3 SH) and EOHS 554 Occupational AND Environmental Epidemiology (2 SH) OR EOHS 551 Occupational and Environmental Diseases (4 SH)

SUB-TOTAL: 19 semester credit hours

Other Recognized Interdisciplinary Concentrations

Interdepartmental Graduate Concentration in Survey Research Methodology http://www.srl.uic.edu/gcsrm.htm

Interdepartmental Graduate Concentration in Women's Health http://www.uic.edu/nursing/forms/WHConcentrationWebInfo.pdf

Graduate Concentration in Women's Studies http://www.uic.edu/depts/wsweb/graduate/index.htm

Global Health http://www.uic.edu/sph/global/index.shtml

TOTAL HOURS

Minimum of 43 semester credit hours

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Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (EOHS): MPH Learning Objectives

In addition to the school-wide learning objectives, for students pursuing the MPH degree in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, the following objectives apply:

Demonstrate an understanding of the basic mechanisms by which environmental and occupational pollutants impact health (i.e., the linkage of pollutants’ source, media, receptor and health effects) and the means to develop controls or interventions to protect humans and ecological systems.
Express a working knowledge of the basic sciences deemed most relevant for the study of environmental and occupational health – toxicology, epidemiology and environmental chemistry.
Be able to collect, analyze and interpret environmental and occupational data.
Describe the structure of regulations and policies that govern the efforts to protect workplace and environmental health.
Exhibit the ability to implement an occupational or environmental health investigation or project and clearly report the results.

In addition to the EOHS MPH learning objectives, students in the ABET-Accredited Industrial Hygiene track will be able to:

Identify agents, factors, and stressors generated by and/or associated with defined sources, unit operations, and/or processes;
Describe qualitative and quantitative aspects of generation of agents, factors, and stressors;
Understand physiological and/or toxicological interactions of physical, chemical, biological, and ergonomic agents, factors, and/or stressors with the human body;
Assess qualitative and quantitative aspects of exposure assessment, dose-response, and risk characterization based on applicable pathways and modes of entry;
Calculate, interpret, and apply statistical and epidemiological data to occupational health problems;
Recommend and evaluate engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment controls and/or other interventions to reduce or eliminate hazards;
Demonstrate an understanding of applicable business and managerial practices;
Interpret and apply applicable occupational and environmental regulations; and
Understand fundamental aspects of safety and environmental health.

Joint Degree Options for EOHS students:

MBA/MPH

MD/MPH

JD/MPH

General MPH Curricular Policies: See http://www.uic.edu/sph/shandbook_mph.htm

* Field Experience

The Field Experience provides the student with practical experience in a public health setting. The overall learning objective of the Field Experience is for the student to apply and integrate the skills and knowledge learned during their graduate study in a real-world application. The Field Experience is required of all MPH students, with the majority being required to complete a 5 credit (320 contact hours) assignment. Some students may qualify for a reduced practicum of 3 credits (192 contact hours) depending on their prior public health experience and career goals, and would need to discuss this possibility within their chosen division.

The field experience may be waived on an individual basis based upon a student’s demonstration of a Bachelor’s or advanced degree in a health or related profession plus 3 years of paid public health experience. A prior professional degree without public health experience; or prior work experience that is not closely related to the academic objectives of the student’s degree program; are not sufficient reason for waiving the practice requirement. If petitioning to waive the field practicum, please attach supporting documentation including a resume and letter explaining relevant public health experiences and how these experiences relate to the field practicum learning objectives found in the SPH student handbook General MPH Curricular Policies (hyperlink to general MPH info).

**EOHS Capstone Requirements

Learning Objectives of Capstone Requirement:

Required Courses:

All students must complete the following two course requirements:

IPHS 650 Field Experience in Public Health (3-5 SH)
IPHS 698 MPH Capstone Experience (1 SH)
Starting in Spring 2008, students registering for the Capstone will be required to attend a biweekly seminar addressing components of the Capstone requirement. These seminars are arranged with the Capstone Facilitator please see your Academic Coordinator for more information.

Capstone Requirements:

Poster Presentation - A Capstone is a research-quality poster presentation of the students’ own work that demonstrates the ability to identify a public health problem concerning exposure assessment, outcomes measurement or intervention development. The Capstone will address some aspect of occupational and environmental health through the collection and/or systematic evaluation of data and synthesis of the results in standard scientific format. Students in the comprehensive MPH track may choose to report on their fieldwork experience, if appropriate, or on another experience, such as a research assistantship, volunteer activity, or public-health related employment. Students in the PEP track may choose to report a research project or may evaluate some aspect of public health related work. The capstone project must be summarized in a poster presentation.

The capstone project should consist of the following:

a specific question or hypothesis
problem and hypothesis statement based on background reading and research
some form of data collection, management, and presentation

Quantitative projects should include descriptive statistics and some basic analytic statistics, whenever possible. Qualitative projects are only appropriate if the student has completed at least one qualitative research methods course.

Poster Presentation Format - Standard research poster presentation format is available in the office of the Academic Coordinator, and includes instruction on poster size, layout, font size. Poster presentations should include title, author(s), background, problem statement/hypothesis, methods, results, discussion and conclusion sections, acknowledgements, including others engaged in the project who were not already listed as co-authors, the organization at which the project took place, and all sources of funding.

NOTE: Students who are doing research involving human subjects will need to undergo training and have their protocols approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).

For further information regarding specific EOHS capstone protocol and timelines, please see the EOHS Forms and Resources website: http://www.uic.edu/sph/eohs_currentstudent.htm

Evaluation / Grading Procedures:

Students will present the posters at the EOHS Capstone date for the Fall, Spring, or Summer semester. Students unable to participate in a given semester should plan on presenting at the subsequent semester. Grading is satisfactory/unsatisfactory based on agreement of faculty advisor and faculty reader, but no grades will be assigned in the absence of formal poster presentation.

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