Public Health Certificate


Five master's level courses in the main fields of public health: Biostatistics; Epidemiology; Environmental Health; Management and Policy; and Social and Behavioral Aspects of Community Health
[Certificate program completed several years after earning my master's degree]

Master's Coursework (in Public Affairs)


First Year

Policy Development (3 hours)- showed development of policy through cases mainly involving school desegregation, civil rights, and ethics and dissenting

Analytical Methods for Decision-Making (3 hours)- covered methods for decision-making such as optimizing linear and non-linear functions, linear programming, and decision analysis

Public Financial Management (3 hours)- covered basic financial activities of all levels of government, including budgeting, performance measures, fund accounting, and tax administration

Policy Research Project: Trade in Health Care Between the U.S. and Mexico (4 hours)- class researched the effects of NAFTA on the trade of various health care services between the U.S. and Mexico; worked with another student on researching pharmaceuticals and other health care products on both sides of the border

Political Economy I (3 hours)- basic microeconomics; group project on cost-benefit of aspects of Austin Emergency Medical Services

Applied Econometrics (3 hours)- highest level of the three statistics classes offered; covered statistical inference, correlation, and regression analysis; term project on relationship between cancer mortality and socioeconomic factors in the U.S.

Seminar: Issues and Trends in Health and Human Services (3 hours)- covered broad range of health and human services issues; term project on the issues and implications of telemedicine

Policy Research Project, continued: Trade in Health Care Between the U.S. and Mexico (4 hours)- continued research on pharmaceutical/medical device industry and policy

Summer

Internship (4 hours)- worked full-time at Texas Medical Association; researched and wrote a position paper on Public Health in Texas

Second Year

Public Administration and Management (3 hours)- management issues, administration, program evaluation, strategic planning, and similar topics were covered via readings and case studies

Political Economy II: Health Economics and Health Care Finance (3 hours)- covered the changing health care market including managed care issues, Medicaid/Medicare reforms, hospital mergers, and many other health-related trends; term project was on the financing of public health

Policy Research Project: Texas Mental Health Managed Care Evaluation (4 hours)- class conducted evaluations of several community mental health centers in Texas that are part of the pilot projects for mental health managed care and for Medicaid reforms; research will be used by TDMHMR and possibly the Texas Legislature in considering the performance of the pilot sites

Health Care Management (3 hours)- elective in the Graduate School of Business; management topics as they relate to different aspects of the health care sector covered through lectures and guest speakers

Conference Course: Auditing of Austin-Travis County Health and Human Services Programs (3 hours)- hands-on auditing and report-writing working with the Austin-Travis County Health and Human Services Internal Audit Director

Policy Research Project, continued: Texas Mental Health Managed Care Evaluation (4 hours)- class continued evaluations of pilot sites and wrote final report with findings

Professional Report (3 hours)- completion of professional report, entitled "Preserving and Strengthening the Public Health Infrastructure in Texas for the 21st Century"