MPH Behavioral Health

Catalog Year: 2015/2016
Degree: Master of Public Health
Program (Major/College): M.P.H./P.H.
Concentration: Behavioral Health (Code: BHH)
COPH Department: Community and Family Health
Minimum Credit Hours: 44

Check Sheets by Year:

2010/11

2011/12

Please print the check sheet and take it with you to your advising appointments each semester.

Concentration Details

In addition to the overall Master of Public Health degree competencies, Behavioral Health graduates will be able to:

Describe the history and philosophy of behavioral health services field;
Identify the fundamental principles of the epidemiology of mental and substance use disorders;
Specify unique issues in behavioral health programs and disorders for culture, age, and other specific at-risk pop;
Describe ethical and legal issues in the diagnosis of individuals with mental and substance use disorders and in the design and delivery of services for individuals with mental and substance use disorders;
Discuss the concepts of etiology, disease identification, and prevention of individuals with mental health and substance use problems;
Identify and understand study design and treatment interventions for individuals with mental health and substance use problems;
Describe the social, political, and environmental context of behavioral health;
Specify strategies for assessing the design and effectiveness for planning and evaluating behavioral health programs;
Demonstrate an in depth understanding of behavioral health advocacy, policy, information systems, & systems change; and
Critically evaluate applied services research and specify a broad range of behavioral health literature to analyze behavioral health issues and problems.

Students can view and track their degree and concentration competencies in the COPH Competencies Database.

Curriculum

Program Coursework

*Requirement*		*Hours*	Pre-reqs*
College Core and Foundation Courses		16
Required Concentration Courses		16
PHC 6542	Epidemiology of Mental Disorders	3
MHS 7740	Survey Course in Planning Evaluation and Accountability	3	At least 16 credits toward a Masters
PHC 6543	Foundations in Behavioral Health Systems	3	Graduate Status
PHC 6708	Evaluation and Research Methods in Community Hlth.	3	PHC 6505
PHC 6035	Comorbidity of Mental and Physical Disorders	3	PHC 6000, 6050
PHC 6724	Synthesizing Public Health Research	1
Approved Elective Courses (see examples below)		6
MPH Requirements		6	(6 hours minimum)
PHC 6945	Supervised Field Experience	3-12	See Notes Below
PHC 6977	Special Project	3
	Comprehensive Exam (CPH exam)		Must be registered for 2 hours.
Total Minimum Credit Hours		44

*Pre-reqs= prerequisite courses unless noted as CR (co-requisite) or CC (Concurrent requisite)
Any grade below a C (C- to F) is required to be retaken. The grade will be included in the student's GPA

Supervised Field Experience:

During 2^nd semester meet with advisor and begin planning field experience. See http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/academicaffairs/fe/. May be met through the Peace Corps Master’s International option.
Students with little or no professional experience: 6 hours minimum
Students with relevant professional experience: 3 hours minimum
Professional experience would include at least 2 years of supervised work at a mental health, alcohol, or drug abuse agency in a variety of specialty areas within behavioral health services. These experiences might include work in program planning, program evaluation, community prevention and education, etc.

Examples of common elective options:

PHC 6413 Family & Community Violence in Public Health
PHC 6549 HIV & Mental Health
PHC 6547 Case Management in Community Mental Health
HSC 6552 Community-Based Prevention in Behavioral Health
PHC 6240 Cultural Competency in Children's Mental Health
PHC 6934 End of Life Care
PHC 6544 Children’s Mental Health Services
PHC 6545 Evaluation in Mental Health
PHC 6934 Evidence-Based Practice in Behavioral Health
PHC 6548 Grant Writing in Mental Health
PHC 6401 Homelessness: Implications for Behavioral Healthcare
PHC 6934 Substance Abuse Treatment Services, Mental Health Informatics
MHS 6640 Mental Health Informatics
PHC 6934 Financing, Economics, and Policy in Behavioral Health
PHC 6539 Foundations in Adolescent Behavioral Health
PHC 6728 Translational Research Methods in Adolescent Behavioral Health
PHC 6729 Advanced Research Education in Adolescent Behavioral Health
MHS 7748 Statistical Applications in Translational Research in Adolescent Behavioral Health