MHS in Epidemiology Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health

Coursework

A minimum of 64 credits is required to complete either a Master’s degree. The basic curriculum includes the three Epidemiologic Methods courses (340.751, 340.752, 340.753), a Biostatistics Sequence, Research Ethics and Perspectives, and overview/ survey courses, as well as electives deemed appropriate toward providing an academic framework and base for guided research.

Core Coursework (required for ALL master's students)

To address breadth, the National accreditor for schools of public health (Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)) has twelve “Introductory Public Health Knowledge Learning Objectives” in which all students must complete didactic coursework, and the “Cells to Society” courses to help programs meet this requirement.

For Epidemiology degree programs, five of the twelve competencies are covered through required Epidemiology Core Coursework. All students need to complete the eight indicated Cells to Society Course by the end of Year One.

Special Studies and Research in Epidemiology, PH.340.840.xx, is offered during terms 1, 2, 3, and 4.

• Who should enroll (as per the grid):
  • All first year MHS and ScM students
  • Any doctoral students conducting an independent study
  • Any doctoral student who has not yet passed the Preliminary Oral Exam
• How credits are calculated for a variable credit course:
  • Students must remember that the 1 – in class, 2 hours – outside of class still apply: e.g. Students should think about the time the faculty member will be involved in guiding them (see faculty contact hours below) as well as how much time the student uses to conduct outside readings and work.
• What constitutes the faculty contact hours:
  • Individual one-on-one meetings
  • Faculty revisions of writing projects (Faculty members spend a lot of time editing, proofreading, and otherwise providing written feedback to students.)
  • Mentoring and networking preparation and discussion.
  • Time spent in group settings with faculty mentor e.g. journal clubs or weekly “lab/group” meetings. Students should make every effort to attend the group meetings for their track and adviser.
• What activities count for independent study or special studies and research: This is the time to be creative. The following are some of the kinds of uses of the time:
  • Directed readings and discussion leading up to preparing for the research proposal.
  • Literature searches and meta-analyses.
  • Secondary data analysis.
  • Self-guided focused study on a particular methodology or a disease of interest.
• How should students register:
  • Students must communicate intent to register with the faculty mentor in writing, prior to registering for credits and receive confirmation of the fact of the special studies, the content/activities to be conducted, and the number of credits.
  • Students may take 1-3 credits while taking a full load of courses.
  • Students may take up to 8 credits per term while taking a partial load of courses with the approval of the faculty mentor.
  • Students must meet with the faculty mentor before or during add/drop to discuss objectives.