MPH Electives
Students in the Master of Public Health (MPH) program are required to take 6 credits of electives (7 credits for some dual degree students). These are taken during the second year for MPH-exclusive students. Dual degree students may fulfill some or all of their elective credits while in their other program. Remaining or additional electives are completed during the MPH year. Electives help students tailor their program of study and develop specialty skills. Public health is a very broad field, so we encourage students to find elective courses that reflect their individual interests and either complement or supplement their interests.
Electives are taken to enhance public health skills and knowledge or to reduce knowledge gaps and deficits, and should address the core and cross-cutting public health competencies in public health. Any Population Health Sciences (POP HLTH) 500-level course or above is acceptable as an approved elective.
There is a wealth of knowledge across the UW–Madison campus that aligns with the broad field of public health. The Curriculum Committee reviews and approves electives for the program. Students who wish to take a course for elective credit outside of the approved list of courses need to seek approval from the Master of Public Health program by contacting their academic advisor and providing a copy of the course syllabus. Students making a request to include a course as an elective must be prepared to justify why this course should be included in their program plan. The course information and justification will be presented to the Curriculum Committee for review.
Elective Requirements
Approved electives will:
- Include 50 percent or more public health or public health-related content
- Be at a 500 level or above
Approved Electives
| Department | Course Number | Course Name | Instructor / Email | Credits | Last Taught |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban and Regional Planning | URB R PL 844 | Housing and Public Policy | 3 | Spring 2022 | |
| Social and Administrative Pharmacy | S&A PHM 701 | Grant Writing for Health Services Research | 2 | Spring 2021 | |
| Social and Administrative Pharmacy | S&A PHM 490 | Health Equity, Social Justice | 1 | Fall 2020 | |
| Educational Psychology | ED PYSCH 719 | Introduction to Qualitative Research | Erica Halverson, erica.halverson@wisc.edu | 3 | Fall 2022 |
| Educational Psychology | ED PYSCH 880 | Prevention Science | Amanda Kidwell, almyers3@wisc.edu | 3 | Fall 2022 |
| Educational Psychology | ED PYSCH 881 | Capstone Seminar in Prevention Science | 1 | Spring 2022 | |
| Medical History and Bioethics | MED HIST 730 | Ethical Issues in Medicine | 1 | Spring 2020 | |
| Medical Sciences - Medical School | MED SC-M 930 | American Indian Health, History and Tribal Governance | Bret Benally Thompson and Danielle Yancey, dlyancey@wisc.edu | 1 | |
| Social Work | SOC WORK 836 | Mental Health Policy and Services | Jake Schuldies, jmschuld@wisc.edu | 3 | Fall 2022 |
| Social Work | SOC WORK 746 | Interdisciplinary Care of Children with Special Health Care Needs | Jenn Drake, jdrake2@wisc.edu | 3 | Fall 2022 |
| Kinesiology | KINES 955 | Physical Activity Epidemiology | Lisa Bertram, lisa.bertram@wisc.edu | 1 | Fall 2022 |
| Journalism and Mass Communication | JOURN 617 | Health Communication in the Information Age | 3 | Fall 2020 | |
| Journalism and Mass Communication | JOURN 821 | Health Communication | 3 | Spring 2022 | |
| Environmental Studies | ENVIR ST 809 | Intro to Energy Analysis and Policy | 3 | Fall 2021 | |
| Family Medicine | FAM MED 712 | Healthcare in Diverse Communities | 1 | Spring 2022 | |
| Operations and Technology Management | OTM 753 | Healthcare Operations Management | Fazel Hayati, fhayati@wisc.edu | 3 | Fall 2022 |
| Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis | ELPA 735 | Leadership for Equity and Diversity | 3 | Summer 2022 | |
| Human Development and Family Studies | HDFS 872 | Bridging the Gap Between Research and Action | Larissa Duncan, larissa.duncan@wisc.edu | 3 | Fall 2022 |
| Biostatistics and Medical Informatics | B M I 641 | Statistical Methods for Clinical Trials | 3 | Spring 2021 | |
| Medical Microbiology and Immunology | M M & I 704 | Infectious Diseases of Human Beings | 3 | Fall 2020 | |
| Medical Microbiology and Immunology | M M&I 555 | Vaccines: Practical Issues for a Global Society | 3 | Spring 2020 | |
| Medical Microbiology and Immunology | M M & I 554 | Emerging Infectious Disease and Bioterrorism | 2 | Fall 2020 | |
| Nursing | Nursing 703 | Health Care and Public Policy | 3 | Spring 2022 | |
| Nursing | Nursing 702 | Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Diverse Communities | 3 | Spring 2019 | |
| Nursing | Nursing 880 | Prevention Science | Amanda Kidwell, almyers3@wisc.edu | 3 | Fall 2022 |
| Public Affairs and Public Policy | PUB AFFR 874 | Policy-Making Process | Manny Teodoro, mteodoro@wisc.edu | 3 | Fall 2022 |
| Public Affairs and Public Policy | PUB AFFR 974 | Health Systems and Policy | Mary Michaud, mdmichaud@wisc.edu | 3 | Fall 2022 |
| Public Affairs and Public Policy | PUB AFFR 878 | Public Management | 3 | Spring 2022 | |
| Public Affairs and Public Policy | PUB AFFR 864 | Health Policy and Policy Design | 3 | Spring 2019 | |
| Public Affairs and Public Policy | PUB AFFR 873 | Introduction to Policy Analysis | 3 | Spring 2022 | |
| Public Affairs and Public Policy | PUB AFFR 880 | Microeconomics Policy Analysis | Jason Fletcher | 3 | Fall 2022 |
| Public Affairs and Public Policy | PUB AFFR 860 | Workshop in International Public Affairs | 3 | Spring 2022 | |
| Public Affairs and Public Policy | PUB AFFR 974-003 | Non-Profit Leadership and Management | Dr. Garcia | 3 | Spring 2022 |
| Counseling Psychology | COUN PSY 620 | Supporting Homelessness in Schools | Travis Wright, travis.wright@wisc.edu | 4 | Fall 2022 |
| Counseling Psychology | COUN PSY 500 | Radical Healing and Ethics of Bilingual Latinx Training | 1 | Spring 2022 | |
| Counseling Psychology | COUN PSY 525 | Dimensions of Latinx Mental Health | 3 | Summer 2022 | |
| Gender and Women's Studies | GEN & WS 535 | Women's Global Health and Human Rights | 3 | Fall 2019 | |
| Gender and Women's Studies | GEN & WS 534 | Gender, Sexuality and Reproduction: Public Health Perspectives | 3 | Fall 2018 | |
| Gender and Women' Studies | GEN & WS 539 | Critical Perspectives on Gender and Global Health | Leigh Senderowicz, senderowicz@wisc.edu | 3 | Fall 2022 |
| Population Health Sciences | PHS 650 | Health Services Research: Substance Abuse | Marguerite Burns, meburns@wisc.edu | 3 | Fall 2023 |
The most common departments offering aligned classes are:
- Population Health
- Counseling Psychology
- Public Affairs
- Medical History and Bioethics
- Life Sciences Communication
- Urban Planning
- Gender and Women’s Studies
- Civil Society and Community Studies
- Nursing
- Pathology-Biological Sciences