Master program in Public Health

The goals of the MSc program in Public Health are:

Goal 1: Training of specialists who are ready to carry out independent, evidence-based professional activities in the field of public health, who are able to carry out a comprehensive assessment and monitoring of the state of public health, identify factors that determine public health, develop measures to preserve and improve public health, implement them in practice and evaluate their efficiency.

The Master's Program in Public Health involves in-depth preparation of graduates for research, research, production, and project professional activities.

Goal 2: Formation in students of such cultural, social, and personal qualities, as well as the formation of purposefulness, orderliness, diligence, responsibility, civic consciousness, sociability, tolerance, and raising the general culture.

Goal 3: The development of professional competencies among students aimed at maintaining and improving the population's health, expanding the intellectual potential, allowing the graduate to work successfully in the chosen field of activity and be competitive in the local and international labor market, and meet international standards.

Expected Learning Outcome upon Completion of the Master's Program in Public Health

3.1. MPH learning outcomes

The results of mastering the program are determined by the competencies acquired by the graduates, i.e., their ability to apply knowledge, skills, and personal qualities in accordance with the professional tasks. As a result of mastering the specified master's program, the graduates should have the following competencies:

Universal competencies:

General scientific (GC):

• Able to conduct scientific research independently or as part of a group, using the latest research methods and techniques (GC-1);
• Able to use the methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis, theoretical and experimental research (GC-2);
• Able to present the results of the study in the form of an article or report (GC-3);
• Able to acquire new knowledge, skills, and competencies independently and on his initiative (GC-4).

Instrumental (IC):

• Able to apply modern communication technologies, incl. in a foreign language for academic and professional interaction (IC-1);
• Able to reasonably and effectively use information technology and software to solve the problems of professional activity (IC-2);
• Able to use in professional activities the basic requirements of information security (IC-3);
• Able to apply public health informatics when using data, information, and knowledge, to assess the health status of the population (IC-4);

- socio-personal and general cultural (PCC):

• Able to translate legal and ethical standards, as well as healthy lifestyle standards in professional and social activities (PCC-1);
• Able to improve their intellectual and cultural level, build a trajectory of professional development and career (PCC-2);
• Able to take into account social and multicultural differences in intercultural interaction in professional activities (PCC-3);
• Able to apply critical thinking in the decision-making process and in assessing their consequences (PCC-4);
• Able to determine and implement the priorities of their activities and ways to improve them based on self-assessment (PCC-5);

Professional competencies (PC):

In the field of research and teaching activities, the graduates are:

• Able and ready to organize and conduct scientific research in accordance with the specialization, including the formulation of goals and tasks, planning, selection of adequate methods, collection, processing, analysis of data and their public presentation, taking into account information security requirements (PC-1);
• Able to prepare a training program and lesson plan and conduct a practical lesson (PC-2);

In the field of organizational and managerial activities:

• Able and ready to plan, organize and implement measures to ensure the protection of public health (PC-3);
• Able and ready for educational activities (public lectures, reports, educational work with risk groups) (PC-4);

In the field of research and production and design activities:

• Able and ready to organize and implement applied and practical projects and other activities to study and model social, economic, epidemiological, and other conditions that affect the health and quality of life of the population (PC-5).

 

Aims of the Master program	Learning Outcomes
Goal 1: Training of specialists who are ready to carry out independent, evidence-based professional activities in the field of public health, who are able to carry out a comprehensive assessment and monitoring of the state of public health, identify factors that determine public health, develop measures to preserve and improve public health, implement them in practice and evaluate their efficiency.	Able to conduct scientific research independently or as part of a group, using the latest research methods and techniques; GC-2: Ability to to use the methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis, theoretical and experimental research; GC-3: Ability to present the results of the study in the form of an article or report; GC-4: Ability to to acquire new knowledge, skills, and competencies independently and on his initiative; IC-3: Ability to use in professional activities the basic requirements of information security; PC-5: Ability to organize and implement applied and practical projects and other activities to study and model social, economic, epidemiological, and other conditions that affect the health and quality of life of the populationю
Goal 2: Formation in students of such cultural, social, and personal qualities, as well as the formation of purposefulness, orderliness, diligence, responsibility, civic consciousness, sociability, tolerance, and raising the general culture.	PCC-1: Ability to translate legal and ethical standards, as well as healthy lifestyle standards in professional and social activities; PCC-2: Ability to improve their intellectual and cultural level, build a trajectory of professional development and career; PCC-3: Ability to take into account social and multicultural differences in intercultural interaction in professional activities; PCC-4: Able to apply critical thinking in the decision-making process and in assessing their consequences; PCC-5: Ability to determine and implement the priorities of their activities and ways to improve them based on self-assessment.
Goal 3: The development of professional competencies among students aimed at maintaining and improving the population's health, expanding the intellectual potential, allowing the graduate to work successfully in the chosen field of activity and be competitive in the local and international labor market, and meet international standards.	IC-1: Ability to apply modern communication technologies, incl. in a foreign language for academic and professional interaction; IC-2: Ability to reasonably and effectively use information technology and software to solve the problems of professional activity; IC-3: Ability to use in professional activities the basic requirements of information security; IC-4: Ability to apply public health informatics when using data, information, and knowledge, to assess the health status of the population; PC-1: Ability and ready to organize and conduct scientific research in accordance with the specialization, including the formulation of goals and tasks, planning, selection of adequate methods, collection, processing, analysis of data and their public presentation, taking into account information security requirements; PC-2: Ability to prepare a training program and lesson plan and conduct a practical lesson; PC-3: Ability and ready to plan, organize and implement measures to ensure the protection of public health; PK-4: Ability and ready for educational activities (public lectures, reports, educational work with risk groups); PK-5: Ability and ready to organize and implement applied and practical projects and other activities to study and model social, economic, epidemiological, and other conditions that affect the health and quality of life of the population.

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INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC HEALTH (2 ECTS)

This three-week course is designed to give an introduction for master students to the history of public health, key public health concepts, and how the core public health areas can be integrated to promote health at a population level. The course is divided into eight topics. Specific areas that will be further explored in the course include: the definition and history of public health, understanding the determinants of health, and how disease prevention and health promotion relate to public health.

The course will incorporate knowledge and views from multiple academic disciplines (epidemiology, environmental health, social medicine, economics, politics, management, sociology, etc). It is open to students in all degree concentrations.

INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT IN HEALTH CARE (3 ECTS)

This course is designed to give an introduction for master students to management of health care services. Many of the broad concepts and skills of management will be covered. Students will learn the application of these techniques to HSOs. In addition, students will begin to understand the variability of management styles and personalities and begin to develop their own style.

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:

- Understand the key principles of management.

- Discuss the current healthcare environment in which health services organizations operate.

- Distinguish between the core functions of healthcare management, including strategy, marketing, controlling and organizational design.

- Clarify distinctions between leadership and management.

- Accept the value of the application of Emotional Intelligence principles to professional success.

- Break down and describe the interrelationships between the fundamental departments of health services organizations and their contribution to organizational mission

HEALTH PROMOTION IN PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE (3 ECTS)

The module of Health Promotion in Public Health Practice is aimed at giving to students an introduction to the history, principles, central concepts and theories of health promotion in the context of public health. Students will gain an understanding of the scope of health promotion, how to identify critical health promotion issues and strategies in the disease prevention as at local levels as at global scale. Students will be introduced to the basic theories of communication and the role communication skills play in health promotion action. The course has been designed to engage and challenge students as a critical thinker, which is fundamental to health promotion

GLOBAL HEALTH (5 ECTS)

Why are some people in some countries so much healthier than others? This module will explore the factors that explain the unequal distribution of health and disease in the world. The module will begin with an introduction to the language of global health: the burden of disease, epidemiology, cost-effectiveness, and health systems. It will then analyze the rationale for and modes of intervention to improve global health by exploring a number of high-profile topics, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic, access to pharmaceuticals, human resources for health, and maternal and child health. The module will incorporate knowledge and views from multiple academic disciplines (public health, economics, politics, management, sociology, etc) and does not require any background knowledge. It is open to students in all degree concentrations.

Learning objectives are

• To introduce key concepts and frameworks used in examining global health issues
• To understand the distribution of health and disability around the world and to understand the individual, social, and institutional factors that affect the burden of disease
• To explore issues and controversies in global health in an interdisciplinary manner
• To introduce the key actors in the global health system
• To learn to articulate the policy relevance of complex global health issues

Principles of Epidemiology (4 ECTS)

The main principles of epidemiology are used to set policy and plan programs, understand the health of the population and determine whether health services are available, accessible, effective and efficient. Epidemiology provides data for directing public health action. The information is used when planning how to control and prevent disease in the community. Through public health surveillance, a health systematically collects, analyzes, interprets and disseminates health data on an ongoing basis. This course provides main epidemiologic principles by knowing which a health specialist can effectively and efficiently understand and investigate distribution of a disease in a community. The key elements of the program were developed on the main course requirements that were recommended by CDC.

The learning objectives of this course are to introduce participants to the theories, concepts and practice of epidemiology and to enable them to develop the skills to use main principles of methodology in undertaking public health and primary care research. Participants will gain practical skills in study of the distribution and determinants of disease frequency in human populations and the application of this study to control health problems and diseases in service area.

MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES

This course is designed to give an introduction for master students to management of health care services. Many of the broad concepts and skills of management will be covered. Students will learn the application of these techniques to HSOs. In addition, students will begin to understand the variability of management styles and personalities and begin to develop their own style.

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:

1. Understand the key principles of management.

2. Discuss the current healthcare environment in which health services organizations operate.

2. Distinguish between the core functions of healthcare management, including strategy, marketing, controlling and organizational design.

3. Clarify distinctions between leadership and management.

4. Accept the value of the application of Emotional Intelligence principles to professional success.

5. Break down and describe the interrelationships between the fundamental departments of health services organizations and their contribution to organizational mission

Healthcare Economics (5 ECTS)

After mastering this course, the master's student:

Will be able to analyze economic problems and social processes, use the methods of economic relations in the health care system.

Will be able to use management techniques; organize the work of performers; find and make responsible management decisions in the context of different opinions and within the framework of their professional competence.

Financial Management (3 ECTS)

Financial management in this situation acts as a means of cognition of the entire set of facts of medical, social and economic activity. The analysis of the financial activity of a medical organization largely determines the effectiveness of management decisions made in order to improve the quality and availability of medical care to the population.

Purpose of studying the course:

is to achieve the required level of financial stability and solvency of the health care facility as an integral element of the market infrastructure.

Fundamentals of health organizations management (3 ECTS)

The aim of the course is formation of the theoretical, methodological and methodological foundations of the formation of a national health program among undergraduates, for planning work taking into account geographical and structural features, taking into account the uniform principles of implementing the program to preserve the health of the population, reduce preventable mortality and increase life expectancy.

Statistics in Public Health Studies (5 ECTS)

The module is designed for master students who must know the basics of biostatistics. The core course focuses on the analysis, interpretation, and presentation of public health data. Overview of measurement methods, descriptive statistics, confidence intervals, and bivariate hypothesis testing using t-tests, Chi-Square test analysis of variance and multiple comparisons, correlation, and non-parametric test equivalents.

Upon completing this course, the student will learn the appropriate use of statistical methods to analyze data, with continuous and categorical responses, using statistical analysis software SPSS. These objectives should contribute to students' ability to critically review the public health and epidemiologic literature and carry out statistical analyses.

Students will learn to:

• identify sources of health-related data and statistics, including population data, research data, and survey data from agencies,
• read and interpret summary tables and graphs from published public health manuscripts and/or reports,
• select the appropriate statistical methods and describe assumptions for descriptive statistics and bivariate tests,
• utilize proper statistical techniques for hypothesis testing,
• demonstrate technical skills needed to view, summarize, and analyze data using SPSS output,
• utilize biostatistical terminology in written and oral interpretations of statistical test results,
• develop written and oral presentation of complete descriptive and bivariate statistical analyses.

Quantitative Research Methods (5 ECTS)

This course provides an overview of quantitative research methods, focusing on approaches central to undertaking quantitative health services and policy research studies. The intent is to familiarize students interested in conducting quantitative research with key concepts, tools and ideas that can support them in assessing the quality of existing studies, developing their own research proposals, and ultimately conducting more rigorous research.

Areas of emphasis related to methodology include: concepts of association and causality; developing research questions; approaches to measurement, including reliability and validity; common data sources used in health services research; sources of bias; a comprehensive overview of observational study design.

Students will learn to develop and enhance designs for research proposals, and critically examine research proposals, and published health research. The course is intended for doctoral- and masters-level graduate students in health research and related fields. It is designed to be complementary to departmental courses in epidemiology, measurement principles, program evaluation, administrative data analysis and economic evaluation.

Qualitative Research Methods (5 ECTS)

The use of qualitative research methods in public health research, such as program evaluations and clinical trials, is increasingly common. This course is suited to anyone working as a health worker or researcher who is interested in learning about qualitative research methods. Some students take this unit to better understand published research. Others who have previously only studied quantitative research methods take this unit to gain an insight into different ways of thinking about research. For students who are planning a career or substantive research using these methods, this unit is an excellent starter, but they will in time probably require further training.

The learning objectives of this course are to introduce participants to the theories, concepts and practice of qualitative research and to enable them to develop the skills to use qualitative methodology in undertaking public health and primary care research. Participants will gain practical skills in employing qualitative research designs, data collection and analysis. In particular, participants will learn how to meaningfully incorporate qualitative research with other research methods and study designs.

Fundamentals of Human Physiology (4 ECTS)

The study of the fundamentals of human physiology lays the foundations for the biomedical training of a specialist in the field of medicine and public health and contributes to the achievement of professional competence in all types of activities, including preventive, organizational, managerial and research activities.

This module includes modern scientific advances in the analysis of the activity of physiological and functional systems of an adult organism, combines analytical and synthetic physiology. The program consists of 2 parts: general physiology and physiological foundations of integrative human behavior.

Evolution of infectious diseases (4 ECTS)

Is the evolution of infectious diseases still continuing? Can new diseases arise? Can old, well-known diseases disappear? Is the nature of diseases changing? Or the evolution of infectious diseases has ended, a balance has been established between microbes - parasites and macroorganisms, and the elimination of diseases is now possible only through the efforts of people?

Undergraduates will be able to find the answer to all these questions in the process of studying this topic.

The purpose and objectives of training are to give to students

• Understanding and application of the basic principles and concepts of the evolution of microorganisms in the biological sciences.

• Using current technologies to access information, conduct research and analyze results as a new way of scientific communication on the evolution of infectious diseases.

Major Global Infectious Diseases: A Control Perspective (3 ECTS)

The main principle of the module is formation knowledge and skills, the development of practical skills that ensure timely diagnosis of the most common major global infectious diseases, the implementation of primary anti-epidemic and preventive measures in the foci of infections, as well as sanitary control.

The course objective is familiarization with the main global infectious diseases and methods of control prospects, for prevention in hospitals, among various populations at the individual, group and population levels, as well as in emergency situations

Infectious Diseases and Immunology (4 ECTS)

Despite progress in the study of infection, which has allowed the development of diagnostic methods, a system of prevention and effective therapy, the natural processes of evolution of microorganisms are ahead of the possibilities of medical resistance to infection. Infectious diseases retain their position in the structure of morbidity in humans, animals and plants, and a number of effective measures, including the use of antimicrobial agents and drugs, lose their effectiveness due to the ability of microbes to develop resistance.

It is this aspect that leads modern science to the need to understand the foundations of the interaction of an infectious agent and a macroorganism in accordance with positions that represent not individual and isolated microbes (from the side of the infectious agent) and cells of the immune system (from the side of a macroorganism), but holistically and organizationally presented components of intersystem interaction.

This view will allow the discovery of new possibilities for the control of the infectious process, which are not provided by the direct use of antibiotic agents.

Due to the integral nature of the module "Infectious Diseases and Immunology", its study requires sufficient training in the field of microbiology, ecology, immunology and pathophysiology.

The module’s aim is to form undergraduates the basics of understanding the intersystem interaction of an infectious agent and a macroorganism, provided by the immune system and its regulatory role in the direction of homeostatic-patent systems of the body.

National programs in health care (3 ECTS)

The module is aimed at familiarization of students to main current and successfully passed national programs in healthcare systems of different countries. What challenges the public health systems faced during realization of these countries? How did the healthcare management and health workers overcome these challenges? What current issues the global health systems face today and what programs global health alliance is realizing to improve global health.