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Curriculum - Epi/Biostat

The Urban Public Health Program at Hunter College, CUNY has established a Biostatistics and Epidemiology Track within the MPH program. Graduates will have the knowledge and skills to design and conduct population health studies and apply research findings to improve the health of urban populations. The Epidemiology and Biostatistics MPH track consists of 2 options: one in Epidemiology and one in Biostatistics.

The objectives for students in Epidemiology include being able to: understand the principles, methods, strengths
and limitations of epidemiologic study designs; collaborate on applied population health research; interpret
epidemiologic findings, effectively communicating them to lay and professional audiences, and apply them to
the development of evidence-based interventions to improve population health.

The objectives for students in Biostatistics include being able to: attain an awareness and basic understanding of advanced statistical methods and to apply core and intermediate level statistical methods to public health
endeavors, such as data management, statistical analysis, interpretation, and presentation of analytical results
using computing technology in government and private health agencies, industry, and research institutions.

Courses meet once a week. Students can attend full-time (12 or more credits per semester) or part-time. Each course is 3 credits. Most students complete the degree in 2 to 4 years, depending on their work schedule. Students must maintain an overall 3.0 GPA to remain in good academic standing.

The EPIBIOSTAT MPH program consists of 16 courses (48 credits) and a Capstone Seminar or, for qualified students, master's essay. The MPH design of study:

18 credits in Public Health: one year of biostatistics & epidemiology, one semester of health care administration, environmental health and safety, and principles of urban public health, and a seminar in public health and public policy.
Culminating seminar in which students complete a project based on their fieldwork and knowledge and skills attained through coursework. The project may include policy development, research, development of training or community program, etc. There is an option to do a master's essay in lieu of the Capstone for students with a 3.8 GPA or higher. The essay and capstone are not credit bearing.

All Epidemiology and Biostatistics student must take the following specialization core courses. (18 credits

BIOS 750 Applied Biostatistics I (prerequisites: PH700, PH703) (Cross listed with STAT 750) A follow up
course to PH700 and PH703, covering biostatistics for public health research. Topics include: simple and
multiple linear regression; one-way and two-way analysis of variance; nonparametric tests. Focus on practical
applications, utilizing statistical software.

BIOS 751 Applied Biostatistics II (prerequisites: BIOS 750) (Cross listed with STAT 751) A follow up course
to BIOS 750, covering quantitative methods applicable in the life sciences. Topics include experimental design,
life table analysis, ethical issues, survival analysis, logistic regression, and Cox regression

EPI 750 Epidemiologic Methods I: Study Research Design (Prerequisites: PH700, PH703) (Cross listed with
GC PH 820) This course will provide an in depth understanding of the design and conduct of epidemiological
studies, including causal inferences, measurement, major study designs, threats to validity, and urban public
health applications. Examples will be based on the health of New York City residents.

EPI 751 Epidemiologic Methods II: Survey and Research Methods (Prerequisites: EPI 750) (Cross listed with
GC PH 821) This course will provide students with an understanding of the methods used to test research
hypotheses; tools for selecting statistical tests appropriate for the particular study design and research
hypotheses; and an ability to recognize the importance and impact of threat to validity such as confounding and
bias. This course will also cover survey methods used in epidemiologic research.

EPI 752 Applied Research: Data management and analysis (Prerequisites: BIOS 751, EPI 751) This course
provides students with the opportunity to apply epidemiological and statistical concepts using several datasets to
answer a given research question and test the hypotheses associated with it.

EPI 753 Clinical Trials and Experimental Design (Prerequisites: BIOS 750, EPI750) This course provides
students with the basic foundation of experimental design, with a focus on clinical trials. The uses, strengths
and limitations of clinical trials, in comparison with observational epidemiologic studies are also considered.

In addition, depending on your course of student (Epidemiology OR Biostatistics) you must complete:

Epidemiology Students (9 credits / 3 courses)	Biostatistics Students (9 credits / 3 courses)
EPI 754 Social Epidemiology (formerly COMHE/EOHS 770.04) (prerequisites: PH700, PH703) This course will introduce public health and other interested graduate students to the sub-discipline of social epidemiology, including theory and methods. Specifically, students will gain an understanding of how an individual’s interactions with factors associated with the social fabric of the society affect and shape health outcomes. This class will also examine the etiology and prevention of disease within both ecological (multi-level) and multidisciplinary frameworks.	BIOS 752 Analysis of Categorical Data (Prerequisites: BIOS 750) (Cross listed with STAT 752) An introduction to statistical models for analyzing categorical data, with emphasis on examples from the health sciences. Topics include: contingency tables and corresponding tests such as chi-square, CMH and trend test, count data, logistic regression and log-linear models.
EPI 755 Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases (prerequisites: PH700, PH703): This course provides students with epidemiological background information for the most common chronic disease conditions. In addition, the course provides students with hands on experience to characterize the frequency and impact of chronic diseases and their risk factors in New York City (NYC) using public data available through the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.	BIOS 753 Analysis of Longitudinal Data (Prerequisites: BIOS 750) (Cross listed with STAT 753) An introduction to statistical models and methods for analyzing longitudinal data in public health. Topics include: longitudinal designs and cohort sampling, general linear models for longitudinal data, marginal & random effects models, time-dependent covariates, missing values.
EPI 756 Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (formerly COMHE770.70 Infectious Disease Control; also COMHE770.48 Emerging Infectious Diseases) (Prerequisites: PH700, PH703): This course will examine the role of epidemiology in understanding transmission, surveillance and control of infectious diseases. Special focus will be on emerging infectious diseases in urban settings.	BIOS 754 Design and Analysis of Complex Surveys ((Prerequisites: BIOS 750) Cross listed with STAT 754) This course provides an introduction to statistical issues in the design and analysis of complex surveys, with a particular emphasis on public health research. Topics include: basic sampling techniques, stratified and cluster sampling, non-sampling errors, and case studies.
EPI 757 Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology (prerequisites: PH700, PH703) This course covers current research, controversial issues, and methodological problems in the epidemiology of male and female reproduction and perinatal health. Topics include: epidemiology of fertility and infertility, contraception and hormone usage, reproductive cancers and other diseases, pregnancy complications, maternal mortality, adverse pregnancy outcomes and birth defects.	BIOS 755 Survival Analysis (Prerequisites: BIOS 750) (Cross listed with STAT 755) An introduction to regression modeling used in the analysis of time-to-event data in epidemiological, biostatistical, and other health-related research. Topics include: survival functions, proportional-hazards, parametric and competing- risks models, missing data, using case studies.
EPI 758 Nutritional Epidemiology (Cross listed with GC PH 812) (prerequisites: PH700, PH703) This course teaches concepts and principles used in nutritional epidemiology. It provides skills required to critically evaluate dietary assessment methodology and reviews current topics in nutritional epidemiology. In addition, the role of nutrition in health and how this applies to public health is discussed.	BIOS 756 Data Analysis (Prerequisites: BIOS 750) (Cross listed with STAT 716) Probability-free alternatives to classical statistics, concentrating on graphical and robust methods. Topics include: data summaries; transformations; the jackknife and resampling schemes; robust estimation; and robust regression methods.
EPI 759 Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology (prerequisites: PH700, PH703) Using a case study approach, this course will explore epidemiologic methods for studying environmentally and occupationally related diseases. Key methodologic issues, such as exposure and outcome assessment, cumulative and multiple exposures, exposure pathways, research ethics, and policy implications of epidemiological findings will also be discussed. The focus will be on the environmental and occupational health of urban populations.	BIOS 758 Analysis of Variance (Prerequisites: BIOS 750) (Cross listed with Stat 718) Intermediate topics in analysis of variance (ANOVA), with an emphasis on exploratory aspects. Topics including: one, two and many way layouts; decomposition and partitioning of variance; fixed, random, and mixed effects models; repeated measures; contrasts; multiple comparisons; and robust analogs.
	STAT 701 Advanced Probability I (Prerequisites: A course in multivariate calculus, such as MATH 250 or equivalent or permission of the department) Introduction to the mathematical theory of probability as a means of modeling phenomena in a nondeterministic world. Models include the binomial, geometric, hyper-geometric, Poisson, normal, gamma, exponential, and beta distributions. Topics include discrete and continuous random variables, expectation and variance, frequency and density functions, moment generating functions, multivariate distributions, covariance, conditional expectation, functions of random variables, the law of large numbers, and the Central Limit Theorem
	STAT 706 General Linear Models I (Prerequisites: STAT 701 and STAT 703 or equivalent or permission of department) This course covers the multivariate linear model, model building, indicator variables, variable screening, residual analysis, weighted regression, correlated errors, multi-collinearity and polynomial regression.
	STAT 707 General Linear Models II (Prerequisites: STAT 706) A review of multivariate linear model and maximum likelihood estimation. Nonlinear regression models, logistic and Poisson regression models, the family of generalized linear models, multidimensional tables, odds ratio, model selection and evaluation. Computer-based exploratory data analysis. Examples from the life sciences.
	STAT 726 Theory and Methods of Sampling (Prerequisite: STAT 701 or equivalent, or permission of department) Introduction to the techniques of modern sampling, including both the methods of sampling and the theory supporting these methods. Topics include: Efficient sampling, analysis and consideration of biases, precision and accuracy.