Social & Behavioral Sciences

MPH Concentration in Social & Behavioral Sciences

The Social & Behavioral Sciences concentration focuses on the effects of social factors and individual behaviors on health. By understanding these social and behavioral factors, public health professionals can help people to change their unhealthy behaviors and act as advocates in changing the social conditions that have an adverse impact on health. Faculty have testified on behalf of plaintiffs seeking to curb destructive marketing practices by tobacco companies and have advocated for stricter gun control and drunk driving laws. Together with social service organizations, faculty provide outreach and advocacy services to substance abusers and victims of domestic violence, and have helped public health officials and the private sector coordinate a nationwide program designed to help smokers overcome their habit.

Concentration Requirements

After completing the core course SB 721, MPH students who are concentrators in Social & Behavioral Sciences must complete at least 16 additional credits of courses that carry Social & Behavioral Sciences concentration credit. Among these 16 credits must be a 4-credit assessment selective, a 4-credit intervention selective, an evaluation selective (SB 822), and a minimum of one additional 4-credit course. The course may be from the assessment or intervention selective group, or another course that carries concentration credit. Students must also meet the MPH practicum requirement.

Assessment Selectives (minimum 4 cr)

  • SB 805 Race, Ethnicity, and Health
  • SB 820 Assessment and Planning for Health Promotion
  • SB 818 Qualitative Research Methods
  • PH 850 Social and Cultural Factors Affecting the Health of Populations (requires permission)

Intervention Selectives (minimum 4 cr.)

  • SB 806 Communication Strategies for Public Health Organizations
  • SB 821 Intervention Strategies for Health Promotion
  • SB 860 Strategies for Public Health Advocacy
  • SB 888 Proposal Development in Advanced Intervention and Evaluation Research

Evaluation Requirement (minimum 4 cr)

  • SB 822 Quantitative Methods of Program Evaluation

Four (4) additional credits of SB approved concentration courses.

Social & Behavioral Sciences approved courses include:

  • SB 710 Nutrition and Public Health
  • SB 715 Teaching Public Health
  • SB 730 Stress as a Public Health Problem
  • SB 732 Nutrition, Aging, and the Elder Population
  • SB 733 Mass Communication and Public Health
  • SB 750 Preventing Intimate Partner Violence
  • SB 751 Sexual Violence: Public Health Perspectives in Intervention and Prevention
  • SB 771 Topics in Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • SB 807 The Health of LGBT Populations
  • SB 808 Merging Clinical and Population-Based Perspectives in Public Health Practice: Tension and Resolution
  • SB 809 Intervention Design and Development to Reduce Health Disparities
  • SB 813 Designing and Evaluating Websites for Public Health Interventions
  • SB 833 Designing and Implementing a PH Communication Campaign
  • SB 871 Advanced  Topics in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Courses in other departments that have been approved for SB concentration credit include:

  • EP 721 Survey Methods for Public Health
  • EP 751 Cardiovascular Epidemiology
  • EP 753 Cancer Prevention as a Public Health Problem
  • EP 775 Social Epidemiology
  • LW 725 Ethical Issues in Medicine and Public Health
  • MC 705 Safer Sex in the City
  • MC 775 Health Disparities and Vulnerable Populations
  • MC 782 Women and Substance Use
  • MC 786 Immigrant Health
  • MC 795 Adolescent Health
  • MC 840 Women and Health Policy: Gender, Evidence, and Politics
  • PH 850 Social and Cultural Factors and Health
  • PM 721 Organizational Behavior
  • PM 810 Introduction to American Government for Public Health

Areas of Emphasis

Social and Behavioral Sciences concentrators may choose to do a general course of study in Social and Behavioral Sciences or one of three optional areas of emphasis.  These areas of emphasis are:

  • Health Disparities
  • Health Communication
  • Intervention Planning

Each emphasis is interdisciplinary and combines offerings in SB with other courses at BUSPH.

Culminating Experience

All Social & Behavioral Sciences concentrators must complete an integrative professional portfolio as their Culminating Experience. The portfolio will frame individual students’ expertise, focus, experience, and skills in public health and help them to market themselves for employment as public health practitioners. Within the portfolio, students will reflect upon their studies, synthesize the materials from a range of courses, and in integrating their knowledge develop a plan of lifelong learning to reflect areas in which to bridge a knowledge gap or focus in greater depth.

DrPH of Public Health

See: www-test.bu.edu/academics/archive/2010-2011/sph/programs/public-healt/