Spatial Analysis for Public Health < Johns Hopkins University

OVERVIEW

Please note: this program can ONLY be completed via fully online courses.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health offers fully online, part-time master's degree and certificate programs, designed for working professionals. Our Online Programs for Applied Learning (OPAL) focus on emergent industry sectors that have a resounding need for highly skilled professionals, with one of these sectors being Global Health.

Spatial analysis is an emerging field with applications evolving that are vast and paramount, impacting public health at the local and global level. The carefully sequenced courses of the certificate program in Spatial Analysis for Public Health introduce and reinforce a unifying comprehensive spatial science paradigm, to include components of Spatial Data, GIS and Spatial Statistics.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of the certificate program in Spatial Analysis for Public Health the individual will be able to:

Synthesize how geography affects public health;
Obtain and transfer information from spatial data technologies into a database appropriate for mapping;
Utilize a geographic information system to map and spatially integrate public health related databases;
Analyze maps using tools from the field of spatial statistics to describe and interpret distributions of health outcomes in a population;
Design and implement a spatial analysis protocol for addressing a public health problem.

LinkedIn Group

We have established a LinkedIn group for each of the OPAL program areas in order to strengthen connections between current students, faculty, and alumni of OPAL programs, as well as to facilitate student-to-student peer networking.

Participation is voluntary, but we encourage you to join this professional networking community.

JHSPH OPAL Spatial Analysis for Public Health

JHU OpenCourseWare

JHSPH OpenCourseWare makes JHSPH course materials used in the teaching of actual courses freely and openly available on the Web. OCW can be used to supplement learning on a particular topic, or provide background material. You are free to review the information on an OpenCourseWare Website at your own pace, free of charge.

For a brush up on statistical skills:

For a general introduction to the field of health policy and public health:

Additional options are available through the Open Education Global, including courses on

Democracy in America,
Introduction to American Politics, and
Introduction to the American Political Process.

Certificate in Spatial Analysis Contact Information

Certificate Program Advisers

Frank Curriero, PhD
Associate Professor, and Program Director for Certificate and MAS in Spatial Analysis for Public Health
Email: fcurriero@jhu.edu

Tim Shields, MA
Associate Scientist
Email: tshields@jhu.edu

For Program-wide Issues

Elizabeth Topper Golub, PhD, MEd, MPH
Director, Online Programs for Applied Learning (OPAL)
Email: egolub@jhu.edu

ELIGIBILITY

Individuals who are currently matriculated in a degree program in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or other schools at the Johns Hopkins University are not eligible for this certificate program. The certificate program is open to individuals with at least a baccalaureate degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university.

The certificate program is open to members of the public health workforce seeking formal education and training to effectively design and conduct public health-related spatial analysis. The program is intended to be taken on a part-time basis and can be completed by taking all courses.

The certificate program is open to individuals with at least a baccalaureate degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university. Students should be able to demonstrate quantitative ability through professional or academic background in order to apply for the program. Additionally, students must also be able to demonstrate a background in Biostatistics and Epidemiology.

Students interested in obtaining the related OPAL degree - the Master of Applied Science in S patial Analysis for Public Health - may apply all of the course credits of the certificate program to the MAS program upon application and admission, as long as courses were completed within 5 years of matriculation in the MAS program. For specific questions about the MAS program, please contact the OPAL office directly at JHSPH.Applied-Learning@jhu.edu.

ADMISSIONS PROCESS

All applicants must review the General Certificate Guidelines page, which provides important information about how to apply to a certificate program.

Applying to the Certificate Program as a Non-Degree Student (CURRENT JHU STUDENTS are NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THIS CERTIFICATE)

Students who are not currently enrolled in a graduate program at JHU are required to apply to certificate programs using SOPHAS Express. All non-degree applicants should review the general Certificates Admissions page for instructions on how to apply to a certificate program and application deadlines. The certificate program's admissions committee will review the applications and notify each applicant of their admissions decision.

For more information about the certificate program, please call 844-379-1319 to speak with an admissions officer.

Start terms: It is only possible to begin the certificate program in 1st term.

Prerequisites or special requirements: Prior quantitative coursework or alternative evidence of quantitative ability and prior training in biostatistics and epidemiology

Program Requirements

Students should follow the plan outlined below if they wish to complete the Certificate program in one year. Courses can be taken at a slower pace if needed, so long as course prerequisites are met. Students should check the course directory to confirm when the courses are offered for students in OPAL programs.

The certificate program requires a minimum of 18 term credits and a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75. Students must earn a minimum grade on a set of required program-specific core courses: “Pass” for courses offered only on a pass/fail basis: “C” or higher for courses offered for letter grading. The certificate program length is flexible; it can be completed in as little as one year, and must be completed within three years.

Course of Study

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
First Term		Credits
PH.550.860	Academic & Research Ethics at JHSPH
PH.601.731	Spatial Analysis for Public Health	4
	Credits	4
Second Term
PH.601.732	Spatial Data Technologies for Mapping	4
	Credits	4
Third Term
PH.601.733	Applied Spatial Statistics	4
PH.601.805	Spatial Analysis Journal Club	2
	Credits	6
Fourth Term
PH.601.734	Spatial Applications	4
	Credits	4
	Total Credits	18

Notification of Certificate Program Completion

Students in OPAL certificate programs must complete and submit the Notification of Certificate Program Completion form to the OPAL program office before the end of the add/drop period of the term of your last certificate course; certificate program completions cannot be processed retroactively.

It is preferable to complete the form electronically. Send the completed form to the OPAL program office as an email attachment. Certificates will be ordered for students approximately one month after the end of the term in the summer, spring, and fall. A template form for each of the OPAL certificates can be found in the Online Library of the OPAL Student Resources site in CoursePlus. The blank form can be found on the School's website as well. Please send the completed Notification form to OPAL-Office@jhu.edu by the deadline noted above. Be sure to complete all personal information on the first page, and the year, term and grade for all completed courses. If needed, we can update the pending grades when they are submitted at the end of the term.