Public Mental Health Research Certificate Program

Our Public Mental Health Research certificate program provides graduate training in understanding the causes and consequences of mental disorders in populations.  The courses describe the clinical and behavioral features and prevalence of mental and behavioral disorders. They also identify factors that influence the occurrence, persistence or severity of these disorders. The goals of the program are to enhance the epidemiologic expertise of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals as well as to increase the number of epidemiologists, biostatisticians and health policy makers interested in psychiatric disorders.

Course Requirements

340.601 Principles of Epidemiology

140.611 and 140.612 Statistical Reasoning in Public Health I & II (OR 140.621 and 140.622 Methods in Public Health I & II OR 140.651 and 140.652 Methods in Biostatistics I & II)

330.601 Perspectives of Psychiatry: The Public Health Framework (This course may be waived by psychiatrists and clinical psychologists upon permission of the faculty sponsor—in which case, the minimum number of credits in the Department of Mental Health is 14, not 17).

330.603 Psychiatric Epidemiology

330.607 Prevention of Mental Disorders: Public Health Interventions

Three courses from the following list:
330.667 Mental Health and the Law
330.628 Principles of Public Mental Health Delivery in the Community Context
330.602 Epidemiology of Drug and Alcohol Dependence
330.612 Introduction to Behavioral and Psychiatric Genetics
330.661 Social, Psychological and Developmental Processes in the Etiology of Mental Disorders
330.623 Neuropsychology of Mental Disorders
330.606 Economics of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
330.618 Mental Health in Later Life
330.604 Gender and Mental Health
330.620 Issues in Mental Health Research in Developing Countries

Requirements for Successful Completion
This certificate consists of a mminimum of 17 credits in the Department of Mental Health, with an additional requirement of 5 credits in the Department of Epidemiology and 6 credits in the Department of Biostatistics.  All classes must be taken for a grade, and a grade of B or better in these courses is required for certification.  The certificate must be completed in three years.