Professional Electives Search
This search tool is designed to help you identify professional electives that may align with your interests. You can search by any/all of the fields provided. This tool is not intended as an exhaustive list of all possible professional electives; rather, it includes electives offered through the college of pharmacy, professional electives approved by the Curriculum and Assessment Committee, and electives that have been taken by students at some of the other schools on campus. Term offered is only provided for College of Pharmacy courses; a link to the appropriate course guide is provided for all other courses.
As a reminder, graduate courses (>500 level) that are relevant to biomedical, human health, and/or the practice of pharmacy which are offered through the U-M health-science schools (Pharmacy, Nursing, Social Work, Public Health, Medicine, and Dentistry) qualify as professional electives provided they are not attendance-only courses. Attendance-only courses offered through the health-science schools (e.g., seminars or journal clubs that do not require a rigorous form of student assessment) are not accepted for professional elective credit. Courses offered through U-M non-health-science schools must be reviewed and approved by the Curriculum and Assessment Committee.
Confronting and Addressing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare (Credits: 3)
Reducing racial/ethnic health disparities is core to the mission of public health. This course provides an in-depth examination of racial/ethnic disparities specific to healthcare and healthcare delivery in the United States. This course will critically appraise 1) the causes of these disparities including mistrust, and differential access, communication and treatment, 2) frameworks, theory, and measurement to examine disparities in care and 3) interventions to address healthcare-specific disparities, and change behavior at multiple levels of influence (policy/regulatory, health system/delivery, healthcare provider, and patient/individual). We will examine trends and critical issues in racial/ethnic healthcare disparities before and after the seminal Institute of Medicine Report- Unequal Treatment, and the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
Prerequisites: Please view the course schedule for current advisory and/or enforced prerequisites.Sexual Health Promotion (Credits: 3)
This course will provide students with the background, knowledge, and experience needed to create different types of sexual health promotion interventions for diverse populations in multiple setting. Students will explore socio-ecological factors that influence the sexual health of diverse populations, and learn how to develop/implement theory-based and culturally-appropriate interventions.
Prerequisites: Please view the course schedule for current advisory and/or enforced prerequisites.Global Public Health (Credits: 3)
In this course, we discuss globalization and health, major actors/organizations in global health, global health inequities, and "hot topics" in global health. This course is designed to help students critically think about how to apply key concepts and skills in health behavior and health education to understanding global health issues.
Prerequisites: Please view the course schedule for current advisory and/or enforced prerequisites.Families and health (Credits: 3)
Families represent the primary setting within which individuals acquire information concerning health, learn specific health-related behaviors, and function as caregivers to others. Because the family and the health and well-being of its constituent members are interconnected in fundamental ways, it is critical that we develop an understanding of this primary institution, the factors that impact on its form and functioning, and their relation to health and health-related concerns. Our general goals will be to examine the ways that families provide for the mental and physical well-being of their members and interface with health institutions and agencies. A primary emphasis of this course is on the concept of family diversity with respect to issues of ethnicity and cultural background, socioeconomic status (i.e., income, education), family composition and marital status and history, sexual orientation, and family extendedness. A concomitant focus will be on exploring the range of diversity that is present within defined population subgroups, as well as the intersection of various social statuses and identities. This approach will provide some sense of the complexity of structure and function apparent within contemporary American families. Finally, a life course perspective is adopted for understanding the nature of the family and the dynamic forces (i.e., individual, family, culture and social change) that influence it.
NOTE: This course is cross listed with SW 727.
Consumer Health Informatics (Credits: 3)
Consumer health informatics (CHI) gives health care consumers information and tools to facilitate their engagement. Students will become familiar with, and evaluate, a range of CHI applications. They will also assess the needs and technological practices of potential users, generate theory-informed design and implementation strategies, and select appropriate evaluation approaches.
Cross listed with SI 554.
Genetics, Health Behavior, and Health Education (Credits: 3)
Advances in genetics research are rapidly presenting both great opportunities and complex challenges for public health. In order for the potential benefits of genetic research to be realized (and unintended harms minimized), numerous health behavior and health education (HBEHED) issues will need to be addressed. This course will employ a blend of lectures and group discussions to consider such issues, including the following: genetics and risk communication; ethical issues in HBEHED genetics research; the psychological and behavioral impact of genetic testing; public and professional knowledge and attitudes about genetic; health education needs in genetics; and emerging issues in the field (e.g., preimplantation genetic diagnosis, computerized delivery of genetic counseling services).
Prerequisites: Please view the course schedule for current advisory and/or enforced prerequisites.Health Impacts of Immigration Law Enforcement and Policy in the US (Credits: 3)
This course draws on the social-ecological model to consider the multi-level health impacts of immigration law enforcement on individuals, families and communities; the similarities between immigration enforcement conducted by ICE and law enforcement conducted by police; and how state violence is shaped by anti-Black, -Latino, and -Arab racism. Empirical data, articles, books, and media will be used to catalyze discussion and analysis of how immigration law enforcement impacts mixed-status communities throughout the U.S. Through interactions with those who conducted and lived through law enforcement activities and the advocates and researchers who respond to enforcement, students will better understand the ways in which fear of state violence shapes health and health seeking behaviors throughout the community and contributes to racial health inequities.
Prerequisites: Please view the course schedule for current advisory and/or enforced prerequisites.Historical Roots of Health Inequities (Credits: 3)
This course offers an examination of U.S. health inequities from a historical lens and discussion of present-day issues. Through the readings, discussions, and assignments in this class, students will better understand historical policies, events, and movements that have led to health inequities and connect those to contemporary issues in the United States and within the field of public health. The course takes an intersectional perspective to examine health inequities, with a focus on inequities related to race, ethnicity, gender, and class.
Prerequisites: Please view the course schedule for current advisory and/or enforced prerequisites.Survey of the US Healthcare System (Credits: 3)
Analysis of current organizational arrangements and patterns for provision and financing of medical care services in United States. Topics include need, access and use of services; issues related to health professionals and health facilities; health care costs; quality assessment and assurance and managed care and health care financing.
Prerequisites: Please view the course schedule for current advisory and/or enforced prerequisites.Health Care Financial Accounting (Credits: 1-2)
This course provides an overview of financial accounting for students interested in health care management and policy. It is designed to serve the needs of both students who have never had a course in financial accounting (for 2 credits) and students who have had an introductory course in financial accounting but without health care applications (for 1 credit).
Prerequisites: Please view the course schedule for current advisory and/or enforced prerequisites.
