Skip to main contentSkip to Xpert Chatbot

GW: Pathways to Public Health

Pathways to Public Health provides learners with a working knowledge of the issues public health professionals are striving to address every day. You will meet public health specialists who focus on dimensions of health relating to: the environment, family and community, personal behaviors and decision making, health services delivery and access, and utilizing data to both identify the underlying causes of disease, and to track and control the spread of disease.

Pathways to Public Health
8 weeks
2–4 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
Free
Optional upgrade available

There is one session available:

After a course session ends, it will be archivedOpens in a new tab.
Starts Nov 20
Ends Dec 2
Enroll
Pathways to Public Health

About this course

Skip About this course

Pathways to Public Health introduces you to a wide array of topics that are fundamental to public health and its place within the broader health sector. These topics are an essential starting point for the study of public health, including as preparation for the Maternal and Child Health MicroMasters. This course examines important and impactful public health topics, approaches, and methodologies, including but not limited to: the genetic and biological basis for disease, environmental factors, social determinants of health, individual levels of behavior change, globalization, research methods, and many more.

This course provides a valuable introduction to core public health concepts, theories, and language that will inform your understanding of persistent and emerging health issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, health disparities, and the impact of climate change on human health.

At a glance

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated programs:
  • Associated skills:Climate Variability And Change, Decision Making, Maternal Child Health, Social Determinants Of Health, Biology, Health Equity, Public Health, Research Methodologies

What you'll learn

Skip What you'll learn
  • Describe the essential functions and services of public health in both the domestic United States and international settings.
  • Discuss issues public health attempts to address relating to: health disparities, health services delivery and access, epidemiology, global health, changing health behaviors, prevention, influencing policy, and the importance of evidence in decision making.
  • Describe the various professional roles public health professionals play, and their intersections with outside professions.
  • Identify underlying influencers of individual and community health, including the social, environmental, commercial, and biological determinants of health.

Who can take this course?

Unfortunately, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba and the Crimea region of Ukraine. While edX has sought licenses from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to offer our courses to learners in these countries and regions, the licenses we have received are not broad enough to allow us to offer this course in all locations. edX truly regrets that U.S. sanctions prevent us from offering all of our courses to everyone, no matter where they live.

This course is part of Maternal and Child Health MicroMasters Program

Learn more 
Expert instruction
5 graduate-level courses
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
10 months
2 - 4 hours per week

Ways to take this course

Choose your path when you enroll.

Certificate

Free

Price

$379 USD

-

Access to course materials

Unlimited

Limited

Expires on Jan 15, 2025

World-class institutions and universities

edX support

Shareable certificate upon completion

Graded assignments and exams

Read our FAQsin a new tab about frequently asked questions on these tracks.

Interested in this course for your business or team?

Train your employees in the most in-demand topics, with edX For Business.