Graduate Certificate in Population Health Online
Improve healthcare outcomes for the most vulnerable people among us — while improving healthcare for all — through UL Lafayette’s Graduate Certificate in Population Health online. Our program is the state’s first graduate certificate in population health, designed for working healthcare professionals in direct patient care as well as those in administrative and auxiliary healthcare roles.
In the Graduate Certificate in Population Health online, you’ll gain a stronger understanding of health analytics, quality improvement, community partnerships, and healthcare delivery methods. You'll also learn how to solve healthcare problems by using data to implement quality initiatives based on proven theories and practices.
As Louisiana’s — and the country’s — population gets older and health disparities continue, healthcare focused on specific populations will be essential to managing and improving their health. This graduate certificate will give you the additional education and training you need to improve healthcare for the most vulnerable populations.
Learn how to make healthcare more equitable for people of all races, genders, backgrounds, and socioeconomic levels with your Graduate Certificate in Population Health.
Curriculum
Our Graduate Certificate in Population Health is a six-month, 12-credit-hour program of online courses designed to teach you the basics of population and public health and how to improve the health outcomes of all populations.
You will take two 8-week courses in the Spring B semester, one 3-week course in the Summer Intercession semester, and one 8-week course in the Summer Semester.
HSA 500: Essentials of Population Health (3 credits, 8 weeks)
This course is an introduction to the impact that multiple determinants have on different populations’ health outcomes. Learn to define the characteristics of populations, begin to view health conditions from a population health and population health management perspective, and develop evidence-based intervention practices to manage health conditions among vulnerable groups.
HSA 501: US Healthcare Organizations & Delivery Methods (3 credits, 8 weeks)
This course focuses on the organization, financing, and delivery of healthcare in the United States. Explore the major issues facing healthcare providers, agencies, and the pharmaceutical industries, learn about reforms to the systems and their effects, and study the effects of competition and market.
HSA 502: Epidemiology & Evidence of Outcomes Research (3 credits, 3 weeks)
Through this course, you’ll learn about principles and methods of epidemiology of human populations. You’ll identify quantitative and qualitative data and information used to assess a community’s health, learn to apply descriptive and analytic epidemiology, and interpret results from epidemiologic case studies.
HSA 503: Principles of Healthcare Quality & Safety (3 credits, 8 weeks)
This course will give you a detailed view of the factors that impact the quality of care. Explore quality measurement, assessment, and improvement frameworks as they apply to patient outcomes, and understand the planning, implementation, and evaluation of quality improvement programs.
Tuition
Students in the Graduate Certificate in Population Health program take all coursework online. UL Lafayette online students pay a flat-rate, per-credit-hour tuition. Online graduate students pay $480 per credit hour.
Additional course fees, including materials proctoring fees, are not included. Online students are not assessed additional operational and activity fees or out-of-state tuition.
Admission
Students are admitted to the Graduate Certificate in Population Health program once a year, as a cohort.
The application deadline is Feb. 4. Students are admitted to this program only in the Spring B term each year and they progress through the program as a cohort. Classes begin each year in mid-March.
To be considered for admission to the population health graduate certificate program, you must:
- Apply and pay the non-refundable application fee.
- Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
- Have a bachelor’s degree in a related field (i.e., nursing, allied health, sociology, business, informatics, or psychology) from an accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a foreign institution with an overall GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale.
- Meet the general application and admission requirements from the Graduate School.
Online Learning
Learning online is ideal for healthcare professionals who want to advance in their field without stepping away from their professional lives.
Our courses are uniquely designed with online students in mind. We have a long record of excellence in delivering a high caliber learning experience to working professionals.
Learn more about the online learning experience at UL Lafayette.
Graduate Coordinator
Dr. Rachel Ellison
Phone: 813-852-5813
Email: rachel.ellison@louisiana.edu
Because courses in this program will only be available online, the program may not be available to all applicants. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and its online programs must be in compliance in every state where a student is located. (Visit the Online Programs website to learn more.) International students also may not be eligible. According to U.S. immigration regulations, F-1 students cannot pursue online degrees; international students in other visa categories (i.e., H-4, L2) are exempt from this restriction.