The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the importance of professionals with expertise in epidemiology and biostatistics, public health policy and ethics, and public health program implementation and evaluation. Two new graduate certificates at the University of Lethbridge will provide students with just such credentials beginning in the fall of 2021.

Both programs will be offered on a part-time basis and can be completed over multiple terms to allow students to continue to work full time. The programs are open to those who have completed a bachelor’s degree in any discipline with a minimum 3.0 grade point average in their last 20 courses.

“We have developed each certificate to provide graduate-level training and skills in key areas of public health that are needed and in demand in the workforce,” says Dr. Cheryl Currie, an associate professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences who led the development of the certificates. “Public health is an interdisciplinary field, making the graduate certificates a good fit for individuals who have completed a bachelor’s degree in public health, in a health field more generally, or in the social and biological sciences.”

The Graduate Certificate in Epidemiology and Biostatistics will give students the necessary knowledge to design, carry out, analyze and report on the findings of epidemiologic studies in the areas of infectious disease, such as COVID-19, and chronic diseases such as diabetes and opioid dependence.

The Graduate Certificate in Public Health Program and Policy Planning and Evaluation will provide advanced training in planning high quality, evidence-based public health programs, expertise in project management and hands-on training in program evaluation. Graduates will also gain a broad understanding of health policy and the ethical issues that must be considered when planning health policy.

“Our graduate certificates are ideal for students and working professionals who would like to expand their knowledge and skills in public health without committing to a master’s degree,” says Currie. “Students who would like to pursue the MSc Specialization in Public Health at the U of L at a later time can apply course credits completed in the certificates to their degree.”

The Graduate Certificate in Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Graduate Certificate in Public Health Program and Policy Planning and Evaluation will be delivered on the Lethbridge campus.