As partial fulfillment of the requirements for their MPH degree, Advanced Policy Analysis offers the opportunity for students to develop and complete their own analysis of a public health issue that intersects with government actions. All MPH students must create a high-quality written product, synthesizing public health competencies. Based on their selected topic, students will use practical and theoretical tools to analyze data related to a real-world problem and present their findings in an ILE project report. This is an iterative course, designed to facilitate successful progress towards completion of a high-quality written policy analysis, which may be considered for publishing with UNE’s public-facing repository of outstanding student work.
PC 1. Synthesize and incorporate scientific evidence into professional writing
PC 2. Search databases and critically analyze peer-reviewed literature
PC 3. Develop strategies for qualitative and quantitative data management
FC 1. Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice
FC 2. Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
FC 3. Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming, and software, as appropriate
FC 4. Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice
FC 8. Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design, implementation, or critique of public health policies or programs
FC 12. Discuss the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence
FC 14. Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations
FC 15. Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity
FC 19. Communicate audience-appropriate (i.e. non-academic, non-peer audince) public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation
Course Objectives
Assignment and discussion descriptions mentioned below are summaries. Review full assignment prompts in the course
Initial discussion posts are due by 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, unless otherwise specified in the course. Response posts must be completed by 11:59 PM ET Wednesday, unless otherwise specified in the course. The online discussion portion is an important way to exchange ideas with your classmates. You will be graded on your participation and the effort of your posts. These posts will take time to complete but they are an essential part of this online course and a great way to get to know your colleagues. Be familiar with the course material before posting each week.
If the initial post and response are not submitted within the discussion week you will be given a zero. Posts submitted after the discussion week will not be graded.
Policy Analysis
Throughout the course, you will complete various assignments leading to your final Policy Analysis, including a Literature Review, Stakeholder Interview Guide, Background Section, Methodology Section, Discussion Section, Abstract, Conclusion and Presentation.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Assignments | Points |
Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement | 1 |
Week 1 Discussion: Introductions | 2 |
Week 1 Assignment: CDC Course - Introduction to Policy Analysis in Public Health | 2 |
Week 1 Assignment: Schedule 1:1 meetings with Instructor | 0 |
Week 2 Assignment | 2 |
Week 2: 1:1 with Instructor | 0 |
Week 3 Assignment: Literature Review | 6 |
Week 4 Assignment: Learning Journal 1 | 4 |
Week 5 Assignment: Stakeholder Interview Guide | 4 |
Week 6: Background Section Outline | 6 |
Week 6: 1:1 with Instructor | 0 |
Week 7 Methodology Section (Draft) | 6 |
Week 8 Assignment: Learning Journal 2 | 4 |
Week 9 Assignment: Background Section | 6 |
Week 10 Assignment: Learning Journal 3 | 4 |
Week 10: 1:1 with Instructor | 0 |
Week 11 Assignment: Discussion Section | 6 |
Week 12 Assignment: Abstract | 5 |
Week 12 Assignment: Conclusion | 6 |
Week 13 Assignment: Policy Analysis (Draft) | 8 |
Week 14 Assignment: Presentation | 5 |
Week 14: 1:1 with Instructor | 0 |
Week 15: Policy Analysis Submission (Final Draft) | 17 |
Week 16: Learning Journal 4 | 4 |
Week 16 Discussion: Journal Selection Tools | 2 |
Total Points | 100 |
Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Each week opens on Wednesday at 12:01 AM Eastern Time. Each week closes on Wednesday at 11:59 pm ET, with the exception of Week 16, which ends on Sunday.
Week 1: Jan 17 – Jan 24
Week 2: Jan 24 – Jan 31
Week 3: Jan 31 – Feb 7
Week 4: Feb 7 – Feb 14
Week 5: Feb 14 – Feb 21
Week 6: Feb 21 – Feb 28
Week 7: Feb 28 – Mar 6
Week 8: Mar 6 – Mar 13
Week 9: Mar 13 – Mar 20
Week 10: Mar 20 – Mar 27
Week 11: Mar 27 – Apr 3
Week 12: Apr 3 – Apr 10
Week 13: Apr 10 – Apr 17
Week 14: Apr 17 – Apr 24
Week 15: Apr 24 – May 1
Week 16: May 1 – May 5
The assignment/discussion descriptions mentioned below are summaries. Please make sure to review the full assignment prompts in the course. There may be additional readings/videos that are not mentioned in this weekly summary, make sure to carefully review the modules in the course.
Week 1 Discussion: Introduction
Week 1: Assignment 1 – CDC Course
Week 1: Assignment 2 – Schedule 1:1 Meetings with Instructor
Week 2 Assignment
Week 2: 1:1 With Your Instructor
Week 3 Assignment: Literature Review
Week 4 Assignment: Learning Journal 1
Week 5 Assignment: Stakeholder Interview Guide
Week 6 Assignment: Background Section Outline
Week 6: 1-1 With Your Instructor
Week 7 Assignment: Methodology Section – Draft
Week 8 Assignment: Learning Journal 2
Week 9 Assignment: Background Section
Week 10 Assignment: Learning Journal 3
Week 10: 1:1 With your Instructor
Week 11 Assignment: Discussion Section Draft
Week 12 Assignment: Abstract
Week 12 Assignment: Conclusion
Week 13 Assignment: Policy Analysis: Full Draft
Week 14: Presentation Slides
Week 14: 1:1 With your Instructor
Week 15 Assignment: Policy Analysis Submission (Final Draft)
Week 16 Assignment: Learning Journal 4
Week 16 Discussion: Journal Selection Tools
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Public Health page
UNE's Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of free online services to support your academic achievement. Writing support, ESOL support, study strategy and learning style consultations, as well as downloadable resources, are available to all matriculating students. The SASC also offers tutoring for GPH 712 Epidemiology, GPH 716 Biostatistics, GPH 717 Applied Epidemiology, GPH 718 Biostatistics II, and GPH 719 Research Methods. To make an appointment for any of these services, go to une.tutortrac.com. For more information and to view and download writing and studying resources, please visit:
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Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.
ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.
The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!
The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.
The American Medical Association Manual (AMA) of Style, 11th edition is the required writing format for this course. Additional support for academic writing and AMA format is provided throughout the coursework as well as at the UNE Portal for Online Students.
Online resources: AMA Style Guide
The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.
Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.
Students are responsible for submitting work by the date indicated in Brightspace.
Quizzes and Tests: Quizzes and tests must be completed by the due date. They will not be accepted after the due date.
Assignments: Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit https://www.une.edu/studentlife/plagiarism.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.
8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.
16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.