Health Promotion
Certificate of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies in Public Health
The purpose of the Certificate of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies in Public Health is to build and support a workforce to meet the needs of persons with disabilities. By demonstrating public health and disability competencies, students from public health and related fields develop the knowledge and skills to be agents of change and advocates with people with disabilities for equity.
The Disability Certificate uses the 10 Essential Public Health Services as a framework to emphasize the health disparities experienced by people with disabilities and the need to better include people with disabilities in all public health activities.
The Certificate emphasizes disability as an integral part of addressing issues of health equity and health promotion.
The Certificate is comprised of four, 3-credit courses provided in an online, asynchronous, scheduled format.
- PUBH 5501: Foundations of Public Health and Disability
- PUBH 5502: Epidemiology of Disability
- PUBH 5503: Disability Law, Policy, Ethics, and Advocacy
- PUBH 5504: Public Health Interventions in Disability
To learn more, click on the link to download the PDF. Also see Home | Certificate of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies in Public Health (uconn.edu)
To ask any questions about the Disability Certificate, please contact Dr. Tara Lutz at lutz@uchc.edu or 860-679-1500.
To learn more about UConn’s graduate Certificate application process please click on this link
Accomplishments
- 227 students have taken at least one course
- 18 students from 8 disciplines have earned the certificate
- Certificate is referenced in peer-reviewed publications and textbooks as an example of how to embed disability content into public health and health education curricula
Publications
Lutz, T. M. & Bruder, M. B. (2019). An outcome evaluation study of the UConn Online Graduate Courses of the Certificate of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies in Public Health. Review of Disability Studies, 15(4), 1-26. https://rdsjournal.org/index.php/journal/article/view/921
Program FAQ
Who is eligible to earn the Certificate?
Those with a Bachelor's degree or higher can submit an application to earn the Disability Certificate.
Do I need to be a UConn student?
No! As the Disability Certificate is entirely online, applicants do not need to be UConn students to apply. Current students as well as professionals in the workforce apply
What are the course requirements
The Certificate consist of four, 3-credit graduate courses. Each course is offered online and in an asynchronous format. Each course is 15 weeks in length and follows UConn’s academic semester calendar (fall, spring). The courses are not self-paced. Students complete weekly submissions as well as other assignments.
What is the time commitment?
The Certificate can take 1-2 years to complete. If students complete one course each semester, the Certificate is earned after two academic years. If students complete more than one course each semester, the Certificate can be earned after one academic year.
Each course is 15 weeks. As 3-credit graduate courses, students should expect to commit at least 9 hours each week to course material. Historically, two courses are offered during fall semester and two courses are offered during spring semester.
Where are the courses held?
The courses are completed within HuskyCT, UConn’s version of Blackboard. There is no physical meeting time or place for courses.
What is the cost of the Certificate?
For more information about the cost of earning the Certificate, please click here.