Candidates for the MPVM degree must satisfactorily complete, in residence, a total of 28 units of required coursework in epidemiology, biostatistics and research methodology (required classes and their scheduling are shown below) and a minimum of 12 units of elective courses in areas such as epidemiology, biostatistics, herd health management, animal health economics, simulation modeling, veterinary medical data management and computer applications, zoonoses and veterinary public health. Of the 12 units of elective courses, no more than 2 units of seminar sessions can be included.

In addition to coursework, a project which culminates in a written and oral presentation is required. Ten units of credit are earned upon completion of the research project, for a minimum of 50 units total, for the program. The intent of the project is to foster development of skills in the design and conduct of research and data analysis. The study can be designed to uncover facts or principles, or it can involve the development of a disease control program. The research report must represent a careful, systematic and creative study in epidemiology. Data previously obtained may be used in the formulation of this study, but a data set that has already been analyzed is not acceptable. (Please see the list of completed projects.)

Required Courses for the program

SUMMER SESSION II

MPM 402: Medical Statistics I, 4.0 units
Course Description: Statistics in clinical, laboratory and population medicine: graphical and tabular presentation of data; probability; binomial; Poisson, normal, t-, F-, and Chi-square distributions; elementary nonparametric methods; simple linear regression and correlation; life tables. Microcomputer applications of statistical procedures in population medicine.

MPM 412:
Introduction to Information Management, 3.0 units Course Description: Introduction to information management. Emphasis on data quality and design of data applications. Specific topics include library fundamentals and managing human resources for project management, data collection, organization, storage, analysis and communication.

FALL QUARTER

MPM 403:
Medical Statistics II, 4.0 units Course Description: Continuation of MPM 402. Analysis of variance in biomedical sciences; nonparametric methods; multiple regression; biomedical applications of statistical methods. Microcomputer applications to reinforce principles that are taught in lecture.

MPM 405:
Principles of Epidemiology, 4.0 units Course Description: Basic epidemiologic concepts and approaches to epidemiologic research, with examples from veterinary and human medicine, including outbreak investigation, infectious disease epidemiology, properties of tests, and an introduction to epidemiologic study design and surveillance.

MPM 405L: Epidemiology Laboratory, 1.0 units Course Description: A practical application of epidemiological methods using the microcomputer as a tool to solve problems. Utilizes spreadsheets and databases as tools to organize and analyze data. Emphasis on epidemiological methods introduced in course 405. Data sets provided.

MPM 408A: Veterinary Research: Planning and Reporting, 2.0 units Course Description: Planning, critical analysis, ethics, and written and oral communication of veterinary research.

MPM 410: Animal Health Policy and Risk Communication, 1.0 units Course Description: International, national and state policy issues affecting veterinary medicine, how policy is made, organizational cultures, the role of science in policy-making, ten best practices in risk/crisis communication, message-mapping for the public and policy-makers, and effective meeting management.

WINTER QUARTER

MPM 404: Medical Statistics III, 4.0 units Course Description: Analysis of time dependent variation and trends, analysis of multiway frequency tables; logistic regression; survival analysis selecting the best regression equation; biomedical applications.

MPM 406A: Epidemiologic Study Design, 3.0 units Builds on concepts presented in MPM 405. Concepts of epidemiologic study design—clinical trials, observational cohort studies, case control studies—introduced in MPM 405 are covered in more depth, using a problem-based format. Discussion of published epidemiologic studies.

MPM 408B: Veterinary Research: Planning and Reporting, 1.0 units Course Description: Planning, critical analysis, ethics, and written and oral communication of veterinary research.

MPM 426: Applied Epidemiologic Problem Solving, 1.0 units Course Description: Integration of epidemiologic and statistical methodology in a problem-solving approach to contemporary animal population health issues. Data validation and manipulation; descriptive statistical analysis using spreadsheets, database management, and Epi Info software. Builds on skills learned in MPM 405L and MPM 406.

Electives for MPVM Options:

• Summer Session II 2007 - Fall 2007