Curriculum

Core Course Requirements and Research Methods Electives

Graduate students in Biobehavioral Health are required to take five core, three-credit courses, (BBH 501, 502, 503, 504, and 505). Additionally, a minimum of 12 additional elective graduate course credits (500 level or above) that cover research methods relevant to their interests (see more below) are required.

Required (Core) Courses

• BBH 501 Biobehavioral Systems in Health and Development: Theory and Processes ("Intro to BBH")
• BBH 502 Health: Biobehavioral Perspectives ("Health Psychology")
• BBH 503 Biobehavioral Systems in Health and Development: Processes and Integration ("Review of Biological Systems")
• BBH 504 Behavioral Health Intervention Strategies ("Interventions and Health Promotion"
• BBH 505 Behavioral Health Research Strategies ("Statistics/Methods;" includes 1-credit lab)

Research Elective Courses

Because the interests of BBH graduate students are very diverse, our curriculum is flexible and allows students to take electives based on their specific area(s) of interest, in consultation with and as approved by their advisor and the Professor-in-Charge of the Graduate Program. These courses may be selected from offerings in other programs at the University including, but not restricted to, Human Development and Family Studies, Nursing, Psychology, Sociology, and Statistics, Biology, as well as courses offered by BBH. 

Our students’ elective courses are meant to advance content expertise and/or methodologies in a student’s given area of study. The majority of BBH graduate students take BBH 597x/506 ("Advanced Biobehavioral Research Strategies" – an extension of BBH 505) toward their 12 required credits of Methods/Electives. Many other advanced statistical courses are offered on campus, e.g., hierarchical linear modeling [HLM/MLM], longitudinal modeling, and structural equation modeling [SEM]. However, any courses that further the research interests of our graduate students, including, e.g., research methods with respect to fMRI techniques, “big data,” genomics, prevention science, developmental processes, survey development, and much more, are acceptable and may be approved.

Examples of Graduate Student Coursework by Interests