Graduate Minor in Infectious Disease Prevention and Control

About the Graduate Minor

Graduate minors are open to all Drexel graduate students in all schools and colleges. The graduate minors are designed to complement student’s training by providing basic knowledge in topics outside their primary discipline.

The graduate minor in Infectious Disease Prevention and Control provides students with a population-level approach to the prevention and control of infectious diseases. Coursework emphasizes microbial causes of human illness, their diagnosis and treatment; infectious disease epidemiology; and infectious diseases that occur in the health care environment. Students will use case studies as a framework to identify and address important clinical syndromes caused by infectious agents, and to understand control measures that are important to interrupt transmission in community and health care settings. The minor allows students to pursue relevant courses in epidemiology, health communication, management and leadership, and patient safety, providing a bridge to the student’s discipline-specific major and opportunities to acquire skills needed in the workplace. The program is intended to prepare students to work in health care settings, public health agencies, the pharmaceutical sector, and other organizations engaged in work related to the prevention and control of infectious diseases. 

Students in this minor will be expected to complete a no-credit field-based project through an applied experience or internship in infectious disease prevention and control. Students will spend a minimum of 120 hours in the field setting. This experience is intended to provide students with exposure to the language and practices of infectious disease prevention and control in health care or the community, clinical microbiology laboratories, and opportunities to interact with public health and health care professionals in infection prevention programs. Students should speak with the Program Director for more information.

Prerequisite Requirements

PBHL 512 and PBHL 513 are prerequisites for the required minor courses. Equivalent Epidemiology and Biostatistics courses can be substituted with Program Director approval on a case-by-case basis. A college-level biology and/or microbiology class is highly recommended.

Admission Requirements

The Graduate Minor in Infectious Disease Prevention and Control is available to current Drexel Graduate students.

Program Requirements