Public health is a diverse field that includes ideas and practices from economics, social studies, intercultural communication, global outreach, public policy, disaster preparedness, refugee health, and much more. For students thinking about pursuing a career in one of the many different avenues of public health, and for professionals already working in the industry, open courseware provides a unique opportunity for exploration in public health. Classes offered from schools like MIT and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health make quality education available for anyone with access to an Internet connection. Students enrolled in these classes can complete coursework on their own schedules and access lecture notes, reading assignments and additional resources provided by the universities.

This collection of courses features classes offered by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Students learn skills like intercultural communication, understanding diversity, understanding addiction, analyzing public policy, working with different kinds of health care providers, organizations and communities, and providing services to underdeveloped countries or communities that have experienced disaster. Classes like Global Tobacco Control, Personal Preparedness Planning for Public Health Workers, Population Change and Public Health, and Ethics in Public Health show the range of resources available to students through open courseware. Students can brush up on a particular area of the field or learn about new topics to supplement their education or experience.

• Global Tobacco Control [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health] – Students learn about “the health and economic burden of tobacco use worldwide” and gain an understanding of tobacco addiction, regulation, trade and more.
• Population Change and Public Health [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health] – Learn how issues like diversity, population size and reproductive health affect general public health.
• Ethics in Public Health [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health] – Topics covered in this class include the right to health care, distribution of resources and health services, health promotion and more.
• Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health] – This introductory class discusses how attitudes towards health care, as well as social and cultural issues, affect public health policies, health status and poverty.
• Personal Preparedness Planning for Public Health Workers [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health] – Public health care workers learn how to respond to acts of terrorism and natural disasters and care for themselves and their families.
• The History of Public Health [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health] – Get a history of the public health system in this course.
• STI Prevention: Using Epidemiology to Inform Policy and Program [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health] – Learn how to develop effective STD prevention programs in this course, and learn about STDs themselves.