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Latin American teacher with a group of young students at an animal farm feeding the goats – lifestyle concepts

One-Health

The One-Health concept is based on the premise that health-related interactions among people, animals, and the environment profoundly influence disease risk, transmission, and prediction efforts. There are estimates that 60% and 75% of human infectious diseases and emerging human diseases, respectively, have their source in domestic or wild animals (http://www.oie.int/for-the-media/onehealth). These are called zoonotic diseases and include rabies, West Nile virus, Rift Valley fever, and brucellosis, among others. In some cases, animal health can serve as a warning for human disease transmission, as demonstrated by the West Nile virus, or where mortality of West Nile virus-infected birds may trigger awareness of human risks.

While human-animal-environmental interactions have long been recognized as being important, some powerful drivers of change are increasingly causing volatility among people, animals, and environmental linkages. These drivers include climate change, population growth, land use/cover changes, and alterations in disease vector ecology.  According to the CDC, climate change and other environmental factors have caused many diseases to emerge and re-emerge. Consequently, it is crucial to educate and inform people to the greatest extent possible regarding the One-Health concept and those factors that continuously cause variation in the interacting processes among people, animals, and the environment.

Key Learning Outcomes

The Auburn University One-Health online graduate program clearly represents an area of crucial need and importance within our state, nationally, and globally.

Students completing the graduate certificate program will be:

  1. Recognized for their education and new skill sets and be afforded new professional opportunities in the public and private sectors
  2. Knowledgeable regarding relationships between One-Health concepts and many other professions such as urban planning, engineering, natural resource management, etc.
  3. Competent in the fundamentals of One-Health concepts
  4. Able to articulate to audiences linkages between One-Health concepts and challenging technical problems related to the environment

The Auburn One-Health certificate program utilizes expertise from the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Requirements

To obtain a One-Health graduate certificate from Auburn University, students must complete fifteen (15) credit hours of online coursework.

Course CodeCourse NameCredit HoursFallSpringSummer
FOWS 7200Disease Ecology (required)3XX
FOWS 7400Introduction to Public Health (required)3X
FOWS 7300Current Topics in One Health 1X
FOWS 7500Outbreaks to Pandemics: Emerging Infectious Diseases in a Modern World2X
HDFS 6930Society and Health3X*
NTRI 6100Nutrition in Disease Prevention2X*
NURS 8420Population Health Outcomes3X*
HCO 670Social and Ethical Issues in Public Health (UAB)3X*
HCO 604Public Health Policy (UAB)3X*

*Tentative; contact CFWE or course schedule for confirmation

Enrollment

To participate in the One-Health certificate program, students must apply to Auburn University (http://graduate.auburn.edu/).   Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are not required.

Entrance to the certificate program and AU Graduate School requires a 2.75 GPA.  However, exceptions can be made if sufficient justification for the exception is provided to the CFWE Graduate Program Office.

Graduate certificate applicants must submit the online application to be admitted as a non-degree student, pay the online application fee ($60 or $70 domestic vs. international, respectively), and submit transcripts.  They must submit an official transcript for the highest degree they currently hold.  International applicants must also submit an English proficiency score.

Students enrolled in our program may elect to apply to the UAB School of Public Health as a non-degree student at a fee of $40, a status which will allow them to take HCOP 601Q Health Economics (link to syllabus). The UAB credit can be transferred to Auburn University, where the credit will count toward the completion of the certificate.

Students may enroll three times yearly to begin their coursework in the spring, summer, or fall semesters. All application materials must be received no later than 45 days before the first day of class of the semester. For deadlines and other details, visit http://graduate.auburn.edu/prospective-students/general-admission-requirements/.

Fees

The One Health graduate certificate program requires 15 credit hours at $546 per credit hour for Auburn University courses. UAB course fees can be found online at https://www.uab.edu/cost-aid/cost/detailed-tuition-fees#graduate. Please be aware that students pursuing graduate certificates are not eligible for financial aid.

Need help getting started?

For guidance regarding curriculum choices, admissions policies, and deadlines, please contact Dr. Jessica Daniel at jrd0084@auburn.edu or (334) 844-1077 or submit a request for information about our online programs.

Specific questions concerning the One-Health certificate and courses can be addressed to Dr. Aniruddha Belsare at avb0033@auburn.edu or (334) 844-1037).

Now Accepting Applications

Through distance education and online learning, our expert faculty prepare students to address complex natural resources-related topics and issues that are highly impactful to our society and environment. Our curriculum is convenient and flexible for students of diverse academic backgrounds who wish to advance professionally.

Request Information Packet

Quick Facts

  • Earn a certificate in less than 3 years
  • Only 15 credit hours required
  • Credit may be applied to Master’s of Natural Resources Graduate Degree (MNR Non-thesis)
  • No GRE required for enrollment
  • Enrollment open spring, summer and fall!

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