15 Best Public Health Online Courses and Certificate Programs in 2023

Best Public Health Online Courses and Certificate Programs

Do you know what is public health? Let’s understand through a recent example. For the past two years, the world has been under lockdown due to the spread of the contagious COVID-19. In such a situation, public health training proved to be one of the most useful trainings all over the world. There are various public health online courses as well to get a proper understanding of it.

Public health is one of the foremost things in cases of emergencies and every person, be it a professional or a common citizen of the world, should know at least the basics of it. And what better time to learn about public health than when people are studying and working from home?

List of The Best Public Health Online Courses and Certificate Programs

We have jotted down the highest-rated online courses on Public Health Online Courses. Utilize your free time by signing up for these courses and mastering this topic.

1. Epidemiology: The Basic Science of Public Health Coursera

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has organized an online course on Public Health to train individuals regarding the cornerstone of it which is epidemiology. By understanding this basic concept you will be able to relate it to various other concepts. Discussing the current public health problems and issues and applying the practice of epidemiology by using real-life examples, is a course that can be extremely productive for students. Additional resources and assessments will be included in the program. 

Course Highlights:

  • Introduce yourself to the history and field of Epidemiology
  • Understand examples of research areas using Epidemiology
  • Familiarise yourself with the basic definitions and terminologies 
  • Differentiate between Prevalent and Incident Cases
  • Interpret and analyse the Measures of the Association
  • Study in depth through experimental study design 

Course Duration: 7 hours

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2. Introduction to Public Health – Udemy

Anybody who wants to train in the field of public health online courses should sign up for this course. The course is divided into eight sub-topics. Introduction to the definitions of public health, its functions and its scope in the near future are the core topics discussed in the lectures. This course has no specific prerequisites. On the other hand, you will be provided with a certificate of completion along with plenty of reading material which can be downloaded in the form of a PDF. 

Course Highlights:

  • Know about the history, achievements, and modern-day Public Health
  • Learn the core functions and essential services of Public Health
  • Distinguish between Public Health and Medicine
  • Describe the contributions made during the ancient and middle-age eras of public health
  • Discuss all of the Public Health careers
  • Recognise the future prospects of Public Health 

Course Duration: 34 minutes

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3. Global Public Health edX

The Public Health Foundation of India has organised an online course to help students get prepared and side by side understand the value of health not only on an individual level but also at the global level. It goes into depth in determining the institutions, infrastructure, and the interplay of actors that constitute health not only in local communities but also on a global scale. People who are students seeking learning at the graduate or postgraduate level or are well-established health professionals can take this course to enhance their knowledge. 

Course Highlights:

  • Identify the planet’s demographic and epidemiological transitions
  • Discover how our individual health is impacted by global-spanning factors 
  • Realise the current trends of communicable and non-communicable diseases
  • Develop methods to identify the further trends of non-communicable diseases
  • Read about the infrastructures that have helped the healthcare industry shape and grow
  • Recognise the multiple determinants of public health 

Course Duration: 10 weeks 

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4. Non-Communicable Diseases for Public Health Udemy

The Non-Communicable Diseases For Public Health Course will introduce the learners to what non-communicable diseases are and how they are the leading killer diseases globally killing every 7 out of 10 people. The aim of this course is to make people aware of non-communicable diseases, how to prevent them and if a person contracts it then the measures to reduce the severity of the disease. This is a paid online course that will include Online video content, Certificate of completion, Instructor Q&A, Instructor direct message and lots of reading sources. 

Course Highlights:

  • Learn the exact meaning of non-communicable diseases
  • Become aware of the reasons why and how they happen
  • Take precautions to prevent such deadly diseases 
  • Gain a new perspective by knowing the contemporary issues for non-communicable diseases 
  • Examine the connection of human rights with non-communicable diseases
  • Study non-communicable diseases in the context of antimicrobial resistance

Course Duration: 3 hours 25 minutes

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5. COVID-19 Contact Tracing – Coursera

The Department of Epidemiology of Johns Hopkins University has embarked on a mission to make everyone aware of the COVID-19 pandemic. This course is fifth on the list of Public Health Online Courses and will explore the skills of Public Health, Epidemiology, Contact Tracing and Ethics in a very extensive manner. The need for contact tracing has evolved through the unprecedented situation of COVID-19 and this course goes on to discuss this topic through a comprehensive approach. Resetting deadlines in accordance with your schedule, earning a certificate upon completion and starting from scratch are some of the perks of this course. 

Course Highlights:

  • Discover the natural history of SARS-CoV-2
  • Understand how COVID-19 spreads through its evidence 
  • Demonstrate the utility of case investigation and contact tracing
  • Present some ethical considerations in contact tracing
  • Identify the misconceptions and develop strategies to overcome them 
  • Define an infectious contact for public health intervention through contact tracing

Course Duration: 7 hours

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6. The Practitioner’s Guide to Global HealthedX

Boston University has designed and organized an online self-paced course to guide interested ones to the path of global health. This is a 3-part timeline-based course that, step by step, goes into the intricacies of global health, its big picture, preparation on the ground and its reflection. This course was awarded the Global Emergency Medicine Education Award, Global Emergency Medicine Academy, Society of Academic, Emergency Medicine Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL.

Course Highlights:

  • Describe the different types of global health rotations and projects 
  • Determine the project which suits you the best 
  • Make strategies and policies to address the issues of personal, health, family, financial and security concerns
  • Navigate professional, ethical, and cultural issues which you may come across on a daily basis
  • Identify the medical and mental health issues that you may encounter in your community 
  • Recognise the clinical opportunities, educational opportunities and funding structures for future global health experiences

Course Duration: 2 weeks 

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7. The Challenges of Global Health – Coursera

Taught by Dr David Boyd, an award-winning professor at Duke University’s Global Health Institute, the challenges of global health goes into the particulars of the historical as well as current scenario of public health. This course is extremely beneficial for those who are looking for a job opportunity in this field or want to just enhance their knowledge in this topic. Its availability in Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, and Spanish makes it a favourite among learners around the globe. 

Course Highlights:

  • Study extensively through source material given by learned professors 
  • Develop a new point of view through a Biopsychosocial Approach to Global Health Solutions
  • Understand basic terminologies such as Global Burden of Disease
  • Recognise the roles of environment and nutrition
  • Identify the key global health challenges and the methods to overcome it 
  • Implement the best practices for improving Global Health

Course Duration: 20 hours

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8. Certificate in Public Health Udemy

Aimed at mastering the skills of public health, epidemiology, academic writing and research, this is a fantastic course for doctors, technicians, researchers or even patients and all knowledge enthusiasts who like to know more about the functioning and the details of the healthcare system. This paid course takes up a unique approach by using practical practical examples with visual representations to create an expression in the young minds of the audience. Certificates and additional sources will be provided to all the attendees. 

Course Highlights:

  • Know what is the scope of public health 
  • Identify the challenges and misconceptions about global health 
  • Train in overcoming these challenges by brainstorming ideas
  • Develop an understanding of the epidemiology 
  • Go through research papers to gain insights into this field
  • Attempt assessments to test the knowledge you’ve grasped through this 6-hour course

Course Duration: 6 hours 

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9. Introduction to Statistics & Data Analysis in Public Health – Coursera

Imperial College of London has expressed its expertise in public health through this online self-paced course and ranks ninth on the list of Public Health Online Courses. Running a basic analysis in R, R Programming, understanding common data distributions and types of variables, and formulating a scientific hypothesis are the main topics covered in this short module cum lecture program. To attend this course you will only need an interest in analysing quantitative data and familiarity with reading standard graphs and tables of data.

Course Highlights:

  • Discuss the role of statistics in modern public health research
  • Learn to read and describe data and statistics from scratch
  • Analyse the data recorded in a systematic manner
  • Establish a relationship between variables within a data set in R
  • Select and apply appropriate methods to formulate and examine statistical associations
  • Interpret the data and appraise the role of bias

Course Duration: 16 hours

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10. Improving Global Health: Focusing on Quality And Safety – edX

Harvard University has given all the individuals who have dreamt of studying in an Ivy League institute a chance to fulfil it. This self-learning course is designed to help train all those who care about health and healthcare, to measure and enhance their health care and its system. Even though this course is at an intermediate level, there are no prerequisites for attending this program. People who are genuinely interested in knowing about their healthcare systems can and should definitely take this course. 

Course Highlights:

  • Discover and understand the relationship between quality and population health
  • Think of a framework to analyse and compare the healthcare quality 
  • Identify the significance of the role of information and communication technology in assessing and improving quality
  • Attempt quizzes to thoroughly get the gist of the topic
  • Recognise the tools to improve the quality delivered in health systems
  • Contribute your bit to society by creating awareness 

Course Duration: 10 weeks 

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11. Summary Statistics in Public Health – Coursera

Johns Hopkins University has offered an opportunity to educate students regarding statistics and their analysis in public health. Students opting for this course are recommended to have basic knowledge of math including basic algebra logarithms and the equation of a line. They will be receiving an opportunity to polish their skills in statistics, summary measures, binary data and normal distribution. An expert will be there to guide the registered students all through the course.

Course Highlights:

  • Recognise the role of statistics and data in public health
  • Identify data types and their summarisation 
  • Know what are the normal distribution and its significance 
  • Acknowledge the role of sample size on sample-based estimates
  • Demonstrate what you’ve learnt through a hands-on project
  • Practice the concepts through quizzes and assignments 

Course Duration: 15 hours 

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12. Global Public Health Security – Udemy

Understand the concept of public health from the international law and policy point of view through this course offered on Udemy. Students will get an opportunity to master their topic by learning about legal and ethical issues through various real-life examples of global public health incidents. This a course completely for beginners, there are no requirements for registering for this course. Instead, a certificate of completion will be provided to all the participants who successfully finish all the given quizzes.

Course Highlights:

  • Gain knowledge through the 15 downloadable resources
  • Familiarise yourself with the Global Biosecurity Law
  • Work and understand through historical public health security events and pandemics
  • See how the threats of the use of biological weapons are tackled
  • Comprehend how the rule of law is used by society to protect society through the public health law
  • Examine the incidents of public health outbreaks such as  Ebola, SARS and COVID-19

Course Duration: 4 hours

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13. Essentials of Global Health – Coursera

Yale University has offered a public health training online course on Coursera to guide and assist people by applying a comprehensive approach to making them understand the essentials of global health. This course seeks to enrich people with knowledge of well-grounded approaches to assessing global health issues along with the ways to address and solve them. For every session, this course recommends readings and videos to assist you in mastering the content of the course.

Course Highlights:

  • Analyse the key concepts of public health
  • Articulate a number of issues in global health from different perspectives
  • Understand and investigate the burden of disease in various regions of the world
  • Survey through the components that impact them
  • Assess key health disparities, especially through the health of low-income group people
  • Recognize the key actors working towards overcoming the critical global health challenges

Course Duration: 70 hours

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14. Hypothesis Testing in Public Health – Coursera

The Johns Hopkins University has offered yet another course in public health training to aid and assist people by creating awareness about hypothesis testing in public health. Some of the many skills that you will gain are confidence interval, statistical hypothesis testing, p values, and sampling. Scientists and professionals will be there to guide you through the course and interactive sessions will be held to utilize and maximize the benefits of this course.

Course Highlights:

  • Get aware of the statistical methods used in hypothesis testing
  • Learn to use statistical methods to analyse sampling distribution
  • Comprehend the concept of p values
  • Estimate and interpret p values for hypothesis testing
  • Know what information the hypothesis testing shows
  • Calculate and interpret 95% confidence intervals for single samples

Course Duration: 19 hours

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15. Leadership for Public Health Crises Specialization – Coursera

The State University of New York has provided a course on one of the aspects of public health training. Topics of crisis specialisation ranging from Crisis Control, Communication, Public Health, Leadership, Emergency Management, Interprofessional teamwork, Crisis Communication, public health leadership and much more are thoroughly covered and agreed upon in this long program. Along with a certificate of completion, the participants will gain experience through a hands-on project. This course has secured the fifteenth rank on the list of Public Health Online Courses.


Course Highlights:

  • Learn about the necessities to help keep the population safe and healthy
  • Develop effective and efficient communication skills to lead and guide a team during the time of crisis
  • Understand and analyse the concepts of emergency management, planning, and crisis risk communication
  • Articulate health information with integrity, accuracy, and clarity
  • Make your own communication strategies
  • Master the skill of focusing on your audiences and their needs

Course Duration: 3 months

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