Public Health, Ph.D.
Director: Dr. Rodney Bowden
Program Description
The Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health degree program is designed to equip students to work in a variety of settings as public health researchers. Students in the program must choose a concentration in Epidemiology or Social and Behavioral Health Science. Researchers with expertise in Social and Behavioral Health Science apply behavioral and social science to understand how contributing factors at multiple social-ecological levels impact health-related behavior, health status, and quality of life. Researchers in Epidemiology apply epidemiological methods to identify and monitor critical and/or emerging public health issues and risks in a population so that decision-makers can effectively prioritize and respond to important public health needs. Successful candidates in both concentrations are prepared to apply public health theory, research methods, and critical thinking specific to their specialty areas to address critical public health issues in local and global settings.
Students enter the 3-year program having already completed a master’s degree (see Admission). The program experience includes on-going one-on-one research training from a faculty mentor, course work that covers research basics and in-depth learning in discipline-specific research, exposure to cross-disciplinary perspectives, hands-on grant- and manuscript-writing experiences, and experiential training in how to teach public health in university settings.
Admission
Applicants must have completed a Master of Public Health (MPH) or Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) degree in a concentration or major that matches or is closely related to the selected concentration for this doctoral program. If the MPH or MSPH degree was completed in a school or program that is not accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, the student must also complete an additional course, PUBH 5334 Foundations of Public Health, to demonstrate mastery of key public health knowledge and competencies required by our accrediting body. Applications must be submitted into the national SOPHAS application system at sophas.org. Applicants should contact the program director for detailed information regarding the application and admissions process, including the procedures needed to secure commitment from a faculty member willing to mentor and supervise the student as a graduate research assistant.
Required Courses
A minimum of 62 credit hours are required for this degree. Students must select one of the two following concentrations and follow requirements for that concentration. Contact the program director for details about the required sequence of courses, qualifying examination, dissertation, and post-defense manuscript submission.
Epidemiology Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Courses | ||
| PUBH 6331 | Advanced Epidemiologic Methods | 3 |
| PUBH 6332 | Advanced Epidemiologic Data Analysis | 3 |
| PUBH 6370 | Grant Writing and Research Ethics in Public Health | 3 |
| Interdisciplinary Area | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Theoretical Foundations of Public Health | ||
| Assessment and Planning in Public and Community Health | ||
| Evaluation in Public and Community Health | ||
| Choose 2 additional graduate courses | 6 | |
Must be from 2 separate non-public health disciplines and approved by faculty mentor & committee. | ||
| Applied Research and Statistical Methods | 15 | |
| Courses should complement planned research area. Must be approved by faculty mentor & committee. | ||
| Mentored Public Health Research | ||
| PUBH 6300 | Mentored Public Health Research (Complete course three times in separate semesters) | 9 |
| Teaching Development in Public Health | ||
| PUBH 6101 | Mentored Teaching in Public Health I | 1 |
| PUBH 6102 | Mentored Teaching in Public Health II | 1 |
| EDL 6302 | Teaching and Learning in Higher Education | 3 |
| Professional Writing in Public Health | ||
| PUBH 6380 | Seminar on Professional Writing in Public Health | 3 |
| Doctoral Dissertation | ||
| PUBH 6V99 | Doctoral Dissertation in Public Health | 12 |
| Total | 62 | |
Social and Behavioral Health Science Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration Courses | ||
| PUBH 6321 | Advanced Theory & Practice in Behavioral Health I | 3 |
| PUBH 6322 | Advanced Theory & Practice in Behavioral Health II | 3 |
| PUBH 6370 | Grant Writing and Research Ethics in Public Health | 3 |
| Interdisciplinary Area | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Global Health Epidemiology | ||
| Applied Data Analysis for Epidemiology and Population Health | ||
| Choose 2 additional graduate courses | 6 | |
Must be from 2 separate non-public health disciplines and approved by faculty mentor & committee. | ||
| Applied Research and Statistical Methods | ||
| STA 5303 | Applied Regression Analysis | 3 |
| STA 5384 | Multivariate Statistical Methods | 3 |
| Choose 3 additional courses that complement planned research area. Must be approved by faculty mentor & committee. | 9 | |
| Mentored Public Health Research | ||
| PUBH 6300 | Mentored Public Health Research (Complete course three times in separate semesters) | 9 |
| Teaching Development in Public Health | ||
| PUBH 6101 | Mentored Teaching in Public Health I | 1 |
| PUBH 6102 | Mentored Teaching in Public Health II | 1 |
| EDL 6302 | Teaching and Learning in Higher Education | 3 |
| Professional Writing in Public Health | ||
| PUBH 6380 | Seminar on Professional Writing in Public Health | 3 |
| Doctoral Dissertation | ||
| PUBH 6V99 | Doctoral Dissertation in Public Health | 12 |
| Total | 62 | |
Program Completion Requirements
Students in either concentration are recognized as candidates for a doctoral degree only after they have successfully completed all required courses, passed the doctoral qualifying examination (written and oral components), successfully completed and orally defended their dissertation (written component includes two manuscripts ready for journal submission), submitted two dissertation-generated manuscripts for publication (a post-defense manuscript submission requirement), and completed all other department and university requirements.