PhD Degree Program Overview

We offer a Doctorate in Philosophy in Population Health with concentrations in epidemiology, health services research, social and behavioral health sciences, and clinical research.

Our research-oriented graduate PhD degree program is designed to provide rigorous, interdisciplinary training to develop students' abilities to synthesize knowledge and skills needed to address health related problems. The Department of Population Health Sciences is the home of world-class research programs that seek to understand health, diseases, and their determinants across the lifespan; test interventions to improve health; and develop methodological approaches for population health research. The interdisciplinary approach of our graduate program prepares our students to be leaders in their professions by instilling strong methodological research skills together with understanding of basic biological, epidemiological, social and behavioral, and health services constructs in the context of a population-based focus. Through coursework and research collaboration, we seek to train students to employ rigorous scientific and analytic methods to reduce the burden of morbidity and early mortality, to identify the most effective ways to prevent and treat diseases and disorders, and to promote population health.
 
PhD Program
Credits: 48 Required (minimum).  No more than 6 credits of 699 may be applied toward the degree.
Dissertation: Required; Number of credits varies, but no more than 11 PHS 990 credits may be applied toward the degree.
Seminar: 2 credits (PHS 820, Graduate Seminar, 1 cr.; take for credit twice)
  • Full-time students are expected to attend and to participate in the Monday and Wednesday Seminars.
  • Departmental and Graduate Seminars each semester.
  • Part-time students are expected to attend and participate during at least one semester each year.
  • All doctoral students are expected to enroll (for credit) in Seminar twice; first in the fourth semester (or its equivalent for part-time students) of attendance and during one additional semester. Ph.D. students must present their research in order to receive seminar credit.
Required Core Courses:
PHS 551, Introduction to Biostatistics, or equivalent (3 cr.) Fall
PHS 794, Biological Basis of Population Health (2 cr.) Fall
[required for students without a bio-medical science background, self-test]
PHS 795, Principles of Population Health Science (3 cr) Fall
PHS 796, Introduction to Health Services Research (3 cr.) Spring
PHS 797, Introduction to Epidemiology (3 cr.) Fall
PHS 798, Epidemiologic Methods (3 cr) Spring
PHS 800, Quantitative Methods in Population Health I (3 cr) Spring
PHS 900, Quantitative Methods in Population Health II (3 cr.) Fall
Medical Ethics: (one of the following courses is required):
MED HIST 545, Ethical and Regulatory Issues in Clinical Investigation (1 cr) Fall

MED HIST 734, Graduate Studies in Medical Ethics (1 cr) Taught periodically

NURSING 802, Ethics and Conduct of Research (1 cr) Spring

MED HIST 728, Bioethics and Society (3cr) Spring

Electives/Concentration Courses: Varies