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Full Description

The Ph.D. degree in Public Health bridges public safety and health career pathways to address a nationwide shortage of public health workers.

The Public Health major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Epidemiology concentration prepares students to examine the distribution and determinants of diseases in populations. Graduates are able to apply quantitative and qualitative methods to examine critical and/or emerging health issues, gain advanced ability to conduct large studies and analyze data sets in order to project health trends in populations of interest. Students in this concentration benefit from active faculty research agendas in biopreparedness, public health surveillance systems, chronic disease, cancer and infectious disease epidemiology.
• The Health Policy and Management concentration prepares students to design and implement studies and use advanced research methods to examine critical and emerging health issues. The heart of the concentration is a focus on interdisciplinary skills to meet the rapidly changing health needs of communities. Students benefit from active faculty research agendas in health systems research, occupational health and safety, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, access to health care, health literacy, substance abuse prevention and community-based programming. Applications to the Health Policy and Management concentration are not being accepted at this time.
• The Prevention Science concentration is an interdisciplinary program aimed at promoting healthy behaviors in populations across the life course. Graduates are prepared to design and evaluate public health interventions and have expertise in a variety of theoretical and substantive perspectives for conducting research within systems of the family, health and education, workplace and community. Active faculty research provide students the opportunity to work on community-based prevention research.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

Applications to the Health Policy and Management concentration are not being accepted at this time.

• Master's degree in a related discipline from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 3.000 graduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• GRE score or other standardized graduate admission exam with a quantitative component¹
• Résumé
• Goal statement
• Three letters of recommendation
• Interview with faculty
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:²
  • Minimum 94 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 7.0 IELTS score
  • Minimum 65 PTE score
  • Minimum 120 DET score

¹

GRE scores may be waived as determined by graduate coordinator.

²

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Priority deadline: December 1

Applications submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Explain public health history, philosophy and values.
2. Identify the core functions of public health and the 10 Essential Public Health Services.
3. Explain the role of quantitative and qualitative methods and sciences in describing and assessing a population’s health.
4. List major causes and trends of morbidity and mortality in the United States or other community relevant to the school or program.
5. Discuss the science of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention in population health, including health promotion, screening, etc.
6. Explain the critical importance of evidence in advancing public health knowledge.
7. Explain effects of environmental factors on a population’s health.
8. Explain biological and genetic factors that affect a population’s health.
9. Explain behavioral and psychological factors that affect a population’s health.
10. Explain the social, political and economic determinants of health and how they contribute to population health and health inequities.
11. Explain how globalization affects global burdens of disease.
12. Explain an ecological perspective on the connections among human health, animal health and ecosystem health (e.g., One Health).

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Epidemiology Concentration Requirements

¹

Content-related elective courses should be selected by the student with a faculty advisor, depending upon the student's research interest. The courses may be in the College of Public Health or in other disciplines outside the college.

²

Each doctoral candidate, upon admission to candidacy, must register for Dissertation I for a total of 30 credit hours. It is expected that a doctoral candidate will continuously register for Dissertation I, and thereafter Dissertation II, each semester, until all requirements for the degree have been met.

Health Policy and Management Concentration Requirements

¹

Content-related elective courses should be selected by the student with a faculty advisor, depending upon the student's research interest. The courses may be in the College of Public Health or in other disciplines outside the college.

²

Each doctoral candidate, upon admission to candidacy, must register for Dissertation I for a total of 30 credit hours. It is expected that a doctoral candidate will continuously register for Dissertation I, and thereafter Dissertation II, each semester, until all requirements for the degree have been met.

Prevention Science Concentration Requirements

¹

Content-related elective courses should be selected by the student with a faculty advisor, depending upon the student's research interest. A minimum 3 credit hours of content-related courses must be in research methods or statistics. The courses may be in the College of Public Health or in other disciplines outside the college.

²

Each doctoral candidate, upon admission to candidacy, must register for Dissertation I for a total of 30 credit hours. It is expected that a doctoral candidate will continuously register for Dissertation I, and thereafter Dissertation II, each semester, until all requirements for the degree have been met.

Graduation Requirements

• Pass concentration-specific candidacy exam

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Applications to the Health Policy and Management concentration are not being accepted at this time.

The Ph.D. degree in Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education For Public Health (CEPH).