Program Structure and Requirements (with BSc only)
Program structure
To obtain a PhD degree in Public Health, students are required to successfully complete the following:
- Students holding a Bachelor’s degree. A minimum of 72 credit hours as specified below:
- Core courses: 30 credit hours
- Elective courses: 6 credit hours
- Dissertation research: 36 credit hours
Students are also required to complete a written Qualifying Examination, Research Proposal Examination, and the PhD Dissertation Research.
Program Core (30 credit hours)
Students must complete the core courses listed below.
Core Courses
| PUBH 731 | Social and Behavioral Sciences for Public Health | 3 |
| PUBH 732 | Leveraging Data for Evidence-Based Decision Making | 3 |
| PUBH 733 | Data Visualization | 3 |
| PUBH 734 | Fundamentals of Infectious and Chronic Disease | 3 |
| PUBH 701 | Principles of Public Health Practice | 3 |
| PUBH 702 | Public Health Policy & Systems | 3 |
| PUBH 703 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| PUBH 704 | Biostatistics | 3 |
| PUBH 705 | Research Methods and Protocol Development | 3 |
| PUBH 706 | Doctoral Seminar | 3 |
Program Electives (6 credit hours)
Students must complete a total of three elective courses (6 credits). Program electives are listed below:
Program Elective Courses
| PUBH 711 | Applied Artificial Intelligence in Public Health | 2 |
| PUBH 712 | Healthcare Analytics | 2 |
| PUBH 713 | Principles of Chronic and Infectious Disease | 2 |
| PUBH 714 | Qualitative Research | 2 |
| PUBH 715 | Environmental Public Health | 2 |
| PUBH 716 | Health Economics | 2 |
| PUBH 717 | Public Health Genomics and Personalized Prevention | 2 |
PhD Research Dissertation (36 credit hours)
Students must complete a Dissertation that involves creative, research-oriented work within the field of public health, under direct supervision of the student’s Main Advisor and Student Advisory Committee (SAC). The outcome of the Dissertation Research should:
- Demonstrate a high level of understanding and specialization in his/her field of study;
- Show evidence that he/she is able to conduct independent investigation with rigor and discrimination;
- Demonstrate the ability to acquire and collate information through the effective use of appropriate sources and equipment;
- Appreciate the relationship of the area of his/her research to a wider field of knowledge;
- Demonstrate a critical appreciation of the literature in his/her area of research;
- Demonstrate an ability to recognize and validate research problems;
- Demonstrate an understanding of relevant research methodologies and techniques and their appropriate application to his/her research;
- Have made a significant and original contribution to the body of knowledge in his/her field of study;
- Demonstrate an ability to appraise critically his/her contribution in the context of his/her overall investigation;
- Constructively defend his/her research outcomes;
- Write clearly, accurately, cogently, and in a style appropriate to purpose;
- Construct coherent arguments and articulate ideas clearly; and
- Show awareness of relevant research issues including environmental, political, economic, social, copyright, ethical, health and safety, exploitation of results, and intellectual property rights.
The research findings must be documented in a formal dissertation and defended successfully in a viva voce examination.
Thesis Research
Total Credit Hours: 72