About This Program
The Ph.D. degree in Public Health bridges population health and research methods to prepare graduates for careers in academics, industry and public service agencies. Students concentrate in either epidemiology or prevention science and complete two to three years of coursework with an additional two or more years of research. Students complete a comprehensive exam and oral prospectus defense and prepare a final written dissertation with presentation and defense. Read more...
Contact Information
Program Delivery
Applications to the Health Policy and Management concentration are not being accepted at this time.
Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries*
Epidemiologists
- 4.6% about as fast as the average
- 8,000 number of jobs
- $74,560 potential earnings
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary
- 20.5% much faster than the average
- 254,000 number of jobs
- $99,090 potential earnings
Medical and health services managers
- 31.5% much faster than the average
- 422,300 number of jobs
- $104,280 potential earnings
Political scientists
- 6.1% faster than the average
- 7,000 number of jobs
- $125,350 potential earnings
Accreditation
The Ph.D. degree in Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education For Public Health (CEPH).
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.
Admission Requirements
- 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) by earning one of the following:
- Minimum 587 TOEFL PBT score
- Minimum 94 TOEFL IBT score
- Minimum 82 MELAB score
- Minimum 7.0 IELTS score
- Minimum 65 PTE score
- Minimum 120 Duolingo English score
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:
- Explain public health history, philosophy and values.
- Identify the core functions of public health and the 10 Essential Services.
- Explain the role of quantitative and qualitative methods and sciences in describing and assessing a population’s health.
- List major causes and trends of morbidity and mortality in the United States or other community relevant to the school or program.
- Discuss the science of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention in population health, including health promotion, screening, etc.
- Explain the critical importance of evidence in advancing public health knowledge.
- Explain effects of environmental factors on a population’s health.
- Explain biological and genetic factors that affect a population’s health.
- Explain behavioral and psychological factors that affect a population’s health.
- Explain the social, political and economic determinants of health and how they contribute to population health and health inequities.
- Explain how globalization affects global burdens of disease.
- Explain an ecological perspective on the connections among human health, animal health and ecosystem health (e.g. One Health).
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.
