Students may take other classes on campus if approved by the Ph.D. Program Coordinator or their Research Advisor.

Ph.D. students are expected to complete degree training within four to five years. Degree requirements include:

Foundational Public Health Learning Objectives

The four courses indicated below are offered through the School of Community and Public Health Sciences, but Ph.D. students may transfer in equivalent coursework, or courses that demonstrate mastery of the 12 foundational public health learning objectives.

• PUBH 510 Introduction to Epidemiology
• PUBH 520 Fundamentals of Biostatistics
• PUBH 540 Social and Behavioral Sciences
• PUBH 560 Environmental and Rural Health

Core Courses

The following core courses are required of all students in the Ph.D. program:

• PUBH 525 Multi-cultural Public Health (3 cr. Fall)
• BMED 605 Biomedical Research Ethics (1 cr. Spring)
• STAT 451 & 457 Statistical Methods I (4 cr. Fall)
• STAT 452 & 458 Statistical Methods II (4 cr. Spring)
• PUBH 620 Adv Quant Methods 1 (3 cr. Fall)
• PUBH 621 Adv Quant Methods 2 (3 cr. Spring)
• PUBH 640 Qualitative Research Methods (3 cr. Spring, alternating years)
• PUBH 612 Neuroepidemiology (3 cr. Spring, alternating years)
• PUBH 613 Spatial epidemiology (3 cr. Spring, alternating years)
• PUBH 600 Research Rotations (3 cr.)
• PUBH 694 Seminar (3 cr.)*
• PUBH 690/699 Research/Dissertation (30 cr.)

*Student enrolls in 1 credit for each semester when presenting Informational Seminar, Research Progress Update, and Final Dissertation Presentation.

Elective Courses

Ph.D. students will take at least four of the following courses, according to research interest:

• PUBH 515: Public Health Genetics
• PUBH 545: Issues in Maternal & Child Health
• PUBH 692: Independent Study
• PUBH 591: Indoor Environmental Quality Management
• PSCI 503: Policy Analysis
• PSCI 504: Organization Theory
• ACTG 509: Financial Rptg & Control
• PSCI 525: Strategic Planning & Leadership
• CHMY 541:  Environmental Chemistry
• BIOS 534: Integrated Systems Ecology
• ENST 510: Native American Environmental Issues
• ENST 513: Natural Resource Conflict Resolution
• HHP 544:  Community-Based Participatory Research Methods for Health
• HHP 540: Community Health Promotion Strategies
• SW 465: Social Work in a Global Context
• COMX 425: Communication in Health Organizations
• COMX 485: Communication and Health
• COMX 575: Seminar in Rhetoric and Environmental Controversy
• AHHS 430: Health Aspects of Aging
• SOCI 563: Social Data Analysis
• GYD 520:  Critical Issues in Helping
• ANTY 426:  Culture, Health and Healing
• ANTY 433: Indigenous Global Health and Healing
• COMX 415:  Intercultural Communication
• PSCI 463:  Development Administration
• PSCI 431:  Politics of Global Migration

Proposed Plan of Study for Ph.D. in Public Health

Year 1

• Core course work
• Research rotations
• Selection of research advisor
• Selection of advisory committee
• Approval of Plan of Study

Year 2

• Completion of core and elective course work
• Informational Seminar
• Research

Year 3

• Approval of Research Proposal
• Research Progress Seminar
• Comprehensive Exam
• Research

Year 4/5

• Dissertation research
• Dissertation Presentation Seminar
• Dissertation Defense
• Preparation of manuscript submissions