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PHD PHS - Population Health Science (PhD)

Program Overview

Department(s)

John D. Bower School of Population Health (School)

Program Level

ACADEMIC_LEVEL_GRADUATE

Program Code

PHD PHS

Learning Outcomes

Name

Describe the fundamentals of the field of population health science and the contribution to health and health care.

Name

Apply evidence-based approaches for knowledge acquisition in population health science, including the ability to: Critique the literature, summarize the evidence, and synthesize knowledge, Collect, manage, analyze, and interpret primary and secondary population-level data to reach valid conclusions about the health of populations, including quantitative and qualitative data, and data clustered in space and time, Design and execute appropriate research studies to identify clinical and non-clinical determinants of health, distribution of health outcomes, and health disparities, Conduct community health needs assessment, including information about health status, multiple determinants of health, and community assets and resources, Conduct health impact assessment for a public policy or program outside of the health sector, Develop a program evaluation proposal for a population health intervention.

Name

Practice applied skills in science communication, knowledge translation, and exchange.

Name

Practice effective collaboration skills while working in interdisciplinary teams.

Name

Apply knowledge of the organization, financing, delivery, and value of health care to the design of interventions to improve health outcomes for clinical, organizational, and geographical populations.

Name

Apply systems thinking to address complex health challenges.

Requisites

The PhD degree is a research degree and is not conferred solely as a result of formal course work, no matter how superior and extensive. The program leading to the PhD degree represents more than the sum of time in residence, and the plans of study listed below are only a minimum. To receive the doctoral degree, the candidate must demonstrate evidence of proficiency and distinctive attainment in a special field, and a recognized ability for independent investigation as presented in a dissertation based upon original research.

Qualifying Examination and Admission to Candidacy

The qualifying examination is given to graduate students in good academic standing upon completion of coursework and must be successfully completed for admission to candidacy for the doctor of philosophy degree.

Dissertation

The dissertation must show the originality of thought and demonstrate the results of independent investigation. It should contribute to the advancement of knowledge, exhibit mastery of the subject literature, and be written with an acceptable degree of literary skill. The dissertation, written according to the prescribed form, is prepared under the direction of the candidate's advisor and must be approved by the candidate's dissertation advisory committee and the dean of the SOPH. This approval must be obtained and all other requirements completed by the date given in the official academic calendar. Guidelines outlining the prescribed form for a student's written dissertation can be found on the SOPH Dissertation and Thesis website.

Dissertation Proposal and Dissertation Defense

The dissertation proposal and public oral dissertation defense are mandatory for the successful completion of the dissertation. The candidate's advisory committee will oversee the dissertation process. See the SOPH Capstone and Dissertation policy for details.

Publication Requirement

A student enrolled in a Bower School of Population Health Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program must have the results of their research accepted for publication before awarding the degree, as outlined in the SOPH Student Publication Requirement policy.

Plan of Study

Year 1 – Fall	Course	Credit Hours
PHS 700	Essentials of Population Health Science	3
PHS 702	Statistical Methods in Research	3
PHS 703	Epidemiology I	3
PHS 731	Social Determinants of Health	3
TOTAL TERM HOURS		12
Year 1 – Spring
PHS 704	Epidemiology II	3
PHS 742	Multivariate Regression*	3
PHS 712	Science Communication and Dissemination	3
PHS 750	Population Health Research Methods	3
TOTAL TERM HOURS		12
Year 2 – Summer
PHS 718	Proseminar	3
PHS 747	Survey Development Qualitative Methods and Analysis	3
TOTAL TERM HOURS		6
Year 2 – Fall
PHS 714	US Health Care Organizations and Delivery*	3
PHS 717	Health Behavior Theory	3
PHS 753	Systems Science and Population Health	3
PHS 701	Applied Demography	3
TOTAL TERM HOURS		12
Year 2 – Spring
PHS 713	Implementation Science	3
PHS 743	Program Evaluation for Pop-level Intervention	3
PHS 749	Advanced Statistics in Population Health	3
PHS 744	Bioethics and Society	2
TOTAL TERM HOURS		11
Year 3 – Summer
PHS 740	Grant Writing	3
Qualifying Exam	Qualifying Exam	0
TOTAL TERM HOURS		3
Year 3 – Fall
PHS 799	Doctoral Proposal Development	6
TOTAL TERM HOURS		6
Year 3 – Spring
PHS 799	Doctoral Proposal Development	6
TOTAL TERM HOURS		6
Year 4 – Summer
PHS 798	Doctoral Dissertation Research	1
TOTAL TERM HOURS		1
Year 4 – Fall
PHS 798	Doctoral Dissertation Research	1
TOTAL TERM HOURS		1
Year 4 – Spring+
PHS 798	Doctoral Dissertation Research	1
TOTAL TERM HOURS		1

**Electives: In certain cases, the advisor and program director may recommend that students take additional credits from the following elective courses:

PHS 791 Independent Study (1-9 credit hours)
PHS 746 Systemic Review, Meta-analysis, and Evidence Synthesis (3 credit hours)
PHS 745 Community Engagement and Community-based Participatory Research (3 credit hours)
PHS 722 Health Information Visualization (3 credit hours)
PHS 748 Spatial Analysis and Geographic Information Systems for Population Health (3 credit hours)
PHS 760 Health Economics (3 credit hours)
PHS 761 Health care Finance (3 credit hours)
PHS 762 Methods for Economic Evaluations of Health Programs (3 credit hours)
Other departmental/school and university-wide electives may be suggested and taken with the approval of the faculty advisor and program director.