PhD | PhD/MPH

This degree program is designed for students who wish to seek both the Doctor of Philosophy in Health Service Research (PhD) degree and the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree jointly while enrolled in the University. The MPH program is a professional degree aimed at providing formal training in general and comprehensive aspects of public health. The PhD program is advanced training for a career in research in the health services discipline, encompassing all the relevant subdisciplines now involved in such study. Many professionals entering careers as health service researchers or public health practitioners wish to acquire not only research skills but also training in the history, organization, goals, and philosophy of public health. This joint degree program offers a broad based orientation to public health as well as thorough training in theory and contemporary research methodology in health services.

This program has been developed to meet the needs of potential doctoral students interested in employment in both practice-oriented health care organizations for which more general training in public health is an asset, and academic or consulting settings for which research skills are essential. Public health training provides increased knowledge of and is sensitive to the political, historical, economic and social environments for health promotion and health services delivery. This knowledge combined with refined analytical skills acquired in doctoral study widens the career options for individuals and makes them unique to students who might be considering the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) as an alternative course of study. The joint degree allows the individual to receive traditional doctoral training for an academic or research career while gaining the more applied education of the MPH degree.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The objectives for preparing students in the joint PhD/MPH program are the following:

To provide each student with the complete curricula for both the Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Public Health degrees in an integrated format.

To integrate program curricula to achieve the greatest efficiency for each student in completing both programs of study.

REQUIREMENTS

To meet the program's purposes and objectives, students must complete the equivalent of the 36 hour MPH program and the 76 credit hour PhD program. The student must pass oral and written comprehensive examinations required for the MPH and PhD degrees.

For a detailed outline of the suggested course curriculum, contact the school's Student Services at 1-800-782-6769, ext. 8144 or 1-314-977-8144.