The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree signifies distinguished scholarly accomplishment and is available to those who plan careers in advanced professional practice, academia, or community-based research.
Degree Requirements
- Satisfactory completion of a prescribed course of study of at least one (1) academic year and a minimum of at least 54 semester credit hours. Only three (3) credit hours of practicum and six (6) credit hours of dissertation count toward the minimum of 54 credit hours. Therefore, at least 45 credit hours of didactic courses other than practicum or dissertation must be successfully completed.
- Satisfactory completion of PH 101 Foundations in Public Health (online, not-for-credit course);
- Satisfactory completion of a minor area of study;
- Satisfactory completion of one epidemiology course, if one is not already covered in the major, minor, or breadth areas;
- Satisfactory completion of a planned, supervised, and evaluated practicum;
- Satisfactory performance on a preliminary examination as described by the degree program;
- Satisfactory defense of the dissertation proposal and completion of an original research dissertation.
Prescribed Course of Study
Individual major requirements are listed within each program page. Degree requirements may be altered in successive catalogs. Students are bound by the requirements of the catalog in force at the time of their admission or readmission.
Minor and Breadth
Students in the DrPH program are required to complete a minor and a breadth area of study. Students should consult with their advisor when choosing a minor to align with their academic goals. DrPH programs have a pre-designed breadth already built into the degree requirements and students are not required to complete an additional breadth. For more information about the minor and breadth requirement for DrPH students, see the Academic Polices section.
Preliminary Exam
The preliminary examination will be taken after the courses prescribed by the degree program have been successfully completed. If a student is unable to successfully complete (i.e., demonstrate competence in) the preliminary examination after two attempts, the student will be dismissed from the DrPH program. That student may be provided an opportunity to complete the MPH degree program (if the student does not already possess a MPH degree), but the opportunity is not automatic, and acceptance into the MPH program is decided collectively by departmental faculty. For more information, see the Academic Policies section.
Practicum
The practicum, or applied practice experience, is an application of learning to a “real world” setting and is a CEPH requirement for completion of the DrPH degree. All practicums consist of an organized internship at an extramural agency or organization engaged in work related to public health. Alternatively, the practicum may be done intramurally if the project interacts with practice agencies. The DrPH practicum ensures that students have significant advanced-level practice experiences collaborating with practitioners, allowing opportunities to develop leadership competencies and contribute to the field.
Dissertation
Students are required to complete an original research dissertation that makes a substantial contribution to knowledge in public health. This requirement will be fulfilled when an oral defense of the dissertation research proposal and the final dissertation have been successfully completed, the document has been approved and signed by all members of the dissertation committee, and a copy has been filed in the Dean’s Office.
Available Programs:
The School of Public Health offers the following Doctor of Public Health Programs: