Degree Requirements
Students in the Public Health doctoral program will be afforded an array of research opportunities in which to complete their dissertation and contribute to the field of public health. Completion of the Ph.D. demonstrates that the graduate has the advanced research skills and competencies necessary to succeed in high level research careers.
All students are required to successfully complete coursework that provides a public health perspective, as well as an Area of Emphasis in a public health discipline. Students must complete 54 credits beyond a Master of Public Health (MPH), or 63 credits beyond a Master’s degree in a related field for a minimum of 72 credits. Up to a maximum of 24 credits may be transferred in from a Masters degree, subject to faculty approval. Approved courses will include those taught in other disciplines and must relate to the student’s area of research.
Upon admission each student will be assigned an academic (not dissertation) advisor who will help the student plan a program of study for submission to the doctoral curriculum committee
Required Core Courses for All Doctoral Students (27 credits):
All students are required to take the following 27 credit hours or their approved equivalent:
UNLV Courses
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OR
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UNR Courses
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PUBH 725 - Health and the Environment |
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PUBH 780 - Biostatistics in Public Health |
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PUBH 701 - Social and Behavioral Health |
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PUBH 620 - Biological Basis of Health & Disease |
EAB 701 Fundamentals of Epidemiology |
PUBH 712 - Epidemiology in Public Health |
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PUBH 755 - Policy and Health Administration |
EOH XXX Ethics in Public Health |
PUBH 785 - Public Health Ethics |
EOH XXX Doctoral Student Seminar |
PUBH XXX - Doctoral Student Seminar |
Areas of Emphasis
In addition to the core courses, students will select 27 credits from a list of SCHS courses in an identified emphasis area in accordance with the advising plan developed with their academic advisor. The 27-credit requirement includes 6 hours of seminar, taken over the course of the program. Seminars are from 1 to 3 credits, offered every semester, and cover a range of topics in the field.
Areas of Emphasis include:
Environmental and Occupational Health-available
Social/Behavioral Health-coming soon
Epidemiology and Biostatistics-under development
Health Administration and Policy-under development
Dissertation
Additionally, all candidates will complete not less then 21 dissertation credit hours, as specified in the student’s advising plan.
Program Completion Requirements
1. Credit Hours and Grade point Average
A minimum of 72 graduate coursework in public health is required. Up to a maximum of 24 credits may be transferred in from a Masters degree, subject to faculty approval. Approved courses will include those taught in other disciplines and must relate to the student’s area of research.
A grade point average of at least a 3.0 must be maintained in all courses required for the degree; no grade less than a B in any course is acceptable for curricular completion of the program.
2. Qualifying Examination: Test of Subject Matter of Program
All students are required to complete a written/oral Qualifying Examination upon completion of the core courses of the program. The examination is designed to assess the student’s ability to synthesize knowledge, as demonstrated by the selection and integration of information from several doctoral courses and is evaluated by written discussion in response to examination questions. The Qualifying Examination may only be repeated once and must be repeated within a year of the initial attempt. Students unable to pass the Qualifying Examination after a second attempt will be separated from the program.
After successful completion of the Qualifying Exam the student will identify a Dissertation committee. The committee will include at minimum, a Chairperson with expertise in the student’s Area of Emphasis; two additional committee members from the School of Community Health Sciences; and, an approved external committee member with expertise in the student’s selected area of emphasis.
3. Comprehensive Examination
Upon completion of all required course work other than dissertation, each student must take a written/oral Comprehensive Examination that will focus on those areas of knowledge most relevant to the student’s dissertation topic. Comprehensive examinations may only be repeated once and must be repeated within a year of the initial attempt. If a student fails a second attempt, the student will be separated from the program.
4. Dissertation Prospectus
Upon successful completion of the comprehensive examination, the student will submit a dissertation prospectus to his/her committee for approval. The student advances to candidacy and can register for dissertation credits and begin their independent research.
5. Final Oral Examination
Upon completion of the dissertation, the student must pass a final oral examination that involves the successful defense of their dissertation study. All advisory committee members must be present for this examination and may question the student following presentation of the study. The defense will be scheduled and conducted in accordance with the Graduate College/ School’s policies for thesis and dissertation completion. It is the student’s responsibility to file the required “Notification of Oral or Written Examination” form with the Graduate College School in a timely manner.