DrPH Epidemiology Curriculum
Each student, in consultation with his/her faculty advisor, will develop a proposed course of study. The course of study must specify both a major Focus Area and minor area of study, courses to be taken, and proposed timeline for courses, practicum, preliminary and comprehensive exams, and dissertation. The DrPH degree is designed to be completed within 4 years at full-time effort. There is a 7-year time limit.
The DrPH program requires 67 total credit hours distributed as follows:
12 hrs - Focus Area - The 12 hrs of credit in the Focus Area will include the following:
- 3 hrs of Advanced Epidemiology (EPID 6632): This is an advanced course in Epidemiology that covers the conduct and interpretation of epidemiologic studies at a level beyond that covered in Master's level courses.
- 6 hrs of Advanced Biostatistics Methods: BIOS 6611 and BIOS 6612 or equivalent applied statistics covering probability, descriptive, parametric and non-parametric methods for one and two sample estimation/testing, linear modeling and analysis of variance. Logistic and poisson regression, survival analysis and methods for correlated and hierarchical data are also covered. Matrix algebra and the statistical package SAS will be used.
- 3 hrs of Research Methods with Secondary Data Sets: This course will cover a broad range of secondary data sources including those designed for health and medical surveillance (e.g. BRFSS, NHIS, SEER, NACCHO Profiles, MEPS) and those derived from practice (e.g. Medicaid, PharMetrics, HEDIS, HCUP). Coursework will cover identification and evaluation of secondary data sets and principles and methods for research design and analysis using secondary data. Each student will develop a research question that can be informed with secondary data, conduct the analysis and present the results. It is recommended that students link the class project with their chosen area of specialization. This class is under development.
6 hrs – Minor Area Public Health Electives – These are elective courses taken in the minor area of study determined by the student in consultation with their advisor. The minor area must be in one of the five core areas of public health, excluding the major focus area. Due to the emphasis on biostatistics in the Epidemiology Focus Area requirements, minor credit hours (6) will usually be taken in one of the three other core areas of public health: Community and Behavioral Health, Environmental and Occupational Health or Health Systems, Management and Policy.
9 hrs - Selective Area Courses – This coursework is intended to lead to expertise in the area in which the student will be examined in the qualifying exams and in which the dissertation will be completed. Examples of areas of specialization for Epidemiology include (but are not limited to): health data and information systems, chronic disease prevention and control, communicable disease prevention and control, injury prevention, newborn screening. Coursework to fulfill the selective requirement may be taken in the School of Public Health or another relevant school or department. Courses should be selected in consultation with the student’s dissertation mentor, or advisor, if prior to formation of the dissertation committee.
4 hrs - DrPH Seminar - 4, 1 credit hr semesters of the DrPH seminar - Students will be required to attend the bi-monthly seminar for the first 4 semesters of their tenure in the program. The DrPH seminar will be framed around the 10 essential public health services while covering topic areas across all five concentrations of public health (i.e. biostatistics, community and behavioral health, environmental health, epidemiology, and health services, management and policy) and addressing the core DrPH competencies related to advocacy, communication, community/cultural orientation, critical analyses, leadership, management and professionalism/ethics. The seminar will include a combination of guest speakers on relevant topics, directed reading and discussion, and student presentations of areas of interest and work-in-progress.
3 hrs - Leadership – A course on leadership development, taken in the School of Public Health or, with permission, at another affiliated school. This CSPH Leadership course is intended to provide a foundation for emerging public health leaders that will include taking leadership from theory and principle to action and practice in contexts of the individual, team, organization and community.
3 hrs - Management - A course on principles of management or organizational communications, taken in the School of Public Health or elsewhere with permission.
3 hrs - Proposal Writing – The overall goal of this requirement is to develop skills in preparing high quality, successful, research or practice grant applications. Students will become familiar with different granting mechanisms (e.g., NIH, CDC, foundations) and develop grantsmanship skills, including the ability to formulate research and practice plans and write at a high level of quality. This is a closely mentored and intensive activity that is intended to lead directly to the submission of a grant application.
2 hrs - Directed Reading –In preparation for written and oral comprehensive exams, each student will develop, in consultation with their examination committee, a directed reading list in the area of their dissertation research. This activity is intended to lead to the student becoming an expert in their specific area of research, including understanding of the historical development of the specific area, current research findings, and current practice in the area. Reading will address current epidemiological understanding of the area, methodological aspects of the area, theoretical underpinnings of behavior related to the area, and current practice in the area. For example, in the area of physical activity, upon completion of this activity, a student would be expected to have a thorough understanding of epidemiological evidence supporting or disputing a relationship between physical activity and disease etiology, natural history, and prognosis, physiological/psychological mechanisms for the relationship between physical activity and health/disease status, social, environmental and system level determinants, theoretical approaches used in understanding determinants of physical activity behavior, methods for assessing levels of physical activity, and current practices in developing programs for increasing levels of physical activity. The written and oral comprehensive exams will take place upon completion of directed reading.
4 hrs – Practicum - All DrPH students must engage in a minimum of 240 hours of fieldwork. This will usually be completed with an agency outside of the School of Public Health (e.g., local health department, state health department, volunteer organization, etc.). The fieldwork experience should address most, if not all, of the core DrPH competencies (Advocacy, Communication, Community/Cultural Orientation, Critical Analysis, Leadership, Management, Professionalism & Ethics).
21 hrs - Dissertation – Following completion of the written qualifying exam (see below), students will complete 21 dissertation credits during which time they prepare and defend their dissertation proposal, complete their dissertation research, and complete and defend their written dissertation.
Exams/Dissertation
It is expected that formal coursework will take approximately 2 years to complete. As students complete required coursework and practicum hours, they will advance towards independent research for their dissertation. In this process, students will complete written and oral qualifying exams.
Written qualifying exam
The purpose of the written qualifying exam is to test the student’s broad knowledge and ability to integrate and apply this knowledge to problems in public health at an advanced level. The written qualifying exam will usually be completed after the fourth semester of full-time coursework. The exam will include 3-5 long essay questions that incorporate DrPH competencies (both general and Focus Area specific) and the areas covered in the student’s Directed Reading. Typically, the exam will be conducted as a two week exam. Responses are expected to be in-depth with citations and may be of publishable quality (such as a literature synthesis).
Oral qualifying exam
Following completion of the written qualifying exam and the written dissertation proposal, students will present their proposal in an oral examination. The oral examination will include questions that focus on the student’s core and chosen specialty area as they relate to the dissertation. The examination will include a detailed review and discussion of the proposed dissertation research and subject.
Dissertation
The dissertation will be of an applied, problem-solving nature and must demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research that draws broadly from theory to explore a contemporary public health issue. The student is expected to examine, analyze, and suggest solutions to a problem in public health practice that has readily identifiable beneficiaries and constituents. The dissertation committee will work with the student to identify appropriate areas of investigation. The project will involve a written product that comprehensively addresses, generates, and/or interprets knowledge applicable to public health practice. The project will be similar in scope to a traditional PhD dissertation; however its focus will be directed towards innovation in public health practice and will not be exclusively research-based.
The written dissertation document may be one of several forms depending on the nature of the scholarly work, but should be of publishable quality and must demonstrate rigorous analytic strategies. It will typically take one of two forms: (1) a unified thesis, or (2) three publishable papers based on research bracketed by an introduction and conclusion. The dissertation will be defended publicly and must be approved by the dissertation committee before the degree of DrPH is conferred.
Defense
A final examination of the dissertation will be conducted orally by the examination committee.
Timetable for completion
The DrPH degree is designed to be completed within 4 years at full-time effort. Upon entering the DrPH program, students will have 3 years to pass the written qualifying exam and should complete the dissertation and public defense of the dissertation within 7 years of entering the program.