Implementation Date: 2012
Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.
Summary
The Department of Public Health Sciences (PHS) proposes a new curriculum of 63 credit hours (post-masters) to form the course requirements for a PhD in Public Health Sciences with a concentration in Behavioral Sciences. The proposed degree is currently being developed in detail as part of the required University system “Plan to Establish.” This degree program was approved in August 2010 by the UNC system General Administration to begin this implementation planning process. This proposal will add 19 new graduate courses (5 of these are existing HSRD courses that are being cross-listed):
HLTH 6200, Introduction to Public Health (3)
HLTH 8000, Special Topics in Public Health Sciences (1-4)
HLTH 8201, Introduction to Quantitative Research Design (3) – cross listing of HSRD 8101
HLTH 8220, Theories and Interventions in Behavioral Science (3)
HLTH 8221, Theory Generation in Behavioral Sciences (3)
HLTH 8222, Theory Generation and Analysis in Behavioral Sciences (3)
HLTH 8223, Social Determinants of Health (3)
HLTH 8260, Analytic Epidemiology (3) – cross list of existing HSRD 8003
HLTH 8270, Applied Biostatistics: Regression (3) – cross listing of existing HSRD 8110
HLTH 8271, Applied Biostatistics: Multivariate (3) – cross listing of existing HSRD 8111
HLTH 8272, Large Data Sets and Health Services Research (3) – cross list of existing HSRD 8103
HLTH 8282, Health Survey Design and Research (3)
HLTH 8600, Seminar in Public Health Sciences (1-6)
HLTH 8601, Ethics in the Public Health Profession (3)
HLTH 8602, Communicating and Disseminating Research (3)
HLTH 8603, Teaching Portfolio (3)
HLTH 8800, Independent Study in Public Health Sciences (1-6)
HLTH 8901, Dissertation Research (1-9)
HLTH 9999, Doctoral Degree Residency Credit (1)
Modify 1 existing course:
HLTH 6281/8281, Measurement and Scale Development (3)
Catalog Copy
PhD in Public Health Sciences – Concentration in Behavioral Sciences
Department of Public Health Sciences
CHHS 431
http://publichealth.uncc.edu
Director
TBN
Program Faculty
Arrigo, Bruce, PhD Criminal Justice and Criminology
Arif, Ahmed, PhD Public Health Sciences
Bosley, Deborah S., DA English
Brandon, Bill, PhD Public Policy
Harver, Andrew, PhD Public Health Sciences
Huber, Larissa Brunner, PhD Public Health Sciences
Laditka, James, PhD, DA Public Health Sciences
Laditka, Sarah, PhD Public Health Sciences
Piper, Crystal, PhD Public Health Sciences
Platonova, Elena, PhD Public Health Sciences
Portwood, Sharon, PhD Institute for Social Capital
Racine, Elizabeth, DrPH Public Health Sciences
Scheid, Teresa, PhD Sociology
Studnicki, James, PhD Public Health Sciences
Tong, Rosemarie, PhD Philosophy
Troyer, Jennifer, PhD Economics
Thompson, Michael, DrPH Public Health Sciences
Warren-Findlow, Jan, PhD Public Health Sciences
PHD IN PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCES
The focus of the PhD in Public Health Sciences is to train researchers and professionals with
skills essential to address contemporary public health problems at the individual, community and
population levels with an emphasis on health determinants related to the prevention and
management of disease and disability among diverse and vulnerable populations in the United
States. Working with the community in multidisciplinary teams to understand and develop
programs that address the broad social-ecological factors that influence health behavior and
thus health outcomes is the primary emphasis of this doctoral degree.
Drawing on the social-ecological framework, public health is an interdisciplinary field
encompassing public health practice in the community; scientific research utilizing theoretical
perspectives from disciplines such as anthropology, economics, geography, gerontology,
medicine, nursing, psychology, and sociology; and 5 core areas of endeavor: environmental and
occupational health, biostatistics, epidemiology, social and behavioral health factors, and health
policy and administration.
Coursework for the PhD in Public Health Sciences with a concentration in behavioral sciences
has a dual emphasis on qualitative and quantitative methods, and the development, application,
and measurement of theory to understand the social and cultural factors that influence health
behavior. Additionally students train to be a well-rounded public health professional: partnering
with community agencies and stakeholders, learning how to disseminate research to diverse
audiences, publishing in peer-reviewed formats, teaching in an academic environment, and
conducting themselves with high ethical standards in all venues. Full-time students can
complete the degree requirements within 4 years; we anticipate that most full-time students will
complete the program within 5 years depending upon the design of their dissertation research.
Graduates are prepared to work in academia, conduct large-scale behavioral research projects,
or work in government or health-related venues.
Admission Requirements
All students must complete an online application to the Graduate School. Applications must be
completed by January 1st. The minimum admission requirements for the program are as follows:
1. Master‟s degree in public health or a related field with a minimum GPA of 3.5 (A=4.0) in all
graduate work.
2. Competitive GRE scores. GRE scores prior to August 2011 are recommended to be a
minimum combined score of 1100 on the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning
sections of the GRE and minimum score of 4 for the Analytical Writing section.
3. Minimum score of 83 (Internet based), 220 (computer-based test) or 557 (paper-based test)
on the TOEFL if the previous degree was from a country where English is not the official
language.
4. A statement of purpose in which the applicant details why she/he wants to pursue a PhD in
Public Health with a concentration in Behavioral Sciences at UNC Charlotte.
5. Three letters of recommendation; at least two letters from former professors familiar with the
applicant‟s graduate work.
6. Students who have not completed a CEPH (Council on Education for Public Health)
accredited Master‟s degree in public health may be required to take additional courses as
determined by the PhD Review Committee upon review of current CEPH requirements.
Such courses will be specified at the time of admission into the program.
Application Review
Applications are reviewed for admission in January. We strongly encourage prospective students
to visit the campus and meet with program faculty. Admission decisions are typically made in
early February.
Pre-requisite course work
Students who graduated with an MPH or MSPH degree from a CEPH accredited program or
school are assumed to have met the required prerequisite foundation courses. Students entering
with a master‟s degree in a field other than public health must complete the Required
Prerequisite Foundation courses in Public Health in the first year of starting the program in
consultation with the PhD Director and/or Advisor. These prerequisite foundation course credits
do not count toward the 63 semester credit hours required for the PhD.
Required Prerequisite Foundation courses in Public Health (9 credits)
HLTH 6200 Introduction to Public Health
HLTH 6202 Community Epidemiology (introductory epidemiology)
HLTH 6203 Public Health Data Analysis (introductory biostatistics)
Degree Requirements
Total hours required
The program requires 63 post-master‟s credit hours. All coursework must be taken at the 6000-
level or above. The majority of the courses will be at the 8000-level.
Course Requirements
The curriculum has 5 major components:
1. Methods: 15 credits
a. Introduction to Quantitative Research Design (3)
b. Measurement and Scale Development (3)
c. Health Survey Design and Research (3)
d. Applied Biostatistics: Regression (3)
e. A 3 credit course in Multivariate methods consistent with the competencies for
the concentration
2. Professional Seminars: 9 credits
a. Ethics in the Public Health Profession (3)
b. Communicating and disseminating Research (3)
c. Teaching portfolio (3)
3. Concentration courses in Behavioral Sciences: 12 credits
a. Social Determinants of Health (3)
b. Theories and interventions in Behavioral Science (3)
c. Theory Generation in Behavioral Sciences (3)
d. Theory Generation and Analysis in Behavioral Sciences (3); prereq 8221
4. Specialty content: 9 credits– Specialty content areas will be determined in consultation
with the doctoral student‟s advisor and make use of expertise and course offerings on the
UNC Charlotte campus. Specialty areas can focus on a specific population (e.g. older
adults/gerontology or maternal & child health [MCH]), a health issue (e.g. AIDS), or
approach (e.g. psychology). A specialty area should cover literature related to: health and
social policy issues, epidemiology of a health condition/population, relevant theories or
approaches related to the condition/population, and/or current topics in the area. Course
work must be at the 6xxx/8xxx level.
5. Dissertation: minimum 18 credit hours
Required Grades
Students must maintain a minimum, cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (A=4.0) in all course
work taken in the program. An accumulation of 2 C grades will result in suspension of
enrollment in the doctoral program.
A grade of U or NC constitutes an automatic termination of enrollment.
Students who do not pass the qualifying exam, the dissertation proposal defense, or the final
dissertation defense are automatically terminated from the program.
Transfer Credit
The UNC Charlotte Graduate School stipulates that students may transfer up to 30 graduate level
credits from a regionally accredited university toward a doctoral degree. This PhD program
limits master‟s level transfer credits to at most 6 credits. Master‟s level transfer credits will be
considered only toward Specialty Content courses, the Ethics Seminar (HLTH 8601/6361), and
the Measurement course (HLTH8281/6281). The PhD Program Director, in conjunction with
Program Faculty, approves graduate level transfer credits. Students must apply for transfer of
graduate levels courses within the first year of enrollment, or within one semester following
completion of the course if taken during the PhD program. Only courses in which the student
earned a grade of “B” or better (or its equivalent) may be transferred.
Students transferring from another doctoral program can transfer up to 30 credits (with not more
than 6 at the master‟s level) upon approval of the PhD Program Director. Credit for dissertation
research cannot be transferred.
Courses taken to fulfill the master‟s level prerequisite public health courses do not count toward
the 63 credit total.
Comprehensive Exam
As detailed more fully in the Public Health Sciences PhD Student Handbook, all PhD students
must pass a comprehensive exam after completing the foundation, specialty and methods
courses, and prior to the dissertation proposal defense, typically after year two of the program.
Students must take the exam within 12 months of finishing all of the required course work.
The comprehensive exam is offered twice per year and all students sit for the exam at one of
these two times. The exam consists of three sections: 1) Concentration; 2) Methods; and 3)
Specialty Content area. The Chair of the qualifying exam committee, who will be a member of
the PhD Program Faculty other than the Director, will work with the faculty to assemble,
administer, and grade the exam. The exam will take place during a one week period. The first
two sections will follow an in-class format, while the specialty content section will be in the
form of a take home exam customized for each student. Students are recommended to meet with
their specialty content faculty to develop a content reading list from which questions will be
drawn. Students may not defend their dissertation proposal until they have successfully passed
the 3 components of the comprehensive exam.
Grading of the comprehensive exam
The overall exam outcome is graded as honors, pass, or fail. Each exam component is graded on
a pass/fail basis. Students earn an honors pass, pass, marginal pass, or fail. Only one component
can receive a marginal pass and still have an overall pass on the exam. Students passing the exam
and receiving an honors pass on two or more of the components, will be considered to have
passed with honors. If students fail one or more components of the exam, the failed components
can be retaken only once.
The Dissertation Process
The dissertation is an original research project conceived, conducted, analyzed, and interpreted
by the student to demonstrate expertise in her/his concentration and chosen specialty area as it
relates to public health. The research must make a distinct, original contribution to the field of
public health research. Students cannot register for dissertation credits until they have passed
their comprehensive examination. Students must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours of
dissertation research activity. Per University policy, students must be continuously enrolled in
dissertation credit hours beginning with the semester after the dissertation topic proposal is
approved, through and including the semester of graduation.
Selecting a dissertation Chair – The student should select a dissertation Chair, who must be a
member of the PhD Program Faculty or a Doctoral Affiliate Faculty member as a co-chair
with an program faculty member. The selection and/or invitation of a dissertation Chair
should be discussed in consultation with the Program Director. The dissertation Chair will
guide the student in formulating their dissertation committee and through the dissertation
process. Chairs must be familiar with PHS PhD policies and procedures, and must have
content or methods expertise to contribute to the dissertation research. Students must work
with their Chair to identify other potential committee members who will provide relevant
expertise to the dissertation research project.
Forming a Doctoral committee – The dissertation committee consists of at least 5 members.
All members must have a Graduate Faculty appointment at UNC Charlotte. At least three,
including the Chair, must be from the PhD Program or Participating faculty. The fourth
member must be from outside the Department of Public Health Sciences. Members from the
larger university and professional practice community are encouraged but not required. The
fifth member is appointed by the Graduate School. The committee guides the student in
refining the dissertation topic, the development and defense of the dissertation proposal,
ensuring scientific rigor of the research, conducting the dissertation research, writing the
dissertation, and the dissertation defense. Committee members should reflect both content
and methods expertise needed for the student to complete the research.
Writing the dissertation proposal – The student in conjunction with the dissertation
committee will agree on the dissertation topic. The dissertation proposal typically consists of
the first 3 chapters of the dissertation: 1) introduction to the problem including the
importance of the problem, significance of the proposed research, the research question and
hypotheses; 2) conceptual model and literature review; and 3) a detailed methods section
including sampling, recruitment, measures, data analysis, and limitations. The student with
the guidance of the dissertation Chair should work with each committee member individually
to develop the scope and direction of the dissertation. The student should provide the overall
idea for the dissertation including major concepts to be investigated, measures to be used,
and strategy for primary or secondary data analysis. Committee members work with the
student to establish the rationale for the project, refine the scope and ensure feasibility of the
dissertation research project.
Defending the dissertation proposal – Students, with the permission of the Chair, will
schedule their proposal defense. The proposal defense is an open session presentation to the
student‟s dissertation committee and PHS department students and faculty. Committee
members must receive the final dissertation proposal at least 2 weeks prior to the proposal
defense date. It is also at this time that students will indicate their preferred dissertation
format – either the “traditional” 5-chapter model, or the 3 manuscript model. Students will
make a 20-30 minute presentation summarizing the research proposal. The audience will ask
questions, and after the student has responded to their questions, they will be excused.
Committee members will then ask questions about the proposed research plan. Successful
defense of the dissertation proposal advances the student to doctoral candidacy. Approval of
the dissertation proposal constitutes a contract between the student and the committee. Any
substantive changes in scope, research questions or hypotheses, analytic approach or format
requires the full agreement of the committee and could necessitate another proposal defense.
Any student who fails the dissertation proposal defense may petition the PhD Program
Advisory Committee one time for the opportunity to redefend the dissertation proposal. A
student who fails the proposal defense a second time will be terminated from the PhD
program.
Conducting the dissertation research – Students will plan, conduct, analyze, and interpret an
original research project as described in the research proposal. Regardless of whether
students collect primary data or analyze secondary data, they must follow all applicable
protocols for Human Subjects Protection.
Writing the Dissertation – The dissertation is a substantive product documenting the
student‟s original research, findings, and conclusion. The standard format is a 5 chapter
model: Introduction including background and significance; conceptual model and literature
review; methods; results; discussion and conclusion. Students may also follow the „three
paper or manuscript‟ format, which consists of: an introductory chapter that outlines the area
of research and the manuscripts that follow, followed by three complete publishable
manuscripts, and concluded with an integrating/synthesizing chapter that emphasizes
findings and themes across the papers and research and practice implications. Students are
encouraged to work with their dissertation Chair as a primary reader, sharing multiple drafts
of individual chapters. Students should work with their committee members as methods and
content experts in reviewing drafts of the dissertation chapters.
Defending the dissertation – The dissertation defense is scheduled when the dissertation
Chair and the student concur that the student has a final product that meets with initial
committee member approval. The dissertation defense is a public research presentation open
to the UNC Charlotte academic community. The student makes a formal presentation of the
research, the findings, the results, and the interpretation and implications. Non-committee,
audience members may ask questions. When these questions are concluded, the audience will
be asked to leave, and the committee members will engage in asking questions. When all
questions have been put forth, the student will be excused and the committee will make its
determination. The outcome of the exam is pass or fail. A passing evaluation might include
conditions for revisions prior to the final acceptance of the dissertation. Any student who
fails the dissertation defense may petition the PhD Program Advisory Committee one time
for the opportunity to redefend the dissertation. A student who fails the dissertation defense a
second time will be terminated from the PhD program.
Program progress
Doctoral students and candidates are evaluated annually to ensure that they are making sufficient
progress to complete the degree in a timely manner. This evaluation is especially important
during the dissertation process when students have less programmatic interaction and structure as
they work more independently conducting their dissertation research. Each year students will
complete a checklist of scholarly activities and submit their curriculum vitae. Please consult the
Public Health Sciences PhD Student Handbook for further details.
Time Limits for Completion
Students must pass all sections of the comprehensive exam within 1 year of finishing their
required course work.
Students may not defend their dissertation proposal before passing all components of the
comprehensive exam.
Students must pass their dissertation proposal defense within 6 months of passing the
comprehensive exam.
Students must pass their dissertation defense within 5 years of the proposal defense, but not
later than the end of their 8th year following matriculation as a doctoral student.
Students must complete their degree, including the dissertation, within 8 years of first
registering as a doctoral student.
UNC Charlotte Residency Requirement
Residency requirements for the program include completing 21 hours of continuous enrollment,
either as course work or dissertation credits. Residence is considered to be continuous if the
student is enrolled in one or more courses in successive semesters until 21 hours are earned.
COURSES IN PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCES
HLTH 6200 Introduction to Public Health. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: none. An introduction and historical background to the diverse profession of
public health, this course emphasizes the development of a conceptual model of public health
and exposure to the essential skills in critical thinking and group process skills needed in public
health practice. Students will complete an analysis of a current public health problem, including
recommended courses of action to policy makers. (Fall/Summer)
HLTH 8000. Special Topics in Public Health Sciences. (1-4)
Pre/Co-requisites: none. Courses in selected topics and advanced studies in public health
sciences. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Lecture hours will vary with the courses
taught. (On demand)
HLTH 8201/HSRD 8101. Introduction to Quantitative Research Design. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: none. This course provides an overview of quantitative methods as applied
to design and analysis of public health and health services research problems. Topics include:
categories and levels of quantitative research, characteristics of a good research design,
relationship between theory and research, selection process for measurement tools, power
analysis, sampling techniques, design sensitivity, and human subjects protection. An overview of
qualitative research methods and their relationship to quantitative methods also are provided.
(Fall)
HLTH 8220. Theories and Interventions in Behavioral Science. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: none. This course provides a broad overview of theories that influence
health behavior and health outcomes using the social-ecological model as a guiding framework.
The focus of the course is less on learning specific theories, and more on how to apply theories
in a health intervention. Students will read a variety of articles related to intervention research
and identify issues that could form potential avenues of theoretical and intervention inquiry. The
major emphasis is on designing a health behavior intervention using theory and writing a
complete grant proposal detailing the intervention. (Spring)
HLTH 8221. Theory Generation in Behavioral Sciences. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: none. Introduction to research designs and data generation techniques that
lead to theory generation and identification of theoretical concepts. Students will learn the
philosophical basis of qualitative research, the basic qualitative research designs and their uses,
gain an understanding of qualitative research elements that must be addressed in a research
project, and the importance of research rigor. Students will perform multiple field projects to
gain practical experience with conducting qualitative research that leads to theory generation.
Student will work in small groups partnered with a community agency to generate qualitative
data to answer a “real world” research question. This same data will then be analyzed and
presented back to the community agency during the follow on course, HLTH 8222. (Fall)
HLTH 8222. Theory Generation and Analysis in Behavioral Sciences. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: HLTH 8221. Using data collected in HLTH8221, students will work in
teams to analyze data from various techniques and perspectives including grounded theory to
develop robust and bounded concepts. The focus is on analyzing and writing qualitative research
to contribute to theory development. Students will learn how to write a qualitative article for
publication. Additional assignments include: developing a code book, analyzing text data using
grounded theory techniques of constant comparison, presenting findings back to your community
partner agency, and writing a qualitative methods section of a research manuscript. (Spring)
HLTH 8223. Social Determinants of Health. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: none. This course covers the major social determinants of health using the
social-ecological model as a guiding framework. We will focus on how differences in levels of
these determinants contribute to health inequalities and poor health. Students will read across
disciplines and international boundaries to gain a broad understanding of social determinants.
Students will write a literature review paper addressing a key social determinant and how it
influences health behavior and a corresponding health outcome. (Fall)
HLTH 8281/6281. Measurement and Scale Development. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: HLTH 8201. This course covers the conceptual aspects of quantitative
measurement in the public health sciences and the practical aspects of the scale development
process as applied to individual and population health status and behavioral and social
determinant assessment. Students will progress from a conceptual model of the health
phenomenon under consideration to item development, response scaling, item selection, and
scale development through reliability and validity testing. Students will develop a framework for
judging the appropriateness of a measure for a given situation. (Alternate Spring)
HLTH 8282. Health Survey Design and Research. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: HLTH 8201; HLTH 8281 or HLTH 6281. This course covers the practical
aspects of designing (or selecting) quantitative survey instruments related to health status
assessment in individuals and populations and their use in research. Building upon prior
coursework and drawing upon case studies and practical exercises, students will progress from
appropriately formulating questions (items) for a variety of domains to the design and layout of
survey instruments and the development of survey protocols through the data entry, data
cleaning, and analysis/reporting phases. (Alternate Spring)
HLTH 8270/HSRD 8110. Applied Biostatistics: Regression. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: Graduate level Introduction to Biostatistics or approved Statistics course;
basic knowledge of statistical software; or permission of the instructor. To understand and apply
concepts and principles of regression based statistical methods (regression, linear models,
logistic regression, Poisson regression) to health related studies. Selection of appropriate
methods for analysis, development of skills to conduct the analysis of the data and capability to
write in scientific language the results of the study will be studied. (Spring)
HLTH 8271/HSRD 8111. Applied Biostatistics: Multivariate Methods. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: HLTH 8270/STAT 8110/HSRD 8110, Applied Biostatistics: Regression; or
permission of the instructor. Includes study of the concepts, principles and statistical methods of
analysis of discrete and continuous multivariate data. Students will learn to use the most popular
methods of multivariate data reduction, classification and clustering such as principal
components, factor analysis and canonical correlation analysis. Design issues, verification of the
assumptions and interpretation of the results will be discussed. Skills for concise presentation of
the results of statistical analysis will be developed. (Fall)
HLTH 8600. Seminar in Public Health Sciences. (1-6)
Pre/Co-requisite: Instructor permission. Seminar in selected current topics and advanced studies
in public health. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (On demand)
HLTH 8601/6361. Ethics in the Public Health Profession. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: none. This course examines the ethical issues facing public health
professionals working in public health practice, research, teaching, and service. Topics include:
ethical issues in public health program implementation, research with vulnerable populations,
data falsification & fabrication, plagiarism among students, ethics of working with students,
publishing ethics, human subjects research, and working with the community. (Fall)
HLTH 8602. Communicating and Disseminating Research. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: none. This course focuses on research dissemination planning, writing for
publication, grantsmanship, presenting at professional conferences, presenting to the community,
writing technical reports for funders, writing abstracts, working with the media, and an
introduction to the field of health communication. Students work on a variety of assignments to
gain skills relating to disseminating research in different venues. (Yearly)
HLTH 8603. Teaching Portfolio. (3)
Pre/Co-requisites: none. This course exposes students to teaching strategies that focus on the
major aspects of university teaching. Topics to be covered include: preparing a syllabus,
creating assignments, evaluating student performance, and enhancing student learning through
the use of various discussion and lecture techniques. Students will work with a faculty member
to develop and deliver a lecture, and develop and grade an assignment to assess students‟
understanding based on the delivered lecture. (Spring)
HLTH 8260/HSRD 8003. Analytic Epidemiology. (3)
Pre/Co-requisite: a graduate introductory course in Epidemiology such as HLTH 6202,
Community Epidemiology, or HADM 6104, Health and Disease. Principles and methods of
studying advanced epidemiology, with emphasis on the analytic approach. Includes: advanced
techniques in the establishment of disease causation in groups and communities. Such topics a
risk assessment, environmental exposures, stratification and adjustment, and multivariate
analysis in epidemiology are covered. Emphasis is also placed on quality assurance and control
and communicating results of epidemiological studies in professional publications and settings.
(Alternate Fall)
HLTH 8272/HSRD 8103. Large Data Sets and Health Services Research. (3)
Pre/Co-requisite: HLTH 8271/STAT 8111/HSRD 8111, Applied Biostatistics: Multivariate
Methods, and HSRD 8102, Advanced Design of Health Services Research. Health quality and
outcomes issues addressed through secondary data analysis using large, public data sets will be
examined. Issues related to secondary analysis and drawing items from multiple data sets will be
discussed. Analytical techniques such as adjustments for missing data, transformations of data,
and risk adjustment will be applied using public data sets. Open only to students admitted to the
PhD in Health Services Research or the PhD in Public Health Sciences program or permission of
the instructor. (Spring)
HLTH 8800. Independent Study in Public Health Sciences. (1-6)
Pre/Co-requisite: Full graduate standing in the PhD in Public Health Sciences program and
permission of instructor. Offered on a pass/fail basis only. (on demand)
HLTH 8901. Dissertation Research. (1-9)
Pre/Co-requisite: Passing the comprehensive exam and approval of the dissertation Chair.
Offered on a pass/fail basis only. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
HLTH 9999. Doctoral Degree Graduate Residency Credit. (1)
Pre/Co-requisite: Passing the dissertation defense. This course allows students who have
successfully defended their dissertation but need to make some changes to their written product
before handing it in to the Graduate School to complete that work. This course does not count
toward the 63 credits required for graduation. (Fall, Spring, Summer)