Doctoral study in Public Health is focused on acquiring the conceptual and methodological skills necessary to operate as an independent researcher. In the UC Merced Ph.D. program in Public Health, this is accomplished through coursework and research, under a mentorship model in which students work closely with a supervising Faculty Advisor who has primary responsibility for overseeing that student’s training. At the same time, students may broaden their research training through involvement in research programs conducted by other faculty. Students take coursework in the five core areas of public health (environmental health, social and behavioral health, health services research, epidemiology, and statistics) and select electives from within public health and across other disciplines represented on campus, including psychology, biology, and sociology. Most students’ coursework is completed in the first three years of the program.
A sample course of study is:
|
Fall Semester |
Spring Semester |
|
First Year |
|
|
PH 201: Foundations of Public Health |
PH 211: Statistics 1 |
|
PH 203: Research methods in Public Health |
PH 204: Environmental Health |
|
PH 202: Epidemiology |
Elective Course |
|
PH 208: Professional Seminar |
PH 208: Professional Seminar |
|
Second Year - Elective Courses |
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PH 207: Health Behavior Theory |
PH 205: Health Services Research and Policy |
|
PH 211: Statistics 2 |
PH 222 Program Design & Evaluation |
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PH 221: Social Epidemiology & Health Disparities |
PH 233: Prevention of Chronic and Infectious Diseases |
|
PH 208: Professional Seminar |
PH 206: Health Communication |
Milestones
Students will be actively engaged in research from the start of their graduate training through the end of their doctoral work. This research emphasizes close work with a faculty mentor, with increasing independence over the years of training. The major milestones students achieve through their course of study include:
|
Milestone |
Description |
Timeline |
|
Second Year Research Thesis |
Research skills in Public Health are best acquired through classroom instruction and participation in research. The Second-Year Research Paper – optional for incoming students with a master’s degree and required for all other students – consists of an original, empirical research paper and is closely overseen by the student’s faculty advisor. |
During the third year of study |
|
Qualifying exam |
The Qualifying Exam in Public Health consists of proposing, completing, and orally defending a substantial research paper. |
End of third year of study |
|
Dissertation proposal |
The Dissertation Proposal reviews the relevant literature and defines the area of inquiry of the proposed Dissertation, provides a clear statement of actionable research aims, questions, and/or hypotheses that will be addressed in the Dissertation, and outlines the methodological and analytic approach that will enable the proposed research to address these aims, questions, and/or hypotheses. |
During fourth year of study |
|
Dissertation |
The Doctoral Dissertation is the culmination of the Ph.D., in which the Doctoral Candidate demonstrates the capability to conduct research independently that makes an original contribution to knowledge of a quality that can be published in a reputable scientific journal. |
Fourth or fifth year of study |
Updated 2022
