The DrPH candidate will be required to have a Master of Public Health, Master of Science in Public Health, or an equivalent degree. Candidates for the DrPH program will need to complete a SOPHAS application. While all students are expected to be academically qualified for doctoral-level study, special emphasis is placed on demonstrated leadership capacity and a practice-oriented career commitment.
The application must include:
Applicants are preferred to have five years professional experience within a public health or health-related setting preferred.
Personal statement from the following prompt: Explain how the DrPH program will help you become an effective leader to help improve the health of the public. In your response, please highlight your career goal(s), your professional experience(s) and why you are selecting this program. Double spaced – no more than 2 pages.
Letters of recommendation (3).
Full, professional CV or resume .
Official academic transcripts.
Minimum 2.75 GPA.
Zoom interview.
GRE is optional.
Please note graduate students are required to remain continuously enrolled throughout the duration of their programs unless they specifically ask for a leave of absence. Doctoral students must stay enrolled throughout the completion of the integrative learning exam. If enrollment lapses for one semester without a leave of absence, the student will be required to reapply to the DrPH program.
If a student requires a semester or two leave from taking courses, they must send an email request to the DDS. The DDS will forward this request to the Associate Dean for Academic Excellence for approval and status changes. This is required unless the student wishes to reapply to the program. Once a DrPH student has completed their Core coursework, they cannot take a leave of absence. A maximum of two leaves of absence (up to one year, total) are allowed per student.
To gain readmission, the student must reapply to the DrPH program to be readmitted and pay any associated application fees. An application for readmission to the DrPH program consists of a letter explaining how they intend to complete their degree in a timely manner and a letter of support from a current member of the program faculty.
Applications for readmission will be reviewed by the DrPH program committee at a regularly scheduled program meeting. Note: Program meetings do not necessarily occur during the summer. Readmission should not be assumed, especially if some time has passed. Obligations by the student’s advisor or advisory committee assembled prior to leaving the program must be reestablished if readmitted. Students taking extended time off from graduate study are strongly encouraged to stay connected to department faculty. Policies regarding time to degree will need to be negotiated.
The College of Public Health DRPH program committee will complete an annual review of the academic progress of each student. This annual review includes monitoring grades, performance on applied practical experiences and integrative learning experience. Students are provided information and support to meet deadlines required to make timely progress toward degree. Students are strongly encouraged and expected to be self-directed and take an active role in their program progress as evidence of developing into a visionary leader for public health.
Progression includes completion of required core courses covering foundational knowledge in public health practice, leadership, and management and electives tailored to the student’s interests and career goals. Students are also expected to follow ethical guidelines and professional standards as outlined by the program, the university and relevant public health organizations and demonstrate professionalism in all interactions, both within the university and in external public health settings. Incompletes If a student cannot complete the requirements of a course during the semester period, the student may request an incomplete from the instructor. It should be noted that the decision to grant the incomplete is at the discretion of the instructor. Incompletes should only be considered as an option if part of the work of a course remains undone and if there is a reasonable possibility that a passing grade will result from completion of the work. Requests for new completion dates and requirements should be included in the request for the incomplete.
The DrPH program will consider transferring credits on an individual basis by utilizing a process like the transfer of credit process established by the Graduate School.
Each Spring, at the last program meeting of the semester, program committee members review the progress of each student and provide feedback to those identified as having some difficulty. The program minimum GPA to be considered in good standing is a 3.0, however a “C” grade in any course is considered a warning that performance is below that necessary to successfully progress through the program. “B” grades typically accompany faculty recommendations for specific improvements. If the faculty determines a student is not making successful progress to degree, they will be contacted by their advisor (or the DDS) to develop a plan for improvement. For students in the integrative learning experience phase, adequate progress toward completing the experience is required. Two semesters with unsatisfactory progress toward the final product in the ILE may result in dismissal from the program.
The College of Public Health supports both part-time and full-time students. Full-time students typically take 9-10 credit hours per semester, and the degree program requires 42 hours of course credit.
The length of the DrPH program will not exceed eight years following the semester of matriculation. If all degree requirements are not met during the eight-year period, degree candidates who provide evidence of the likelihood of completing the degree during an extension of time may be granted such an extension by the Director of Doctoral Studies in consultation with the Associate Dean for Academic Excellence. An extension will be granted for a period of one year, and an additional extension of one year may be considered.
Doctoral students may be terminated from the DrPH program if they are on scholastic probation (GPA less than 3.0) for more than 2 semesters. Students dismissed based on scholastic reasons will not be allowed to withdraw from the program. An overall average of B (3.0) GPA on all coursework in the program must be attained before a Doctor of Public Health degree may be awarded. Students placed on scholastic probation are not eligible for fellowships or institutional scholarships.
