Degree Programs - Community and Behavioral Health - College of Public Health

Department Research Centers

Degree Programs

MS in Community and Behavioral Health

MS Subtrack in Health Communication

MPH Subtrack in Community and Behavioral Health

MPH Subtrack in Health Communication

MPH Focus Area in Maternal, Child, and Family Health

MPH Focus Area in Nutrition and Exercise
PhD in Community and Behavioral Health
PhD Subtrack in Addiction Studies

PhD Subtrack in Health Communication
Occupational Injury Prevention Research Training Program

Occupational Injury Prevention Research Training Program

Students admitted to the PhD in Community and Behavioral Health, Epidemiology, or Occupational and Environmental Health, who have an interest in occupational injury research, may apply for this training program, and follow the recommended course of study, which fullfils requirements for the PhD in Community and Behavioral Health, Epidemiology, or Occupational or Environmental Health.

This training program is funded through the Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health. The Occupational Injury Prevention Research (OIPR) program, will prepare graduate students to meet the need for new academic faculty in the field of occupational injury prevention.

Degree Description and Learner Objectives

Prepares individuals for academic, research, and policy-making careers in the social and behavioral health sciences. Graduates of this PhD program will be able to do the following:

Demonstrate extensive knowledge and understanding of social and behavioral science theories related to public health.
Demonstrate expertise in appropriate social and behavioral science research design and methodology related to public health.
Design and implement research that incorporates knowledge of pertinent cultural, social, behavioral and biological factors.
Understand the mechanisms of identifying and disseminating best practices in community health.
Identify knowledge gaps, synthesize relevant information, and formulate focused research questions to address these gaps.
Contribute to public health knowledge by designing and conducting original research.

Funding

Funding opportunities are excellent for students admitted to the Occupational Injury Prevention Research program. Traineeships and assistantships are offered through the Heartland Center, a NIOSH-funded ERC. Support may be in the form of tuition and/or monthly stipend. Funded positions sponsored by NIOSH are available for U.S. citizens only. The OIPR traineeship may provide full support of tuition and stipend during the first years of training. Doctoral research can be supported by externally funded research grants. Faculty will assist fellows in pursuing support for dissertation work through collaboration with existing projects, pilot grants, and/or direct applications to external funding agencies.

Prerequisites

A master's degree in a related area is required.

PhD Curriculum

During their first semester, students will work with their academic advisor to develop a Plan of Study that will satisfy both the students’ individual goals, and the requirements listed below. The curriculum for the doctoral program requires that students complete at least 75 semester hours of course work past the baccalaureate degree. The transfer credit given for a master’s degree counts towards these 75 semester hours. In addition to the courses below, students are required to attend departmental seminars.

Courses noted with an asterisk (*) are required for the Occupational Injury Prevention Fellowship.

College of Public Health Core

9 s.h. required

171:161	Introduction to Biostatistics	3 s.h.
172:101	Introduction to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention	3 s.h.
173:140	Epidemiology I: Principles	3 s.h.

Behavior and Social Sciences Core

21 s.h. required

172:110	Community Development in Public Health	3 s.h.
172:130	Social Determinants of Health	3 s.h.
172:150	Health Behavior and Health Education	3 s.h.
172:106	Designing and Implementing Interventions	3 s.h.
172:240	Health Communication (same as 036:240)	3 s.h.
172:242	Persuasion and Health	3 s.h.
172:246	Health Communication Campaigns (same as 036:379)	3 s.h.
113:185	Medical Anthropology	3 s.h.

Research Methods Core

15 s.h. required

172:181*	Evaluation I: Theory and Applications	3 s.h.
172:282	Evaluation II: Design and Methods	3 s.h.
172:183	Qualitative Research for Public Health	3 s.h.
171:162*	Design and Analysis of Experiments in the Biomedical Sciences	3 s.h.
07P:249	Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Models	3 s.h.
07P:252	Introduction to Multivariate Statistical Methods	3 s.h.
173:241*	Epidemiology II	3 s.h.
173:241*	Epidemiology II Lab	2 s.h.
171:241	Statistical Methods in Epidemiology	3 s.h.

Content Area Electives

18 s.h. required
(Students should select elective courses in consultation with their advis0r. The following is a list of suggested courses.)

175:170*	Injury Prevention and Control	3 s.h.
175:253*	Epidemiology of Occupational Injuries	3 s.h.
175:251*	Injury Epidemiology	3 s.h.
175:192*	Occupational Safety	3 s.h.
175:230*	Occupational Health	3 s.h.
175:180*	Occupational and Environmental Health Seminar	0 s.h.
For injury prevention fellowship, students must choose two of the courses marked with “†” below:
175:190†	Occupational Ergonomics	3 s.h.
175:175†	Research Methods in Disaster Studies	3 s.h.
042:199†	Domestic Violence Interventions	3 s.h.
031:173	Substance Use and Misuse in America	3 s.h.
170:101	Introduction to Public Health	3 s.h.
170:171	Problems in Public Health	3 s.h.
172:122	Maternal, Child, Family Health: An Overview	3 s.h.
172:131	Anthropology and International Health (same as 113:184, 152:184)	3 s.h.
172:133	Anthropology of Women’s Health (same as 113:133)	3 s.h.
172:144	Physician-Patient Communication (same as 036:161)	3 s.h.
172:161	Substance Abuse and Mental Health	3 s.h.
172:185	Communicating with the Community	3 s.h.
172:210	Independent Study in Community and Behavioral Health	Arr
172:215	Community Preventive Programs and Services	2 s.h.
172:220	Research in Community and Behavioral Health	Arr
174:200	Introduction to Health Care Organization and Policy	3 s.h.
174:212	Health Economics I	1 s.h.
174:213	Health Economics II	3 s.h.
174:242	Federalism and Health Policy	3 s.h.
175:197	Environmental Health	3 s.h.

Dissertation

12 s.h. required

172:300	Thesis/Dissertation Hours	Arr

Total Semester Hours (minimum)	75 s.h.

PhD Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive examination is taken after the majority of coursework for the PhD degree has been completed. It tests the student's ability to integrate relevant theories, analytical skills, research design and methodology in the behavioral and social sciences related to public health.

PhD Dissertation

The goal of the dissertation is to produce a document that is publishable in a peer-reviewed journal. Original thought is required in the formulation and conduct of the research, although neither original data collection not data analysis are strictly required. During the dissertation defense, a specially formed committee will thoroughly examine the student's area of knowledge associated with the context of the work.

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