Curriculum

The PhD degree in HSRP&A offers 7 Areas of Emphasis from which the student will choose. There is a multidisciplinary core and specialty courses, written and oral preliminary exams, and the writing of a thesis.

Required Course Work
All doctoral students complete course work in the required core area, specialized Area of Emphasis courses, and a supporting program within their Area of Emphasis. The options for Area of Emphasis are: Multidisciplinary Social Sciences, Sociology of Health and Illness, Health Decision Science, Health Organization and Management Science, Clinical Outcomes Research, Health Policy, and Health Economics. Students work closely with their advisor and Area of Emphasis faculty to develop a program tailored to their needs.

Read about Required Courses and Schedule

Written Preliminary Exams
All doctoral students have to complete and pass a series of written preliminary exams. These exams are to measure knowledge and skills in research methods and their chosen Area of Emphasis. The written prelim exams must be completed before taking the oral preliminary exam.

Preliminary Oral Exam
This exam is completed after the written exams, and when a thesis topic for the dissertation has been identified. The student convenes his/her examining committee to present the proposal for the thesis topic. The committee provides feedback and its approval for the student to proceed with their research and writing of the thesis.

Writing the Dissertation Thesis
Students conduct research and write their thesis. The amount of time required varies by individual, but most students can expect to spend one to several years writing their dissertation. The length of the PhD thesis is typically 200-300 pages or more.

Defend the Thesis
When the student has finished their dissertation, he or she makes a presentation of the thesis to the examining committee. The committee asks questions about the content which the student defends. The presentation portion of the defense is open to the public.

Graduate!

See also:

Learning Objectives
Time Table & Benchmarks for Completion of PhD Degree in 4 Years