PhD in Public Health (Health Systems & Policy)

Program Overview
Curriculum

About the Program

The Rutgers School of Public Health and Rutgers School of Graduate Studies' rigorous PhD in Public Health degree is designed to support public health professionals seeking a research-based graduate program, offering advanced study across five concentration areas.

Biostatistics
Epidemiology (specialized pharmacoepidemiology courses available)
Environmental and Occupational Health
Social and Behavioral Health Sciences
Health Systems and Policy

This webpage provides details on the PhD in Public Health (Health Systems & Policy). General PhD in Public Health information can be found here.

Competencies

Each concentration identifies competencies for each degree offered. These competencies reflect the full range of knowledge, skills, and other attributes that a student will acquire as a result of completing the requirements for a particular degree.

Upon graduation, a student completing the PhD in Public Health curriculum in Health Systems and Policy will be able to:

Review and interpret scientific literature in health systems and policy;
Apply social science theories and methods to the analyses of key issues in health systems and policy;
Apply appropriate statistical techniques and software to the analyses of data sets;
Analyze a contemporary health policy issue; and
Evaluate ethical concerns in public health policy and administration.

Ready to take the next step?

Several Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy faculty are open to doctoral students, including, Cristine Delnevo, Shauna Downs, Nir Eyal, Kymberle Sterling, and Andrea Villanti.

Curriculum for Students Enrolled Fall 2020 and After

Students seeking the PhD in Public Health-Health Systems & Policy degree must complete a minimum of 72 credits of academic work with a minimum GPA of least 3.2 overall and a 3.2 in the set of required courses specified by the concentration; earn no more than nine (9) credits bearing grades less than B; and complete the degree requirements within seven years. Courses are three credit hours unless otherwise noted and semester when each course is typically offered is noted parentheses. Students should review the Forward Schedule for long-term course planning and the Course Schedule for each semester to determine when, where, and how a course is offered.

PREREQUISITES

Prerequisites do not count toward the 72-credit PhD curriculum. MPH from an accredited school or program meets prerequisite requirements. PHCO 0502 and PHCO 0504 must be completed before Year 1, Fall semester (e.g., online summer before) if student does not have graduate-level coursework in these two areas.

PHCO 0501 - Health Systems and Policy (or equivalent)
PHCO 0502 - Principles and Methods of Epidemiology (or equivalent)
PHCO 0504 - Introduction to Biostatistics [Prerequisite: Quantitative Skills Assessment] (or equivalent)

PHD IN PUBLIC HEALTH CORE COURSES (9 credits)

PHCO 0512 - Public Health Foundations (Spring) If a student holds an MPH from a CEPH-accredited school or program of public health, course is waived, but not the credits.
ENOH 0701 - Public Health Research Ethics (Spring-Even Years)
HBSP 0700 - Advances in Public Health Theories (Fall-Odd Years)

REQUIRED CONCENTRATION COURSES (33 credits)

Students should review the Course Descriptions in the School Catalog for specific information about prerequisites required for required courses and recommended electives.

HBSP 0621 - Health Care Economics (Fall/Spring)
HBSP 0624 - Issues in Private and Public Health Insurance (Spring)
HBSP 0701 - Grant Writing for Public Health, Behavioral and Biomedical Research (Fall-Even Years)
HBSP 0703 - Evaluation and Research Design for Public Health Interventions (Fall-Even Years)
HBSP 0723 - Health Politics and Policy (Spring)
HBSP 0724 - Population Health and Public Policy (Fall)
HBSP 0726 - Intermediate Survey Research Methods (Summer)
BIST 0535 - Biostatistical Computing (Fall/Spring)
BIST 0551 - Applied Regression Analysis for Public Health Studies¹ (Fall/Spring)
BIST 0615 - Applied Categorical Data Analysis (Fall)
EPID 0656 - Intermediate Epidemiologic Research Methods (Fall/Spring)

RECOMMENDED ELECTIVE COURSES (6 credits)

Selected with advisor approval

REQUIRED RESEARCH (24 credits)

RESH 0701 - Doctoral Colloquium I (0 credit) Taken in Fall and Spring in Year 1
RESH 0702 - Doctoral Colloquium II (0 credit) Taken in Fall and Spring in Year 2
RESH 0760 - Doctoral Research (20 credits)
RESH 0761 - Doctoral Research: Dissertation Proposal Seminar (3 credits) Taken in Spring in Year 2
1611-5556 - Ethical Scientific Conduct (1 credit) [Offered through School of Graduate Studies] Taken in Spring in Year 1

OTHER REQUIREMENTS (0 credits)

Pass Qualifying Exam (written and oral) Typically completed at the end of Year 2
RESH 0730 – PhD Seminar (0 credit) Attend PhD seminar once per month for Fall and Spring semesters, every year
Earn a Teaching Certificate from Rutgers Teaching Assistant Program (TAP) [0 credits] or complete HBSP 0725 - Effectively Teaching and Training Adults (3 credits)
Complete Ethical Scientific Conduct Refresher (0 credit) Taken in Year 5
Complete Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) online training on Human Subject Research Protections (For Students Enrolled Fall 2024 and After)

All PhD students are expected to engage in research activities with their faculty advisor.

Notes:
¹With Advisor approval, may substitute with BIST 0610 - Advanced Regression Methods for Public Health Studies

Curriculum for Students Enrolled Fall 2018 to Fall 2019

Students seeking the PhD in Public Health-Health Systems & Policy degree must complete a minimum of 72 credits of academic work with a minimum GPA of least 3.2 overall and a 3.2 in the set of required courses specified by their department; earn no more than nine (9) credits bearing grades less than B; and complete the degree requirements within nine years. Courses are three credit hours unless otherwise noted and semester when each course is typically offered is noted parentheses. Students should review the Forward Schedule for long-term course planning and the Course Schedule for each semester to determine when, where, and how a course is offered.

PREREQUISITES

PHCO 0501 - Health Systems and Policy (or equivalent)

CORE COURSES (9 credits)

MPH from an accredited school or program meets Public Health core requirements. PHCO 0502 and PHCO 0504 must be completed before Year 1, Fall semester (e.g., online summer before) if student does not have graduate level coursework in these two areas.

PHCO 0502 - Principles and Methods of Epidemiology (Prerequisite: Quantitative Skills Assessment)
PHCO 0504 - Introduction to Biostatistics (Prerequisite: Quantitative Skills Assessment)
PHCO 0512 - Public Health Foundations (available in Spring 2019)

REQUIRED COURSES (24 credits)

HBSP 0700 - Advances in Public Health Theories
HBSP 0703 - Evaluation and Research Design for Public Health Interventions
HBSP 0724 - Population Health and Public Policy
HBSP 0726 - Intermediate Survey Research Methods
BIST 0535 - Biostatistical Computing
BIST 0551 - Applied Regression Analysis for Public Health Studies¹
BIST 0615 - Categorical Data Analysis
EPID 0656 - Intermediate Epi Methods

REQUIRED SPECIALIZATION COURSES (15 credits)

Students should review the Course Descriptions in the School Catalog for specific information about prerequisites required for courses.

HBSP 0621 - Health Care Economics
HBSP 0625 - Issues in Private and Public Health Insurance
HBSP 0630 - Topics in Health Systems and Health Care Policy
HSAP Electives - Electives (6 credits) Selected with Advisor approval

REQUIRED RESEARCH (24 credits)

RESH 0700 - Doctoral Colloquium²(0 credits)
RESH 0760 (Section 000) - Doctoral Research: Dissertation Proposal Seminar (3 credits)
RESH 0760 - Doctoral Research (21 credits)

All PhD students are expected to engage in research activities with their faculty advisor.

Notes:

Notes: FLIP THESE AROUND

¹With Advisor approval, may substitute with BIST 0610 - Advanced Regression Methods for Public Health Studies

²PhD students should register for RESH 0700-Doctoral Colloquium each Fall and Spring semester they are enrolled at the School of Public Health.

Curriculum for Students Enrolled Prior to Fall 2018

CORE COURSES (11 credits)

PHCO 0501 - Health Systems and Policy
PHCO 0502 - Principles and Methods of Epidemiology (Prerequisite: Quantitative Skills Assessment)
PHCO 0504 - Introduction to Biostatistics (Prerequisite: Quantitative Skills Assessment)
PHCO 0508 - Issues in Environmental and Occupational Health (1 credit)
PHCO 0510 - Issues in Health Education and Behavioral Science (1 credit)

REQUIRED COURSES (21 credits)

HBSP 0600 - Health Behavior and Policy Research Design and Methods
HBSP 0621 - Health Care Economics
HBSP 0622 - Health Politics and Policy
HBSP 0624 - Population Health and Public Policy
HBSP 0625 - Issues in Private and Public Health Insurance
HBSP 0630 - Topics in Health Systems and Health Care Policy

-also-

Choose one of the following four:

BIST 0551 - Applied Regression Analysis for Public Health Studies
BIST 0615 - Categorical Data Analysis
BIST 0650 - Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis
EPID 0563 - Introduction to Outcomes Research

Other courses with advisor approval

RECOMMENDED ELECTIVE COURSES (16 credits)

SBHS 0705 - Intermediate Survey Methods
UGPH 0600 - Introduction to Global Public Health
PHEL 0580 - Independent Study in Research Methods (1-3 credits)

REQUIRED RESEARCH (24 credits)

RESH 0760 - Doctoral Research