Doctoral students are currently accepted in five concentration areas: biostatistics, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology, health systems and policy, and social and behavioral health sciences, pending funding availability. The Rutgers School of Public Health has several Ph.D.
fellowships annually and faculty also support Ph.D. students on extramural
research funds. Scholarly "fit" with faculty research is an important
criteria in our admissions decisions. A current summary of
federally-funded research at the Rutgers School of Public Health made be
found by using the NIH Research Portfolio Online Report Tools.
The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 72 credit
hours for completion. Candidates for the Ph.D. are expected to enroll
full time and are required to complete qualifying written and oral
qualifying examinations, as well as complete and defend original
dissertation research. Through doctoral-level research, Ph.D. students
will develop expertise on a single topic, design and implement a
research project, integrate and interpret complex data, and complete a
comprehensive dissertation. Students must plan this carefully. Although
students will work closely with faculty advisers, students bear
responsibility for developing research of publishable quality. The
curriculum and academic progress of all doctoral students is monitored
by the Doctoral Committee. A specific course of study is followed by all
Ph.D. students during the first year of full-time study with
specialization courses (minimum 15 credits) completed during the second
year of full-time study. Ph.D. students then begin their dissertation
research in the third year of full-time study.
PROGRAM
REQUIREMENTS
Each student must participate in the Doctoral Colloquium each fall and spring semester, fulfill a teaching experience, be immersed in research,
pass a qualifying exam, and defend a dissertation. The curriculum must
total a minimum of 72 credits, including a minimum of 24
credits of doctoral research. Each concentration has its own set of
required specialization courses.
Satisfactory progress extends beyond GPA--students must meet three
major milestones in a timely fashion. First, Ph.D. students are expected
to advance to candidacy within three (3) years of admission to the
doctoral program. Second, students should defend their dissertation
proposal within one (1) year of advancing to candidacy. Third, a
student's entire course of study, including coursework, qualifying exam,
thesis research and defense, must be completed within nine (9) years of
admission to the doctoral program.
DOCTORAL COLLOQUIUM
Ph.D. students are expected to participate in the Doctoral
Colloquium (RESH 0700) each fall and spring semester they are enrolled
at the School of Public Health (required for Ph.D. students
enrolled fall 2018 and after). The purpose of the Colloquium is to
familiarize students with the major streams of research on pressing
topics in public health, prepare students to complete the Ph.D. program,
and help students develop the skills necessary to become an engaged
scholar and be competitive on the academic job market.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
All doctoral students must serve as a teaching assistant (course assistant) for at least one semester.
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
All Ph.D. students are expected to engage in research
activities with School of Public Health faculty under the direction of
their faculty adviser. This experience may vary by concentration and
faculty adviser. At a minimum, students are expected to present as well
as publish at least one first authored paper prior to their
dissertation proposal defense.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
All
doctoral students must serve as a teaching assistant for at least one semester.
If a student can document sufficient teaching experience at the graduate school
level, the chair of the doctoral committee may waive this requirement.
RESIDENCY
Please consult each department's residency requirement.
QUALIFYING EXAMINATION
The faculty adviser, together with the chair of the Doctoral Committee,
is responsible for proposing a qualifying examination committee and
providing guidance for the student's preparation for that exam. The
Office of Student Affairs will schedule the qualifying examination. As a
student nears completion of his or her approved curriculum, the adviser
shall propose to the chair of the Doctoral Committee a committee to
administer the qualifying examination to the student. This committee
shall be made up of at least four members of the Rutgers School of
Public Health faculty and will include, at a minimum: the adviser, who
has primary responsibility for the student's concentration; a faculty
member responsible for questions on general public health; and the chair
of the Doctoral Committee or his or her designee. Each of the parts of the
exam (i.e., concentration, general public health) will be graded on a
pass/fail basis and may be passed with up to one dissenting vote.
PUBLICATION OF DISSERTATION AND ACADEMIC DATA
After the granting of the doctorate, the Rutgers School of Graduate Studies in New
Brunswick will have the dissertation microfilmed. The dissertation must,
therefore, be prepared with the same care as if it were to appear in printed
form. The abstract that must accompany the dissertation will be published in Dissertation Abstracts and, therefore, must be ready for publication when it is
submitted to the dean. University Microfilms of Ann Arbor, Michigan, will
microfilm the dissertation and publish the abstract. Information concerning the
preparation of the dissertation and abstract and the agreement with University
Microfilms that the candidate is to sign are available in the Office of the
School of Graduate Studies, Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
PH.D. CURRICULUM SUMMARY
Students seeking the Ph.D. degree must complete a minimum of 72 credits and must defend a dissertation.
- 9 CREDITS in core areas of public health. Students in all concentrations must take public health core courses.
- 24 CREDITS in advanced areas of public health theory and analytics. Students in all concentrations must take advanced public health theory and analytics courses.
- 15 CREDITS of specialization courses dependent on the concentration. These courses are listed on each concentration's webpage and in the School Catalog.
- 24 CREDITS of Doctoral Research. Including 3 credits of a Doctoral Research: Dissertation Proposal Seminar (RESH
0760-Section 000) taken in the spring semester of the second year of
full-time study.
CONCENTRATIONS OFFERING THE PH.D. DEGREE
- Biostatistics
- Environmental and Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
- Health Systems and Policy
- Social and Behavioral Health Sciences
Degree Requirements 
