PhD in Public Health

Admission Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

  • Baccalaureate Field A major in the biological, physical, or social sciences is preferred. Students applying to the primary concentration in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences must have a relevant master's degree and meet the prerequisites for admission to the MS primary concentration in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences which include one year of college math, one course in college chemistry, and one course in biology or physics prior to enrollment in the MS program.
  • Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00.
  • Tests Required GRE General. For GRE General tests, combined verbal and quantitative scores must be at least 300.
  • Minimum English Competency Test Score
    • TOEFL iBT 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21, OR,
    • IELTS Academic 6.5, with 6.0 in each of the four subscores, OR,
    • PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.
  • Letters of Recommendation Three required.
  • Personal Statement Required; the statement should address the applicant’s intended research, career goals, and reason for pursuing the PhD degree in the chosen area.
  • Other Requirements: Applicants may submit their master’s thesis as evidence of their ability to plan and complete significant health-related research.

Degree Requirements

  • Minimum Semester Hours Required 96 from the baccalaureate; 118 from the baccalaureate for the Health Policy and Administration concentration.
  • Coursework Students must complete a minimum of 9 semester hours in formal 500 series courses in major area of concentration (not necessarily in one division). Students must also complete 6 semester hours in a collateral area. Note: The 595-seminar series may not be counted towards fulfillment of this requirement. 

School of Public Health Core Requirements

Required Courses
IPHS 520
Foundations of Public Health
EPID 403
Introduction to Epidemiology: Principles and Methods
BSTT 400
Biostatistics I
BSTT 401
Biostatistics II
Required Non-Credit Training
Human Subjects Research
Title IX Training
SPH Academic Integrity Tutorial
  • Remaining courses and their distribution depend on the student’s area of concentration. PhD students are admitted into one of the following primary concentrations: Community Health Sciences, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, or Health Policy and Administration.
  • Dissertation Required. Students must register in IPHS 599 for at least 32 semester hours.
  • Other Requirements Students must obtain supervised experience in classroom teaching in at least one course for at least part of a semester.

Concentrations

Community Health Sciences Concentration Requirements

  • PhD students in Community Health Sciences must complete all of the SPH Core Requirements for the PhD degree. Students must select 12 hours for their concentration. The student will be tested in the concentration area as part of the preliminary examination. Additional compensatory courses are required if the equivalent coursework was not completed at the master’s degree level. These compensatory courses are: EPID 403, CHSC 446, BSTT 400, BSTT 401, CHSC 421, CHSC 422, or their equivalent. Advisor approval is necessary for elective course selection. PhD students pursuing a program in Maternal and Child Health or Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology have additional requirements.
Concentration Required Courses
CHSC 550
Advanced Theories and Topics in Community Health Sciences
CHSC 551
Advanced Research Methods for Community Health Sciences
CHSC 552
Advanced Analytic Methods for Community Health Sciences
Advanced analytic methods courses (3-6 hours) a
Advanced research methods courses (3-6 hours) a
CHSC 593
Doctoral Laboratory in Community Health Sciences Research Development b
CHSC 595
Seminar in Community Health Sciences (2 hours)
Secondary Concentration
Select 12 hours for the secondary concentration
a

Students must select 3-6 semester hours each from an approved menu for both the advanced analytic methods and the advanced research methods course requirements, for a total of 9 hours of advanced analytic and research methods.

b

Students must enroll for one hour of CHSC 593 every semester they are in the program, for at least 6 hours in total. Students who are otherwise eligible to register for 0 hours will also be eligible to register for CHSC 593 for 0 hours.

Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Concentration Requirements

Required Courses
EOHS 401
Ethics and Justice in Environmental and Occupational Health
EOHS 402
Systems Approach in Environmental and Occupational Health
EOHS 501
Exposure Assessment Strategies
EOHS 502
Environment, Toxicology, and Disease
EOHS 495
Environmental/Occupational Health Seminar
EOHS 556
Risk Assessment in Environmental and Occupational Health
EOHS 595
PhD Seminar in EOHS (Repeated for at least four semesters)
Methods Selective
Students should select one course from one of the following lists of courses in either qualitative OR quantitative methods; to be selected according to academic needs and research activities.
Qualitative Methods
CHSC 534
Management and Analysis of Qualitative Data
CLJ 561
Qualitative Methods and Design
DHD 546
Qualitative Methods in Disability Research
NURS 574
Qualitative Research in Nursing
PSCH 531
Community Research
Quantitative Methods
BSTT 537
Longitudinal Data Analysis
EPID 500
Applied Methods for the Analysis of Epidemiologic Data
EPID 501
Advanced Quantitative Methods in Epidemiology
IE 442
Design and Analysis of Experiments in Engineering
Electives
Students are required to complete 9 semester hours of 500-level courses related to their declared area of concentration, and 6 semester hours of 500-level courses related to their declared collateral area. EOHS 595 cannot be applied towards these requirements.
Students are required to take electives to obtain a minimum of 96 semester hours.  Students without a prior master’s degree in public health or a related area will be required to complete 37 semester hours of electives.

Health Policy and Administration Concentration Requirements

  • PhD students in Health Policy and Administration must complete all of the SPH Core Requirements for the PhD degree. No additional course requirements are specified. In addition, a minimum of 72 hours of coursework relevant to the disciplinary area of Health Policy and Administration is taken in consultation with the faculty advisor.
HPA 420
US Health Care System for Public Health Practitioners
HPA 567
Public Health Policy Analysis
HPA/PSOP 573
Principles of Economic Evaluations of Health Care Interventions
HPA 521
Empirical Methods for Health Research I
HPA 522
Empirical Methods for Health Research II
HPA 581
Advanced Topics in Health Economics
IPHS 595
Seminar in Interdisciplinary Public Health Sciences (1 hour per semester for 4 semesters in first two years)
Selectives
Select a minimum of 9 hours from the following:
BSTT 505
Logistic Regression and Survival Analysis
BSTT 537
Longitudinal Data Analysis
ECON 509
Microeconomic Theory I
ECON 516
Development Economics
ECON 531
Labor Economics I
ECON 534
Econometrics I
ECON 535
Econometrics II
ECON 539
Microeconometrics
ECON 555
Health Economics I
CHSC 534
Management and Analysis of Qualitative Data
CHSC 551
Advanced Research Methods for Community Health Sciences
EOHS 501
Exposure Assessment Strategies
POLS 502
Time Series Analysis for Political Science
POLS 544
Regulatory Public Policies
PA 582
Survey Data Collection Methods: Theory and Practice
PA 588
Applied Survey Sampling and Analysis
PSOP 502
Research Methods in Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes and Policy
UPP 500
History and Theory of Urban Planning
UPP 501
Urban Space, Place and Institutions
Electives (41 hours)
Possible 32 hours of credit from a prior master's degree.

Secondary Concentrations

Maternal Child and Health Epidemiology (CHS students)

  • Students can enter the PhD in MCH Epidemiology (MCHEPI) program through the Division of Community Health Sciences or the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (EPID-BSTT). Regardless of division, MCHEPI PhD students are required to take courses in both Epidemiology and Maternal and Child Health (MCH), along with courses from other disciplines that focus on the substantive, analytic, and technical aspects of the public health planning cycle. A limited amount of specially targeted federal funding is available for MCHEPI students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.  
  • See the PhD in Epidemiology for program requirements.

Medical Scientist Training Program

The UIC School of Public Health has particularly strong programs in epidemiology, biostatistics, prevention research, community health, health systems management, occupational and environmental safety and health, and quantitative methods. Application to the PhD program is normally made at the time of application to the College of Medicine; however, applicants will also be considered during their first two years of medical training. Students must apply to the Medical Scientist Training Program and to the College of Medicine and indicate in their application that they are interested in one of the divisions of the UIC School of Public Health. Criteria for admission to the program include academic excellence, prior research experience, potential for independent and creative research, and commitment to a career in academic medicine. Students receive a stipend throughout their years of study. For more information, contact:

Jamie Chriqui, Senior Associate Dean, SPH
(312) 996- 6410
jchriqui@uic.edu

or the Medical Scientist Training Program: Larry Tobacman, MD, Director
(312) 413-1010
lst@uic.edu

or Roberta Bernstein, Coordinator
(312) 996-7473
roberta@uic.edu