Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

DrPH Program


The following academic requirements are for students matriculating in the academic year 2008/2009.


• Completion of 32 credits of required, core DrPH Program courses

• Completion of 4 department-required credits and 4 department-approved elective credits

• Completion of Practicum

• Comprehensive Examination

• Dissertation  Topic Approval

• Dissertation Proposal Approval

• Oral Defense of Public Health Practice Dissertation


DrPH Requirements


The 40-credit DrPH Program offers concentrations in International Health, Maternal & Child Health, and Social & Behavioral Sciences. Full-time students must complete the program within five years; part-time students must complete the program within seven years. Incoming students who do not hold a Master of Public Health are required to complete prerequisite coursework in Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, and Health Policy and Management. All DrPH students must complete the following nine core courses (32 credits total), in addition to the 0-credit practicum, and receive at least a 3.0 (B) grade in each of these classes:


DrPH Program Core Courses


PH 850 Social and Cultural Factors Affecting the Health of Populations


PH 851 Needs Assessment


PH 852 Research Methods for Public Health Practice


PH 853 Health Program Development and Management


PH 854 Program and Policy Evaluation


PH 855 Analytic Methods for Public Health Practice


PH 856 Law and Ethics for Public Health Leaders


PH 857 Health Economics and Financial Management for Public Health


PH 860 Public Health Leadership Seminar


PH 986 DrPH Public Health Practicum


Departmental Requirements


Students must complete 4 credits in their home department and 4 department-approved elective credits offered within the School of Public Health.


Departmental Course(s):  The 4 credits completed in the student’s home department focus on skills and knowledge particular to the student’s chosen concentration in either International Health, Maternal & Child Health, or Social & Behavioral Sciences.


Electives: Students will be able to choose how they wish to complete their remaining 4-credit requirement by choosing from a list of elective courses that have been approved by each home department. Students may petition to take a course that is not on the elective list by making a request to the DrPH representative in their respective department. It is expected, though not required, that students will take these 4 credits within their home department.


International Health Course Requirements:


IH 888 Seminars in International Health Policy Issues


and one of the following


IH 805 Controversies in Global Control and Eradication of Infectious Diseases


IH 885 Global  Trade, Intellectual Property, and Public Health


IH 883 Reproductive Health Programming in Developing Countries


Maternal and Child Health Course Requirement:


MC 931 Directed Studies in Maternal and Child Health


Social and Behavioral Sciences Course Requirement:


SB 888 Advanced Intervention and Evaluation Research Seminar


Approved DrPH Electives


International Health


IH 820 Pharmaceutical Policy and Programming Issues for Developing Countries


IH 887 Planning and Managing Maternal and Child Health Programs in Developing Countries


SB 822 Quantitative Methods for Program Evaluations 


Maternal & Child Health


MC 831 Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Integrating Developmental Science and Public Health


MC 840 Women’s Health Policy: Public Controversies


IH 883 Reproductive Health Programming in Developing Countries


Social & Behavioral Sciences


Electives for the Social & Behavioral Sciences department will be determined on a case-by-case basis. All elective choices are subject to approval by the DrPH Program department representative, Professor William DeJong (wdejong@bu.edu), 617-414-1393.


Comprehensive Exams


Upon the completion of coursework and the practicum, students must pass both written and oral comprehensive exams.  These exams are designed to evaluate students’ preparedness to undertake the work of a public health practice dissertation.  The comprehensive exams are a case study which asks students to examine alternative responses to a current public health problem and to communicate a strategic plan and policy memo to public health and political leaders.


Dissertation


Students will prepare a dissertation demonstrating their ability to analyze and solve complex practice-based problems in public health.  The dissertation format will be determined in large part by the nature of the public health problem the student plans to address.  The dissertation should reflect the variety of perspectives needed to analyze and ameliorate major public health problems and include explicit population-based policy and practice implications. Appropriate dissertation formats may include:


• case studies and policy analyses

• development of new practice interventions

• design and implementation of public health programs

• program or policy evaluations

• historical program or policy analyses

• substantial legislative proposals


Students begin this academic endeavor by submitting a dissertation topic approval request to the DrPH Committee, a six-person governing body that represents all three participating departments and includes one at-large member and the Associate Dean for Education. Upon receiving approval of their topic, students then prepare and deliver a detailed written dissertation proposal and oral presentation to their doctoral dissertation committee. Once students receive the approval of their doctoral dissertation committee, they may proceed to prepare their written dissertation for its oral defense.


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31 October 2008
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