University of Louisville - School of Public Health and Information Sciences
PhD in Public Health Sciences with specialization in Health Management and Policy
Louisville, USA
PhD
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
02 Jan 2027
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2027
TUITION FEES
USD 1,700 / per semester *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* non-resident & international | resident: USD 1700 per semester
Key Summary
The specialization in Health Management and Policy is designed to prepare graduates for careers as researchers and teachers involved in the efforts to protect and promote the health and well-being of communities and populations. It provides graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to attain academic positions involving scholarly research and instruction in the disciplines of public health management and key policy and management positions in governmental as well as private and voluntary organizations. In addition to an in-depth understanding of the infrastructure and context of public health management, graduates of this specialization are expected to be able to identify issues and questions of importance with regard to the management of the resources of public health and to design and carry out a program of research designed to address these issues and questions. Graduates should be able to demonstrate abilities as independent investigator as well as a team collaborator.
Competencies
To graduate, a student with a PhD specialization in Public Health Management and Policy must demonstrate the following competencies:
- In-depth knowledge of the history of public health, health management, and health services research.
- Mastery of experimental research study designs, including qualitative as well as quantitative, and the ability to identify optimal designs for specific hypotheses.
- Ability to critically evaluate published research related to health management and health services research.
- Expertise in one or more health services research specialties such as health policy, organization theory, long-term care policy, health economics, etc.
- Practical knowledge of issues in research management including:
- Formation and leadership of multidisciplinary teams.
- Staffing, budgeting, tracking.
- Data quality control and data safety management.
- Funding mechanisms and grantsmanship.
- Research ethics and regulations.
- Professional quality peer-review, oral and poster presentation, report, grant, and manuscript writing.
Demonstration of Competency 1 is achieved by passing the doctoral qualifying examination and by successful completion and defense of the dissertation. Demonstration of Competencies 2 through 6, inclusive, is achieved by successful development, conduct, completion, and defense of the dissertation.
Program Requirements
51 total credit hours:
- 33 credit hours of required coursework,
- 3 credit hours of public health management seminars, and
- 15 credit hours within an emphasis area.
Some required or emphasis area courses may require additional credit hours in prerequisite courses not already taken by the student. The specific coursework for a student is established with the student’s individualized program of study.
The emphasis in doctoral training goes beyond accumulating course credit. Completion of the coursework is the prelude to sitting for the qualifying examination. Successful passage of the qualifying examination allows the student to enter doctoral candidacy. A doctoral candidate must then successfully develop and present to the HMSS PhD Committee a preliminary dissertation proposal (PDP) that describes the dissertation committee, what the student wishes to accomplish with the dissertation, and an original and independent research project in the prescribed format. Once the PDP is approved by the HMSS PhD Committee, the student may schedule the proposal defense. Upon successful defense of the proposal, a student may then proceed to dissertation research.
Upon successful completion of the research, defense of the dissertation, and demonstration of the required competencies listed below, a student is awarded the PhD degree.
An applicant who has satisfactorily completed a Master of Public Health degree, or another relevant master's degree or a health professional degree is considered for admission to the Public Health Management and Policy specialization. Applicants already holding an advanced degree are evaluated on the basis of the appropriateness of previous coursework, training, and experience. The graduate work by such applicants is reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and the applicant, if admitted, may be required to take additional coursework prior to completing the minimum 51 credit hours required for post-master’s doctoral work.