PhD in Public Health Sciences – Specialization in Health Promotion

Doctorof Philosophy PrograminPublicHealthSciences

Specializationin Health Promotion

Program Director: Muriel Harris, PhD

Administrative Assistant:Barbara Parker

Website:

Introduction

The PhD in Public Health Sciences, Specialization in Health Promotion degreeprogramat the University ofLouisville School of Public Health and Information Sciencesisdesignedtoprepare students for careers in highereducation, upper level managementpositions ingovernment andprivatenonprofithealth agencies, and research positions with universities,government agencies and in the private sector.In addition to gainingasolidfoundationinthetheoriesandconceptsofthediscipline, students also achievecompetency as independentresearchers.

Expanding on traditional public health approaches to health education, the Department utilizes different instructional styles, such as presentations, online courses, and community engagement to help students broaden their knowledge base and enhance their ability to interact effectively with local, state and federal agencies, individuals and communities.

Areas of research for faculty include:

PhD in Public Health Sciences – Specialization in Health Promotion

  • cognitive and social influences of health-related decision making on health outcomes
  • community capacity building
  • community health development
  • community-based participatory research
  • emergency and disaster response and preparedness,
  • health communication
  • health decision and risk analysis,
  • health equity

  • health literacy
  • health policy
  • HIV/AIDS
  • infection prevention,
  • marginalized populations
  • policypreventive medicine, cognitive and social influences of health-related decision making on health outcomes, and policy and program evaluation.
  • positive youth development

preventive medicine

Please refer to the Student Handbook for additional information.

  • social justice
  • social norms
  • youth violence

PhD in Public Health Sciences – Specialization in Health Promotion

Competencies

The successful student is able to demonstrate:

  • Advanced knowledge of behavioral and cognitive sciences related to public health education and promotion.
  • Expertise in planning, implementing, and evaluating theory-driven health promotion interventions in a variety of community and clinical settings.
  • Research, evaluation, scholarship and leadership skills that may be applied in higher education, government, and community health agencies.

Areas of research for faculty include:

PhD in Public Health Sciences – Specialization in Health Promotion

cognitive and social influences of health-related decision making on health outcomes

community capacity building

community health development

community-based participatory research

emergency and disaster response and preparedness,

health communication

health decision and risk analysis,

health equity

health literacy

health policy

HIV/AIDS

infection prevention

marginalized populations

policy and program evaluation

positive youth development

preventive medicine

social justice

social norms

youth violence

PhD in Public Health Sciences – Specialization in Health Promotion

preventive medicine

PhD in Public Health Sciences – Specialization in Health Promotion

Areas of research for faculty include emergency and disaster response and preparedness, health decision and risk analysis, infection prevention, preventive medicine, cognitive and social influences of health-related decision making on health outcomes, and policy and program evaluation.

Please refer to the Student Handbook for additional information.

Competencies

The successful student is able to demonstrate:

Advanced knowledge of behavioral and cognitive sciences related to public health education and promotion.

Expertise in planning, implementing, and evaluating theory-driven health promotion interventions in a variety of community and clinical settings.

Research, evaluation, scholarship and leadership skills that may be applied in higher education, government, and community health agencies.

It is expected that prior to graduation, students in the program have demonstratedwill develop these competencies bythrough completing the curriculum, passing the qualifying exam, successfully defending the dissertation, participating in collaborative research and service projects with public health agencies, and servingopportunities to serve as an instructor and mentor for undergraduate and master’s level and beginning doctoral students. They will demonstrate these competencies by passing the qualifying exam and successfully defending the dissertation. If you have specific questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Harris, Director of the PhD Program.It is expected that prior to graduation, students in the program have demonstrated these competencies by completing the curriculum, passing the qualifying exam, successfully defending the dissertation, participating in collaborative research and service projects with public health agencies, and serving as an instructor and mentor for master’s level and beginning doctoral students.

Competency inthebasicprinciplesandapplicationof epidemiology is a requirement for allstudentsintheSchool.Ifastudenthasnothadsufficientexposureto epidemiology priortomatriculation, he/ or sheisrequiredtotakeacoursein epidemiology aspartoftheprogramofstudy.

Admission

Applicantsshouldhave a minimumGPA of3.0ona4.0scaleand,in most cases,shouldhavecompleted a master’s orothergraduatedegree related to the theme ofthe doctoralprogram.Applicantswhohavea master’s degree ina differentdisciplinemay be admitted withthestipulationthattheycomplete foundation course work during their enrollment for the doctoraldegree. This coursework is in addition to the outlined curriculum, andis negotiated with thestudent’s academic advisor on a case-by-case basis.

The formal application,curriculumvitae,personal statement, application fee, at least two lettersof recommendation, official transcripts of all college work, and officialscoresontheGraduateRecord Examination (GRE) General Test must be submitted tothe Graduate SchoolOfficeofAdmissions (SIGS) at scores are reviewed in the context of the entire application. The personal statement should beaone-twopageessaywhichdiscussesthestudent’sbackgroundinhealthpromotion,whythe studentisattractedtothefield,andhowthedegreehelpsthe student reach his orher career goals. Students should score above the 50 percentile on the GRE. In addition, prior work experience relevant to thehealthpromotiondiscipline isalso considered asafactorin acceptance intothe program. Internationalstudentsarerequired to submit TOEFL scores and a foreign credential evaluation of their transcripts. Theseare required no later thanthirty daysbeforethefirstdayofclassesofthe semester inwhichtheapplicant plans to enroll.

Forspecific information aboutthedegree concentration ortheapplicationprocess,studentsshould contact the Director of the PhD Program, Dr. Muriel Harris, at or 502-852-4061, orthe Department Chair, Dr. Richard Wilson, at or 502-852-3443.

Curriculum

The typical progression through the health promotionfull time Health Promotion PhD curriculum is:

  • ProgramPlan of Study (yearstudy outlined (Year 1)
  • Required and elective coursework of 48 credit-hours (yearsYears 1 and 2)
  • Qualifying examination (yearEnd of Year 2)
  • Candidacy (enrolled until dissertation defense is completed)
  • Dissertation research and preparation (within 4 years of entering candidacy)

Oral examination / dissertation defense

  • Oral Examination/Dissertation Defense (must occur no more than four years following admission into Candidacy)

The typical progression through the health promotion curriculum is:

Program of Study (year 1)

Required and elective coursework of 48 credit-hours (years 1 and 2)

Qualifying examination (year 2)

Candidacy

Dissertation research and preparation (within 4 years of entering candidacy)

Oral examination / dissertation defense

Faculty Advisor

The Director of the PhD program will assign advisors for each doctoral student. Upon matriculation in the program, each student will meet with his or her assigned advisor and develop a program plan of study, which will include courses in public health theory and principles, research design and statistics as well as selected cognate courses. The program plan of study will identify a set of courses for the development of competencies in areas of public health knowledge that are relevant to the student’s area of interest. The program of study may be modified as the student’s needs change or course availability is altered.

ProgramPlanofStudy

Upon matriculation in theprogram, each studentmeets with his or her assigned advisor anddevelopsaprogram plan ofstudythatincludescourses inresearchdesignandstatisticsas well asselected cognate courses. The program plan of study may be modifiedas the student’s needs changeorcourse availability is altered.

Ifastudenthasnothadsufficientexposureto epidemiology priorto matriculation, he or she isrequiredtotakeacoursein epidemiology as partoftheprogram plan ofstudy.Inadditiontheprogram plan of study includes development of competencies inotherareasofpublichealthknowledge that are relevant tothestudent’sareaofinterest.

Degree Requirements

Coursework

Students with a master of public health (MPH) and those with master’s degrees from other disciplines may be admitted to the PhD program. For those students entering from other disciplines, leveling courses will be required. The leveling courses include the MPH core courses, and they must be completed prior to beginning courses in the student’s PhD degree plan.

The PhD curriculum consists of a minimum of 48 hours of course credit, at least one semester of teaching, and a dissertation. The degree plan consists of the following:

Foundational Requirements (15-18 hours)

Epidemiological Methods (3 hours)

Theory, Approaches, Planning, & Interventions (6-9 hours)

Advanced Evaluation (3 hours)

Policy & Politics (3 hours)

Methods & Statistical Analysis (18-24 hours)

Advanced Biostatistics (3 hours)

Measurement (3 hours)

Quantitative Research Methods (3-9 credit hours)

Qualitative Research Methods (3-9 credit hours)

Teaching (3 hours)

Cognate Area of Study (12-15 hours)

To be determined with faculty advisor

Qualifying Exam

Dissertation

FOUNDATIONAL REQUIREMENTS [15-18 hours]

Course / Title-Description / Credit Hours
Epidemiological Methods (choose one)
PHEP 602
-OR-
PHEP 618 / Epidemiologic Methods
-OR-
Epidemiologic Methods II / 3 hours
Theory/Applied Theory/Approaches/Planning/Interventions
PHPB 701 / Theoretical Basis of Health Promotion / 3 hours
PHPB 705PHPB 704 / Community Organization and Health Policy AdvocacyPsycho-Social Foundations of Health Decision Making / 3 hours
PHPB 722PHPB 705 / Health Risk CommunicationCommunity Organization and Health Policy Advocacy / 3 hours
HSS 669 / Administering Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Programs / 3 hours
Advanced Evaluation
PHPB 615 / Advanced Program Evaluation[RIW1] / 3 hours
Policy & Politics
PHPB 7052 / Community Organizing and Health Policy AdvocacyHealth Care Law and Politics / 3 hours
PHPB XXX / Health Promotion Policy Development and Advocacy / 3 hours

METHODS & STATISTICAL ANALYSIS [18-24 hours]

Course / Title-Description / Credit Hours
Advanced Biostatistics (3 credit hours)
PHST 630 / Applied Statistical Methods / 3 hours
PSYC 610 / Advanced Statistics I / 3 hours
SOC 609 / Seminar in Statistics I / 3 hours
Measurement (3 credit hours)
PHST 645 / Health Sciences Data Collection Instrumentation / 3 hours
ECPY 540 / Evaluation and Measurement in Education / 3 hours
ECPY 740 / Psychometrics and Affective Instrument DevelopmentPsychometrics of Educational and Psychological Testing[RIW2] / 3 hours
ELFH 602 / Survey Research and Attitude Measurement / 3 hours
Quantitative Research Methods (3-9 credit hours)
ECPY 745 / Systematic Reviewing and Meta-Analysis / 3 hours
ECPY 746 / Secondary Data Analysis / 3 hours
ECPY 764/ ELFH 764 / Structural Equation Modeling / 3 hours
ECPY 765/ ELFH 765 / Hierarchical Linear Modeling / 3 hours
ECPY 793 / Doctoral Seminar in Educational and Counseling PsychologyApplied Logistic Regression [RIW3] / 3 hours
ELFH 601 / Applied Statistics / 3 hours
ELFH 700 / Research Concepts and Design / 3 hours
ELFH 701 / Intermediate Applied Statistics / 3 hours
ELFH 702 / Applied Multiple RegressionAdvanced Regression Analysis [RIW4] / 3 hours
ELFH 703 / Multivariate Educational StatisticsMultivariate Statistics [RIW5] / 3 hours
PHPB 703 / Health Promotion Research Methods and Design / 3 hours
PHPH 610 / New Drug and Device DevelopmentData Management and Statistics for Public Health using SPSS / 3 2 hours
PHPH 630 / Geographic Information Systems in Public Health / 3 hours
PHST 630 / Applied Statistical Methods / 3 hours
PHST 640 / Statistical Methods for Research Design in Health Sciences / 3 hours
PHST 650 / Advanced Topics in Biostatistics / 3 hours
PHST 680 / Biostatistical Methods I / 3 hours
PHST 681 / Biostatistical Methods II / 3 hours
PHST 682 / Multivariate Statistical Analysis / 3 hours
PHST 684 / Categorical Data Analysis / 3 hours
PHST 704 / Mixed Effect Models and Longitudinal Data Analysis / 3 hours
PHST 781 / Advanced Linear Models / 3 hours
PHST 782 / Generalized Linear Models / 3 hours
PHST 785 / Non-Linear Regression / 3 hours
PSYC 611 / Advanced Statistics II / 3 hours
PSYC 612 / Advanced Statistics III / 3 hours
SOC 610 / Seminar in Statistics II / 3 hours
SOC 615 / Seminar in Research MethodsMethodology / 3 hours
SOC 616 / Advanced Multivariate Modeling / 3 hours
Qualitative Research Methods (3-9 credit hours)
PHPB 650 XXX / PhotoVoice Methodology / 3 hours
PHPB 710 / Community-Based Participatory Research / 3 hours
PHPB 711 / Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health / 3 hours
ELFH 704 / Qualitative Field Research Methods / 3 hours
ELFH 705 / Qualitative Quality Data Analysis and Representation / 3 hours
SOC 618 / Qualitative Field Research Methods / 3 hours
SW 772 / Advanced Qualitative Research / 3 hours

TEACHING [3 hours]

Course / Title-Description / Credit Hours
Seminar-Based Courses (choose one)
ELFH 683
-OR-
ELFH 607
-OR-
ELFH 672
-OR-
ELFH 661
-OR-
EDAP 607[RIW6] / College Teaching
-OR-
Principles of Educational Leadership
-OR-
Instructional Design and Development
-OR-
Adult and Organizational Learning
-OR-
Teacher Leadership in Practice / 3 hours
Practice
Undergraduate/Graduate Teaching Experience

Note: Students may have an opportunity to teach or mentor in the Undergraduate or MPH programs. Students must seek out these opportunities through discussions with their advisor.

COGNATE[12-15 hours]:;courses Courses to be determined with guidance from advisor based on area student chooses to develop content expertise. Cognate courses will change according to each student’s focus area(s).

Qualifying Examination ((*See Student Handbook for additional information.) for the following sections on pages 6-7)

DISSERTATION hours as needed

QualifyingExamination*(See Student Handbook for additional information.)

Upon completion of all formal course work, typically at the end of the second year of coursework, students will take a written qualifying exam to demonstrate their ability to synthesize and apply concepts from those courses. Results will be given to students within six three weeks of completion of the exam. The exam will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis; students who don’t pass the exam on their first attempt will be given time to prepare to sit for the exam one additional time. The retake of the exam may be attempted at the discretion of the mentor and program director in consultation with the student, but must be attempted within 6 months at ano later than the next regularly scheduled exam date (February, July or October) following the first attempt at the discretion of the specialization and in consultation with the student.must be attempted within 6 months at a regularly scheduled exam date (February, July or October) following the first attempt at the discretion of the specialization and in consultation with the student. If a student fails to pass on the second attempt, the student will be dropped from the program. Once the qualifying exam is successfully completed, students will be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree.

Candidacy *

Once the student has successfully completed the qualifying exam, Student Services will be sent a copy of the notification letter and the student will be eligible to register for candidacy the following semester (i.e., exam passed in Oct, candidacy registered for spring semester). Candidacy is an enrollment category designed to allow students to remain registered and able to access the university’s resources (libraries, faculty, etc.) while completing their dissertation. To enroll in doctoral candidacy, students enroll in DOCT 600 (2 credit hours) the semester following passing of the exam. The Registrar’s Office will enroll the student in subsequent semesters, unless there is a hold put on their account, until the dissertation defense is approved and the student registers for their degree.

Dissertation(See Student Handbook for additional information.)*

A dissertation, based on original research conducted by the student, is required of a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health Sciences with a specialization in Health Promotion. The dissertation is to be a scholarly achievement that demonstrates the student’s ability to conduct independent research and a thorough understanding of research principles, concepts and techniques in health promotion. The dissertation must follow the guidelines of the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies (SIGS) located at

DissertationCommittee *

The student’s dissertation research will be guided by, and the final product approved by, a Dissertation Committee. The Chair of the Committee, who must come from within the department, will be appointed by the Dean of the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies upon the advice of the Chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences.

The Dissertation Committee shall consist of at least four members to a maximum of six members. The Chair of the Committee and at least one other committee member must be from the department. Additional members should be from outside of the department or school. Students are encouraged to meet with their committee chair regarding prospective committee members who will mentor them throughout this process. A committee member must have a doctoral degree, be credentialed to teach graduate-level courses relevant to the degree, and have recent involvement in research,scholarship, or creative activity within the previous five years. One member should have expertise in research methodology that matches research approach selected for the dissertation study. Once all nominated committee members have agreed to serve on the student’s dissertation committee, all names will be sent to the Chair of the Department, then Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at SPHIS for approval. If approved, the committee names are submitted to SIGS for approval.

The Dean of Academic Affairs at SPHIS must approve the members to serve on the committee. The Committee will subsequently be approved by SIGS.

Dissertation Proposal *

The student will work with the Dissertation Committee, and especially with the Chair throughout the process of preparing their Dissertation Proposal. The student will schedule meetings to present their dissertation proposal for approval once it has been review by members of the committee. The final oral defense of the dissertation must be completed within four (4) years of entering candidacy after passing the Qualifying Exam.

Dissertation Defense *

Once the student has completed work on the dissertation, the student will schedule a date with his/her Dissertation Committee for the final oral examination during which the student will defend the dissertation. The dissertation must be approved by the committee and the Chair of the Department by majority vote before it can be submitted to the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies (SIGS). The defense is a public event to which members of the University community will be invited as well as those the student worked with on the project.

Note: The final defense of the Dissertation must take place no more than four years after entering candidacy, but no earlier than 9 months after successfully passing their qualifying exam. In order for a student to present their final oral defense in less than 9 months of entering candidacy, a variance would need to be approved.The UofL graduate catalog ( states, “A doctoral degree student must have been admitted to candidacy not later than the end of the 9th month prior to the awarding of the degree,” that is: