PhD in Population Health Science
At a Glance
Program
- Associate Professor
- Program Director
Curriculum
Courses
There are three trimesters per year. This flexibility allows students to complete coursework at their own pace. All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.
The following graduate level courses are required with a grade of "B" or better for all specializations prior to matriculation:
- Basic Biostatistics
- Research Methods
The following courses are required for AHEOR Specialization:
- PHS 605: Advanced Statistical Methods for Data Analysis
- PHS 615: Advanced Statistics for Population Health Science: Multi-Level Modeling
- AHE 509: Epidemiology & Evidence for Outcomes Research
- AHE 510: Advanced Research Methods for Applied Observational Studies
The following courses are required for the other specializations:
- PHS 605: Advanced Statistical Methods for Data Analysis
- PHS 615: Advanced Statistics for Population Health Science: Multi-Level Modeling
- PBH 606: Advanced Epidemiology or
AHE 509: Epidemiology & Evidence for Outcomes Research - PHS 650: Evaluative & Outcomes Research & Design
The following courses are required for all Specializations:
- PBH 500: Foundations of the US Healthcare System
- POP 500: Essentials of Population Health
- AHE 501: Economics of Health Insurance
- PBH 502: Society, Behavior, & Environment
- PHS 602: Bioethics (1 credit)
- PHS 620: Teaching & Learning Seminar
The following courses are required for all Specializations:
- PHS 700: Integrative Research Seminar (1 credit, need 4 credits)
- PHS 660: Mentored Research Experience (1 credit, need 3 credits)
Applied Health Economics & Outcomes Research
The following courses are options for the AHEOR Specialization. Students must select five courses for a total of 15 credits.
- AHE 502: Statistics I
- AHE 505: Statistics II
- AHE 504: Economic Modeling I
- AHE 512: Economic Modeling II
- AHE 506: Subjective Outcomes in Health Evaluation
- AHE 507: Claims-Based AHEOR
- AHE 508: International Health Technolocy Assessment: Evaluations & Evidence Generation/Synthesis
- PHS 650: Evaluative & Outcomes & Research Design
- HDS 500 Fundamentals of Data Wrangling
- HDS 502 Exploratory Data Analysis & Unsupervised Learning
Health Behavior Science
The following courses are required for the HBS Specialization.
- PBH 602: Advanced Social & Behavioral Theories & Interventions (prerequisite of PBH 502)
- PBH 512: Qualitative Research Methods
- PBH 515: Cultural Humility & Competence
- PHS 710: Advanced Health Behavior Methods & Measurement
- PHS 680: Advanced Analytic Topics for Health Behavior Science
Health Data Science
The following courses are options for the PHI Specialization. Students must select five courses for a total of 15 credits.
- AHE 502 Statistics I
- AHE 505 Statistics II
- HDS 500 Fundamentals of Data Wrangling
- HDS 502 Exploratory Data Analysis & Unsupervised Learning
- HDS 532: Data Visualization
- HDS 518 Supervised Learning & Unsupervised Learning: Prediction & Classification
- HDS 519 Deep Learning and AI Systems
Healthcare Quality & Safety
The following courses are options for the HQS Specialization. Students must select five courses for a total of 15 credits.
- HQS 500: Introduction to Healthcare Quality and Safety
- HQS 509: Applied Principles of Healthcare Quality
- HQS 512 Business Case for Quality
- HQS 515: Applied Principles of Patient Safety
- HQS 505: Advanced Tools & Methods for Healthcare Quality & Safety
- HQS 507: Advanced Applications of HQS in Clinical Settings
- OPX 520: Change Management
The following courses are required for all specializations:
- PHS 800: Comprehensive Exam Prep (1 credit)
- PHS 801: Comprehensive Exam (1 credit)
- PHS 805: Dissertation Proposal Seminar
- PHS 807: Dissertation Proposal Defense (1 credit)
- PHS 810: Dissertation Progress
- PHS 811: Final Dissertation Defense
For course descriptions, please view the Jefferson College of Population Health Course Descriptions page.
Program Outcomes
Graduates of the PhD program are able to:
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge and application of population health frameworks and concepts
- Apply knowledge of the structures, performance, quality, policy, and environmental context of health care to the formulation of solutions to, and prevention of, population health problems
- Formulate population health research questions that are informed by relevant theoretical and conceptual models; systematic reviews of the literature; valid, reliable, and generalizable data; and stakeholder needs
- Select appropriate study designs to address specific population health research questions
- Collect, analyze, and/or interpret data obtained either prospectively (by survey, surveillance, qualitative, or mixed methods) or retrospectively through existing public and private sources to identify determinants of health
- Conduct ethical and responsible research in the design, implementation, and dissemination of population health research through implementation of research protocols with standardized procedures
- Apply appropriate design and analytic methods to clarify associations between variables and to identify causal inferences
- Communicate findings and implications of population health science research through multiple modalities to academic, professional, and lay audiences