Doctor of Public Health in Community Health Sciences

Mission Statement

The mission of the DrPH Program in Community Health Sciences is to train advanced professionals in applied public health program development, evaluation, and program-relevant research in promoting community health.  The program prepares individuals for professional practice where graduates are go on to careers in government agencies (such as the Centers for Disease Control and state health departments), nonprofit organizations such as public health institutes, and are expected to have responsibilities that would include program leadership, evaluation, applied research, and teaching.

Program Description

The DrPH program trains students for advanced science-based practice and practice-oriented research. Students are matched to faculty advisors with similar research interests. The course of study is individualized to the student's interests. To be eligible for the DrPH program, a student must have a master's degree or 30 graduate-level credits in public health or a closely-related field.

Program Competencies

Upon completion of the program, the graduate should be able to:

1. Describe public health problems in terms of time, magnitude/severity, scope, dispersion/location, and co-occurrence/co-morbidity and identify the scientific underpinnings and determine the validity of evidence for interventions addressing public health problems;
2. Develop leadership capacity to apply knowledge of demographic, health, familial, socio-cultural, environmental and community factors to the design of public health programs and services;
3. Recognize different ethical considerations strengths, needs, values, and practices of diverse cultural, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups and determine how these factors affect health status, health behaviors, and program design
4. Apply systems thinking in the preparation and interpretation of data from vital statistics, censuses, surveys, service utilization, and other relevant reports on the health of populations, and detect meaningful inferences from data and the translation of data into information. Evaluate the integrity and comparability of data and identify existing gaps.
5. Develop the professionalism and management skills necessary to oversee the monitoring and evaluation of program and service networks for their effectiveness and quality, including use of performance measures.
6. Develop the professionalism and leadership capacity necessary to assess the feasibility and expected outcomes of and barriers to achieving policy options and decide on the appropriate course of action.
7. Promote ethical and cultural competence concepts within diverse settings.
8. Demonstrate leadership and professionalism of written and oral skills for communicating with different audiences in the context of professional public health activities.

Admissions Requirements

A complete SOPHAS application must be submitted for all students, including students that are returning after completing their master’s degree at Tulane.  Programs generally require completion of the requirements for a master's degree or 30 graduate-level credits in a field related to the doctoral area of study. Exceptions are made for outstanding students holding only baccalaureate degrees. The MPH, MSPH, or an equivalent degree is required to enter the DrPH program. Official transcripts of all baccalaureate and graduate coursework should be forwarded directly from each college or university to SOPHAS, the online application system that verifies the transcripts of Tulane applicants. For students with a master's degree, a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale for graduate coursework is preferred.  Scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) are required. Written recommendations are required from three individuals who are familiar with the applicant's academic and/or professional performance.  A written statement of career goals and objectives is required, and should not exceed 1500 words.  In addition, practical experience in public health is highly preferred.  All students will be interviewed by faculty members before acceptance to assess their interests and ensure that department faculty members have the expertise to mentor them in their chosen area of study.   

(For further details regarding admissions requirements to the school, see the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine “Policies and Procedures for Doctoral Programs” guide.)

Program Requirements

A minimum of 72 hours of didactic coursework beyond the baccalaureate degree is required, which will include: the public health core curriculum, advanced core content for Community Health Sciences (CHS), doctoral seminars, advanced public health core courses outside of CHS, courses on biostatistics and research methods, a group of related courses that provides a distinct substantive area of knowledge within Community Health Sciences, and special studies.  At least 30 credit hours beyond the master’s must be completed at Tulane University. In addition, students must fulfull the following requirements:

1. All doctoral students must register for and participate in the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Seminar series (1 credit/semester). A minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 4 credits must be applied to the degree. Students must register and attend for 2 semesters and are encouraged to attend every semester.
2. All doctoral students are required to complete at least one course in research methods and one course in statistical methods beyond the introductory Public Health Core Courses in biostatistics or epidemiology.
3. The MPH, MSPH, or an equivalent degree is required to enter the program. Note that applicants lacking one or more of the introductory Public Health Core Courses (or equivalent) will be required to successfully complete these courses. Credit for an introductory Public Health Core Course will be applied toward the 72 credits of didactic coursework required beyond the baccalaureate degree, but will not apply to the 30 credits of required post-masters coursework.
4. Students must take at least 9 credits in advanced Public Health Core Courses (beyond the introductory Public Health Core Courses) that are outside the doctoral student’s area of study.
5. A 300 hour advanced field experience (practicum) that allows students to develop competencies in advanced practice skills, under the direction of a qualified preceptor in the practice setting, is required. This practicum should focus on developing advanced leadership skills in public health disciplines.
6. Didactic coursework must be completed prior to taking the comprehensive examination, which is required.
7. A dissertation is required.

Note that applicants lacking one or more of the introductory Public Health Core Courses (or equivalent) will be required to successfully complete these courses. Credit for an introductory Public Health Core Course will be applied toward the 72 credits of didactic coursework required beyond the baccalaureate degree, but will not apply to the 30 credits of required post-masters coursework.

Course Requirements

SPHTM Core Requirements (18 credits):

 Advanced CHSC Core Requirements (12 credits):

Doctoral Seminars (6 credits):

 Advanced Public Health Core Courses, outside of Community Health Sciences (12 credits):

Students should determine how to fulfill the 12 advanced public health core course credits with the help of his/her advisor. At least one of these courses must be an advanced research methods course. The following are examples of relevant courses:

 Advanced Biostatistics (7 credits):

Students should determine how to fulfill the 7 advanced biostatistics courses with the help of his/her advisor. The following are examples of relevant courses:

 
Substantive Area of Knowledge Requirements (10 credits):

The student must complete 10 credits in his or her concentration (MCH, HEDC, or Nutrition) with the help of his or her advisor. The following are several examples.

MCH

HEDC

NUTR

CHSC 799 Special Studies (7 credits):

The student must have clearly defined and written learning objectives developed together by the student and course instructor. A written report of the work done in special studies must be on file in the department for review by the student's dissertation committee.

Schedule

See Example Schedule

Practicum

A 300-hour advanced field experience (practicum) that allows students to develop competencies in advanced practice skills, under the direction of a qualified preceptor in the practice setting, is required. This practicum should focus on developing advanced leadership skills in public health disciplines. The advisor works with each student to develop measurable learning objectives prior to their practicum experience. Self assessment and reflection as well as assessment of teams, peers and supervisors are important skills in future public health leaders.

Comprehensive Examinations

On completion of the coursework listed above students will be required to pass two-day comprehensive examinations covering the theoretical and evidence basis for public health interventions and research methods.

Dissertation

Students must complete a dissertation representing public health research that meets the school requirements for a DrPH dissertation.

For More Information:

Contact Zarie Riley, 504-988-6596, lhodges@tulane.edu.