Doctor of Philosophy

• OVERVIEW
• Specific Program Requirements
• Current Class Schedule
• Admission Requirements and Application

Overview

A Ph.D. in public health is offered in three concentration areas: epidemiology, global health, and health behavior. The Doctor of Philosophy degree will be awarded jointly by the Trustees of The California State University and the Regents of the University of California in the names of both institutions.

Concentration in Epidemiology

Download the PhD Epidemiology Student Manual (pdf, 1.2 MB).

A Ph.D. in public health with a concentration in epidemiology is offered by the joint faculties of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, GSPH, and the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine at UCSD. Emphasis is on producing graduates with a mastery of the central concepts and analytic processes of epidemiology for application to a multitude of disciplines.

Specializations are offered through both campuses, including infectious and chronic diseases, exercise science, medical geography, and behavioral epidemiology.

Graduates of this program are competitive for a variety of research, teaching, and community service positions in areas such as academic institutions, local and state health departments, federal and international agencies, and both privately and publicly sponsored research institutes.

Concentration in Health Behavior

Download the PhD Health Behavior Student Manual (pdf, 1.4 MB).

A Ph.D. in public health with a concentration in health behavior is offered by the joint faculties of the Division of Health Promotion, GSPH, and the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine at UCSD. Emphasis is on producing graduates with a mastery of the central concepts and analytic processes of health behavior.

Graduates of the program are expected to have the following advanced skills: behavior change theories and strategies for population application, qualitative and quantitative research methods, the application of interventions and research methods to health behavior in disenfranchised populations, and to understand and change health policy.

Graduates of the program are competitive for a variety of research, teaching, and community service positions in areas such as academic institutions, local and state health departments, federal and international agencies, and both privately and publicly sponsored research institutions.

Concentration in Global Health

Download the PhD Global Health Student Manual (pdf, 2.9 MB).

A Ph.D. in public health with a concentration in global health is offered by the joint faculties of the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State University, and the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

Global health relates to health issues and concerns that transcend national borders, class, race, ethnicity and culture, stresses the commonality of health issues and calls for a collective, partnership-based action to resolve these issues. Accordingly, emphasis is on preparing graduates with the fundamental knowledge, understanding, and specific skills necessary to become public health researchers and professional leaders in global health settings. Proximity to the U.S./Mexico border and expertise of many current faculty support and encourage a focus on infectious diseases (e.g., HIV, TB, STDs) and health of migrant populations, although students are expected to develop other areas of specialization within the Global Health concentration. These may be content areas, such as chronic/infectious disease surveillance and prevention, environmental health, health policy, and substance abuse or methodological areas such as quantitative, qualitative and spatial research methodologies that are applied to address health problems of global health significance.

In addition to didactic classes, students will be expected to meet specific cultural competencies relative to the overall field of global public health and to their dissertation area, and complete an international field practicum. Graduates of the program are competitive for a variety of research, teaching and service positions in academic institutions, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and businesses with global health interests within and outside of the U.S.