Dr.P.H. Degree
The Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) degree is a professional degree conferred in recognition of a candidate's command of a comprehensive body of knowledge in the field of public health and related disciplines, and of the candidate's proven ability to initiate, organize, and pursue the investigation of significant problems in public health practice.
Those who earn this degree are expected to occupy leadership positions that have major influence on the policies, programs and institutions of public health through the analysis, development and implementation of public health programs. Such positions may be in diverse settings at the international, national, state or local levels; and in the public or private sector.
The focus of this degree is the development of knowledge and skills in the areas of professional leadership, administration and the application of existing, state-of-the-art knowledge and approaches to public health problems. In addition, students who earn the Dr.P.H. degree may seek teaching and research positions at colleges and universities. Students seeking to pursue careers in research more typically pursue the Ph.D. degree.
The major academic components of the Dr.P.H. Program are as follows:
- Acquiring broad knowledge of public health practice, research, and theory, including an understanding of the essential relationships between public health and societal agencies whose actions affect the health of people.
- Analyzing issues and problems in public health using critical evaluation, applied research methodology and statistical methods.
- Understanding of public health policies and practices through the study of how programs are implemented in institutions and society, as well as organizational theory and practice, financial management, health policy strategies, information systems, and ethics.
- Developing a vision and philosophy for professional leadership in public health.
The major programmatic components of the Dr.P.H. Program are as follows:
- Participating in a research residency or professional residency in a public health setting where a student has the opportunity to advance their knowledge and skills, identify data for their dissertation research, conduct analyses, and participate in decision-making.
- Preparing for and completing the Qualifying Examination to demonstrate the student's knowledge, integration, and application of theoretical material and practical skills in preparation for the dissertation.
- Writing a dissertation that is designed to focus on the analysis and solution of a problem in public health practice.
- Submitting a Human Subjects Protocol to explain the use of human subjects in the research, which must be filed and approved by the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects on the Berkeley Campus.
Dr.P.H. Timetable for Completing the Degree
The Dr.P.H. program is a full-time program of study designed to be completed in three or four years for those applicants with an M.P.H. from an accredited institution. Any students with deficiencies in course work equivalent in content to the M.P.H. at UC Berkeley must take prerequisite courses early in the program.
The first academic year (first semester):
- Course work in required and elective courses
- Identify second faculty mentor, if desired, in addition to faculty adviser
- Second semester review (2-3 faculty, including faculty adviser)
- Research residency or professional residency requirement in an appropriate public health setting
- Course work in required and elective courses
- In conjunction with faculty mentor, identify potential members for the qualifying examination committee
- Begin process of meeting with potential members of qualifying examination committee to determine committee composition
- Completion of course work
- Student prepares for, schedules, and takes the Dr.P.H. Qualifying Examination
- Submission of Human Subjects Protocol
- File for advancement to candidacy
- Finalize selection of faculty members for dissertation committee
- Research residency or professional residency requirement in an appropriate public health setting
- Collect dissertation data following approval of Human Subjects Protocol
- Continue the research and writing necessary for the completion of the dissertation
- Timely submission of draft chapters of dissertation to members of dissertation committee
- Revise and submit dissertation (in accordance with guidelines issued by the Graduate Division)
Faculty Mentor/Adviser
Each student is assigned a faculty mentor upon admission. However, the student may seek or identify another faculty member as a mentor as the program progresses or his/her research interests develop or change. The role of the faculty mentor is to assist the student in developing a program of study that best meets the minimum requirements for the degree and that assures sufficient flexibility to satisfy individual goals. The faculty mentor is responsible for reviewing and discussing the requirements of the Graduate Division and the School of Public Health with the student to ensure that the student is fully informed of the requirements necessary for completing the Dr.P.H. degree. The head graduate adviser at the School is the associate dean for student affairs.
Students may also choose to identify a second faculty mentor sometime during the first or second years. This might be a faculty member who will also work closely with the student on academic as well as professional issues, sometimes in conjunction with the primary faculty mentor.
In addition to programmatic advising, faculty mentors provide mentoring for Dr.P.H. students. Mentoring is a relationship built upon open communication between the student and the faculty mentor who is responsible for the overall guidance and professional development of the student. It is often through this relationship that students acquire the doctoral-level training in sophisticated analytical thinking, identification of significant questions in the field, understanding the experimental and disciplinary concepts and the design of approaches to productively address problems in public health. In many cases, the faculty mentor will also be the student's dissertation committee chair and thus will play an active role in proposing appropriate professional and/or research residency opportunities and monitoring the student's progress.
Professional Mentor
In consultation with the faculty adviser, additional professional mentorship opportunities may be fostered with a network of professionals who are Dr.P.H. alumni and professionals in the community.