Doctoral Public Health

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Doctoral Programs and Requirements

Degree
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)
Public Health (DrPH) w/a Concentration in Health Management & Policy
Public Health (DrPH) w/a Concentration in Population Health Analytics & Decision-Making

The Department of Public Health offers a doctor of public health degree (DrPH). This 45-hour online degree is an interdisciplinary program drawing from all departments within the School of Public Health. Students will also choose one of two concentrations: health management and policy or population health analytics and decision-making.

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

The doctor of public health (DrPH) is a practice degree. The primary career orientation of graduates is to provide leaders for the public health sector. While some graduates at some point in their career will enter academia, this is not the central goal of the program. The Samford DrPH degree is an interdisciplinary program drawing from strengths within each department in the School of Public Health. Students in the program receive an advanced education in the scholarship of knowledge translation, the development of a broad understanding of all aspects of public health, through integration of multiple disciplines, and the ability to rigorously apply scientific findings to address complex problems of public health policy and practice. The curriculum is designed to provide mastery of high-level competencies in management, innovation, and analytics. Students will complete a core as well as coursework in one of the concentrations (health management and policy or population health analytics and decision making). All coursework is offered online.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have an M.P.H., M.H.A. (or M.H.C.A.), M.S.P.H., M.S.W., or other relevant master’s degree from an accredited institution, with a minimum GPA of 3.00. Applicants must submit transcripts for all college-level coursework.
Three letters of recommendation.
Personal statement.
Writing sample.
Student must be able attend to DrPH Institutes on campus

Transfer Credit

A maximum of 12 hours may apply towards this program, pending approval of the program director.

Time Limit

All courses required for the doctor of public health must be completed within a period of five years from the academic session of first admission.

Time-to-Degree Completion Plan

The program is designed to be completed in five terms, or approximately one-and-a-half to two years.

Progression Policies

Upon the recommendation of the faculty, students in good standing with the university, who have completed all requirements of the curriculum, are granted the DrPH degree.
Students may not receive any grades lower than B for the DrPH courses and must maintain a 3.00 GPA at all times. Courses with grades lower than B may be re-taken one time. When a course is re-taken, both grades remain on the transcript and both are used in calculating the student’s GPA.
Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and may not re-take more than two courses during their doctor of public health studies. Students whose GPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on academic probation and will not be able to take more than three courses. Students who remain on academic probation for more than two semesters and students who receive a grade lower than B in more than two courses will be terminated from the doctor of public health program.\

Programs

Doctoral

Courses

Public Health - Doctoral

NOTE: See the Graduate Public Health section or the DrPH program tables for links to additional courses required for the doctor of public health.