Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Epidemiology and Biostatistics with concentration in Epidemiology
About the Program
With its emphases on translational research and emerging public health issues, the PhD program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics with a concentration in Epidemiology offers a cutting-edge, advanced training to prepare individuals for academic and research careers. It is designed to be completed in three years for students with a master's degree in Epidemiology or a related field. Requirements include the equivalent of two years of full-time coursework, written and oral comprehensive examinations, and the completion an oral defense of an independent, original dissertation in the concentration area. There are competitive graduate assistantships available with full tuition waiver and annual stipend.
PhD degree can be earned in-person either full-time or part-time.
What will you learn?
In addition to gaining in-depth epidemiological methods and advanced biostatistical approaches, students in this concentration work closely with faculty mentors on epidemiology studies in areas including cardiovascular disease risk factors, environmental health and health disparities, allergic diseases and underlying genetic/epigenetic mechanisms, sickle cell disease, smoking, cancer, and childhood obesity.
Graduates of the program are prepared to conduct innovative, interdisciplinary, and translational epidemiology and environmental health research in community and scientific settings using advanced biostatistical methods to strengthen epidemiology and environmental health studies.
Where to after graduation?
The concentration is designed to prepare students to teach and conduct innovative and high impact epidemiology and environmental health research in areas such as disease risk factors, health disparities and environmental influences on population鈥檚 health utilizing advanced biostatistical methods with deep understanding of cultural nuances and ethnic diversity. Graduates from this concentration have job placement in academic units, government, and research institutes.
Is this degree right for you?
The PhD degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics is the highest academic degree for individuals planning to pursue scholarly careers under the discipline of epidemiology and biostatistics.
Connect with our Admissions Team
Briana McNeil, MEd
Coordinator, Recruitment and Admissions
sphadmissions@memphis.edu
901.678.3740
Shirl Sharpe, MS
Academic Services Coordinator II
ssharpe@memphis.edu
901.678.1710
Xinhua Yu, PhD, MD
EBE Program Coordinator (Epidemiology)
xyu2@memphis.edu
Admission Information
Requirements:
- Completed SOPHAS application
- A Master鈥檚 degree of related fields is required for admission with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
- Curriculum Vitae/Resume
- Statement of Purpose (750-1,000 words)
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- Credentials evaluation for foreign transcripts visit Graduate Admissions
- International students must provide evidence of English language proficiency
Deadlines
Priority Deadline - February 1
Curriculum
The Epidemiology and Biostatistics doctoral program is a 54-semester hour degree program. The Epidemiology concentration includes 48 hours of graduate coursework beyond the master鈥檚 degree, and 6 hours of PUBH 9000 for dissertation. In particular, students are required to take 9 credit hours of Epidemiology research methods core courses, 15 credit hours of biostatistics core courses, 9 credit hours of doctoral seminar core, 15 credit hours of elective courses, and 6 credit hours of dissertation.
Epidemiology Research Methods Core
鈥� PUBH 8141 Epidemiologic Survey Methods
鈥� PUBH 8172 Epidemiology in Public Health II
鈥� PUBH 8174 Epidemiology in Public Health III
Biostatistics Core
鈥� PUBH 8152 Biostatistical Methods II
鈥� PUBH 8310 Mixed Model Regression Analysis
鈥� PUBH 8311 Applied Categorical Data Analysis
鈥� PUBH 8208 Applied Survival Analysis
鈥� PUBH 7302 SAS in Public Health
Doctoral Seminar Core
鈥� PUBH 8201 Doctoral Seminar: Professional Development
鈥� PUBH 8192 Intro to Human Disease
鈥� PUBH 8720 Grant Writing in Health Sciences
Other Requirements
鈥� 15 hours of electives
鈥� PUBH 9000 Dissertation (6 credits)
Competencies
- Analyze and critically apply professional and ethical standards of public health.
- Critically evaluate epidemiologic study designs, appreciating the potential roles of bias, confounding, and random error.
- Design a valid epidemiologic study that addresses an important public health problem.
- Conduct data analysis using statistical methods appropriate for study design.
- Develop expertise in an area of independent research and complete a rigorous dissertation.