Visit the Milken Institute School of Public Health website for additional information about academic programs and information about GWSPH. Graduate admissions information, including application requirements and deadlines, can be found on the GWSPH Graduate Admissions website.
The following requirements must be fulfilled: 72 credits, including 11 credits in core courses, 18 credits in required concentration courses, at least 18 credits in elective courses, 1 credit in research leadership, and 12 to 24 credits in dissertation research. Additional requirements include, but are not limited to, completion of a graduate teaching assistantship program certificate.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| Core courses | ||
| PUBH 6080 | Pathways to Public Health | |
| PUBH 6850 | Introduction to SAS for Public Health Research | |
| PUBH 6851 | Introduction to R for Public Health Research | |
| PUBH 6852 | Introduction to Python for Public Health Research | |
| PUBH 6860 | Principles of Bioinformatics | |
| PUBH 6886 | Statistical and Machine Learning for Public Health Research | |
| PUBH 8001 | Doctor of Philosophy Seminar on Cross-Cutting Concepts in Public Health | |
| PUBH 8475 | Research Ethics and Integrity in Domestic and International Research * | |
| or PUBH 8099 | Doctoral Topics | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Research Leadership | ||
| PUBH 8413 | Research Leadership | |
| Concentration-specific courses | ||
| 15 credits in bioinformatics courses | ||
| PUBH 6854 | Applied Computing in Health Data Science | |
| PUBH 6859 | High Performance and Cloud Computing | |
| PUBH 6861 | Public Health Genomics | |
| PUBH 6868 | Quantitative Methods | |
| PUBH 6884 | Bioinformatics Algorithms and Data Structures | |
| PUBH 8885 | Computational Biology | |
| Electives | ||
| A minimum of 18 credits in elective courses, which must include at least 3 credits in biostatistics courses and at least 3 credits in cognate area courses. | ||
| Dissertation research | ||
| PUBH 8999 | Dissertation Research (taken for 12 to 24 credits) | |
| Additional requirements | ||
| Additional program requirements include, but are not limited to, completion of the University's Graduate Teaching Assistantship Program (GTAP) certificate, which includes enrollment in UNIV 0250. * | ||
*Visit the GTAP website for additional information.
Comprehensive examination
After completion of the course requirements, students take a comprehensive examination based on core courses. Upon successful completion of the examination, students officially enter the doctoral candidacy phase of the program.
Dissertation
Doctoral candidates prepare a written dissertation research proposal with guidance from their dissertation advisor and committee. Each doctoral candidate gives an oral presentation and defense to the committee who determines the student's readiness to commence the dissertation.
Doctoral candidates are required to conduct original research on a contemporary problem or issue. The dissertation includes at least one written manuscript and an oral presentation and defense.
Additional requirements for degree completion:
- Collaborative IRB Training Initiative (CITI) training requirement: All students must complete training regarding human subject protection regulation and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). To fulfill this requirement, students must complete the CITI course in The Protection of Human Research Subjects.
- Integrity quiz and plagiarism requirement: Students must review the George Washington University Code of Academic Integrity, take the quiz within their first semester of study, and ensure documentation is submitted to the SPH Office of Student Records.
- Professional enhancement requirement: Students must attend/participate in eight hours of epidemiology conferences. To be cleared for graduation, students must submit required documentation of applicable professional enhancement activities to the SPH Office of Student Records.
- Completion of a graduate teaching assistantship program certificate. See the GTAP website for additional information.
- Grade-point average: A minimum program grade-point average of 3.0.
- Time limit: The degree must be completed within seven years of matriculation.
Additional information regarding School of Public Health doctoral programs is available on the SPH website.