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: 48 credits, including 10 credits in required program core courses, 15 credits in required foundational courses, 12 credits minimum in courses relevant to specialization area, and 9 to 11 credits in dissertation research.

Required
Core PhD program courses
PUBH 8001Doctor of Philosophy Seminar on Cross-Cutting Concepts in Public Health
PUBH 8416Study Design and Evaluation Methods
or PUBH 6247 Epidemiologic Methods I: Design of Health Studies
or PUBH 6495 Field Trial Methods and Application
PUBH 8418Applied Statistical Analysis
or PUBH 6862 Applied Linear Regression Analysis for Public Health Research
PUBH 8435PhD Dissertation Proposal Development
PUBH 8475Research Ethics and Integrity in Domestic and International Research
PUBH 6080Pathways to Public Health
Foundational courses
EXNS 6202Advanced Exercise Physiology I
PUBH 6619Fundamentals of Nutrition Science
PUBH 6611Nutrition Assessment
EXNS 6810Advanced Metabolism
EXNS 8108Laboratory Techniques in Human Physiology
EXNS 8110Seminar in Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition ((2 credits))
Electives
At least 12 credits in graduate-level SPH courses relevant to a specialization area.
Dissertation research
EXNS 8999Dissertation Research (taken for 9 to 11 credits)

SPH PhD Graduation Requirements

  1. Credits: Successful completion of at least 48 credits (at least 72 credits for PhD in health data science students).
  2. Curriculum: Successful completion of required courses.
  3. 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.
  4. Proposal Defense: 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.
  5. 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. 
  6. Grade-point average: A minimum program grade-point average of B (3.0).
  7. Time limit: The degree must be completed within seven years.
  8. 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.
  9. Integrity quiz and plagiarism requirement: All students are required to review the George Washington University Code of Academic Integrity and take the SPH Academic Integrity Quiz within their first semester of study.

10. Professional enhancement requirement: Students must participate in eight hours of public health-related lectures, seminars, and symposia, related to their field of study.

Graduate Teaching Assistantship Program (GTAP) is required of all students before they act as graduate teaching assistants. Students should review their PhD program guides and speak with their advisor to see if the GTAP is required for their program.

Additional information regarding School of Public Health doctoral programs is available on the SPH website.