STUDENT HANDBOOK

PhD PROGRAM: FORMAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The Department is committed to providing every opportunity for its students to successfully complete the academic program of their choice. To support students in progressing toward the degree and to further their educational experience, the Department offers a comprehensive written examination at the end of the first year. The University requires students to successfully complete a preliminary oral examination, typically taken at the beginning of the third year where a thesis proposal is presented and discussed, and an oral thesis defense, where the completed thesis is defended in a public forum.  In addition, the Bloomberg School of Public Health requires:

• a minimum of four consecutive terms as a full-time student (16 credits per term);
• satisfactory completion of 18 credits units of formal non-Biostatistics coursework, not less than 9 of which must be satisfactorily completed in the Bloomberg School of Public Health;
• satisfactory completion of the course 550.860 (Academic & Research Ethics at JHSPH), usually taken during the first year;
• satisfactory completion of the following online, extradepartmental courses, usually taken during the first year:
1. 552.601.81 Foundational Principles of Public Health
2. 552.603.81 The Role of Qualitative Methods and Science in Describing and Assessing a Population's Health
3. 552.607.81 Essentials of Environmental Health
4. 552.609.81 Psychological and Behavioral Factors That Affect a Population's Health
5. 552.612.81 Essentials of One Health
6. 552.608.81 Biologic, Genetic and Infectious Bases of Human Disease
7. 552.610.81 The Social Determinants of Health
8. 552.611.81 Globalization and Health: A Framework for Analysis
• satisfactory completion of a course on the responsible conduct of research (ie, 550.600 Responsible Conduct of Research, or 306.665 Research Ethics and Integrity), usually taken during the second year (this course must be taken BEFORE the student's preliminary schoolwide oral examination);
• a time limit of seven years from the date of initial matriculation for completion of all degree requirements.

Click here for more detailed information about curriculum requirements.

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