The Ph.D. program prepares graduates for leadership and skills in research, teaching, and professional service. The Ph.D. prepares graduates to assume leadership roles that emphasize research and teaching activities; these positions are often located in academic or other research settings. The degree requires 48 hours of post-masters course work (60 hours of post-baccalaureate course work), including 12 hours of dissertation preparation. Students may request transfer of a limited number of graduate courses not part of a completed degree program into the doctoral program of study. All doctoral students’ programs of study must meet the university and departmental requirements and are subject to approval by the student’s program advisory committee and the department’s Graduate Director. In addition, the following are required: a written qualifying examination, a written and oral comprehensive examination, and an oral defense of the dissertation. Experience as a member of a research team is also part of the program requirements.

Learning Outcomes

1. Students will be able to assess individual, organizational, community, and socio-cultural influences on health and health behavior.
2. Students will be able to develop, implement and evaluate interventions at multiple levels to promote health.
3. Students will be able to design and conduct rigorous and innovative social and behavioral science research relevant to public health.
4. Student will be able to exhibit professional skills including scientific writing, oral communication, grant-writing, teaching, scientific service, and collaboration.

Admission

 Admissions requirements follow those of The Graduate School and include the following:

• a completed application.
• official transcripts from all post-secondary schools and colleges previously attended, including non-degree courses taken.
• evidence of academic performance at a B or better level on academic transcripts.
• three letters of recommendation from academic and/or professional sources.
• a letter of intent which describes research interests and professional goals.
• satisfactory score on the TOEFL or the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam for applicants whose native language is not English. The minimum acceptable score on the TOEFL is 80 (Internet-based) or 570 (paper-based). The minimum acceptable overall band score on the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam is 6.5.
• current resume or curriculum vitae.
• Doctoral applicants should be supported by at least two HPEB faculty members willing to serve as mentors in order to be admitted into the program.

Admissions process information and links can be found at the Arnold School of Public Health webpage.

Applications for the Ph.D. program in HPEB are made through the Schools of Public Health Application System (SOPHAS). Please go to http://www.sophas.org for further details.

Only single program applications are accepted, so you may only apply to one program at a time (unless you are applying to a certificate program). Once received, your application and credentials are sent for review by the HPEB faculty. After reviewing your credentials, the department makes a recommendation to The Graduate School which officially grants admission. We will inform you of the department’s recommendation regarding admission, but official notice of admission comes from the USC Graduate School.

You are encouraged to review carefully the information provided on the above websites before beginning the application process. If you have further questions, you may contact:

Ken Watkins
HPEB Graduate Director
phone: 803-777-7096
e-mail: watkinsk@mailbox.sc.edu

Casey Goldston Giraudy
HPEB Academic Programs Coordinator
phone: 803-777-2966
e-mail: Goldston@sc.edu

Office of Student and Alumni Services
phone: 803-777-5031 
e-mail: sphstsrv@mailbox.sc.edu

Degree Requirements (60 Post-Baccalaureate Hours)

Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior Core (12 Hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
HPEB 771	Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Population Health	3
HPEB 824	Social and Physical Environment Interventions in Health Promotion	3
HPEB 818	Advanced Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs	3
HPEB 704	Health Education Research Seminar (three one-hour seminars)	3
Total Credit Hours		12

Research Methods (12 Hours Minimum)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Select at least one course from each of the following areas:		12
Qualitative Methods
HPEB 715	Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health
Quantitative Methods 1
Measurement
HPEB 810	Applied Measurement in Health Education Research
Additional Classes
Total Credit Hours		12

¹

e.g. BIOS 757, EDRM 711 or equivalent.

Cognate (6 Hours minimum)

• Classes reflecting defined content or topical areas.

Public Health (6 Hours)

Note: These requirements are met if student has previous MPH or similar graduate-level core PH coursework, in which case, six hours may be taken in research methods or cognate areas.

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
PUBH 700	Perspectives in Public Health	3
EPID 700	Introduction to Epidemiology	3
or EPID 701	Concepts and Methods of Epidemiology
Total Credit Hours		6

Dissertation (12 Hours or More)

Select 12 hours or more