Curriculum

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

The curriculum is designed to be interdisciplinary including core courses completed by all students, regardless of their chosen emphasis. Students apply directly into one of three emphases: Biostatistics, Clinical and Translational Epidemiology, or Health Systems Research.

    Requirements

    Students who hold a relevant master’s degree take a minimum of 62 credits to earn a PhD in Population Health Sciences. Students who do not have a previous master’s degree take a minimum of 80 credits to earn a PhD in Population Health Sciences.

    Students will also be required to complete the following requirements during the course of the program:

    • Program of Study
    • Supervisory Committee
    • Qualifying Examination
    • Dissertation Proposal
    • Dissertation

    Milestones should be complete based on the PHS Education Program Timeline. Once a Supervisory Committee is formed, student's can track their progress via the Graduate Student Summary (Graduate School record).

    Program of Study

    The interdisciplinary curriculum beings with core courses completed by all students in their first two years. Integrated with the core curriculum, students will take the required coursework of their chosen emphasis as well as electives. 

    All coursework must be completed at a cumulative 3.0 GPA (B grade average). All courses must be passed with a B- or better. A grade below C- is not accepted by the University toward a graduate degree.

    The number of elective credits required varies by emphasis, however all electives must be approved by a student's primary faculty mentor or the Director of Graduate Studies if a student has not yet selected a primary mentor. All electives must be a 6000 or 7000 level course (graduate level) to receive credit towards fulfilling the PhD degree requirements.

    Check List:

    • Review the Student Handbook: Detailed information about this milestone's policies and procedures are outlined in the document. 
    • Students need to make all changes to their course schedule before the tuition deadline for the given semester. Deadlines can be found on the University of Utah Academic Calendar.
    • All graduate students must be registered for at least one course (or dissertation credit hours) from the time of formal admission through completion of all requirements for the degree they are seeking, unless granted an official leave of absence. The Graduate School's Continuous Registration requirement excludes the Summer semester.
      • Students only need to be registered during the Summer semester if they are completing a degree milestone (exam, dissertation proposal, or defense).
    • At least one year of the doctoral program must be spent in full-time academic work at the University of Utah, defined as two consecutive semesters of registration for at least nine hours. This Study Requirement is set by the University of Utah. 

    • As an alternative to traditional coursework, students can establish an Independent Study. Independent Studies are learning experiences arranged between a student and supervising faculty member to receive credit. Students interested in establishing an independent study must, with help from the supervising faculty member, submit an Independent Study Proposal Form to the Director of Graduate Studies for approval. The proposal includes:

      1. The faculty member who will be supervising the project
      2. The learning objective(s) for the independent study
      3. What deliverables will the student produce to demonstrate their mastery of the learning objective(s).
      4. The number of hours a week the student will dedicate to independent study.

      Independent Study Proposals must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies one month before the start of the semester that the independent study will take place in.

      An independent study is notably different from the credit assigned for dissertation hours. Students completing an independent study register for credit hours under PHS 7840 - Independent Study, with the faculty member supervising the project listed as the course instructor. In contrast, dissertation hours are registered under PHS 7970 – Dissertation, and the purpose of this course is for students to complete all requirements pertaining to their doctoral dissertation. The purpose of an independent study is to contribute to a student’s didactic coursework. Papers produced during an independent study cannot be used towards a student’s overall dissertation requirement of 3 manuscript papers. Students are only allowed to register for an independent study up to 3 times for a total of 12 credit hours.

      Student are no able to receive Independent Study credit if acting as a Grading Assistant (refer to Student Handbook for more information). Students may be eligible to receive Independent Study credit towards Teaching Assistantship (TA) efforts. Students are not allowed to be simultaneously registered for the class and act as the course TA. To be eligible for a TA position, students must first successfully pass the class. To earn independent study credit as a TA, students must prepare and deliver some of the course content. TAs are not IT support.

      • Accordingly to University of Utah Policy 6-100: Instruction and Evaluation (III. Policy B), a University credit hour shall represent approximately three clock hours of the student's time a week for one semester.

        Each semester is approximately fifteen weeks, and it is expected that one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction will have a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week. To determine credit hours assigned for an independent study, student can use the following equation:

        X hour instruction per week x 15 weeks + 3 hour of out-of-class student work per week x 15 weeks = minimum student work for X credit unit per semester
        Example for 1 credit hour:
        1 hour instruction per week x 15 weeks = 15 hours of instruction  + 3 hours of out-of-class student work per week x 15 weeks = 45 hours of additional student work for that course = minimum student work for 1 credit unit per semester = 60 hours

        The PHS Academic Program Manager will assist students in determining the correct credit hours assigned to an independent study based on how many hours a student plans to commit per week.

    • The Applied Population Health Sciences Experience practicum is required for students in the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology emphasis. This practicum is designed to give students the opportunity to gain experience in a health care setting relevant to their research. This course consists of two sections:

      1. Shadowing
      2. In-class presentations and discussion.

      To fulfill the Shadowing component students must independently arrange to shadow a health care professional and shadow them 12 times over the course of a year. Students cannot formally register for PHS 7130 until they have completed at least 9 sessions by the first day of class. Students must track their days shadowing using the PHS Applied Experience Tracking Sheet. The tracking sheet must be turned at the end of the shadowing period.

      During the “in class” portion of this practicum students will meet together to present and discuss their experiences. Students presentations will take place during the HSIR Seminar Series and other PHS faculty, staff and students will be invited to attend. Presentations can include, but are not limited to: presentation of a case, application of the knowledge gained, or how their research has been informed by the experience.

      Students must complete the Applied PHS Experience Health Care Professional - Student Agreement and return it to the PHS Academic Program Manager. At the end of the experience, students must also complete and return the Clinical Rotation Tracking Sheet.

    Supervisory Committee

    Each student is expected to select a Supervisory Committee (hereafter referred to as “the Committee”) by the end of the Spring semester year two. This Committee is responsible for approving the student’s academic program, preparing and evaluating the qualifying examinations (subject to departmental policy), approving the thesis or dissertation subject, reading and approving the final dissertation, and administering and judging the final oral examination (dissertation defense).

    Check List:

    Qualifying Exam

    The purpose of the qualifying exam is to test the overall competencies in the emphasis that the student has chosen and to evaluate whether the student has in-depth knowledge related to the dissertation work that they are or will be proposing. The qualification exam should be completed by the early Spring semester year three. 

    Check List

    Registration Requirements

    Students must be registered for credit hours at the time of their oral exam. During the semester a student is registered for credit hours, students have up until the last day of the Final Exam period to complete their qualifying oral exam. Students on the Tuition Benefit Program (TBP) should be mindful of TBP restrictions if planning to complete the qualification exam over the Summer semester. Students should check with the PHS Academic Program Manager before scheduling their oral exam.

    Dissertation Proposal

    The dissertation proposal exam should be completed by the end of the Spring semester year three. PhD students work with their faculty mentor and approved Committee to write their dissertation proposal. At the point of the dissertation proposal, student must declare which dissertation style they will complete (traditional book style or submitted manuscripts). The dissertation proposal must reflect the final dissertation format. Should students choose the traditional book style dissertation, additional conversations are needed between the student, Committee Chair, and Director of Graduate Studies.

    Check List

    Registration Requirement:

    Students must be registered for credit hours at the time of their proposal defense. During the semester a student is registered for credit hours, students have up until the last day of the Final Exam period to complete their dissertation proposal. Students on the Tuition Benefit Program (TBP) should be mindful of TBP restrictions if planning to complete the qualification exam over the Summer semester. Students should check with the PHS Academic Program Manager before scheduling their proposal defense.

    • The dissertation proposal is a rigorous exam that each student must complete before beginning work on their dissertation. Dissertation proposals are approximately 30min long and include: a summary of the literature that forms the scientific premise and evaluates the rigor of prior research, student’s hypothesis or research questions, a detailed explanation of the methods, data sources and statistical analysis the student intends to use.

      All students must complete each component on this checklist before they present their dissertation proposal.

      • Student has formed a Committee that meets the PHS and Graduate School requirements.
      • Student has successfully passed their qualifying exam.
      • Student has obtained or is working towards the appropriate IRB approval or exemption.
      • Student has alerted the PHS Education Team of their intent to propose at the beginning of the semester in which they will defend.
      • Student has alerted their Committee of their intent to propose their dissertation.
      • Student has provided their Committee a written draft of the proposal. See guidelines for the proposal in the Student Handbook.
      • Student has met with Committee to discuss their proposal. This is an iterative process. Student cannot schedule their proposal defense until all members of the Committee are comfortable with the student moving forward.
      • Student has meet with their Committee Chair to discuss additional presentation attendees. Other students, faculty and relevant staff may be invited. We recommend at least one other student be present to take notes.
      • Student uses School of Medicine approved slide template for presentation.
      • Student has coordinated with their Committee to arrange a 90 min block of time to present that all Committee members can attend.
      • Student has worked with administrative staff to reserve a presentation room if needed.
      • At the point of the dissertation proposal, student must declare which dissertation style they will complete (traditional book style or submitted manuscripts). The dissertation proposal must reflect the final dissertation format. Should students choose the traditional book style dissertation, additional conversations are needed between the student, Committee Chair, and Director of Graduate Studies.
    Dissertation

    Students have two options when completing their dissertation:

    1. Manuscripts for Publication
    2. Traditional Book Style

    Check List

    Registration Requirement:

    Students must be registered for credit hours at the time of their dissertation defense. During the semester a student is registered for credit hours, students have up until the last day of the Final Exam period to complete their dissertation defense. Students should check with the PHS Academic Program Manager before scheduling their dissertation defense.

    • Before compiling a complete dissertation and before the oral defense, students are strongly encouraged to submit a chapter to the Thesis Office for preliminary review.

      • The preliminary review checks for formatting error. The chapter should include graphs, tables, and images, since this is the content that often presents the greatest formatting issues.
      • The Thesis Office will conduct preliminary review before their dissertation defense. The preliminary review must also be submitted before the target date set by the Thesis Office. 
      • Students should become familiar with the Thesis Office submission procedure. The procedure outlines the process that students should allow before and after the dissertation defense.
      • All graduate students have access to Grammarly Premium, which is meant to assist students’ writing throughout their graduate research careers. Please use Grammarly on your dissertation prior to submitting it to the Thesis Office for review. If you have not activated your Grammarly account, please send an email (from your umail) to: info@gradschool.utah.edu
      • Student also have the option of hiring an independent thesis editor. A list is maintained through the Writing Center.
    • Scheduling

      It is the student's responsibility to coordinate and confirm a date when all FIVE (5) of your Committee members are available. Committee members can join either in-person or over Zoom.

      • The defense will take 90-minutes, but students should schedule for a 2-hour time block when considering the Committee's availability. To encourage attendance, the defense must be scheduled between regular business hours (8am - 5pm).
      • It is a Graduate School requirement that the defense date be publicized at least 2 weeks in advanced. The oral presentation is open to the public.
        • One month before the defense date, contact the Academic Program Manager to coordinate:
          • Scheduling a room for the defense
          • Creating a defense advertisement flier
          • Student should create their own Zoom link to share with the flier. When creating the Zoom link, it is highly recommended that you ensure to enable "Mute" for all participants when they join a meeting (click here to learn how).
      Come Prepared

      Students should come prepared to use the AV equipment in the classroom. Most classrooms require:

      • USB port – required to use the Meeting Owl (a camera, mic, and speaker best for Zoom meetings)
      • HDMI port – required to use for the classroom AV equipment

      If an adaptor is required, students should ensure to get one ahead of time.

      Students should ensure that Zoom is downloaded on their personal computer and ready to launch. You can find instructions for how to hid Zoom's floating Meeting Controls here. The Academic Program Manager should be given access as a co-host during the Zoom meeting. This will allow the Academic Program Manager the ability to monitor the Zoom during the defense and admit participants. 

      Dissertation Defense Agenda

      The defense will take approximately 90-minutes.

      • Presentation: 45-minues is reserved for the presentation.
      • Questions: 30-minutes is reserved for questions. To not interrupt the student’s presentation, all questions should be saved until the end. This includes questions from the Committee. 
        • Questions are first opened to all in attendance.
        • Following the audience questions, the Committee will excuse the audience and conduct a closed-door question session with the student.
      • Deliberation: 15-minutes is reserved for deliberation.
        • The Committee excuses the student and determine if the student has: Pass, Fail, Revise and Resubmit.
        • Once a decision is reached, the Committee will call the student back in to announce the outcome of the defense.

    • Dissertation manuscripts are submitted online through a system called OnBase. OnBase is used for both manuscript submissions and digital approval signatures. Students should review the manuscript submission process. Once a manuscript is submitted, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that signatures come in from their Committee members and Department Chair. Manuscripts remain in a holding queue until the Department Chair and the majority of the Committee members have signed the electronic forms.

      Thesis Release Issues
      • All processing of the manuscript must be completed by the last day of the semester for graduation in the semester.
      • If a thesis release cannot be issued by the closing date of the semester, the student will need to reapply for graduation for the next semester.
      • The diploma is dated at the end of the graduation semester but the student may obtain an earlier Statement of Degree Completion from the Office of the Registrar.
      • Diplomas are mailed to students by the Office of the Registrar approximately 3 months after the closing date of the semester of graduation.
    Graduation

    The semester of graduation depends on when a student complete their dissertation defense. Students must meet all of the University of Utah requirements as well as the department requirements for graduation. 

    Check List

    • Each college and school at the University of Utah recognizes the achievements of its graduating students in a smaller, more intimate setting at an individual Commencement Ceremony ceremony. The College Convocation and the University of Utah Commencement Ceremony are scheduled once a year in May. Participating in the ceremony does not indicate that a degree is being awarded.

      Convocation eligibility for the year requires that student complete the following:

      1. Apply for Graduation. Graduation application deadlines are set by the University of Utah Office of the Registrar.
      2. Students must be approved to schedule their dissertation defense by March 1.
      3. Students must have successfully defended their dissertation by May 15.

      Students who do not meet these requirements by the deadlines will have the opportunity to participate in the Convocation ceremony for the following academic year.

    • Statement of Degree Completion may be used in place of the diploma, when students are waiting to receive their posted degree. Degrees cannot be awarded until the end of your graduating term even if you finish all requirements before then. If an employer or school needs proof that you have completed the degree requirements, request a Statement of Degree Completion.

      The process for final evaluation takes approximately 4-6 weeks to complete after the end of each term (or when grades are due), but degrees are awarded daily and diplomas are mailed weekly during this time. Once your degree has been awarded, you will be sent a notification through your Umail account. Official transcripts that are processed after receipt of the Degree Awarded email from the Registrar's Office, will include your graduation information.

      Here is additional post-graduation information:

    Handbook

    The 2023-2024 Student Handbook contains Department of Population Health Sciences requirements, policies, and procedures. Students can also review a list of core competencies expected to gain from the PhD Program.

    Forms

    PHS Forms

    University Forms

    CORE CURRICULUM

    Population Health Sciences students will take the required core courses as described below.

    Catalogue Number Title Credit Hours
    PBHLT 6300 Epidemiology I

    3
    PHS 7030 
    or
    PHS 7035    		 Applied Modern Causal Inference

    Theory of Modern Causal Inference 

    3
    PHS 7100 Epidemiology Theory & Methods

    3
    PHS 7200 Principles of PHS

    2
    MDCRC 6450 Grant Writing

    3
    MBIOL 7570 Research Ethics 1
    PHS 7970 Dissertation (minimum)

    14

    Total Number of Credits

    29

    EMPHASES CURRICULUM

    BIOSTATISTICS

    Emphasis

    CURRICULUM

    YEAR 0 CURRICULUM - prerequisites for students without a relevant mater degree

    CLINICAL & TRANSLATIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGY

    Emphasis

    CURRICULUM

    HEALTH SYSTEMS RESEARCH

    Emphasis

    CURRICULUM

    Education Team

    Alex Jackson, MEd

    Academic Program Manager

    alex.jackson@hsc.utah.edu

    Roger Altizer, PhD

    Director of Graduate Studies

    roger.altizer@utah.edu

    Contact Us

    Phone: 801-587-1606
    Email: phsphd@hsc.utah.edu

    Williams Building, Room 1N490
    295 Chipeta Way
    Salt Lake City, UT 84108