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 for the degree: 48 credits, including 5 credits in foundational courses,19 credits in program-specific courses, at least 12 credits in elective courses, and at least 12 credits in dissertation research.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Admissions prerequisites | ||
| The courses listed below are required minimum prerequisite courses for admission consideration. Applicants lacking these courses or their equivalent at another institution will not be considered for admission. | ||
| BISC 1111 & BISC 1112 | Introductory Biology: Cells and Molecules and Introductory Biology: The Biology of Organisms | |
| MATH 1231 | Single-Variable Calculus I | |
| MATH 1232 | Single-Variable Calculus II | |
| PUBH 6003 | Principles and Practices of Epidemiology | |
| Additional course requirements for admissions consideration | ||
| The courses listed below are additional preparatory course requirements. Applicants lacking these courses or their equivalents will be considered for conditional admission with the expectation that the courses will be completed within two semesters following matriculation in the program. Credit for these courses does not count toward the 48 credits required for the degree and grades earned are not reflected in the overall grade-point average. | ||
| MATH 2184 | Linear Algebra I | |
| PUBH 6853 | Use of SAS for Data Management and Analysis | |
| or STAT 2183 | Intermediate Statistics Lab/Packages | |
Degree requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| Foundational courses | ||
| PUBH 6080 | Pathways to Public Health 1 | |
| PUBH 6421 | Responsible Conduct of Research | |
| PUBH 6247 | Epidemiologic Methods I: Design of Health Studies 1 | |
| PUBH 8001 | Doctor of Philosophy Seminar on Cross-Cutting Concepts in Public Health | |
| Program-specific courses | ||
| PUBH 6252 | Epidemiologic Methods II: Advanced Epidemiologic Methods 2 | |
| PUBH 6865 | Applied Categorical Data Analysis for Public Health Research | |
| PUBH 6866 | Principles of Clinical Trials | |
| PUBH 6868 | Quantitative Methods | |
| PUBH 6869 | Principles of Biostatistical Consulting | |
| PUBH 8419 | Measurement in Public Health and Health Services 2 | |
| PUBH 8877 | Generalized Linear Models in Biostatistics 2 | |
| Electives | ||
| At least 12 credits in graduate-level Public Health (PUBH) and/or Statistics (STAT) courses selected in consultation with the program director. Elective courses in other departments may be taken with the prior approval of the program director. | ||
| Dissertation research | ||
| PUBH 8210 | Professional Skills Enhancement for Doctoral Students in Epidemiology | |
| PUBH 8435 | PhD Dissertation Proposal Development 3 | |
| PUBH 8999 | Dissertation Research (taken in units of 3 credits for a total of at least 9 credits) | |
1Can be waived for students who matriculate with a prior public health degree from a Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)-accredited institution.
2Basis for PhD general comprehensive examination.
3PUBH 8435 may be waived and replaced with additional dissertation research credits at the discretion of the program director.
Graduation Requirements
- Credits: Successful completion of 48 credits.
- Curriculum: Successful completion of program requirements and elective coursework.
- General examination: Once the course of study is completed, students are required to pass the General Examination Part I.
- Dissertation: 9 credits in dissertation research are required. Once the proposal has been successfully defended (General Examination Part II) and the dissertation research credit requirement has been met, the oral defense may be scheduled.
- Students must complete General Examination Parts I and II and have the dissertation proposal approved by the IRB to be officially admitted to the candidacy phase.
- Grade-point average: A minimum overall grade-point average of B (3.0).
- Time limit: The degree must be completed within seven years of matriculation.
- CITI Training requirement: All students are required to complete training regarding human subject protection regulation and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). To fulfill this requirement, you must complete the Collaborative IRB Training Initiative (CITI) Course in The Protection of Human Research Subjects.
- Integrity Quiz and Plagiarism requirement: All students are required to 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.
10. Professional Enhancement requirement: Students must attend/participate in 8 hours of epidemiology conferences. To be cleared for graduation, students are required to submit required documentation of applicable Professional Enhancement activities to the SPH Office of Student Records.