Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology

This program aims to develop excellent epidemiologists, able to work, teach and conduct research on contributors to health; disease, disability and death; and effective measures of prevention. The overall goal of the program is to enable graduates to acquire the necessary scientific knowledge and methodological skills to become independent researchers in epidemiology. Graduates with a PhD in epidemiology are expected to have developed the skills which enable them to:evaluate the scientific literature with respect to epidemiologic concepts, theoretical hypotheses, designs, methods, analyses and interpretation; develop theoretical formulations and testable hypotheses from concepts in the literature or epidemiological observations, and propose research questions and design and write research proposals;understand the practical and scientific implications of epidemiological research designs and the associated methodological and analytical techniques; identify and evaluate available data for addressing specific research questions; evaluate strengths and weaknesses of data collection methods, develop methods appropriate for answering specific research questions, and assess the measurement properties of data collection tools; address ethical issues related to epidemiologic studies;appreciate the policy implications of epidemiologic research; and, write and defend a doctoral dissertation which makes a contribution to the scientific literature.The phases of the PhD program are identified by a set of accomplishments which the student generally will attain in order, and within a satisfactory time. These phases, which will be monitored by the Program Director of the PhD program, are the identification of the Supervisor and the Supervisory Committee, completion of required and elective course work, completion of the comprehensive examination, defense of the research proposal, and defense of the dissertation (both Departmental and SGS ). Full-time students are expected to complete the PhD within four (4) years. Flex-time students may take longer, but not more than eight (8) years; they must submit a revised list of milestones, for approval by the Supervisor and the Program Director.

Applicants generally are expected to hold a master’s degree in epidemiology or a master’s degree in a related field with strong course work in epidemiology and biostatistics.Applicants are expected to have prior research experience which may be demonstrated through the completion of a master’s thesis, supervised research practicum, or other research experience, and which includes independent contributions to scientific publications.Applicants should have practical experience and reasonable expertise using standard statistical software packages.