The PhD program in Health Services Research and Policy requires completion of 50 hours of post-master’s course work, including 12 hours of doctoral research and dissertation hours (HPAM9300).

The 50 hours course requirements include:

• 15 hours of departmental core courses,
• 9 hours of core courses in methods, and
• 9 hours of elective courses that will define the concentration area,
• 4 hours of doctoral seminar (1 credit each),
• 1 hour of GradFirst seminar, and
• 12 hours of doctoral dissertation courses.

The course work is designed to consist of 16 or more hours of 8000 and 9000 level courses in addition to research, dissertation writing, and directed study.

No grade below C will be accepted on the program of study and the student must maintain a 3.0 average on the transcript and program of study.

Departmental and Methods Core Courses
Students must complete the departmental core and the methods core within the first two years of study, unless waived based on prior graduate work (see transfer credits section below).  The departmental and methods core requirements are essential for passing the comprehensive examinations. Students may repeat a core doctoral course in the department only once. Not receiving a grade of B or better in a doctoral departmental core course on the second attempt will lead to automatic termination from the program. Enrollment in all courses requires the approval of the PhD program coordinator or the academic advisor of the student.

Public Health Core Course
A 3-credit hour Public Health core course (PBHL 7100) is required for all students. Students with a MPH or an equivalent degree from a School of Public Health are not required to complete the public health core course. This is in addition to the 50 credit hours for the PhD degree.

Electives/Research Concentration
Outside of the departmental and methods cores, the students are required to identify three graduate level (at the 8000 or higher level) elective courses that define the research concentration of the student. The concentration area is defined by the student in consultation with the academic advisor and/or the PhD coordinator. The courses can be taken from any department in UGA provided that the courses justify a focused interest/concentration and are relevant the student’s dissertation research.

PhD Program Course Requirements (50 credit hours)

UGA Graduate School Course – 1 credit hour

GRSC 7001 – GradFirst  (1 hour)

HPAM Core Requirements – 15 credit hours

HPAM 7600 – Health Economics I* (3 hours)
HPAM 8600 – Advanced Health Economics (3 hours)
HPAM 8400 – Advanced Policy Analysis in Public Health (3 hours)
HPAM 8340 (or HPAM 8340E) – Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities (3 hours)
HPAM 7760 – Public Health Law and Ethics for Public Health Practitioners (3 hours)

Methods Core Requirements – 9 credit hours

HPAM 8300 – Research Methods in Health Policy (3 hours)
HPAM 8350 – NEW Research Methods II in Health Policy (3 hours)
BIOS 8010 – Regression and Analysis of Variance (3 hours)

Seminars and Doctoral Research – 16 credit hours

HPAM 8011, HPAM 8021, HPAM 8031 and HPAM 8041: Sequence of Doctoral Seminar courses for preparing students in writing research proposals and articles for publication (1 credit hour/semester for the first 4 semesters)
HPAM 9300, Doctoral Dissertation (12 or more hours)

Electives – 9 hours

All applicants to the PhD program in Health Services Research and Policy:

• Must apply to and be accepted by the UGA Graduate School.
• Must have earned at least a 3.0 grade point average (based on a 4.0 scale) in previous graduate course work.
• Specific to this PhD program, all potential students holding a master’s degree in areas related to public health (i.e. – social/behavioral sciences, psychology, economics, epidemiology, management, policy, biological sciences, and health professions, etc.) are eligible to apply for admission. We also encourage students from a diverse field of training but looking to advance their career in public health, health services research, and policy to apply to this program.

Step 1: Complete an online application to the University of Georgia Graduate School.

Application materials submitted directly to the Graduate School (Domestic and International):

• UGA Graduate School online application and application-processing fee ($75 Domestic / $100 International)
• One unofficial transcript (official academic records for international applicants) from each institution of higher education attended. If accepted, UGA will require one official transcript to be sent. Do not mail official transcripts until offered admission.
• 3 letters of recommendation. These letters must be submitted from practitioners (academic, industry, for-profit, non-profit, and government sector) who can reflect upon the applicant’s prior academic and professional performance. At least one from experts in academia. List the names of recommenders along with their e-mail addresses. They will receive a link to access a secure page where they can submit your recommendation quickly and easily via the Web.
• [OPTIONAL] A Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score is not required, but is encouraged (GMAT scores may be substituted for GRE). **

International Applicants – additional information is required:

• TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo scores** (if applicable – see country-specific requirements here for more information).
  • The minimum English proficiency scores required can be found on  the UGA Graduate School website. If prior academic experience in the U.S. illustrates that the student is proficient in English, this requirement may be waived with concurrence from the UGA Graduate School.
• Certificate of Finances (COF) form
• Financial Certification Statement and Visa Information

**Note: UGA institutional code for ETS reporting: 5813.

Step 2: Complete supplemental application materials for the Department of Health Policy & Management

• A curriculum vitae (CV) or resumé
• A one-page statement on their career goals with a focus on the applicant’s research interests and how the PhD program will help in achieving these goals
• Scholarly/academic writing sample

Short-listed applicants may be interviewed by departmental faculty members to ensure that the applicant will be a good fit with the ongoing research interests of the faculty members.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the program, you can contact Janani Rajbhandari at [email protected].