Public Health, Dr.P.H. (Community Health Concentration)

General Program Information

Graduate School Contact:

Mary Duncan; duncanm@etsu.edu; 423-439-4302

Deborah L. Slawson, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.N.;
DrPH Coordinator

Department of Community and Behavioral Health
Phone: (423) 439-4332
Email:slawson@etsu.edu
Office Location: Room 318, Lamb Hall
Johnson City, TN 37614 

Doctor of Public Health Degree

The Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) program offers an advanced professional degree designed for those who wish to pursue or further their career in public health practice. It prepares practitioners with competence in administration, advocacy, problem solving, research, and communication. Graduates are qualified to serve in a variety of leadership capacities at state, national, and international levels, enhancing the public’s health in both rural and urban settings. Two areas of concentration currently exist within the degree - community health and epidemiology. For more information on admission and degree requirements see the Dr.P.H. entries under the Community and Behavioral Health Department or Biostatistics and Epidemiology Department, respectively.

Program Admission Requirements

(Target Date: February 1)

Admission to the Doctor of Public Health program is competitive and based on scholarship, letters of recommendation, and evidence of potential success, including:

1. Evidence of successful completion of an M.P.H. or equivalent degree in a related field from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning in the United States.

2. Application form and accompanying fee.

3. One official transcript of all previous undergraduate and graduate work (except previous coursework completed at ETSU).

4. A personal essay that includes a written statement of career and educational goals, professional experience, and prospective area of interest for the dissertation.

5. Official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within the past 5 years (except for those with a doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution within the United States). If ETSU has GRE scores taken within the last 5 years already on file, the applicant does not need to resubmit these scores.

6. Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to the applicant’s academic, professional, or personal achievement, competence, ethics, and potential.

Community Health Concentration

Information concerning the concentration in Community Health Sciences appears below.

Dr.P.H. Degree Requirements

Total Credit Hours Required for Dr.P.H.: 58 Credit Hours

Dr.P.H. Graduation Requirements

Completion of the Dr.P.H. degree will require (1) a minimum of 58 semester credit hours of coursework beyond the master’s degree as described; (2) a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; (3) passing the doctoral comprehensive candidacy examination; (4) satisfactory completion of a practicum; (5) passing the preliminary oral examination; (6) completing a dissertation of publishable quality; and (7) passing the final dissertation defense. All students must pass Institutional Review Board certification sponsored by ETSU if working with human subjects, as well as HIPAA certification if their research/practicum falls under the requirements to secure the privacy and confidentiality of patient records.