Doctoral Program (PhD) in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education

The faculty members of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education (BSHE) share a commitment to research, teaching and the translation of their work into public health applications. The mission of the Department is to apply the behavioral and social sciences to promote healthy living; prevent disease; and improve the quality of life of persons whose health is impaired. This is achieved by (a) conducting and disseminating sound and innovative research; (b) training current and future public health leaders; and (c) engaging in public health practice. Research in the Department focuses on (a) identification of individual and societal determinants of health behaviors, illness, and disease; (b) development of behavioral and structural interventions to prevent disease, alleviate illness, and improve the quality of life; (c) development of strategies to reduce health disparities; and (d) study of the individual and societal impact of health risk behaviors and interventions to modify those behaviors. The Department advocates an ecological approach to understanding and influencing the forces that shape health and illness.

The Department's faculty members are highly interdisciplinary and committed to collaborative approaches to problem solving. The faculty - in partnership with BSHE students and staff -- conduct their work at the local, state, national and international levels. Many faculty members have served at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in state or local health departments, or in international public health organizations. All faculty members are committed to bringing applied public health experience to their research, teaching, and mentoring activities. The interdisciplinary nature of their work is enhanced by the Department's collaborations with those in other scientific areas (including clinical medicine) as well as with the arts and humanities throughout the University and across the globe. Faculty and students collaborate with social and behavioral scientists in the College of Arts and Sciences and at neighboring health institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society, many holding joint or adjunct faculty appointments in the School.

Further information about the Department is available at: http://www.sph.emory.edu/departments_centers/bshe/index.html

Download our BSHE doctoral program brochure at: http://www.gs.emory.edu/uploads/PDF%20Brochures/BSHE.pdf

DOCTORAL STUDENT PROFILES & RECENT GRADUATES

Find profiles of our current students and recent graduates at: http://www.sph.emory.edu/cms/departments_centers/bshe/bshe_phd_students.html

Find Dissertation titles of our recent graduates at: http://www.sph.emory.edu/cms/departments_centers/bshe/bshe_dissertation_titles.html

LEARNING OBJECTIVES OF NEW DOCTORAL PROGRAM

This program will train students to:

1. conduct original research on the identification of individual and societal determinants of health behaviors, illness and disease;
2. design , implement, and evaluate behavioral and structural interventions to prevent disease, reduce health risks, and improve the quality of life
3. translate knowledge derived from research to promote public health.

ADMISSIONS

Admission decisions are made by a committee of department faculty members in early spring. Students are admitted to begin the program each Fall semester only. The next deadline is December 1, 2011 for Fall 2012 consideration. The Department anticipates enrolling approximately 5 students each year.

The BSHE doctoral program is under the auspices of the Graduate School (GS). Please complete the online GS inquiry form at:

http://www.graduateschool.emory.edu/inquiry.php

By doing so, you will be added to the GS admissions database and will receive updates from GS and BSHE.

Applications to the PhD program must be submitted to the Graduate School through the on-line application available at:

http://www.graduateschool.emory.edu/admissions/application.php

The electronic application allows you to submit your statement of purpose, resume, scanned copies of your academic transcripts, letters of recommendation and GRE scores electronically. After applying electronically, do not send a paper application. Submitting a paper application in addition to your online application will cause delays in processing your application. Please do not submit additional reference letters or other material not specifically requested as part of the application.

TRANSCRIPTS

All applicants are required to submit one official copy of transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended, present school included. Applicants will need to upload a scanned digital copy each of their official transcripts using the on-line application system.

Scanned Copy of Transcripts

Applicants need to upload a scanned digital copy of their transcripts with their on-line application. Acceptable formats for scanned transcripts include JPG and PDF files. The scanned copy does not need to be in color, and its resolution can be low as long as the courses and grades is legible (150 to 300 DPI). Digital images of international students transcripts must also include a translation.

If you are unable to scan your transcripts or upload them in the on-line system, please contact Maquina Harris in the Behavioral Sciences and Health Education at +1 404.727-3546 or at BSHEPhDProgram@sph.emory.edu.

OR the Graduate School at :

1 404.727.6028 OR
1-800-727-6028 (domestic only)
Fax:+1 404.727.4990
E-mail: gradschool-l@listserv.cc.emory.edu

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Please ask your recommenders to submit letters of recommendation online where you can track their progress. Follow the instructions provided in the GS online application at: http://www.graduateschool.emory.edu/admissions/application.php. Occasionally, it is not feasible to submit recommendations online in which case letters of recommendations (in signed, sealed envelopes) should be mailed directly to the program at the address below.

All supplemental materials not submitted electronically must be received by the December 1st deadline. It is the responsibility of the applicant to take the GRE and TOEFL in enough time for the official scores to be received by the December 1 deadline. All supplemental materials including recommendation letters not submitted electronically should be mailed to:

Emory University
Rollins School of Public Health
Application for Behavioral Sciences and Health Education
1518 Clifton Road, Suite 566
Atlanta, GA 30322

If you send documents by express mail or equivalent you must sign the statement that no signature is required for delivery. If you wish receipt of your documents to be acknowledged, enclose an email address with your documents where the acknowledgement may be sent. Please do not submit additional reference letters or other material not specifically requested as part of the application.

Applicants to the PhD program may not apply to the Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH) Office of Admissions. The RSPH Office of Admissions only receives applications for the MPH and MSPH programs. PhD applications received by RSPH Admissions will be asked to resubmit a GS application which will require an additional application fee.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR ADMISSION

Students must have completed the requirements for a Master's degree. Those with a Master's degree outside of public health may need to take additional public health courses beyond the core doctoral curriculum. In selecting the entering cohort, the department considers performance in undergraduate and graduate courses, standardized exam performance (Graduate Record Examination scores taken within the previous five years), letters of recommendation, research or published papers, fit with departmental areas of scientific strength, and other relevant experience. Recommended GRE score range is 1100 - 1500 for Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections and score range of 4 to 5 for Analytical Writing.

International students whose native language is not English must attain a score of 560 or more on the paper Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or 220 or higher score on the computer-based TOEFL. International students who have earned a Bachelor's or a Master's degree from an accredited American university may request to have the TOEFL requirement waived.

STUDENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Students admitted to the BSHE PhD Program receive merit-based support packages consisting of full tuition scholarships each year and annual stipends for two years. The awards are renewed each year, contingent upon satisfactory academic performance. As of 2010-2011, doctoral students receive annual stipends of $17,000 for the initial two years and in following years are supported on research projects by faculty investigators and fellowship and/or grant funding obtained by the student. Students may work as research assistants or in other activities related to their professional development during the summer months for additional income. Some courses may be required in the summer semesters.

ADVISEMENT

When applying please indicate the top three faculty members you would like to work with on your on-line Application. Entering students will be assigned to a faculty advisor who matches the interests of students. The faculty advisor will be responsible for overseeing the student's progress and assisting the student in designing an appropriate program of study.

RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIPS

All students are required to complete two unpaid research assistantships under faculty supervision during their first year in the program. Each assistantship will involve 10-15 hours per week of work over the course of each semester.

TATTO

All Ph.D. students must participate in the Teaching Assistant Training and Teaching Opportunities (TATTO) program. Students receive an orientation to effective teaching and a course on teaching techniques in the field and gain experience working with students as supervised teaching assistants and/or classroom instructors or co-instructors.

PhD CURRICULUM

The Graduate School admits students for full-time enrollment. Students normally enroll in at least 12 semester hours of credit each semester. We anticipate that students will require a minimum of three years, and most commonly four, to complete doctoral program requirements including the dissertation. Students will enroll in courses that address the program learning objectives but the overall program of courses will be tailored to the student's particular needs for professional development under the advisement of a faculty member. Please note that the following sample curriculum is intended for illustrative purposes only and is subject to change.

PROGRAM OF STUDY (Sample plan)

[Credit Hours = semester hours]

YEAR ONE, FALL

YEAR ONE, SPRING

YEAR ONE, SUMMER

YEAR TWO, FALL

YEAR TWO, SPRING

YEAR TWO, SUMMER

YEARS THREE and FOUR

CONTACTS

Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education
Rollins School of Public Health
Emory University
1518 Clifton Rd., NE, Room 566
Atlanta, GA 30322