Doctor of Public Health Dissertation
Through independent work under the guidance of their Doctoral Dissertation Committee, Doctor of Public Health students will prepare a dissertation demonstrating their ability to analyze and solve a complex, practice-based problem in public health. This dissertation is completed as a student’s culminating integrated learning experience. Students register for six dissertation credit hours total, which can be split up over two or more semesters. The dissertation project can be completed at a student’s place of employment if it fits with their interests and career goals.
The purpose of the dissertation is to understand a current public health organizational, leadership, policy, or programmatic problem and identify a substantive solution that includes strategies to address that problem, detailed in a “plan for change/implementation.”
Dissertation Details
The dissertation:
- Should be written through the lens of the student’s chosen concentration;
- Is expected to substantially contribute to the existing public health practice knowledge base and should inform best practices regardless of specific location or organization;
- Should rely on rigorous methodology, which may include quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods; and
- Must address four foundational Doctor of Public Health competencies and three concentration competencies.
Examples of appropriate dissertation topics include:
- Applied public health research that may contribute to developing future practices or policy interventions
- Practice, program or policy evaluations
- Design of new or modified public health practices, programs or policies to meet newly explored public health needs
- Participation in Doctor of Public Health Dissertation Orientation, held every semester.
- Good academic standing.
- Completion of at least 36 credit hours in the Doctor of Public Health program.
- Completion of a digital portfolio.
- Completion of affiliation agreement.
- Approval of a topic approval request by the dissertation committee and the director of professional programs
