Academic Policies & Procedures

Doctoral Students

Major, Minor, and Dissertation Course Requirements

Requirements for this degree are prescribed by each individual student's faculty advisory committee. Requirements include: a minimum of 90 credits beyond the bachelor's degree; a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA for graduation; and a minimum grade of C in each course used for the degree.

Prerequisites and/or Required Courses

All students in the Ph.D. in Environmental Health degreee, the Ph.D in Epidemiology Degree, and the Ph.D. in Health Behavior degree, are required to complete the following two requirements:

  • Public Health Foundations Requirement (0 credits) All School of Public Health graduate students should complete the Public Health Foundations online course prior to registering for their first semester courses. Exception: this requirement is waived for students with a prior MPH degree from a CEPH accredited program or school. Complete details and registration information for this course can be found at the following Website: https://expand.iu.edu/browse/publichealth/courses/foundationalknowledgepublichealth.
  • SPH-E 651, Epidemiology (3 cr.), or its equivalent.

All students in the Ph.D. in Leisure Behavior degree, and Ph.D. in Human Performance degrees in Biomechanics, Exercise Physiology, Motor Learning/Control, and Sport Management, are required to complete the following requirement:

  • Public Health Foundations Requirement (0 credits) All School of Public Health graduate students should complete the Public Health Foundations online course prior to registering for their first semester courses. Exception: this requirement is waived for students with a prior MPH degree from a CEPH accredited program or school. Complete details and registration information for this course can be found at the following Website: https://expand.iu.edu/browse/publichealth/courses/foundationalknowledgepublichealth.

Degree Requirements (90 credits minimum)

  • Research Skills (9 - 13 credits) For all School of Public Health-Bloomington Ph.D. degree programs except Epidemiology, a minimum of 9 credits are required of coursework providing skills necessary to conduct research. Advanced courses in biostatistics are commonly prescribed. The Ph.D. degree in Epidemiology requires a minimum of 13 credits of research skill courses. Research skill credits count toward the 90 credits for the degree. Courses counted in this area require a minimum grade of B.
  • Major Area of Study (30 credits minimum) A minimum of 30 credits in the major area of study. These courses must be taken within the School of Public Health. Courses transferred from previous graduate work outside the School of Public Health, if within the major area of study, can be used to fulfill the major areas of study requirement, contingent upon the advisory committee’s approval.
  • Minor Area of Study (9 credits minimum) A minimum of 9 credits of coursework in a designated area outside the department in which the major is being pursued.
  • Electives (0 to 28 credits) Elective credits may range between 0 and 28. An optional second minor may be included in the elective credit hours.
  • Dissertation (20 – 30 credits)

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