Degree Programs
Doctor of Philosophy - Epidemiology
The PhD in Epidemiology program at the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health is designed for advanced graduate students who want to study the distribution of health and illness in diverse populations, the occurrence of illness, and how to assess the determinants of health and disease risk in human populations. Our students are trained to become scientific leaders in academic, governmental agency, non-governmental agency, and industry settings. Graduates are trained to develop and conduct epidemiologic research and to translate their findings to a diverse audience, including the biomedical research community, public health practitioners, health policy makers, and clinicians in the health professions, as well as to the general public.
The 90-credit hour Epidemiology PhD program can be completed on a part-time or full-time basis. Scholarships, traineeships, and pre-doctoral fellowships are available to full-time students of outstanding merit. Our PhD program promotes educational and scientific development through research collaborations, public health partnerships, and a commitment to diversity.
PhD students will work one-on-one with individual faculty members and may pursue topics of interest, capitalizing on faculty members’ research expertise and on-going projects. Key areas of research available to epidemiology doctoral students on the IUPUI campus include:
- Cancer Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention
- Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology
- Clinical Epidemiology
- Metabolic Disease Epidemiology
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- Injury Epidemiology
- Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Pharmacoepidemiology
- Public Health Informatics
Extensive research opportunities are available to our doctoral students across the IUPUI academic health sciences campus. There is no other location in Indiana that offers such a diverse and rich environment for epidemiologic research.
PhD in Epidemiology Curriculum
To complete this degree, you will take a combination of required Epidemiology Core courses, Methods courses, Elective courses, a Doctoral Minor, Doctoral Research Seminars, and guided Dissertation Research that together total 90 credits.
If applicants to the Epidemiology PhD program have recently completed an MPH program in epidemiology or a related area and therefore already have solid academic preparation in epidemiology and biostatistics, they may not need to take select foundation courses, which would reduce their required curriculum credits. Individuals accepted into the program who do not have the foundation courses in epidemiology and biostatistics will be required to take the full 90-credit curriculum:
Required Core Courses
Take all 10 courses for a total of 30 credits
- PBHL B552 Fundamentals of Data Management (using SAS) (3 credits)
- PBHL B586 Technical Reporting and Scientific Writing (1 credits)
- PBHL B571 Biostat Method I: Linear Model in Public Health (4 credits)
- PBHL B572 Biostat Method II: Categorical Data Analysis (4 credits)
- PBHL E517 Fundamentals of Epidemiology (3 credits)
- PBHL E601 Advanced Epidemiology (3 credits)
- PBHL E606 Grant Writing for Public Health (3 credits)
- PBHL E629 Introduction to Genetic Epidemiology (3 credits)
- PBHL E635 Foundations of Public Health Informatics (3 credits)
- PBHL E715 Design and Implementation of Observational Studies (3 credits)
Methods Courses
Choose 3 courses for a total of 9 credits
- PBHL B573 Biostat Method III: Applied Survival Data Analysis (4 credits)
- PBHL B574 Biostat Method IV: Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis (3 credits)
- PBHL B582 Introduction to Clinical Trials (3 credits)
- PBHL B583 Applied Multivariate Analysis in Public Health (3 credits)
- PBHL E645 Information Exchange for Population Health (1 credit)
- PBHL E563 Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (3 credits)
- MGEN G788 (INFO I590) Intro to the Next Generation Sequencing Technology (3 credits)
- INFO B636 Next Generation Geonomic Data Analysis (3 credits)
*Students may take methods and substantive electives offered by other IUPUI departments with advisor approval.
Elective Courses
Choose 5 courses for a total of 15 credits
- PBHL E609 Infectious Disease Epidemiology (3 credits)
- PBHL E610 Chronic Disease Epidemiology (3 credits)
- PBHL A617 Environmental Epidemiology (3 credits)
- PBHL E618 Cancer Epidemiology (3 credits)
- PBHL E675 Fundamentals of Injury Epidemiology (3 credits)
- PBHL E750 Doctoral Topics in Epidemiology (variable 1-3 credits)
- PBHL E751 Doctoral Radings in Epidemiology (variable 1-3 credits)
- PBHL E752 Doctoral Level Directed Research (3 credits)
- PBHL E765 Nutritional Epidemiology (3 credits)
- PBHL E770 Occupational Epidemiology (3 credits)
- PBHL E780 Pharmaco-Epidemiology (3 credits)
- SOC R585 Social Aspects of Mental Health & Illness (3 credits)
*Students may take methods and substantive electives offered by other IUPUI departments with advisor approval.
Minor Area
Students must complete a PhD minor in an area related to a health and life science. The minor in most cases is comprised of four graduate level courses (12 credit hours) in the chosen area and must comply with the minor requirements of the respective department/unit.
Doctoral Research Seminars
Students will enroll in three doctoral research seminars. Each seminar is one credit, for a total of three credits. (PBHL E775)
Dissertation
The remaining 21 hours will be guided research dissertation hours. (PBHL E800)
Compentencies
The PhD in Epidemiology focuses on 5 core competencies that serve as a measure of growth and criteria for assessment.
- Design investigations of acute and chronic conditions, as well as other adverse health outcomes in targeted populations characterized by age, sex, race, ethnicity, culture, societal, educational, and other demographic backgrounds.
- Manage and analyze data from epidemiologic investigations and surveillance systems.
- Use current knowledge of causes of disease to guide epidemiologic perspectives.
- Prepare written reports and presentations to effectively communicate epidemiological evidence to professional audiences.
- Prepare proposals for peer-reviewed funding.
Admissions
Admission into the Epidemiology PhD Program is based on completion of a baccalaureate degree, although it is anticipated that many applicants will have completed a post baccalaureate degree in public health or other health related discipline.
Fall Semester Application Deadline: December 15
All required application documents must be submitted by the Epidemiology PhD program deadline, with the exception of recommendation letters, which may be submitted up to two weeks past the deadline.
Admission Requirements
- Personal Statement
- Resume
- Transcripts
- Recommendations
- Sample of Scholarly Writing
- Proof of English Proficiency (applicants whose native language is not English)
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
GRE or other graduate entrance exam scores are required for all applicants. In addition to the GRE, the Epidemiology PhD program also accepts scores from the MCAT, LSAT, GMAT, DAT. However, testing services other than the ETS (GRE) may not submit scores directly to the SOPHAS system. If your testing service does not submit scores to SOPHAS, you can have them sent directly to IUPUI.
International Applicants
Applicants who have attended post-secondary institutions outside of the U.S. are also required to submit the following supporting documentation to SOPHAS with their application:
World Education Services (WES) ICAP evaluation of foreign academic credentials
The Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health requires all applicants with foreign academic credentials to provide a World Education Services (WES) ICAP course-by-course evaluation of those credentials. Applicants should submit their transcripts to WES at least 1 month in advance of the application deadline to ensure that the evaluation is completed in time.
Through special arrangements with SOPHAS, WES will deliver its credential evaluation report directly to SOPHAS by secure electronic transmission. This expedites the delivery of the evaluation report — as well as images of the applicant’s verified transcripts — to SOPHAS and allows SOPHAS to process the report most efficiently. Go to www.wes.org/sophas for more information.
