Doctoral Program in Epidemiology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The PhD program in Epidemiologic Science is administered by the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. Its objective is to provide scientists who are expert in recognition and investigation of those basic aspects of etiology and pathogenesis of disease relevant to prevention and control of infectious and non-infectious diseases. Graduates are qualified for positions in academia, research institutes, government, and industry.

An MPH in Epidemiology, or other relevant master's degree in a related discipline (for example, an MS in microbiology) is required prior to entrance into the PhD program.Successful applicants lacking credit for any courses, laboratories, or field work equivalent to those of the University of Michigan School of Public Health MPH Program in Epidemiology are expected to make up these deficiencies during their initial stage of studies. The field work/laboratory requirement is waived for students with a professional doctoral degree and for others who have documented evidence of employment in a relevant area.

Applicants are evaluated on the basis of undergraduate and graduate academic records, Graduate Record Examination scores or equivalents, letters of recommendation, and commitment to a career in epidemiology or research in a laboratory science. In addition, potential students should list which faculty they are interested in working with. Prior agreement by a faculty member in the department to mentor a new student is an important consideration in acceptance of students into the PhD program.

There are two major stages in the PhD program to be completed prior to getting the Ph.D. degree. These stages are the pre-candidate stage and the candidate stage. The major tasks of the pre-candidate stage are to successfully complete the comprehensive examination and to develop and present a prospectus that reflects the research program that will be undertaken. The major tasks of the candidate stage are to successfully complete the proposed research identified in the prospectus with the ongoing guidance of an individual's committee whose membership will be defined later. This research program is then presented and defended as a "dissertation defense" as the penultimate event in achieving the doctoral degree.

Typically, a Ph.D. program takes a total of 2.5-4 years to complete when a Master of Public Health (or other relevant degree) has been obtained. The time frame depends largely on how soon advancement to candidacy is achieved. Once advancement to candidacy has occurred the typical time required to graduate is 2 years. An optimal timeline might be admission for the fall term with a relevant master's degree, successful completion of the comprehensive examination in the following winter term, development and defense of the research prospectus within 6-12 months, and completion of the research effort (including its written presentation) in two years.

For a very detailed description of the Epidemiology Department's PhD guidelines please view this PDF File: PhD guidelines