Saint Louis University's Ph.D. in public health studies provides expertise in research design, methods and dissemination in an interdisciplinary setting. Students gain a solid understanding of public health science, including the distribution and determinants of health and disease across populations. SLU's Ph.D. program prepares students to become researchers both independently and within a team. We use an apprenticeship model that links students with mentors as they enter the program to leverage their training opportunities immediately. SLU's public health Ph.D. program requires 71 credits. Students take 23 credits of core doctoral courses, 36 credits of coursework to train in their research concentration area and 12 credits of dissertation research. Students may apply up to 24 credits of their master's degree coursework toward advanced standing. The faculty mentor and doctoral director review prior coursework to ensure competencies in both doctoral and concentration core areas in Biostatistics, Health Management and Policy, Epidemiology, and Behavioral Science and Health Equity. Examples of current student research interests include: Youth physical activity, sport injury and service accessibility, Opioid treatment centers, Geospatial technology to measure climate, migration and green space, Sexual and reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes, Adolescent mental health, Trauma survivor support, Minority mental health, Cancer prevention, Substance abuse, and Comparative effectiveness of diabetes treatments. Saint Louis University's Ph.D. program in public health studies continues to improve its curriculum to match the skills and competencies graduates should have. The overall Ph.D. competencies are listed below; additional competencies are described in the concentration areas.
Career Path
Graduate career path includes Public Health Research Scientist, Epidemiologist, Health Policy Researcher, Biostatistician (Doctoral Level), Global Health Researcher, Scientific Journal Editor (Public Health Focus), Research Center Director (Public Health), Social & Behavioral Health Scientist, Public Health Program Director, Public Health Policy Analyst, Public Health Consultant, Public Health Advocacy Specialist,Public Health Surveillance Specialist, Public Health Informatics Specialist, Environmental Health Scientist, Public Health Risk Analyst, Public Health Ethics & Governance Specialist, Public Health Data Scientist, Public Health Operations Director, Academic Careers (Professor, Department Chair, Dean) Global Health Security Specialist, Pandemic Preparedness Researcher,Health Equity & Social Justice Researcher,Climate & Health Scientist, Digital Health & Telemedicine Researcher, AI-Driven Public Health Data Scientist.
