Academics

Penn State College of Medicine launches doctoral program in public health

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State's College of Medicine will launch a new doctor of public health (DrPH) degree program, projected to begin fall 2016. The program, based on the model advocated by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), is designed to develop leaders in public health who will create and implement solutions to public health problems.

 “The DrPH program places an emphasis on discovery, teaching, integration and application with a primary purpose of bridging research and practice to protect and improve the public’s health,” said Vernon Chinchilli, chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences. “It’s designed as a leadership program to prepare students to develop and pilot programs.”

The program prepares graduates to pursue career opportunities in federal, state and local government, as well as in non-profit, academic and private sectors. 

Applicants to the DrPH program must have a master’s degree, but a master of public health is not required in order to be considered for the program.  The degree consists of 60 credits in coursework, advanced field experience and integrative doctoral research. Students have the opportunity to develop an area of specialization.

 The program proposes:

  • 24 credits in prescribed, core classroom-based courses
  • 21 credits in elective courses
  • 15 additional credits of advanced field experience and doctoral research

“The Penn State DrPH Development Team was comprised of 15 members from Penn State Hershey, Harrisburg and University Park faculty, as well as personnel from the Pennsylvania Department of Health,” said Robin Taylor Wilson, DrPH program director. “I am genuinely thankful for their dedication, expertise and thoughtful input over the past year, which will be of great benefit to our future students.”

The Penn State Public Health Program, which currently offers the MPH degree, is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (www.ceph.org). Visit http://med.psu.edu/drph or email drphprogram@phs.psu.edu for more information.

Last Updated September 22, 2015

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