Ph.D. in Public Health, Concentration in Brain, Behavior, and the Environment

Prospective Students

• Doctoral Admissions

  Applicants must meet the University's general graduate admission requirements:

  1. A four-year bachelor's degree or equivalent from a nationally accredited institution or, in the case of foreign students, from a well-established institution of higher learning that is authorized to grant degrees by appropriate authorities in that country.
     
     
  2. A minimum of a 3.0 GPA, “B” average, in the last 60 upper-division undergraduate coursework, or a graduate degree from a nationally accredited institution. 3. International graduate student applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit a score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A total score of 80 on the iBT TOEFL or a 6.5 overall on the IELTS is required or other University approved tests of English.

  The College also requires:

  1. A current resumé.
  2. Three letters of recommendation.
  3. 3. A writing sample (Master's thesis or research project, published manuscript, or some other document which demonstrates writing ability).
  4. 4. A personal statement of research interest. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact individual faculty to discuss common research interests since admission decisions require identification of a faculty mentor, and evaluation of fit to the program
• Doctoral Requirements

  A student may enroll for dissertation credits after completing all coursework, passing the candidacy examination, and being advanced to candidacy. Dissertation credits cannot be taken before advancement to candidacy.

  The candidacy examination will be prepared and graded by a committee consisting of a minimum of three faculty members. Admission to candidacy requires that a majority of the committee members agree that the student passed the examination. A candidacy examination may not be passed conditionally. A “Pass” on the examination cannot be made contingent upon other factors such as the completion of additional coursework or the preparation of extra research projects. Students will be allowed only two attempts to pass the candidacy examination.

  After a doctoral student is admitted to candidacy, continuous registration for at least 3 dissertation credit hours each semester (including the summer term) is required until the dissertation requirement is fulfilled.

• Course Catalog
  View the Course Catalog.
• EHS PhD Handbook
  View the EHS PHD Handbook.