Epidemiology, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Apply online at sophas.org.

Admission requirements

Special requirements

• Applicants must hold a master’s degree, preferably in the health or social sciences, including, but not limited to, public health, and provide test scores as detailed below. Applicants must provide all required materials as described herein and in the VCU Admissions graduate application checklist.

In addition to the general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications.

1. Prior degree: Master’s degree in the health or social sciences, including, but not limited to, public health (M.P.H.), with a minimum GPA of 3.0
2. GRE: Current GRE test results (taken within the past five years) with scores at or above the 75th percentile preferred in all components of the exam (e.g., minimum scores of 159 quantitative, 157 verbal and 4.5 analytical writing)
3. Standardized tests for English proficiency: International students must submit TOEFL, IELTS, PTE scores, or Duolingo. The minimum TOEFL score is 600 (paper-based), 250 (computer-based) or 100 (Internet-based); IELTS minimum score is 7.0; PTE minimum score is 65; the Duolingo minimum score is 110. Any exceptions to the English proficiency requirement can be found on the International Admissions website. Please contact the PhD Graduate Programs Coordinator with any questions. 
4. Personal statement: Applicants must include a personal statement that indicates: (1) their reasons for pursuing a doctoral degree in epidemiology, (2) their particular areas of research focus or study, (3) the departmental faculty advisers with whom the students would prefer to work and (4) career goals upon graduation.
5. Reference letters: Students must submit three letters of recommendation from three individuals who can assess the applicant’s qualifications for graduate school. Letters from past professors or faculty advisers are most appropriate.
6. Current CV or resume: Students must submit a current CV or resume.

Degree requirements

In addition to the general VCU Graduate School graduation requirements, students will be required to complete a minimum of 61 graduate credit hours as follows:

1. Four core courses focusing on epidemiological methods (12 credit hours)
2. Two core courses focusing on biostatistical theory and methods (six credit hours)
3. Four semesters of journal club (four credit hours)
4. Three courses of methodological electives (nine credit hours)
5. Three courses of substantive area electives, with at least one relating to the biological processes associated with the student’s chosen substantive area (nine credit hours)
6. A minimum of two credit hours of practical research skills development
7. At least one course in the responsible conduct of research (one credit hour)
8. At least 18 credit hours of directed dissertation research 

Students will also be required to complete the following:

Practical experience

1. Assistantship: All doctoral students are required to work an average of 20 hours per week under the direction of their adviser as part of experiential program training. This 20-hour-per-week requirement is met by work in a research assistantship and at least one semester of a teaching assistantship.
   1. Research assistantship: Research program support exposes students to a variety of aspects of developing and implementing research plans and programs. Work includes drafting manuscripts or preparing presentations for refereed conferences, conducting research activities in the community, traveling to attend research team meetings, or regular work with research team members.
   2. Teaching assistantship: All doctoral students are required to serve as teaching assistants for at least one semester before graduation. The student and her/his adviser discuss and select the course that is best-suited for the teaching assistantship. During the semester(s) when students engage in the teaching assistantship, teaching hours count toward the experiential training requirement and are combined with research hours to meet the expected 20-hour-per-week training time.
2. Seminar attendance: All students are expected to attend all doctoral level Division of Epidemiology seminars during their tenure in the program. These seminars are generally held every other week during fall and spring semesters. In addition, students must attend any special public health seminars offered collaboratively by the public health departments. These special seminars may occur one to two times each semester.
3. Grant application submission: All students are expected to submit at least one grant application related to their dissertation to a federal agency or nongovernmental organization (according to student eligibility) to gain grantsmanship experience. The adviser guides the student on the timing for submission of this grant application and the appropriate funding organization or agency.

Comprehensive examinations

Comprehensive examinations include a written examination and an oral candidacy examination. The written examination assesses knowledge of completed didactic course work on core epidemiological and biostatistical methods as well as a tailored substantive section based on the student’s research focus. The oral candidacy examination is based upon the student’s dissertation proposal, which consists of three proposed research projects.

Written comprehensive  examination

Students are expected to take the written comprehensive examination after completing all didactic program courses (typically the program core, a practical research skills course, a responsible conduct of research course and 18 credits of elective course work). Program expectation for satisfactory academic progress is that students complete the written comprehensive examination by the end of the second academic year (i.e., no later than the end of the second summer semester). Exceptions beyond this time limit must be approved by the student’s adviser and the graduate program director based on the student’s submission of a written explanation for the delay in progress. This written explanation must include a plan of action and schedule for completing the written comprehensive examination by the date approved by the student’s faculty adviser.

Oral candidacy examination

After passing the written comprehensive examinations, the student is eligible for the oral candidacy examination. For this examination, the student prepares background and methods for three proposed research projects in a focused area of dissertation research. 

To maintain satisfactory academic progress in the program, students should complete the oral candidacy examination by the end of third fall semester. Exceptions beyond this time limit must be approved by the student’s committee and the graduate program director based on the student’s submission of a written explanation for the delay in progress. This written explanation must include a plan of action and schedule for completing the oral candidacy examination by the date approved by the student’s dissertation adviser.

Upon successful completion of the oral candidacy examination, the student will embark upon the dissertation research.

Dissertation

1. The dissertation must be a hypothesis-based, analytical epidemiology project designed by the student under the supervision of the faculty adviser and dissertation advisory committee members as appropriate. The dissertation consists of a minimum of three papers prepared in manuscript style and suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.
2. The student submits at least one of the three manuscripts from the dissertation to a peer-reviewed journal before the student schedules the final defense.

To maintain satisfactory academic progress in the program, students should schedule the dissertation examination by the second semester of the fourth year. Exceptions beyond this time limit must be approved by the student’s committee and the graduate program director based on the student’s submission of a written explanation for the delay in progress. Plans for completion of the dissertation examination will be considered on an individual basis. Failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress may result in a grade of U (unsatisfactory) for the dissertation work.

Public Health Learning Objectives

In addition to meeting VCU Graduate School and program requirements for graduation, all students enrolled in the School of Population Health must demonstrate competence in foundational public health learning objectives. This requirement is waived for students who previously completed a CEPH-accredited degree at the bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral level.

Satisfactory academic progress

Satisfactory academic progress may be assessed on multiple factors, including progress on dissertation development in accordance with timelines established between the student and adviser and/or committee; lack of professional conduct, including communication lapses or failure to communicate with the adviser and/or committee about delays in progress and/or absence from research work; honor policy violations or academic misconduct; and failure to maintain continuous enrollment without an approved leave of absence.

Course requirements

The minimum number of graduate credit hours required for this degree is 61.

Students who complete the requirements for this degree will receive a Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology.

Contact
Juan Lu, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.D.
Professor and graduate program director
jlu1@vcu.edu
(804) 828-9786

Additional contact
Muna Ali
Graduate program coordinator
alim28@vcu.edu