项目介绍

2022年10月11日

FOCUS | COURSEWORK AND LENGTH OF TRAINING | CAREERS

At the heart of Sociomedical Sciences’ intellectual community, our doctoral programs offer cutting-edge training under the direction of some of the world’s leading social and behavioral scientists, historians, and public health researchers. Through coursework, opportunities to work alongside faculty on their own research, and students’ own dissertation research, our students become scholars who use social science theory and methods to address public health’s most pressing questions. 

1. For the PhD, students concentrate in a specific discipline (Anthropology, History, and Sociology).
2. The DrPH (which is not reviewing applications this cycle) is intended for students with a Master’s in Public Health and an interest in a social and behavioral scientific orientation, rather than in a particular discipline.
3. BOTH programs offer research-oriented training, and our graduates secure positions at academic institutions, public health agencies not-for-profit agencies, and the private sector.

Key Differences between DrPH and PhD 

The PhD and the DrPH differ in the level of engagement with a specific discipline (as opposed to a more general social and behavioral science perspective), in coursework, and in the length of training.

Coursework and Length of Training

Students in the PhD program complete coursework in the discipline in which they concentrate as well as in public health. The DrPH coursework consists primarily of courses at the Mailman School of Public Health. The doctoral program handbook provides specific information about course requirements and other milestones.

Because there is less required coursework, students in the DrPH program frequently finish classes in three semesters. PhD students take up to three years for coursework, although applicants with a master’s degree (either in social science or in public health) can apply for advanced standing and thus complete the coursework in two years. PhD students must also fulfill additional requirements for advanced training in their chosen discipline. For both degrees, students are expected to complete their training within seven years, but it is not unusual for students to complete the DrPH in six years.

Funding Packages 

Beginning in the autumn of 2016, the Department of Sociomedical Sciences has offered five years of funding to all incoming doctoral students. The five-year funding package includes a 12-month stipend, as well as tuition and fees. These five-year packages in some cases combine funding from existing NIH training programs or endowed scholarships with additional funds provided by the department and/or school.  Over the course of their training, students are expected to complete “rotations” in research, teaching, and grant-writing.

Prospective students are encouraged to apply for external funding at the same time as they are applying to the program, and all SMS students are expected to submit applications for external funding. SMS doctoral students have an outstanding record of success with NSF Graduate Research Fellowships and with NIH F31 awards, and the department provides additional support. Unfortunately, NIH training programs are not applicable to international students.

Careers

Graduates of both the DrPH and PhD programs secure positions at leading research and teaching institutions, both in the United States and around the world, or in senior roles at government and non-governmental agencies. Read profiles of some SMS doctoral program alumni, and job titles of DrPH and PhD program graduates to get a sense of the different opportunities available to graduates.