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Program Details

Graduate Program: Health Behavior Health Promotion (PHD)

General Information

Request Information
Program/Degree
Health Behavior Health Promotion (PHD)  
Program Description

The PhD in Health Behavior Health Promotion (HBHP) is offered by the Department of Health Promotion Sciences. The doctoral degree program in Health Behavior Health Promotion has an emphasis on the biological, behavioral, and socio-cultural determinants of health and health behavior, as well as the interventions and policies aimed at improving community and population health.  The doctoral program offers a diverse and challenging curriculum addressing health behavior health promotion theory, knowledge and skills for working on health issues within the diverse communities of the Southwestern United States.

Outstanding course performance and strong evidence for research interest and aptitude in health behavior health promotion is required for all admitted students.  A bachelor's degree is required for entry into the PhD program.  However, applicants without a prior related master’s degree will complete a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in route to their PhD in Health Behavior Health Promotion. The MSPH develops the student's ability to think critically, develop and execute research, while also providing depth in health behavior health promotion, epidemiology and biostatistics, essential skills of a future PhD student and health promotion health behavior scholar.

The MSPH is not a stand-alone degree; students interested in graduate studies in HBHP who are uncertain of a research career focus are encouraged to discuss applying for the Master of Public Health (MPH) with department faculty and MEZCOPH’s Office of Student Services and Alumni Affairs. The MPH with a concentration in HBHP affords sound preparation for the PhD program while foremost being designed as a functional terminal degree for immediate workforce entry.

The doctoral program requires approximately four to five years for completion. The first two years of this time are usually devoted to coursework, the comprehensive doctoral examinations, and development of doctoral research. The program is research oriented and centers on a major research project.

For Students Entering with a Master’s Degree:
The PhD curriculum requires a minimum of 63 credit hours (units).   Of this, 18 units are required from major courses; 3 units are required on US minority/health disparities; 3 units on health promotion research content electives;  12 units of other electives; 9 units (minimum) for the minor; and 18 units for the dissertation.   A maximum of 30 units from a prior degree may be applied towards an admitted student, pending review by the student’s advisory committee.

View more about the program and the curriculum at:  http://publichealth.arizona.edu/academics/doctoral-programs/health-behavior-health-promotion

 
Department/Academic Unit(s)

College of Public Health

 
College

College of Public Health

 
Campus where offered

University of Arizona - Main - Tucson

 
Contacts
Admissions Contact
Evangeline Batista-Wietecha
520-626-3201
Graduate Program Coordinator
Michael J Tearne
520-626-2112
Director of Graduate Studies
Nicole P Yuan
520-626-7215
Graduate College Degree Counselor
Annie Prisbrey
520-621-0119
 
Tuition and Fees
Please refer to the UA Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees Calculator for up-to-date information about tuition and fees. 
Please refer to the UA Registrar's's Office Special Course Fees for up-to-date information about special course fees. 

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements
  • Bachelor's degree required for MSPH applicants
  • Master's degree in the area of health behavior or health promotion or similar field required for PhD applicants
  • GPA of 3.2 or higher
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Resume or CV
  • Statement of purpose and objectives
  • Research statement
  • Writing sample
  • Mission and values statement
  • TOEFL or IELTS scores for international applicants

View more detailed admissions criteria at:  https://publichealth.arizona.edu/graduate-students/phd-hbhp-admissions-criteria

Applications are to be submitted through SOPHAS, the centralized application service for accredited schools and programs of public health, at www.sophas.org.  

 
Standardized Tests

Optional Test 
GRE - Send scores to the University of Arizona College of Public Health/SOPHAS, code 4253

International Students - Tests of English Proficiency
International applicants are required by the UA Graduate College to submit a TOEFL score of 90 on the iBT test. For students who take the IELTS examination, an overall score of 7 is required, with a score of no less than 6 on any individual band or module.  TOEFL and IELTS test scores must be dated within two years of the year of enrollment. Students may be requested to enter the Center for English as a Second Language to improve their verbal skills.

SOPHAS TOEFL Scores - Code 5688
SOPHAS IELTS Scores - Code SOPHAS

 
Funding Opportunities

A variety of funding is available in the form of scholarships/fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships.  More information regarding tuition and financial assistance is available at:  http://publichealth.arizona.edu/prospective-students/tuition-financial-assistance

Federal Financial Aid  https://financialaid.arizona.edu/apply-for-aid/graduate-professional

 
Admissions Deadlines

Priority Deadline:  December 1
Secondary Deadline:  April 1

Note:  Students who apply by the priority deadline will be given the highest priority for admissions and consideration for scholarships and assistantships.

 
International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information
The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

ETS Major Field Code(s) for this program: 0616

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

63 

Core Coursework Requirements

Required Major Courses (18 units)

BIOS 576B*  Biostatistics for Research (3)
HPS 585  Public Health Fundamentals for Researchers (3)
HPS 607       Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health (3)
HPS 609       Evaluating the Public Health Literature (1)
HPS 620A     Advanced Research Methods in Health Promotion I (3)
HPS 620B     Advanced Research Methods in Health Promotion II (3)
HPS 696L     Health Behavior Health Promotion Seminar (1 unit; 2 times)

Required US Minority/Health Disparities Course (minimum 3 units)

HPS 535  Multicultural Health Beliefs (3)  OR
HPS 605  Community Based Participatory Action Research to Decrease Health Disparities (3)

*Prerequisite Courses for:
BIOS 576B:  BIOS 576A or other introductory graduate statistics course.

Required Health Promotion Emphasis Electives (minimum of 3 units)

Other Electives (minimum 12 units)

Minor (minimum 9 units)
 

Dissertation – HPS 920 - minimum of 18 units required

PhD in Health Behavior Health Promotion - Total Minimum Credit Requirements: 63 units

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH)/PhD in Health Behavior Health Promotion

For students entering without a master’s degree, the PhD curriculum will require a minimum of 73 credit hours (units), with 40 units required toward completing the Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH)/ PhD. The MSPH component requires 25 required major course credits; 3 units are required on US minority/health disparities; 6 units of other electives; and
6 units of thesis.  Additional required units post completion of the MSPH include 2 additional major units, 4 additional selective units, 9 units (minimum) for the minor, and 18 units for the dissertation,allowing for a maximum of 30 units to be shared between the MSPH and PhD. Additionally, a maximum of 8 units from prior graduate coursework (6 units from a prior awarded degree) may be considered (pending review) to be applied towards the MSPH component. 

Requirements for MSPH to PhD in Health Behavior Health Promotion for students entering without a prior master’s degree:

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) requirements (40 units)

Required Major Courses (25 units)
HPS 531         Contemporary Health Issues & Research (3)
HPS 585     Public Health Fundamentals for Researchers (3)
BIOS 576A      Biostatistics in Public Health (3)
BIOS 576B*     Biostatistics for Research (3)
HPS 607          Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health (3)
HPS 620A       Advanced Research Methods in Health Promotion I (3)
HPS 620B       Advanced Research Methods in Health Promotion II (3)
HPS 696L       Health Behavior Health Promotion Seminar (1)
HPS Selective Course (minimum of 3 units)

*Note:            Prerequisite Courses for:
BIOS 576B:   BIOS 576A or other introductory graduate statistics course.

Required US Minority/Health Disparities Course (minimum 3 units)
HPS 535         Multicultural Health Beliefs ) (3)  OR
HPS 605         Community Based Participatory Action Research to Decrease Health Disparities (3)

Other Electives        (Minimum of 6 units, approved by Faculty Adviser)

Required Master’s Thesis:   HPS 910 (minimum 6 units)

Additional core requirements for the PhD post completion of the MSPH (33 units)

Required  Courses (minimum of 2 units)
HPS 609         Evaluating the Public Health Literature (1)
HPS 696L       HBHP Seminar (1)

HPS Selective Course (minimum of 4 units)

§ Note:  Alternative course addresssing content with a minimum of 3 or greater units may be considered (e.g. with a major grant development component; advanced evaluation methods). Such a substitution requires approval of the Program Director and Faculty Advisor.

Approved Minor (minimum 9 units required)

Dissertation – HPS 920 – (minimum of 18 units required)

MSPH/PhD in Health Behavior Health Promotion - Total Minimum Credit Requirements:  73 units

 
Elective Coursework

Required Health Promotion Emphasis Electives (minimum of 3 units)

HPS 531  Contemporary Health Issues & Research (3)
HPS 532A  Applied Aspects of Program Planning, Implementation & Evaluation I (4)
HPS 535**  Multicultural Health Beliefs (3)
HPS 577  Sociocultural & Behavioral Aspects of Public Health (3)
HPS 605**  Community Based Participatory Action Research to Decrease Health Disparities (3)
HPS 622  Applied Research Methods in Diet and Physical Activity (3)
HPS 642  Public Health Communications (3)
EPID 671  Social Epidemiology (3)
EPID 646  Measurement Issues in Epidemiology (3)

**(if not already used to fulfill the US minority health/disparities requirement)

Other Electives (minimum 12 units; Approved by Faculty Advisor/Doctoral Committee)
These electives will often be independent studies with a research focus, public health graduate courses, or other graduate theory, content or methodology-related courses at the University, relevant to the doctoral area of study).

Electives may be chosen from the above list of "Emphasis Electives." Additional examples of elective courses include: 

  • HPS 533 Global Health (3)
  • HPS 534 Infectious Disease in Global Health and Development (3)
  • HPS 586 Maternal and Child Health (3)
  • HPS 588 Adolescent Health (3)
  • HPS 699 Independent Study (units vary)
 
Additional Requirements

Time to Completion

Per the Health Behavior Health Promotion Program's policy, students have a maximum of eight years to complete the doctoral degree beginning from the time they enter the program.

 
Minor Requirements for Doctoral Students in this Program
Minor (minimum 9 units)
Each PhD student must complete a minimum of 9 credit hours of course work in a minor area other than the HBHP Minor. The minor area of study specifies the number of required minor units.  This should consist of a coherent set of courses in an area (or in related areas) of health behavior health promotion, in consultation with the PhD students faculty advisor and/or Graduate Committee Chair.   These courses may be from more than one program.

 

 
Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate 58.82%
Med. Time-to-degree (years) 3.00
 
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male 18.18%
Enrollment Percent Female 81.82%
Enrollment Percent International 13.64%
Enrollment Percent URM 31.82%

Back to statistics
  • All application, admit, and enrollment data are from Fall 2020.
  • Median Time to Degree calculates how long graduates in the last 5 years (2015-2019) took to complete their degrees, counting back to the first semester entering their program.
  • Underrepresented Minorities (URM) includes domestic students of ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education: African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders.

Persistent link: https://grad.arizona.edu/catalog/programinfo/HBHPPHD
Last revised 05 Sep 2020
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