Public Health (DPH)
with a Concentration in Advanced Practice Leadership in Public Health (APR)

Program Director or Coordinator:
Kamala Dontamsetti
Phone: 813-974-6505
Email: cophinfo@health.usf.edu

Website: http://www.publichealth.usf.edu

Faculty Search: Public Health Faculty List

Major Information

The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) is a professional, practice-oriented research degree that is granted in recognition of the attainment of a broad set of practice, analytic and evaluative skills, including demonstrated public health leadership skills. The Dr.P.H. prepares individuals for leadership roles in practice-based settings such as health departments, non-profit organizations, health services, international agencies, and community-based organizations. Accordingly, the emphasis of the Dr.P.H. is placed on fostering advanced expertise in developing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based public health practice.

The Dr.P.H. degree has one concentration in Advanced Practice Leadership in Public Health, with a core and concentration curriculum applicable to four domains of knowledge: Community Engagement, Leadership and Management, Communication and Education, and Evidence-Based Public Health. Dr.P.H. student are expected to collaborate with senior public health practitioners as mentors through applied practice experiences, and are required to complete a field-based doctoral project that influences public health programs, policies, or systems. The Dr.P.H. requires a minimum of 43 semester hours beyond the Masters degree, with at least 13 credits at the 7000 level.

Mission
The mission of the Dr.P.H. degree is to prepare practitioners for leadership and advocacy in public health practice through an evidence-based, interdisciplinary approach to understanding and solving public health problems in public and private sectors in the U.S. and worldwide.

Mode of Delivery
The USF College of Public Health Dr.P.H. degree is completed through a combination of distance-learning and blended courses that include on-campus learning via three one-week Dr.P.H. Institutes. Students are expected to attend an Institute in the first semester of their admission, and then in the subsequent two summer semesters. This combination of program delivery formats allows working professionals to broaden their grasp of public health leadership, practice, and research without interrupting their careers.

Accreditation Information:

. The College of Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH).

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Admissions Information

Admission Deadlines

Major Priority Deadline

Fall: November 15
Spring: ---
Summer: ---

Admission Requirements

You must comply with general University policies and meet general University Admission requirements in addition to those listed below.

Must meet University requirements (see Graduate Admissions) as well as requirements listed below.

Required Application Documentation
Aplicants to the Dr.P.H. degree are required to complete both a SOPHAS application and a USF Office of Graduate Studies application. Required Documentation (all items are required regardless of GPA or GRE scores):

• Completed USF Office of Graduate Studies application, and
• Completed SOPHAS application (requires the following):
• Transcripts
• GRE taken within five years preceding application or equivalent scores.
• Minimum of three letters of Recommendation
• Detailed personal statement of less than five pages that descirbes why you wish to obtain a Dr.P.H. degree in Public Health
• Resume or curriculum vitae
• Applicants whose native language is not English or who have not earned a degree in the United States must also submit TOEFL scores earned within two (2) years of the desired term of entry. A minimum total of 79 on the internet-based test, 213 on the computer-based test, or 550 on the paper-based test are requried. Applications submitted with TOEFL scores that do not meet the minimum requirements will be denied with no exceptions. (Section 6.2 Admissions Tests Information for more information)

ADMISSION INFORMATION

Applicants to the DrPH degree are initially required to complete a SOPHAS application. Once that application is verified by SOPHAS, we will invite the applicant to submit a shortened USF Office of Graduate Studies application. Applicants must meet the University requirements (see Graduate Admissions) as well as the requirements listed below. However, these criteria are not the only basis for admission.

Program Admission and Documentation Requirements

• Applicants must have an MPH, MHA, MSPH, or other relevant Masters degree from an accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Applicants must submit transcripts for all college-level coursework, with a transcript evaluation for coursework from foreign institutions.
• Applicants must submit a GRE test score taken within five (5) years preceding application, or results from an equivalent exam (GMAT, MCAT, DAT, or PCAT, but not LSAT). The GRE score will be compared to the applicant pool and national GRE norms when admission is considered. This requirement can be waived if the student has at least a 3.5 GPA, or has a terminal degree (PhD, ScD, or EdD) from an accredited institution, or an advanced professional degree (MD, DDS, DVM, JD, PharmD, DPT) with licensure in the United States. Any student seeking a waiver must submit a GRE waiver request with supporting documentation.
• Applicants whose native language is not English or who have not earned a degree in the United States must also submit TOEFL scores earned within two (2) years of the desired term of entry. A minimum total of 79 on the internet-based test, 213 on the computer-based test, or 550 on the paper-based test is required. Applications submitted with TOEFL scores that do not meet the minimum requirements will be denied with no exceptions.
• Applicants must submit a resume or curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, and a personal statement of less than five pages that describes why the applicant wishes to obtain a DrPH degree in Public Health. This document should explain the applicant's public health background, current public health practice interests, and how the DrPH is expected to affect the applicant's current practice.
• To be admitted, applicants must have a minimum of two years advanced work experience in public health, and must demonstrate public health leadership potential in their statement of purpose and letters of recommendation. Admission also depends on the availability of a Faculty Advisor who can advise the student in their area of interest. The final decision on admission is made by the faculty of the College.
• Applicants must also be fully prepared to attend three DrPH Institutes on-campus.

Financial Aid
Students seeking financial aid should contact the USF financial aid office for federal guidelines. DrPH students are not eligible for a doctoral fellowship in the College of Public Health as it requires admission to a fully on-campus degree program. DrPH students are eligible for current student scholarships and awards that are announced each year. Please see http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/FinAid.html.

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Major Requirements

Total minimum hours 43 credits post-masters
Common core 13 hours
Concentration 12 hours
Electives 12 hours
Doctoral Project 6

Pre-Requisites
Students are expected to come into the DrPH program with foundational public health knowledge. Students who have an MPH or MHA degree from a CEPH-accredited institution meet this requirement. Students with other degrees meet this requirement if they have taken the equivalent of the MPH core coursework at a CEPH-accredited institution, or if they take the courses at USF listed below. One or more of these pre-requisite courses can be waived if the student can demonstrate prior learning or work experience that fulfills the same knowledge and competency goals.

Pre-Requisite Public Health Core Courses: 9 credit hours
PHC 6588 History and Systems of Public Health
PHC 6756 Population Assessment I
PHC 6757 Population Assessment II

Total Minimum Hours: minimum 43 credit hours
The total minimum hours required are 43 credit hours post-masters. At least 13 hours have to be completed at the 7000 level. A maximum of 12 hours can be transferred into the program, if the coursework was completed post-masters. Students may seek approval to waive courses if they can demonstrate prior learning or work experience that fulfills the same knowledge and competency goals, but must take other courses for an equivalent amount of credits.

Doctoral Common Public Health Core Courses - 13 credit hours
PHC 7935/7116 (1) Introduction to Public Health Doctoral Training
PHC 7103 (3) Transforming Public Health Practice
PHC 7154 (3) Evidence-Informed Public Health I
PHC 7149 (1) Practical Applications II: Public Health Leadership
PHC 7934 (3) Writing for Scholarly Publications in Health Sciences
HSC 7268 (2) Professional Foundations III: Joining the Academy

Advanced Practice Leadership in Public Health Concentration - 12 credit hours
PHC 7932 (1) Practical Applications I: Policy, Advocacy and Public Health
PHC 7466 (1) Health Disparities and Cultural Competency in Public Health
PHC 7119 (3) Organizational Behavior in Public Health Systems
PHC 7504 (1) Innovative Education in Public Health
PHC 6411 (3) Introduction to Social Marketing for Public Health
PHC 7156 (3) Evidence-Informed Public Health II

Electives 12 credit hours minimum
These courses can be selected from the COPH online programs: http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/onlineprograms/

Culminating Requirements 6 credit hours minimum
These lead to a field-based doctoral project that influences public health programs, policies, or systems:
Applied Practice Experiences
Qualifying Exam
PHC 7908 (6) Doctoral Project: Specialized Study in Public Health

CULMINATING REQUIREMENTS

Applied Practice Experiences
All DrPH students will engage in applied practice experiences to advance their leadership and professional skills in public health. Within their courses, students will select at least five DrPH competencies and propose projects in a public health or related organization that will develop these competencies, with advice from a practice-based mentor in the proposed setting. These studies will be jointly planned by the student, the mentor, and the Faculty Advisor, and may consist of one project, or several projects, depending on the scope and competency goals. The final practice experience deliverables must be approved by the Faculty Advisor, verifying that the student has demonstrated achievement of the proposed competencies.

Doctoral Project Committee
The student will be assigned one or more Faculty Advisor(s) at the time of admission. The Faculty Advisor(s) will guide the student through the program of study in the initial stages. Within the second year of the program, the student should establish a doctoral project committee. The doctoral project committee will consist of a minimum of one Faculty Chair and one Faculty Member (or two Faculty co-Chairs) from the faculty of the College of Public Health, as well as an external public health professional or practitioner who is a mentor to the student.

College Degree Requirements

Refer to the College Section of theGraduate Catalog for College requirements and information.

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USF Degree Requirements

See USF Degree Requirements —
http://www.grad.usf.edu/policies.php

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Financial Assistance

Financial Aid

Fellowships & Scholarships

Graduate Assistantships

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Registration Process

First, contact your graduate advisor for guidance courses to register for. Obtain any electronic course permit if necessary. Register for the new student orientation online at http://www.grad.usf.edu/orientation.php. Then go to http://oasis.usf.edu/ the link to OASIS, USF's on-line registration system to register for your classes. Follow the directions given on-line.

To access online course materials, students must have a USF NetID (e-mail account). Please visit: https://netid.usf.edu/una/ to obtain your NetID.

New students, including those studying online, may obtain a USFCard. Please visit: http://www.usf.edu/it/class-prep/usf-card.aspx to obtain your USFCard.

Tuition and fees: Fees are determined by the level of the course. Please visit Cash Accounting, Controller's Office, for information on tuition and fees.

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Graduate Course Information

Use the list below to lookup graduate courses related to this program in the USF Course Inventory:

PHC6000, PHC6050, PHC6102, PHC6357, PHC6410, PHC6051, PHC6010, PHC6011, PHC7001, PHC7980,