{ "college": "uc-irvine", "edition": "2026-2027", "departmentName": "Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health", "id": "joe-c-wen-school-of-population-and-public-health--healthsocietyandbehavior-phd", "name": "Health, Society, and Behavior", "award": "Ph.D.", "department": "joe-c-wen-school-of-population-and-public-health", "sourceUrl": "https://catalogue.uci.edu/joecwenschoolofpopulationandpublichealth/healthsocietyandbehavior_phd/", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "markdown": "The Ph.D. degree program in Health, Society, and Behavior is designed for graduate students who aspire to address the complex social, structural, and behavioral determinants of health and health inequities. This degree program integrates a comprehensive approach, incorporating basic, applied, and community-engaged public health sciences research.\n\nStudents in the program explore the social and structural factors that influence health outcomes and contribute to health disparities. The curriculum emphasizes critical analysis of health-focused inequities, and the evaluation of potential interventions and policies aimed at addressing these disparities.\n\nAs a hub for research and education on health inequities, the Department of Health, Society, and Behavior, which manages this degree, seeks to train and prepare students for impactful careers that promote health equity in vulnerable, marginalized, and underserved communities. With a strong focus on structural racism, the program offers a range of elective courses that enable students to deepen their training in innovative social and behavioral science methodologies. Students engage in independent dissertation work, where they design and implement research aimed at advancing health equity. Through this rigorous and transformative program, graduates will be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to drive meaningful changes in public health." }, { "kind": "text", "markdown": "### Admission\n\nApplicants are encouraged to start the application process early by consulting with faculty members in the Department of Health, Society, and Behavior whose research activities align with the applicant’s interests and academic background. Applications are reviewed after the posted application deadline. Applicants are admitted for the fall quarter only.\n\n##### Who Can Apply\n\nDue to the interdisciplinary nature of research on health inequities, undergraduate training in one or more subject areas is the preferred prerequisite for admission to the Ph.D. in Health, Society, and Behavior degree program.\n\nAlthough a graduate degree is not required, students who have obtained advanced degrees such as an M.A., M.D., M.S., M.P.P., or M.P.H. are prioritized. Students who have taken core courses through their advanced degree, which overlap with our graduate-level courses, will be able to petition to waive core courses.\n\n##### Admission Requirements\n\nTo be eligible to apply for the Ph.D. degree, an applicant must meet the minimum academic requirements:\n\n- Successful completion or expected completion of a master’s-level degree in a health-related discipline (or foreign equivalent) from a recognized academic institution prior to enrollment at UCI, however, applicants who come with undergraduate degrees from other related majors might be required to take supplementary courses in addition to the preparatory module of the Ph.D. program. \n- All applicants must have a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0.\n\n##### Mentorship\n\nPotential applicants are encouraged to evaluate the fit of their academic, research, and career interests with faculty in the Department and the Department as a whole. It is a priority to match potential applicants with mentors that will best support students throughout their doctoral training. For some, that may include more than one faculty mentor and for others perhaps a change in mentor(s) as they progress to the dissertation phase. Applicants are invited to elaborate on how their interests fit with the Department and program faculty in their application.\n\n##### Application Instructions\n\nApplicants must submit both the UC Irvine Application for Graduate Admission and the School of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS) application to be considered for admission. Evaluations of applicant files for admission to the Ph.D. program will consist of an assessment of transcripts of previous academic work, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and other relevant qualifications." }, { "kind": "text", "markdown": "### Requirements" }, { "kind": "courselist", "rows": [ { "type": "comment", "text": "A. Complete:" }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 200", "title": "Foundations of Public Health", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 206A", "title": "Principles of Epidemiology", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 207A", "title": "Probability and Statistics in Public Health", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 207B", "title": "Analysis of Public Health Data Using Statistical Software", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 246", "title": "Social Research Methods", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 287", "title": "Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 290", "title": "Special Topics in Public Health", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 294", "title": "Research Communication in Public Health", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 258", "title": "Professional Development Seminar", "indent": false }, { "type": "comment", "text": "B. Select three of the following:" }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 204C", "title": "Biostatistics III: Advanced Statistical Methods", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 209", "title": "Methods of Demographic Analysis", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 247", "title": "Program Evaluation", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 283", "title": "Geographic Information Systems for Public Health", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 286", "title": "Advanced Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Epidemiology", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 210", "title": "Theory-Driven Secondary Data Analysis", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 251", "title": "Models of Practice and Intervention at the Community Level", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "EDUC 234", "title": "Measurement and Psychometrics", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "EDUC 265", "title": "Applied Regression Analysis for Education and Social Scientific Research", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "EDUC 266T", "title": "Design-Based Implementation Research", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "EDUC 280", "title": "Research Methods: Hierarchical Linear Modeling", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "SOCIOL 212", "title": "Network Theory", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "SOCIOL 280", "title": "Analysis of Social Network Data", "indent": false }, { "type": "comment", "text": "C. Select two of the following:" }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 208", "title": "Advances in Social Epidemiology", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 222A", "title": "Health Policy and Management", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 242", "title": "Theories of Health Communication", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 244", "title": "Health Behavior Theory", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 248", "title": "Fundamentals of Maternal and Child Health - Programs, Problems, and Policy", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 272", "title": "Health Psychology", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "SOCIOL 239", "title": "Special Topics: Social Inequality", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "SOCIOL 249", "title": "Special Topics: Political Sociology and Social Movements", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "SOCIOL 262A", "title": "Population", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "SOCIOL 264", "title": "Immigrant America", "indent": false }, { "type": "course", "code": "SOC SCI 254A", "title": "Transnational Migration", "indent": false }, { "type": "comment", "text": "D. Complete at least 12 units of the following:" }, { "type": "course", "code": "PUBHLTH 296", "title": "Doctoral Dissertation Research and Writing", "indent": false } ] }, { "kind": "text", "markdown": "##### Time to Degree\n\n##### Advancement to Candidacy\n\nA student will advance to candidacy after successfully passing the qualifying examination, which consists of both an oral and written component directly related to the research area and topic proposed for the dissertation. The Qualifying Examination must be administered at or before the end of the third year of study.\n\n##### Comprehensive Exam\n\nStudents cannot apply to the M.S. program. Only students in the Ph.D. program who determine that the Ph.D. track is not fit for them, or due to extenuating circumstances are not able to continue toward the Ph.D. would be able to earn the M.S. degree.\n\n##### Dissertation\n\nThe dissertation is the final requirement for the Ph.D. and must demonstrate the capability to conduct original research suitable for publication in a reputable scientific journal. The format of the dissertation manuscript should be approved by all members of the dissertation committee." } ] }