Online Doctorate Degree Programs in Public Health

Students can choose from two different public health doctorate degrees. A Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in public health is designed for students who wish to pursue a career in research, academia or upper-level administrative positions in health services. The less-common Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) program is tailored for professionals who plan to use their education to pursue executive management and leadership positions in public health enterprise organizations.

Online doctoral degree programs in public health may require short residencies at a campus location, and these residencies may be spaced throughout the entirety of the program or they may be concentrated during the dissertation writing period, depending on the school. Some online programs in public health also include a clinical externship, although this may be waived for students with sufficient work experience in the field.

Coursework requirements for your degree vary based on your chosen institution and specialization. Here are a few of the specializations you can choose from for your doctorate in public health:

• Biosecurity and disaster preparedness
• Environmental and occupational health
• Epidemiology
• Health management and policy
• Health services research

Each specialization comes with its own particular curriculum, but certain core academic goals are common to all public health doctoral programs. For instance, topics such as foundations of public health, ethics and disease transmission are covered in most programs. These core courses are usually taken early in your program before you move on to your area of specialization.

Online public health doctorate programs culminate in a dissertation on a topic relevant to your chosen specialization. A faculty advisor oversees the dissertation research, which typically takes place during the final year or two of a program. Most programs conclude core coursework before dedicated dissertation research begins in order to give students room to focus on their final project.

A bachelor's degree or higher is required before enrolling in a public health doctoral program, and a master's in public health or a related field can be very helpful. At many schools, students must also take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) before applying. Some Dr.P.H. programs require experience in the health care field for admission, but prior experience is typically not necessary for Ph.D. in public health programs. Programs can take between four and five years, depending primarily on the length of time required for the dissertation.

If you are considering an online doctorate in public health, you can browse the offerings below and request more information from programs that interest you.