Public Health—Health Behavior
Office: Ash Building, Room 103
Mail Code: 0622
UCSD—http://www.medicine.ucsd.edu/fpm/
SDSU—http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/gsph/departments/hp.htm
The Joint Doctoral Program (JDP)
A Ph.D. in public health with a concentration in health behavior
is offered by the joint faculties of the Department of Family and
Preventive Medicine in the School of Medicine at UCSD and the Division
of Health Promotion, Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego
State University (SDSU). Students in the program complete course
work and conduct research at both institutions. Faculty from each
campus serve on advisory and dissertation committees, providing
students with extensive exposure to experts whose research interests
represent the interdisciplinary nature of modern public health.
Dr. Lawrence Palinkas (UCSD) and Dr. John Elder (SDSU) codirect
the program.
Emphasis is on producing graduates with a mastery in the central
concepts and analytic processes of health behavior. Graduates of
the program are expected to establish advanced skills in applied
behavioral analysis for population application; to establish expertise
in advanced qualitative and quantitative research methods; to establish
advanced skills in the application of interventions and research
methods to health behavior in disenfranchised populations; and to
establish skills necessary to understand and change health policy.
Graduates of the program are competitive for a variety of research,
teaching, and community service positions in areas such as academic
institutions, local and state health departments, federal and international
agencies, and both private and public-sponsored research institutions.
Requirements for the joint doctoral degree include:
- successful completion of required course work
- passing written preliminary examinations in behavioral science,
epidemiology and biostatistics
- passing written and oral qualifying examinations
- demonstrating proficiency in teaching
- completion and successful formal defense of a dissertation
Areas of specialization currently include physical activity, tobacco
control, skin cancer prevention, nutrition and obesity, and HIV/AIDS
and tuberculosis prevention and control. An additional emphasis
will be placed on methodologies, such as measurement and related
research issues; and ecological approaches to understanding health
behavior. San Diego is ideally located in a large and ethnically
diverse metropolitan center bordering Mexico and the Pacific Rim,
enabling students to carry out community-based multicultural and
multinational studies of health problems.
Time Limits
The goal of this policy is to encourage Ph.D. completion in a timely
manner.
Pre-candidacy limit. Maximum registered time
to advance to Ph.D. candidacy: 4 years
Support limit. Maximum registered time doctoral
student is eligible for support: 6 years
Total time limit. Maximum registered time to
complete all Ph.D. requirements: 7 years
Information regarding admission is found in the current edition
of the Bulletin of the Graduate Division of San Diego State University.
To receive an application for admission, contact SDSU/UCSD Joint
Doctoral Program in Public Health, San Diego State University, 5500
Campanile Drive, San Diego 92182-4162, (619) 594-2743.
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