Program Description
Clemson’s Department of Public Health Sciences Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Science (MS) degrees in Applied Health Research and Evaluation rigorously prepare future scholars to conduct research in population health and healthcare. Students learn to design and employ cutting-edge research methodologies with community, private sector, and public partners to provide effective solutions to challenging health problems.
The curriculum emphasizes a full spectrum of methodological skills that enable students to design and implement research focused on health outcomes, effective and efficient health services delivery, comparative effectiveness of clinical and cost outcomes, and to conduct program evaluation. Students devote substantial attention to implementation science: that bridge between health research and health practice.
Our interdisciplinary faculty hold terminal degrees in health promotion and behavior, community psychology, epidemiology, health communication, medical sociology, medicine, health services research, health economics, and health policy.
The doctoral program in Applied Health Research and Evaluation is designed to produce innovative, independent leaders in methodology and healthcare research skilled at transcending the traditional barriers between clinical, laboratory, and social science to rigorously test and evaluate clinical and population health data and then translate those findings into practice. Because this program fosters transdisciplinary faculty collaboration and involves research partnerships in communities and healthcare settings in the region, graduates are prepared to initiate and conduct applied research and evaluation that improves a wide variety of health delivery systems. Graduates of this program possess a depth and breadth of knowledge in the determinants of health, healthcare systems, research and evaluation design, epidemiology, and quantitative and qualitative methods, making them valuable assets to academia, large corporations, the health insurance industry, government agencies, health care organizations, and consulting firms.
Candidates for the PhD degree must complete 66 hours of approved coursework in five years. These credits include 36 hours of core research courses and seminars, 18 hours of dissertation coursework, and 12 hours of content coursework approved by the student’s adviser. Students who enter the program with a master’s degree, may be allowed to exempt a maximum of 12 credits if appropriate courses were completed in their master’s degree program. The faculty determines course exemptions and approves them at the time of admission
The doctoral program in Applied Health Research and Evaluation also awards a master of science degree (en route) for those who complete PhD degree. Students who choose to leave the program before the completion of the PhD must complete 34 credits of core research and seminar coursework, and prepare a publishable paper in order to be awarded the MS in Applied Health Research and Evaluation.
Students applying to the PhD program are expected to have competitive GRE scores, have completed six credits of statistics or research methods, and have previous research experience.
Deficits in courses completed or foundation skills in statistics require remediation with approved classes taken in addition to the courses outlined in the PhD curriculum below. This curriculum is representative, but flexibility with regard to content and dissertation coursework is expected. Content courses allow students to develop an appropriate content area to enrich their research agenda. These courses could include those in nutrition, physical activity, the build environment, aging, substance abuse, violence, health communication, health care, advanced statistics, qualitative assessment, survey design, or secondary data analysis. Students should consult their advisor.
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