Doctoral Degree in Epidemiology
Curriculum
Candidates for the PhD degree must complete seventy-two (72) credit hours for degree conferral: a minimum of 60 credit hours of graduate course credit plus a maximum of 12 credit hours of dissertation guidance. A maximum of 27 credit hours acquired in master's degree training may be applied to the doctoral program. All Ph.D. students must also fulfill a minimum residency requirement of at least two consecutive semesters where full-time registration is maintained (not including the summer semester). Full-time registration is defined as 12 credit hours per semester (or 9 credit hours for those students who are supported by a research grant or graduate assistantship). (See the Graduate Student Handbook for more information.)
For a complete listing of courses in Social and Preventive Medicine, use the Courses link. Students may also select from courses offered through Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Cancer Pathology and Prevention. See their course listing.
The core requirements for the doctorate include the following courses
(all courses are 3 credits unless otherwise specified):
Principles and Methods of Epidemiology
Statistical Methods
- STA 527 Introduction to Medical Statistics (4 credits)
- STA 506 Introduction to Statistical Computing
- SPM 506 Application of Statistics to Epidemiology
- PTR 502 Analysis of Health Related Data
- STA 503 Regression Analysis
- STA 504 Statistical Comparisons and Associations or another advanced statistics course (with approval of the Director of Graduate Studies)
Advanced Epidemiology
Students are required to take four of the following advanced epidemiology courses:
- SPM 509 Epidemiology of Alcoholism
- SPM 511 Nutritional Epidemiology
- SPM 513 Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases
- SPM 515 Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease
- RPN 525 Cancer Epidemiology
- SPM 551 Epidemiologic Applications to Environmental Health
- SPM 552 Epidemiologic Applications to Occupational Health
- SPM 561 Advanced Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention
- SPM 606 Design & Analysis of Clinical Trials
- SPM 611 Case Control Studies
- SPM 614 Introduction to Molecular Epidemiology
- SPM 618 Perinatal Epidemiology
- SPM 620 Epidemics and Outbreaks
- SPM 621 Advanced Topics in Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention
- SPM 622 The Role of Physical Activity in the Etiology, Treatment and Prevention of Chronic Disease
- SPM 624 Introduction to Evidence-Based
Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology
- SPM 515 Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease *
- SPM 519 Principles of Measurement in Public Health (highly recommended)
- SPM 551 Epidemiologic Applications to
Environmental Health *
- SPM 614 Molecular Epidemiology *
- SPM 618 Perinatal Epidemiology *
- RPN 525 Cancer Epidemiology *
NOTE: Students must complete three out of the following six courses:
* course fulfills the advanced epidemiology course requirement.
Seminar
- SPM 590 Graduate Seminar (0 credits) - All Ph.D. students are required to present at a Graduate Seminar before scheduling their dissertation defense.
The remaining courses to be taken are tailored to the trainee's particular interests and needs, and are planned in consultation with the faculty advisor. Please see the complete Graduate Courses/Seminars listing which will facilitate making your selections. Courses taken outside the Departments of SPM, Biostatistics, Health Behavior, RPCI Natural Sciences, or RPCI Cancer Prevention and Control must first be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
A written in-class comprehensive exam is required for all Ph.D. students. The exam must be taken immediately following successful completion (B or higher) of the four required courses or their equivalent: SPM 501, SPM 502, STA 527, STA 506. (See the Graduate Student Handbook for more information.)
When 60 credit hours toward the doctorate are completed, and before developing a dissertation proposal, students must successfully complete a written and oral preliminary examination in general epidemiology, epidemiologic methods and a chosen specialty area. Degree candidates then design and undertake significant original research that will be reported in a doctoral dissertation. In accordance with the rules of the Graduate School, the dissertation proposal and the completed research must be defended before a committee of graduate faculty selected by the candidate.
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