Doctor of Public Health

NEW in Fall 2010
The UIC School of Public Health will offer the DrPH Leadership program in a traditional residence format as well as a distance learning, web based format allowing students to attend classes without coming to campus. 

Click here for a list of Frequently Asked Questions.

About the DrPH Program in Leadership

Assuring the health of the public is an enormous local, national and global challenge. The DrPH Leadership program at UIC SPH is designed for working public health practitioners with significant management experience and demonstrated leadership potential who are interested in joining their peers in a program that is modeled on action learning. (Click here for DrPH program information prior to fall 2010).

Through active engagement with faculty and colleagues, DrPH Leadership students will learn to analyze public health issues, inform policy decisions, lead public health endeavors, and drive change and innovation.

On-site and Distance Learning Options

Effective Fall 2010, students may matriculate into a traditional residence program or select a distance-based option. The distance-based program will allow engaged professionals to pursue their DrPH with minimal disruption to family and work obligations. Distance learners will proceed as a cohort and will be expected to enroll in two specified courses each semester.

UIC SPH requires all DrPH students, both traditional and distance-based, to participate in an annual one week Summer Institute commencing the summer before formal coursework begins. The Summer Institute affords important opportunities to network and to build a community of scholars committed to the advancement of public health practice. It will allow program participants to meet with peers and advisors, attend relevant educational events, and to address informational and technical needs. For students matriculating in Fall 2010, the Summer Institute will take place in August, specific dates to be announced shortly.

Whether participating in the academically rigorous program on campus or at a distance, DrPH students will acquire the scientific tools necessary to conduct applied research and build scholarly practice, while having the freedom to pursue individualized interests.

Students & Faculty

The DrPH student body represents a culturally and professionally diverse group of individuals who find common ground in their professional experiences and career ambitions. Their diversity provides rich opportunities for students to explore leadership challenges and strategies from a variety of perspectives.  Current students include: 

• Deputy Director of a major county health department
• Senior Public Health Advisor for CDC’s National Immunization Program
• Health Commissioner for a  mid-sized city health department
• Senior Administrator for a state health department laboratory
• Director of a center for patient outcomes analysis within a major hospital and health system
• Regional bioterrorism program coordinator within a large city health department
• Chief medical officer for one of the nation's largest public systems of medical care

The highly-regarded faculty contribute to the program’s vitality by bringing to it their own disciplinary interests and research pursuits. Program faculty are attuned to each student’s goals, needs and talents while engaging students as partners in a community of scholarship, committed to shaping and enhancing the practice of public health.

Admission Criteria

A master’s degree from an accredited school of public health or public health training program; and three or more years of full-time, paid, professional experience in public health in a leadership position, or in mid- to senior-level management positions that demonstrate progressive responsibility and evidence of leadership potential.

Applicants meeting the experience requirements but with a master’s or higher degree outside the field of public health will be considered but will be required to make up deficiencies in content equivalent to the MPH core courses.

DrPH Curriculum (effective AY 2010-11)

The DrPH program consists of a minimum of 96 semester hours.

Required Courses (28 sh)
BSTT 401: Biostatistics II (4 sh)
EPID 403: Introduction to Epidemiology Principles & Methods (3 sh)
IPHS 501: Public Health Leadership Seminar 1 (3 sh)
IPHS 502: Public Health Leadership Seminar 2 (3 sh)
IPHS 503: DrPH Integrative Methods Seminar I (3 sh)
IPHS 505: Dr PH Methods Seminar II (3 sh)
IPHS 510: Leadership in Public Health Policy Development (3 sh)
IPHS 511: Personal Leadership Development (3 sh)
IPHS 512: Public Health Leadership Tools (3 sh)

Focus Area (minimum 8 sh) 
Chosen from a wide array of offerings*, the courses when taken together create a focused expertise that will permit a student to apply leadership in an area of emphasis. Courses selected with approval of advisor. (*Elective options are more limited for distance learners.)

Summer Institute (5-day program)
Attendance required annually.  

DrPH Thesis Project (minimum 28sh)
IPHS 699: DrPH Thesis Project
The thesis can take a variety of forms, including:

• Research project
• Intervention program
• Program evaluation
• Policy Analysis

Prior masters degree (up to 32 sh)

• Credit for up to 32 semester hours given for previous master’s of public health (MPH) or related degree.
• IPHS 661: DrPH Field Experience (0-5 sh, required only for students without requisite experience upon matriculation).

Required Non-Credit Training

• HIPAA Research 101
• Investigator Training 101

Important Dates For AY 2010-11

Summer Semester 2010
August 18-20: Summer institute.

Fall Semester 2010 
August 23:  Instruction begins.
September 6:  Labor Day holiday. No classes.
November 25–26:  Thanksgiving holiday. No classes.
December 3:  Instruction ends.
December 6–10: Final examinations.
    
Spring Semester 2011 
January 10:  Instruction begins.
January 17:  Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. No classes.
March 21–25:  Spring vacation. No classes.
April 29: Instruction ends.
May 2–6: Final examinations.

Tuition

Distance learners are assessed a per credit hour rate. The AY 2009-10 rate was $695/credit hour.   Students in residence will pay tuition and fees as indicated at http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/grad/tuition_grad.html. (AY 2010-11 rates are not available at this time.)

Technology Specifications For Distance Learners

Currently, UIC SPH uses Blackboard™ to manage both in-person and online courses and e-Rooms (based on Saba Centra™)* to provide synchronous classroom experiences to distance learners including audio, video, and application sharing.

While UIC SPH recommends that all DrPH students invest in up-to-date technology to support course activities, students in the distance learning program should plan on the following minimum technology requirements:

• Windows or Macintosh laptop with a 2GHz or faster processor and 4GB or more of RAM,
• Microphone and speakers and/or headset for voice communications,
• Webcam,
• A high-speed, reliable broadband Internet connection available at every location from which learners plan to access synchronous class sessions.

UIC SPH will provide additional instruction and support for using Blackboard™, e-Rooms, and related technology during their first Summer Institute, and the DrPH program will provide ongoing support through the academic year. Please note that UIC SPH has no control over firewalls, software restrictions, or other limitations at students’ workplaces or other locations from which students may connect to online classes. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they can access UIC SPH programs from all locations from which they intend to connect.

(*Specific technology platforms subject to change, but equipment requirements will still apply.)

Careers

Graduates of the DrPH Program use their leadership and analytic skills to evaluate public health issues, programs and policies, communicate with policy makers and opinion leaders, and revolutionize the public health system. While many graduates use their degree to pursue new careers or career advancement in a range of governmental and community public health agencies at the federal, state and local levels; others choose to pursue academic careers. 

Contact Information

For more information, please contact:

Alyson Lofthouse, MUPP
Academic Coordinator
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Program
UIC School of Public Health
1603 W. Taylor Street, Room 1158 (M/C 923)
Chicago, Illinois 60612
Phone: 312/996-0054
Email: drph@uic.edu

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