PhD in Health

PhD in Health

Dalhousie University is home to the largest collection of educational programs related to health and social well-being in Canada. Graduates of the PhD in Health are on the right track to successful careers as researchers, academics and leaders in health - working to improve health and social well-being locally, nationally and internationally.

Program Objectives

• To graduate high quality, independent researchers, academics and leaders who can lead research and research teams influencing and directing health outcomes, health promotion, health care delivery and services, and social well-being by facilitating acquisition of the research skills needed to succeed in the current and evolving health research context.

• To expose future health leaders to the methodological and practical research issues in the broader health research context and to prepare them to function effectively on interdisciplinary/interprofessional teams working at a variety of organizational levels and in a variety of environments.
• To prepare researchers to disseminate and promote their particular research focus to policy makers which will then inform practices, programs and policies to the general public.

Admissions

Candidates must satisfy the general requirements for admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies (see Section 3 of the FGS Regulations). In addition to these, the program has the following requirements:

Students will be accepted into the PhD program only after completion of a Master’s degree from an accredited program. Applicants who have completed a thesis-based Master’s will be eligible for the two-year residency PhD program and those who have completed a non-thesis Master’s program are eligible for the three-year residency PhD program. Enrollment must be on a full-time basis and there is no distance learning option.

Additional admission requirements:

• Cumulative GPA of 3.7 based on both undergraduate and graduate transcripts.
• Commitment of a supervisor or co-supervisors.
• An approved plan of funding which covers a minimum of $12,000 plus tuition and fees per year for the duration of the student's program. Normally, students who are accepted are supported financially by external or Dalhousie scholarships, supervisor research funding or a combination of both.
• For international applicants, an English language competency score of TOEFL >100 (Internet) or IELTS 7.5.

Application deadline: December 31

Degree Requirements

The PhD in Health is offered as a two-year residency program for students who have completed a thesis-based Masters and a three-year residency program for students with a non-thesis based Masters. Students in the three-year program will complete research experience courses and a small-scale research/pilot project in their first year. These must be completed before the student pursues the regular HLTH 6100 program requirement. Students must be registered in the program on a full time basis.

Please note that the terms two-year and three-year refer to the amount of time a full-time student is expected to take to complete required coursework and comprehensive exams. It is generally expected that research and dissertation completion will take approximately two additional years.

Two-Year Program Requirements

• HLTH 6000.03 - Graduate Seminar (3 credit hours)
• HLTH 6100.03 - Fundamental, Applied, and Translational Aspects of Health Research (3 credit hours)
• one advanced research elective (3 credit hours)
• two additional graduate level electives (6 credit hours)
• HLTH 8000 - Comprehensive Exam
• HLTH 9530 - Doctoral Thesis

Three-Year Program Requirements

• HLTH 5101.03 - Research Project I (3 credit hours)
• HLTH 5102.03 - Research Project II (3 credit hours)
• HLTH 6000 - Graduate Seminar (3 credit hours)
• HLTH 6100 - Fundamental, Applied, and Translational Aspects of Health Research (3 credit hours)
• two advanced research electives (6 credit hours)
• two additional graduate level electives (6 credit hours)
• HLTH 8000 - Comprehensive Exam
• HLTH 9530 - Doctoral Thesis

Additional Requirements

• present at a local or other scholarly conference at least once.
• produce 2 peer-reviewed publications.
• apply for at least one funding/scholarship award either prior to or during their program

Supervisory Committees

Each student will have a supervisory committee consisting of their thesis supervisor(s) plus at least two faculty members appointed to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The supervising committee will meet at least twice a year or when called by any member of this committee or the student.