Doctor of Philosophy
PhD students must earn at least 30 credits in the "Major Coursework" section of their program of study. The 30 credits can include a combination of prescribed and transferred major courses. “Major Coursework” includes graduate courses offered by our department, or graduate courses offered by peer departments similar to our department. Courses from other disciplines (Education, Journalism, Psychology, etc.) do not count as “Major Coursework”. Requirements in the section often exceed the 30-credit minimum.
PhD students must take at least 30 credits in Department of Health Education & Behavior coursework, usually lecture courses, as part of the Ph.D. program, regardless of their previous education and experience.
Ph.D. students can request transfer of up to 30 credits of previous graduate coursework (no more than 7 years old) toward requirements for the Ph.D. degree. Only graduate lecture coursework with grades of B or higher may be considered for transfer (no readings, independent study, supervised teaching, supervised research, internship, thesis credit, etc.). Seminars and special topics courses will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Supervisory Committee
Supervisory committees are nominated by the department Chairperson, approved by the dean of the college concerned, and appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. The committee should be appointed as soon as possible after the student has begun doctoral work and in general no later than the end of the second semester of equivalent full-time study. The Dean of the Graduate School is an ex-officio member of all supervisory committees and should be notified in writing well in advance of all examinations conducted by such committees.
The supervisory committee for a candidate for the doctoral degree shall consist of not fewer than four members selected from the graduate faculty. At least two members will be from the department recommending the degree. At least one member will be drawn from a different educational discipline, and at least one person will represent the minor area and may be considered the outside member. In the event that the student elects more than one minor, each minor may, at the discretion of the departments concerned, be represented on the supervisory committee. The chairperson and at least one additional member of the committee will be members of the Doctoral Research Faculty of the University of Florida.
MAJOR COURSEWORK: 30 Credit Hours
Core Coursework (18 Credits/6 Courses)
HSC 6037 – Philosophy and Principles of Health Education
HSC 6507 – Epidemiology
HSC 6604 – Theories of Health Behavior and Practice
HSC 6605 – Scientific Foundations of Holistic Health
HSC 6629 – Health Promotion for Priority Populations
HSC 6637 – Social Marketing and Health
Additional Courses in Health Education: (12 credits/4 courses)
HSC 5135 – Emotional Health Education (3)
HSC 5138 – Human Sexuality Education (3)
HSC 5142 – Drug Education (3)
HSC 5536C Medical Terminology for the Health Professions (3)
HSC 5576 – Nutrition Education for Special Populations (3)
HSC 5925 – Seminar in Health Education
HSC 5925 – Information Technology in Health Behavior Research (3)
HSC 5956 – Writing for Professional Publications (3)
HSC 6318 – Planning Health Education Programs (3)
HSC 6567 – Health Promotion and Programming in Gerontology (3)
HSC 6571 – Contemporary Issues in Health Promotion (3)
HSC 6625 – Trends in International Health (3)
HSC 6695 – Worksite Health Promotion (3)
HSC 6712 – Evaluating Health Education Programs (3)
HSC 6935 – Current Topics in Health Education (1-3, max. 6)
HSC 6935 – HIV/AIDS Education (3)
HSC 7937 – Advanced Seminar in Health Education (3)
Non-Lecture Courses in Health Education
HSC 6940 – Supervised Teaching (1-5, max. 5))
HSC 7904 – Advanced Readings in Health Education (1-3, max. 6)
HSC 7905 – Advanced Independent Study in Health Education (1-3, max. 6)
Interest Area Courses (12 credits):
Statistical Analysis and Research Design Coursework (18 Credits)
Prescribed Courses Required for All PhD Students (13 credits):
HSC 6735 Research Methods in Health Education
EDF 6403 Quantitative Foundations of Educational Research
EDF 7405 Advanced Quantitative Foundations of Educational Research
Research and Statistics Coursework Selected Courses (Select at least 5 credits):
Suggested Quantitative Courses:
EDF 6436 – Theory of Measurement (4)
EDF 6471 – Survey Design and Analysis in Educational Research (3)
EDF 6481 – Quantitative Research Methods in Educational Research (4)
EDF 7412 – Structural Equation Models (3)
EDF 7435 – Rating Scale Design & Analysis in Educational Research (3)
EDF 7491 – Evaluation of Educational Products and Systems (3)
EDF 7932 – Multivariate Analysis in Educational Research (3)
STA 5507 – Applied Nonparametric Methods (3)
Suggested Qualitative Courses:
EDF 6475 – Qualitative Foundations of Educational Research (4)
NGR 6815 – Foundations of Qualitative Research in Nursing (3)
NGR 7814 – Qualitative Field Research for Nursing Sciences (3)
NGR 7817 – Qualitative Epistemologies and Methods (3)
SYA 6315 – Qualitative Research Methods (3)
Qualifying Exam:
Qualifying examinations (written portion and oral portion) must be completed during the Fall and Spring Semesters, or by the mid-point (end of week 3) of the Summer Session A Term. Qualifying examinations may not be scheduled during the Summer Session B Term. Upon conferring with their major professor students are responsible for scheduling their qualifying exam with their committee members and the graduate program assistant.
Qualifying examinations include both written and oral components.
After conferring with their major professor, students are responsible for contacting committee members and arranging a date, time, and location for the oral portion of the qualifying examination some 2-3 weeks (10-15 work days) after the date set for the written portion.
HAVE THE COMMITTEE SIGN THE ADMISSION INTO CANDIDACY FORM
Dissertation Proposal
Work closely with the Major Professor and Supervisory Committee at all stages in developing a dissertation proposal. Dissertations may use either the traditional format or a publishable paper format. Doctoral students and their supervisory committee will decide on the format prior to the date of the qualifying examination.
Students will prepare a dissertation proposal that includes 3 fully developed chapters consisting of the (1) Introduction, (2) Literature Review, and (3) Proposed Methodology or an agreed upon format for the publishable paper. The proposal should be presented to the Supervisory Committee at least 2-3 weeks (10-15 workdays) before the proposal meeting.
Provide print and electronic copies of the proposal to Supervisory Committee members, other faculty members, and other department PhD students specifically as follows:
Supervisory Committee –1 paper copy, and 1 electronic copy (by email) as MS Word file.
Other Ph.D. Students – 1 electronic copy (delivered by email) as a PDF file.
Other Department Faculty (on request) – 1 electronic copy (by email) as a PDF file.
Department Office – 1 paper copy on reserve for public reference.
After conferring with their major professor students traditionally take responsibility for contacting committee members and arranging a date, time, and location for proposal meetings.
HAVE THE COMMITTEE AND STUDENT SIGN THE APPROVED DISSERTATION PROPOSAL FORM
Final Dissertation Defense Meeting:
Dissertation final defense meetings must be completed during the Fall and Spring semesters, and by the mid-point (end of week 3) of the Summer Session A Term. Dissertation final defense meetings may not be scheduled during the Summer Session B Term. Final defense presentations typically last about 30 minutes. They often include a brief handout of the presentation outline and main points, and electronic presentation formats. Advisors help students decide on an appropriate presentation package.
Major Professors announce the dissertation final defense date, time, and location at Department and College levels.
Major Professors invite all graduate students and department faculty to attend the public portion of dissertation final defense meetings.
Work closely with the Major Professor and Supervisory Committee at all stages in completing the dissertation.
Prepare a final version of the dissertation presented to the Supervisory Committee at least 2-3 weeks (10-15 work days) prior to the final defense meeting.
Provide Supervisory Committee members with 1 paper copy, and 1 electronic copy (delivered by email) as an MS Word file, of the final version of the dissertation, and place 1 paper copy of the final version of dissertation on reserve for public reference in the department office.
After conferring with their major professor students traditionally take responsibility for contacting committee members and arranging a date, time, and location for dissertation final defense meetings.
HAVE THE COMMITTEE SIGN THE FINAL DISSERTATION FORM
NOTE: Ph.D. graduates provide professionally bound copies of the dissertation for the Department library and for each Supervisory Committee member. Some Supervisory Committees may delay signing the final paperwork for graduation until the student delivers the bound copies.
OTHER: Annual Evaluations and Expectations
Major professors conduct annual evaluations of all Ph.D. students during the month of March each year to assess student progress toward degree completion. The annual evaluation covers the period from April 1 of the preceding year through March 31 of the current year.
During the period of doctoral study, the faculty expects Ph.D. students to:
_______ Attend the public portion of dissertation proposal meetings of other PhD students.
_______ Attend the public portion of dissertation final defense meetings of other PhD students.
_______ Submit at least 1 manuscript to a professional journal.
_______ Submit at least 1 presentation proposal to a professional conference.
_______ Join at least 1 professional organization.
_______ Attend at least 1 professional conference.