Doctor of Public Health

[2] According to the United Nations, the world faces unprecedented challenges such as climate change, noncommunicable diseases, aging populations, health crises, a widening wealth gap, and the overreliance on the internet.

[3] DrPH graduates, who received trainings in evidence-based public health practice and research, are expected to have the competences to convene diverse stakeholders, communicate across a range of sectors, and settings, synthesize findings, and generate practice-based evidence.

[4] Given the core competencies developed during the program, DrPH graduates often occupy executive leadership roles in private and public sectors along with non-profits, universities and multilateral entities such as WHO and the World Bank.

[1] By having these competencies the ASPH considers the DrPH a professional degree offered for advanced education and training in public health leadership.

[8] However, a DrPH is primarily designed for those who plan careers involving professional practice, teaching, or research, and often emphasizes interdisciplinary studies.

A typical accredited DrPH program requires roughly a one to two-year long intensive multidisciplinary coursework in advanced research methodology, similar to a PhD in some countries.

Most universities require a rigorous comprehensive exam at the end of first two-years of coursework and a public health practical experience before a candidate may be advanced to the capstone project phase.

DrPH students are required to complete and defend an applied public health practice-related capstone project during their candidacy phase, usually after the comprehensive and qualifying exams.