Health Care Degrees Online

The Ph.D. program in Epidemiology provides students with the training to become independent researchers in academia, government, and industry. Using sophisticated study designs, statistical analyses, field investigations, and laboratory techniques, epidemiology students investigate the cause of a disease, its distribution (geographic, ecological, and social), method of transmission, and measures for control and prevention. The doctoral program is designed to provide students with the training to become independent researchers. The master’s program is designed to provide advanced training in theory and practice and an opportunity for research synthesis in the form of a thesis.

The Ph.D. program in Health Services Research seeks to develop scientists experienced in the use of state of the art experimental and non-experimental research methods for the purpose of advancing fundamental knowledge of issues central to the improvement of population health by focusing on organizational characteristics of health care delivery systems, providers, and economic forces that shape consumer and provider behavior, as well as the policy environment in which these relationships exist. The PhD program explicitly seeks to train scientists to optimally contribute as part of multidisciplinary teams in academic posts, government agencies at the state, national and international levels, and in research arms of private sectors of health services delivery organizations. The program explicitly seeks to develop scientists skilled in the communication of scientific knowledge, equipped with leadership skills for the purpose of improving services and influencing health policy at the organizational, state, national, and international levels such that those policies lead to more equitable use of resources thus improving health outcomes. The competency-based curriculum provides students with a strong analytic foundation and general health services research orientation. Students are expected to have an emphasis area in pharmaceutical health services research, sociology, or economics.

All graduate student research is carried out in faculty research laboratories. In addition to all of the basic research equipment, tools, and facilities, major shared facilities include an electron microscope facility, which houses two high-resolution transmission electron microscopes and a scanning electron microscope; a professionally staffed animal-care facility fully equipped for animal maintenance, large animal surgery, and experimentation; an artificial-organ laboratory; a NMR facility with a 500 MHz (with cryogenic probe) spectrometer; a mouse transgenic and knockout core facility; a proteomics core facility including a Biacore T-100; and a molecular genetics core facility with the capacity to analyze gene-chips are available.

The graduate program in molecular pharmacology and physiology offers advanced training appropriate for academic and research careers in the fields of biology and medical sciences that include molecular and structural pharmacology; neuropharmacology; cellular, comparative, and organ systems physiology; translational pharmacology and neurophysiology and neuroanatomy. Programs of study and research are developed individually in consultation with the student’s adviser and advisory committee and are designed to ensure expertise in the student’s principal field. Admission is ordinarily limited to applicants for the Ph.D., but admissions for a master’s degree only may also be permitted.

GRE general test is required except for medical school graduates who may substitute the MCAT. GRE subject scores will be considered if submitted. Personal statement of understanding of public health and commitment to pursuing a career in public health. Statement should explain the relevance of education and/or experience to pursue a career in public health.

The Master of Public Health program is dedicated to developing skilled professionals who are committed to improving the health of communities by translating rigorous scientific research into sound, evidence-based public health policy and practice. Brown is an internationally recognized leader in public health research, and the University is home to nine nationally renowned public health research centers. The MPH program has an unusually high faculty-to-student ratio. Students have a great deal of interaction with faculty, who are accessible, approachable, and encouraging of student involvement in critical projects. Innovative curriculum requirements, such as community and analytic internships, make the program academically rigorous while providing unparalleled access to ongoing research and immersion in public health practice.