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Community Health

Examine public health issues. Create innovative solutions. Build stronger communities. Learn about health and rehabilitation services, and become an agent of change.

Community Health Ph.D.

The Community Health Ph.D. prepares students for academic and research careers that will enable them to find solutions to the health-related problems facing our society today and into the future.

The Community Health Ph.D. at Illinois offers students the opportunity to focus their studies in six major areas of concentration, allowing them to do work that is important to them. This program trains future community health researchers and practitioners as they address some of our greatest challenges.

Areas of Research

Areas of Research Examples of study topics
Health Promotion and Behavioral Intervention Health behavior, physical activity, nutrition, physical and mental health, perinatal woman health, healthy aging
Health Disparity Global health, immigrant health, minority health, rural communities
Health Technology from Design to Implementation Human factors, technology use in diverse populations and in the context of daily life, implications of technology use for health across the life span
Rehabilitation, Disability and Chronic Illness Wellness, quality of life, psychosocial adjustment, transition, and social participation
Applied Health Data Analytics Analysis of electronic health records (EHR), operational data, spatially and temporally organized data, dyadic data, etc.
 

Admissions Requirements

  • The minimum of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education
  • 3.50 GPA
  • Although the GRE scores are not required, the scores may provide helpful supporting information in some cases. Applicants who have taken the GRE and feel their scores would benefit their application are encouraged to submit the scores. If you would like to submit scores, we recommend you scan your official score report as a PDF file and attach it to your application. You do not need to submit official scores through ETS, but if you decide to, please use our University code of 1836. Your application must demonstrate sufficient academic/quantitative preparedness to be considered for admission to the program. Your prior coursework, volunteer and/or work experiences, and recommendations are just a few of the items that will be reviewed to gauge your preparedness for graduate studies.
  • 3 Letters of recommendation
  • Personal Statement
  • Resume
  • Official Transcripts
  • International students must also submit Test of English as a Foreign Language scores, with a minimum for full status admission: 103 (TOEFL - IBT) or 7.5 (IELTS).   Scores cannot be more than 2 years old. Please see more information about the DUPLINGO test here.
  • Students for whom English is not their native language and who wish to be considered for a teaching assistantship must achieve a score on the speaking sub-section of 24 (TOEFL - IBT) or 8 (IELTS). See this page for more details.

Admission Deadlines

Students may apply to either the M.S. or the Ph.D. program. Applications for Fall admission are due on January 15. Applications for Spring semester are due on October 1.

Curriculum

 

Entering with M.S.
Course Hours
Advanced research methods/statistics 4
HK 591 (CHLH 591) 4
HK 562 (KIN 565) 4
Two courses in area of specialization 8
HK 590 (CHLH 593) 8
Elective hours required to bring total course work hours to 64 hours 12
HK 599 (CHLH 599) 32
Total Hours 64

 

Entering with B.S.
Course Hours
HK 591 (CHLH 591) 12
HK 562 (KIN 565) 4
HK 550 12
Two courses in area of specialization 8
Additional research methods/statistics 8
HK 590 (CHLH 593) 16
Elective hours to bring total course work hours to 64 hours 12-28
HK 599 (CHLH 599) 32
Total Hours 96

For a more comprehensive guide to the coursework, please see the HK Graduate Handbook:

(Community Health PhD starts on page 26)

See HK course catalog for more information on each course:

For curriculum details, visit this page.

Apply Now

Follow the link below to follow begin your application.
 

For more information

Click the link for more information on the Community Health Ph.D. program

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