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A minimum of 90 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree are required. During the first year of study, the student and the Doctoral committee will agree upon a planned program of courses suitable to the student's research interest and which will provide the student the required competencies in the area of specialization. This Plan of Study and any subsequent revisions must be approved by the doctoral advisory committee and must be filed with the College's Academic and Student Affairs Office promptly. Applicants must register as full time students (a minimum of 9 credits per semester of substantive course work) for at least two consecutive semesters during their program). Courses offered by other colleges may be used when appropriate.

The student's plan of study will include the following components:

Prerequisites: The doctoral committee or the department may require prerequisites. A student who has a master's degree may be required to take those public health courses which have not been included in previous master's study. These courses are not included in the minimum number of hours a student needs to complete the PhD and are expected to be completed early in the course of study. Doctoral student will be required to take a more advanced biostatistics course than PHC 6050.

Tools of Research: Before a student becomes eligible to take the doctoral comprehensive qualifying examination, two of the "Tools of Research" selected and approved by the student's Doctoral Committee must be completed. Courses taken to fulfill "Tools of Research" requirements may not be credited toward the 90 SH requirement for the PhD degree. The "Tools of Research" requirement is interpreted broadly to allow the inclusion of a wide range of skills competencies relevant to the candidate's area of study. Suggested topics include foreign language, advanced courses in Computer Science, (Bio) Statistics, special practical training complimentary to the student's area of research and other appropriate courses. The Doctoral Committee will state clearly what is required, how it will be met, in what way it is appropriate for the student's course of study, as well as how proficiency/competency will be evaluated.

Seminars: Doctoral students will be expected to participate in the department's Interdisciplinary Conferences and shall present at least twice during their course of study. All doctoral students take a minimum of three semesters (one credit per semester) of a college wide Advanced Interdisciplinary Seminar in Public Health (PHC 7931).

Required Course Work: The courses and number of credit hours required are defined by the doctoral committee and may include course work from another department or college. There must be a minimum of 13 credits beyond at the 7000 level.   Generally, the doctoral degree requires a minimum of 90 credits beyond the bachelor's degree. "Tools of Research" and Public Health Core Courses are not included in this 90 credit requirement. The doctoral committee shall delineate in the plan of study the number of credits accepted from previous master(s) degree which will not exceed a maximum of 30.

Graduates with a concentration in Environmental and Occupational Health will be able to:

1. (Will be added shortly)

Graduates with a concentration in Environmental Health will be able to:

1. Demonstrate general knowledge of public health in the context of environmental factors, occupational exposures, and individual susceptibilities, and related health outcomes;
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the history of environmental health;
3. Interpret literature regarding environmental health and understand the limitations and strengths of the research presented;
4. Conduct discipline-specific literature reviews to assess current issues and develop research questions;
5. Demonstrate special knowledge in a specific area of interest in environmental health;
6. Articulate research needs for new methods and improvement of existing methods;
7. Formulate substantive research questions in environmental health;
8. Design and execute a feasible research plan to address gaps in the state of knowledge in environmental health;
9. Understand study design and data structure, and be able to interpret results;
10. Conduct research responsibly with an understanding of scientific integrity with respect to data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting;
11. Perform all research ethically with respect for the protection of human participants;
12. Communicate effectively with other scientists and the public;
13. Collaborate with researchers in other disciplines;
14. Prepare manuscripts presenting the results of research;
15. Present research at professional conferences and seminars;
16. Convey broad knowledge of environmental health in an educational setting.

Graduates with a concentration in Industrial Hygiene will be able to:

1. Demonstrate general knowledge of public health in the context of environmental factors, occupational exposures, personal risk factors, and related health outcomes;
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the history of industrial hygiene and occupational health;
3. Interpret literature regarding industrial hygiene and occupational health and understand the limitations and strengths of the research presented;
4. Conduct discipline-specific literature reviews to assess current issues and develop research questions;
5. Demonstrate special knowledge in a specific area of interest in industrial hygiene and occupational health;
6. Articulate research needs for new methods and improvement of existing methods;
7. Formulate substantive research questions;
8. Design and execute a feasible research plan to address gaps in the state of knowledge in industrial hygiene and occupational health;
9. Understand study design and data structure, and be able to interpret results;
10. Conduct research responsibly with an understanding of scientific integrity with respect to data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting;
11. Perform all research ethically with respect for the protection of human participants;
12. Communicate effectively with other scientists and the public;
13. Collaborate with researchers in other disciplines;
14. Prepare manuscripts presenting the results of research;
15. Present research at professional conferences and seminars;
16. Translate research results to practice/practical application;
17. Advocate for industrial hygiene and occupational health in public forums;
18. Be committed to engaging in lifelong learning in industrial hygiene and occupational health.

Graduates with a concentration in Occupational Health will be able to:

1. Demonstrate general knowledge of public health in the context of environmental factors, occupational exposures, and related health outcomes including personal risk factors;
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the history of environmental and occupational health;
3. Interpret literature regarding environmental and occupational health and understand the limitations and strengths of the research presented;
4. Conduct discipline-specific literature reviews to assess current issues and develop research questions;
5. Demonstrate special knowledge in a specific area of interest in occupational health;
6. Articulate research needs for new methods and improvement of existing methods;
7. Formulate substantive research questions in occupational health;
8. Design and execute a feasible research plan to address specific gaps in the state of knowledge in occupational health;
9. Understand study design and data structure, and be able to interpret results;
10. Conduct research responsibly with an understanding of scientific integrity with respect to data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting;
11. Perform all research ethically with respect for the protection of human participants;
12. Communicate effectively with other scientists and the public;
13. Collaborate with researchers in other disciplines;
14. Prepare manuscripts presenting the results of research;
15. Present research at professional conferences and seminars;
16. Engage in lifelong learning regarding occupational health;
17. Provide leadership in occupational and public health improvement at the local, state, national and international levels.

Graduates with a concentration in Toxicology and Risk Assessment will be able to:

1. Demonstrate general knowledge of public health in the context of environmental factors, occupational exposures, personal risk factors, and related health outcomes;
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the history of environmental and occupational health;
3. Interpret literature regarding environmental and occupational health and understand the limitations and strengths of the research presented;
4. Conduct discipline-specific literature reviews to assess current issues and develop research questions;
5. Demonstrate special knowledge in a specific area of interest in environmental and occupational health;
6. Articulate research needs for new methods and improvement of existing methods;
7. Formulate substantive research questions;
8. Design and execute a feasible research plan to address gaps in the state of knowledge in environmental and occupational health;
9. Develop and apply experimental design skills, and laboratory and field methodologies to test a research hypothesis;
10. Understand study design and data structure, and be able to interpret results;
11. Conduct research responsibly with an understanding of scientific integrity with respect to data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting;
12. Perform all research ethically with respect for the protection of human participants;
13. Communicate effectively with other scientists and the public;
14. Collaborate with researchers in other disciplines;
15. Prepare manuscripts presenting the results of research;
16. Present research at professional conferences and seminars;
17. Teach at a university level and work as a productive member of a research team and collaborate in writing research proposals to obtain extramural funding to support research projects;
18. Provide leadership in toxicology and risk assessment at the local, state, national and international levels.

Students are expected to be familiar with the Graduate Catalog, Department and College Academic and Student Affairs and pertinent documents and forms that guide doctoral studies. The student is responsible for assuring appropriate forms are submitted on time.

Restriction on Release of Publication

See Graduate Studies for details

Teaching: All PhD candidates are required to teach as part of their training. The teaching experiences should include, but not be limited to:

1. Presentation of seminars;
2. Assisting with class preparation;
3. Giving classroom lectures or presentations;
4. Presentation of research findings at local and /or national meetings

Students entering the doctoral program with significant teaching experience at the University level may have all or part of this requirement waived or substituted by their committee.

Assistantships: The Department has a limited number of assistantships for PhD students. Students should apply to the EOH Department's Student Affairs and Admissions Committee.

Doctoral Committee; Chair, Members through qualifying Examination; then Dissertation Committee

Upon a student's admission, the department chairperson will appoint the faculty sponsor as advisor. The student and Faculty advisor shall meet prior to the beginning of the first semester to identify courses taken during the first semester of study. By the end of the first semester, the doctoral committee must be formed. The Doctoral Committee will advise and approve the student's course of study and will also administer and grade the written and oral qualifying examinations.

The Doctoral Committee will consist of at least four members including the adviser, three of whom must come from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.  After passing the qualifying examination, the Dissertation Committee will be formed. The Doctoral Committee may continue to serve as Dissertation Committee. The Dissertation Committee will approve the student's plan of research, supervise the research, read and approve the dissertation, and conduct the dissertation defense. The Dissertation Committee will consist of at four least members including the advisor, three of whom must come from the academic area in which the major work for the degree will be done, with at least one member from outside the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. All the members must be credentialed by USF Graduate Studies.

Qualifying Examination:

The comprehensive qualifying examination is a means of:

1. Having students demonstrate their mastery of knowledge and skills relevant to the discipline of study;
2. Diagnosing knowledge deficiencies;  and/or
3. Fulfilling external requirements (i.e., mandate from College or University).

The qualifying examination is administered by the Doctoral Committee when the student has met the following minimum conditions:

1. Successful completion of all or most formal coursework, including the research tools; and,
2. Agreement between the doctoral student and the Doctoral Committee that the student is prepared for the qualifying examination process.

The content of the qualifying examination will be drawn from two broad areas:

1. The broad field of Public Health with emphasis on Environmental and Occupational Health; and
2. Understanding and knowledge in the major field of interest.

The comprehensive qualifying examination will have an oral component in addition to the written portion of the examination. The student must successfully complete the written portion of the qualifying examination prior to undertaking the oral portion of the exam.   A student who is unsuccessful in the first attempt of the written portion will be given one opportunity to retest the written portion of the examination.  A second failure of the written examination or of the oral examination will result in the student's dismissal from the doctoral program.

Admission to Candidacy: Students may not be admitted to candidacy until after a Doctoral Committee has been appointed and the Committee has certified that the student has successfully completed the qualifying examination and demonstrated the qualifications necessary to successfully complete the requirements of the degree. Following approval of Admission to Candidacy form, the Dissertation committee is formed and the student may enroll in Dissertation credits.

The Proposal, Dissertation, and Oral Defense

The Proposal: The student, in consultation with the doctoral dissertation committee, will agree upon a dissertation subject and develop a proposal, consisting of at least the following chapter:

1. Statements of the problem;
2. Review of Pertinent Literature; and
3. Methods.

The proposal shall be presented in a formal meeting including at least the Dissertation Committee.   Before the proposal is presented, committee members shall sign a form indicating that they have read the proposal and approve it for presentation. However, this is not necessarily an endorsement of the proposal as a research plan.

Dissertation: Original research, dealing with a clearly identified contemporary problem in the selected discipline resulting in a direct contribution to the science, should constitute the key element of the dissertation. The formulation of a scientifically sound hypothesis, coupled with appropriate planning and execution of well designed experiments, followed by analysis of data leading to a solution of the problem is expected.

Defense of Dissertation: Scheduling of the final oral examination (defense of dissertation) should be by mutual agreement of the student and the dissertation committee, and in conformance with the scheduling requirements of Graduate Studies. The dissertation defense will include a presentation of the results of the Dissertation Research which is open to interested faculty, students, and guests. The Chair of the examination committee shall be a distinguished scholar who is not a member of the dissertation committee, and is from outside the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in accordance with College of Public Health Policy.   The Dissertation Defense (examination) Committee Chair acts as a representative of the Graduate school to ensure that the Defense is both thorough and fair.