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    Mar 29, 2024  
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Health Services Research, PhD


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Dr. Elias Mpofu, PhD, CRC – Doctoral Program Coordinator

This program provides a broad foundation in public health concerns, research and evaluation methods, and health and social policy analysis to meet the demands of a dynamic health services delivery environment. The focus is on developing academic research scientists who are interested in contributing to the health services discipline through research, education and policy analysis. Graduates of the PhD program in health services research will be prepared to function as educators, researchers and leaders in health services. 

Admission requirements


Admission to PhD Program

Before being admitted to the PhD program, the applicant must meet the requirements for admission to the Toulouse Graduate School specified in the Admission  section of the graduate catalog. Applying is a two-part process. First, prospective applicants for the Health Service Research PhD program must obtain and file an application for admission to the UNT Toulouse Graduate School. Second, applicants for a PhD must obtain and file a separate application for admission to the program. No specific undergraduate or graduate major is required.

GRE Score

An official and competitive GRE score, no more than five years old by date of application, is required from all applicants.

English Proficiency (TOEFL) Score

For all international applicants, an official English proficiency exam score, the TOEFL, no more than two years old from the date of application, is required. We accept the TOEFL (minimum 79 IBT). Our institutional TOEFL code is 6481.

There are only two waivers of this requirement for international applicants:

  • International applicants who have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree from a college or university in the United States are waived from submitting the English proficiency score.
  • International applicants who are from a country whose official governmental language is English AND whose education has been entirely in English. Please see the list of countries whose citizens meet the waiver criteria for English proficiency.

Statement of Vision, Goals, Rationale and Achievements

A five-page, double-spaced, typed essay outlining the applicant’s academic interests and short and long term career goals is required and may be submitted with the online application.

Transcripts

Local applicants must submit official transcripts from all U.S. based colleges and universities attended, including any graduate program in which the applicant was enrolled for admission. These transcripts must be certified, signed or stamped as official by the university’s Registrar’s Office.

International applicants and U.S. citizen and permanent resident applicants with an international degree must submit an official attested photocopy of academic documents such as a transcript, diploma, mark sheets, provisional degree certificate and/or your final degree certificate, in a school sealed envelope with the school seal stamped on the back side of the envelope.

The applicant’s GPA from his/her last 60 semester credit hours or last 90 quarter credit hours will be used as a part of the admission committee’s review for competitiveness for admission.

Resume

A detailed resume of all work and volunteer history. This may be submitted with the online application, or you can submit a hard copy by mail or e-mail. Work experience is not required for admission to the PhD program. However, prior work and volunteer experience is considered highly beneficial.

Letters of Recommendation

Three professional letters of recommendation (2 from former professors and one from current or past employers or community leaders) are required for admission to the PhD program. Letters of recommendation may be submitted through the online letter of recommendation system in the online application, or you can submit a hard copy by mail, e-mail or fax.

Personal Interview

All applications will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee to guarantee the selection of the most qualified applicants based upon a holistic review of the items listed above. After initial screening, an interview with prospective candidates will be conducted by the Admissions Committee, either in person or via Skype or other electronic means.

General degree requirements


The minimum program for the PhD with a major in health services research requires 51 hours beyond the master’s degree.

Specific requirements include:

  • 18 semester hours in foundation core courses covering research methods and design, statistics, grant proposal writing and analysis, and writing for publication.
  • 15 designated semester hours in the student’s chosen concentration
  • 9 semester hours of approved electives
  • A minimum of 9 semester hours of dissertation

Concentration area, 15 hours


Applied gerontology


This program is designed for the applied gerontology practitioner who is interested in making a contribution to the discipline through research, while maintaining their focus on active engagement with the aging population. In the current health care environment, the emphasis is on increasing quality, decreasing the cost of service delivery and on achieving positive, measurable outcomes that improve the health of seniors and that make services accessible and affordable. Practitioners experienced in the delivery of services for the aged are in the best position to identify opportunities for improvement and to conduct experience based research that will result in improved service delivery and improved outcomes.

Audiology and speech-language pathology


The mission of the PhD with a major in health services research and a concentration in audiology and speech-language pathology (ASLP) is to prepare researchers, educators and leaders in the academic fields of audiology and speech-language pathology with an emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. This program focuses on developing competent researchers, educators and leaders to be at the forefront of knowledge for improving the overall quality of life of persons with speech, language and hearing disabilities. Graduates are expected to demonstrate advanced knowledge and technical expertise in addressing critical areas of research, education, service delivery, clinical practice and professional policy.

Behavior analysis


The mission of the PhD with a major in health services research with a concentration in behavior analysis is to train the next generation of behavioral scientists and scientist-practitioners to work across disciplinary boundaries to expand scientific understanding and capability and to solve socially relevant problems. Within the behavior analysis concentration, students can focus on a variety of research and application areas such as populations with learning differences (autism and dd), social justice, teaching sciences, animal behavior, behavioral neuroscience, and behavioral health and contingency management. The program relies on a junior-colleague model to develop world-class researchers, educators, and leaders inside and outside the academy.

Students choose 15 hours from the following:

Rehabilitation science


The mission of the PhD with a major in health services research and a concentration in rehabilitation science is to advance knowledge and research in the psychosocial impact of disability across the lifespan, well-being and health disparities. This program focuses on developing skilled researchers, educators and leaders to be at the forefront of knowledge translation on improving the overall quality of life of persons with disabilities. Graduates are expected to demonstrate advanced knowledge and skill in addressing critical areas of research, education, service delivery, clinical practice and/or policy.

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