Courses

In the PhD in Public Health program, you’ll balance the theoretical with the practical in a host of advanced coursework under the guidance of esteemed faculty from NYU’s global network. The composition of your classes will depend on which one of four doctoral concentrations you choose: Epidemiology, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Public Health Policy and Management, or Biostatistics.

Quick links:

Pre-requisite Courses
Degree Requirements
Program Sequence
Concentration Overview and Courses
PhD Coursework Checklists (Listed by Concentration)

Prequisite Courses

These courses are only required for students who enter the program without an MPH. For questions related to this, please consult with the Director of Doctoral Studies.

GPH-GU 2106 Epidemiology (3)
GPH-GU 2995 Biostatistics for Public Health (3)
GPH-GU 2110 Health Care Policy (2)
GPH-GU 2112 Public Health Management & Leadership (2)
GPH-GU 2140 Global Issues in Social & Behavioral Health (3)
GPH-GU 2153 Global Environmental Health (3)

Degree Requirements

All PhD students take the following courses (27 credits):

For students who matriculated in Fall 2020 and after, the total PhD degree requirements are 72 credits. This includes the addition of 33 doctoral research credits that will be required for all PhD students effective Fall 2020.

GPH-GU 2930 Epidemiological Methods and Design (3)
GPH-GU 3020 Evidence-Based Public Health & Systematic Review Best Practices (0)
GPH-GU 2450 Intermediate Epidemiology (3)*
GPH-GU 3050 Methods in Community Health Research (3)
GPH-GU 3000 Perspectives in Public Health: Doctoral Seminar Part 1 (1.5)
GPH-GU 3010 Perspectives in Public Health: Doctoral Seminar Part 2 (1.5)
GPH-GU 3353 Regression I: Linear Regression and Modeling (3) - Epidemiology PhD students will take GPH-GU 2332 Applied Regression Analysis instead of Regression I and II
GPH-GU 3354 Regression II: Categorical Data Analysis (3)
GPH-GU 3165 Research Ethics (3)
GPH-GU 3960 Theories in Public Health, Practice, Policy & Research (3)
GPH-GU 5170 Introduction to Public Health**
GPH-GU 3015 Doctoral Research (33 credits total)***†
GPH-GU 3200 Dissertation Proposal Seminar (3)

All PhD students take 15 credits of concentration courses
Please refer to the Concentration Overview and Courses section below for specific information about this requirement.

* required only for students who have not taken an equivalent intermediate level course in epidemiology and have obtained permission to waive this course.
**students who entered prior to Fall 2024 took GPH-GU 5175 Readings in the History & Philosophy of Public Health I, GPH-GU 5180 Readings in the History & Philosophy of Public Health II, and GPH-GU 5185 Readings in the History & Philosophy of Public Health III instead of GPH-GU 5170.
*** these credits are required only for students who matriculated in Fall 2020 or later.
† Biostatistic concentration students who matriculated into the program Fall 2025 and beyond are required to take 30 credits of Research Dissertation Credits

Program Sequence

Note: GPH-GU 3015 Doctoral Research is applicable only to students who matriculated in Fall 2020 or later

Year 1:
Fall semester (9 credits)
GPH-GU 3960 Theories in Public Health Practice, Policy, and Research (3)
GPH-GU 3165 Research Ethics (3)
GPH-GU 3000 Perspectives in Public Health: Doctoral Seminar I (1.5)
GPH-GU 3020 Evidence-Based Public Health & Systematic Review Best Practices (0)
GPH-GU 5170 Introduction to Public Health (0)
GPH-GU 3015 Doctoral Research (1.5)

Spring semester (12-15 credits)
GPH-GU 3353 Regression I: Linear Regression and Modeling (3) - Epidemiology PhD students will take GPH-GU 2332 Applied Regression Analysis instead
GPH-GU 3010 Perspectives in Public Health: Doctoral Seminar II (1.5)
GPH-GU 3050 Methods in Community Health Research (3)
GPH-GU 2450 Intermediate Epidemiology (3)*
Concentration course (3)**
GPH-GU 3015 Doctoral Research (1.5)

Year 2:
Fall semester (13.5 credits)
GPH-GU 3354 Regression II: Categorical Data Analysis (3)
GPH-GU 2930 Epidemiological Design and Methods (3)
Concentration course (3)**
Concentration course (3)**
GPH-GU 3015 Doctoral Research (1.5)

Spring semester (10.5 credits)
GPH-GU 3200 Dissertation Proposal Seminar (3)
Elective (3)**
Elective (3)**
GPH-GU 3015 Doctoral Research (1.5)

Year 3:
Fall semester (6 credits)
GPH-GU 3015 Doctoral Research (6 credits)

Spring semester (6 credits)
GPH-GU 3015 Doctoral Research (6 credits)

Year 4:
Fall semester (6 credits)
GPH-GU 3015 Doctoral Research (6 credits)

Spring semester (6 credits)
GPH-GU 3015 Doctoral Research (6 credits)

Year 5:
Fall semester (1.5 credits)
GPH-GU 3015 Doctoral Research (1.5 credits)

Spring semester (1.5 credits)
GPH-GU 3015 Doctoral Research (1.5 credits)

* required only for students who have not taken an equivalent intermediate level course in epidemiology and have obtained permission to waive this course.
** see below for concentration course requirements for specific concentrations; additional electives may be considered in consultation with the department chair and/or faculty mentor.

Concentration Overview and Courses

Concentration Overview

Students will engage in a course of study designed to deepen their understanding and application of advanced data analytic techniques and research methodology. Students are required to take two (6 credits) of the following courses:

GPH-GU 3152 Advanced Agent-Based Modeling (3)
GPH-GU 3374 Advanced Epidemiological Methods I: Evaluation of Epidemiological Studies (3)
GPH-GU 3275 Advanced Epidemiological Methods II: Practical Applications in Epidemiology (3)

In addition, they will identify a specialization area (e.g. chronic disease epi, mental health epi, etc.) and take three courses (9 credits) in their specialization area.

Concentration overview:

Doctoral students in Public Health Policy and Management will engage in a course of study designed to deepen their understanding of health policy and management issues and apply advanced data analytic techniques and research methodologies to conduct research from the fields of management and organizations, implementation science and program evaluation, and policy evaluation and health
economics.

Students are required to take the following three courses (9 credits):

GPH-GU 3110 Advanced Public Health Policy and Management (3)
GPH-GU 3185 Health Services and Policy Research (3)
GPH-GU 3240 Organizational Behavior and Theory in Public Health (3)

Students take two elective courses (6 credits) which may be taken from the following list or by under advisement from their advisor or concentration director.

PADM-GP 2172.001 Advanced Empirical Methods (3)
MGMT-GB 3381 Advanced Research in Organizational Behavior (3)
GPH-GU 3372 Applied Bayesian Analysis in Public Health (3)
GPH-GU 3368 Applied Survival Analysis (3)
GPH-GU 2135 Dissemination and Implementation Science (3)
PADM-GP 2171 Evaluating Programs and Policies (3)
GPH-GU 2480 Longitudinal Analysis of Public Health Data (3)
GPH-GU 3338 Machine Learning Public Health (3)
CORE-GP Microeconomics for Public Management, Planning, and Policy Analysis (3)
APSTA-GE 2042 Multilevel Models: Nested-Data (3)
GPH-GU 3210 Qualitative Analysis: Interviewing & Mixed Methods Approaches (3)
MGMT-GB 3387 Organization Theory (3)
APSY-GE 2524 Psychological Measurement (3)
GPH-GU 2225 Psychometric Measurement & Analysis in Public Health Research and Practice (3)
GPH-GU 2387 Survey Design, Analysis, and Reporting (3)

Doctoral PHPM students who matriculated prior to Fall 2023 take the following courses, primarily during their second year:

GPH-GU 3110 Advanced Public Health Policy and Management (3)
MGMT-GB 3381 Advanced Research in Organizational Behavior (3) (Stern)
PHD-GP 5902 Doctoral Research Methods (3) (Wagner)
GPH-GU 3185 Health Services and Policy Research (3)
MGMT-GB 3387 Organization Theory (3) (Stern)

Pre-Reqs (16 credits)

GPH-GU 2106 Epidemiology I (3 credits)
GPH-GU 2995 Biostatistics for Public Health (3 credits)
GPH-GU 2110 Health Care Policy (2 credits)
GPH-GU 2112 Public Health Management & Leadership (2 credits)
GPH-GU 2140 Global Issues in Social & Behavioral Health (3 credits)
GPH-GU 2153 Global Environmental Health (3 credits)

Doctoral students in the Biostatistics area of study will be required to complete the following two concentration courses (6 credits) :

GPH-GU 3363 Causal Inference: Design and Analysis(3 credits)
GPH-GU 3225 Statistical Inference (3 credits)

In addition, students must choose three of the following courses (9 credits):

GPH-GU 3372 Applied Bayesian Analysis (3 credits)
GPH-GU 3338 Machine Learning in Public Health (3 credits)
GPH-GU 3368 Applied Survival Analysis (3 credits)
GPH-GU 2480 Longitudinal Analysis of Public Health Data (3 credits)

Students Who Enrolled Before Fall 2016

Doctoral students who matriculated prior to Fall 2016, should follow the degree requirements outlined below:

Are you ready to start creating pioneering solutions to some of global health’s most demanding issues? Apply to the PhD in Public Health today!

PhD Coursework Checklists (Listed by Concentration)

Biostatistics Coursework Checklist (2024 and prior)
Biostatistics Coursework Checklist (2025 and beyond)
Epidemiology Coursework Checklist
Public Health Policy and Management Coursework Checklist (Pre 2023)
Public Health Policy and Management Coursework Checklist
Social & Behavioral Sciences Coursework Checklist