University of Washington

Health Systems and Population Health

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

PhD Courses and Requirements


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The UW Health Services PhD program balances comprehensive instruction in the determinants and disparities of population health with knowledge of the health care system and health policy.

Note: Specific courses, requirements, and course timing may be updated periodically to keep our curriculum relevant and beneficial to students. Sample schedules on this page are meant to provide prospective students with a general sense of how courses are sequenced. Current students should refer to the PhD Handbook on Canvas as the most up-to-date resource for curriculum requirements.

Degree Requirements

All Health Services PhD students are required to complete three exams and earn a minimum of 100 credits.

Jump to Sample Schedules

Core Courses

The core courses consist of general health services knowledge, theory, and methods. These courses emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of health services research.

All incoming students receive grounding in the theory and methods as applied to health services research from the disciplines of health services, biostatistics, economics, other social and behavioral sciences, epidemiology, and policy analysis.

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Required Health Services Courses

All PhD students must take the following courses:

Theory Courses

All PhD students must take one of the following theory courses:

Course Waivers

Admitted students who enter with equivalent training in our foundational courses may opt out of specific courses by passing an exam or presenting documentation of the level of completed coursework.

Note: To pass the preliminary exam in Spring of year one, all PhD students will need to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in our foundational HSERV, EPI, and BIOST courses. So students should consider their comfort level in those areas before requesting waivers.

The PhD program does not have the capacity to review transcripts to make course waiver estimations or guarantees for prospective students before applying to the program. Though applicants are welcome to review the UW School of Public Health Course Waivers page to help guide their own estimations.

Areas of Emphasis

All PhD students choose an Area of Emphasis (AOE) and take a minimum of five AOE electives courses (15 credits) in specialized theory or methods coursework.

The area of emphasis is officially declared after the first year in the program, but it’s a good idea for applicants to have a sense of what AOE’s they feel most drawn when they apply.

Explore Areas of Emphasis

Health Services Research Seminar — Doc Sem

PhD students are required to attend at least eight quarters of research seminar known as Doc Sem, unless they complete the program in under three years.

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Program Seminars

HSERV 592: Health Services Research Seminar (2 credits)
Minimum of 5 quarters

This seminar is a combination of presentations by students on their work in-progress and by UW faculty on the methods they are using and problems they face in conducting health services research.

This seminar also builds professional skills by teaching successful strategies for:

  • Writing grants and papers for publication and successfully navigating the peer review process
  • Disseminating results at national and state conferences, and to lay audiences
  • Translating research into practice and policy
  • Career development and job searches

Additional Seminars

HSERV 592: Health Services Department Seminar (1 credit)
This seminar presents sessions on current issues in research and practice.

Selected research seminars: A number of other research seminars, both at the UW and affiliated institutions, may be used to satisfy up to three of the eight required quarters.

Exams

The preliminary examination tests first-year doctoral students on the program’s foundational competencies. This written exam takes place at the end of year one.

The general examination consists of two parts, a written exam and an oral exam. These exams are designed to move the dissertation from a preliminary proposal to a final proposal and concentrates on the student’s research area, and the methods and content needed to study that topic.

Learn About Exams

Dissertation

All PhD students are required to write a dissertation that significantly advances the state of knowledge in the field.

Learn About the Dissertation

Sample Course Schedules

The first sample schedule below is for incoming students without equivalent backgrounds in biostatistics and epidemiology. The advanced methods schedule is for students who have already completed equivalent coursework and who wish to waive out of those courses. See more details about course waivers in the Core Courses section above.

Note on exam timing: The prelim is the only exam that always takes place in Spring of year one. The general exams and dissertations are listed below in estimated quarters that vary based on each students progress.

Sample Schedule A:

Begin with Foundational Training. For students without Equivalent Biostatistics and Epidemiology Backgrounds.

Most students follow this path as it provides the foundational biostats and epi training required to be successful in the program.

Year One

Autumn Quarter 1
Winter Quarter 1
Spring Quarter 1

Year Two

Autumn Quarter 2
Winter Quarter 2
Spring Quarter 2

Year Three

Autumn Quarter 3
Winter Quarter 3
Spring Quarter 3

Year Four

Autumn Quarter 4
Winter Quarter 4
Spring Quarter 4

Sample Schedule B:

Begin with Advanced Training. For students with Previous Equivalent Biostatistics and Epidemiology Backgrounds.

Admitted students who have already taken equivalent foundational coursework may request course waivers and begin with more advanced curriculum.

Year One

Autumn Quarter 1
Winter Quarter 1
Spring Quarter 1

Year Two

Autumn Quarter 2
Winter Quarter 2
Spring Quarter 2

Year Three

Autumn Quarter 3
Winter Quarter 3
Spring Quarter 3