The UW Department of Health Systems and Population Health (HSPop) requires students to complete research and/or field-based projects for their degrees. Final projects vary depending upon the program and are dissertations, theses, practicum projects, and/or capstone projects.
Dissertations
Doctoral students are required to write a dissertation that significantly advances the state of knowledge in their chosen field. As part of their course requirements and dissertation requirements, students are also required to publish research findings.
Programs and Degrees
Dissertations, along with theses from health services graduate students, are available in the UW Library’s research archives.
Theses
A thesis is an original research project that generates new knowledge using rigorous methods appropriate to the research questions, while also applying concepts and methods from one or more branches of science relevant to public health.
Programs and Degrees
- Health Services Master of Science (M.S.)
- Health Services Master of Public Health (MPH)
- Community-Oriented Public Health Master of Public Health (COPHP MPH)
Theses, along with dissertations from health services students, are available in the UW Library’s research archives.
Practicum Projects
A practicum project allows students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to a public health setting, while they enhance their skills in areas such as leadership, communication, and teamwork. The practicum is also an excellent opportunity for students to gain practical experience in their particular area of interest in public health.
Project examples are on the individual program websites.
Capstone Projects
A capstone project is a culminating scholarly project usually conducted for, or on behalf of, an organization, constituency, or community.
Capstone projects are designed to give students meaningful hands-on experience working on real-world health policy or health administration challenges.
Project examples are on the individual program websites.
Programs and Degrees
Student Research and Fieldwork
These are a few stories about HSPop student research and fieldwork.
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How social and economic inequalities are impacting everyone’s life expectancy in America
“There is something about being born in the U.S. that gives you a life expectancy disadvantage,” said Youssef Azami, a graduate student in public health and public policy at the University of Washington.
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Access to culturally relevant and healthy foods is critical to improving health equity in Seattle
“Increasing access to farmers markets is really important because when you’re looking at some of the top chronic diseases that a lot of people are dying from in this country, a lot can be related to nutrition.”
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Helena Darrow on centering community and Native voices in public health
Culturally-tailored, community-based work really creates a sense of identity and culture that allows people to become more interested in learning more about an intervention and willing to participate if they can see themselves in it.