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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MPH students build roads to equitable health care in rural communities
Liz Mariluz and Elena Soyer, Health Services MPH students, engaged with rural communities through their practicums. Practicum projects are a field-based experience with a public health organization required for our MPH degrees.
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Ph.D. candidate highlights the experiences of Washington state agricultural workers
Érica Chavez Santos, a Health Services Ph.D. student, is researching the association of labor and social determinant-related laws and agricultural workers’ health. Her goal is to address the knowledge gap about the impact of labor laws on agricultural workers’ health.
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HSPop PhD student honored for academic excellence
Tessa Matson received the 2022 Gilbert S. Omenn Award for Academic Excellence, the most prestigious recognition from the UW School of Public Health for graduate students.