Program Overview

Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology

Program Overview

The doctoral program in epidemiology at the University at Albany allows students to develop analytical expertise and gain teaching experience as they investigate public health problems, design full-scale studies, analyze data, and translate the results into public health action.

Program of Study

To earn a doctorate in epidemiology, students must meet the requirements for the master's in epidemiology and then complete advanced courses and at least one year of dissertation research and writing. Students must study full-time for two or more sessions after beginning advanced coursework.

Admission Requirements (MS in Epidemiology)

• Principles and Methods of Epidemiology I and II
• Principles of Public Health
• Computer Programming for Data Management and Analysis in Public Health
• Principles of Statistical Inference I and II
• Quantitative Methods in Epidemiology
• Three electives in epidemiology, biomedical sciences, environmental health sciences, biological sciences, anthropology, or biometry and statistics. Electives can also be taken at Albany Medical College.

Advanced Graduate Courses

• General Topics in Epidemiologic Methods
• Two graduate-level statistics courses
• At least one advanced methodology course

Specialization Courses

Consult with your advisor to choose topical graduate courses that support your professional goals.

Field Placement

Work closely with a faculty member on an actual epidemiologic project, and gain experience in study design, data analysis, and data management. This requirement may also be fulfilled through your dissertation work.

Dissertation

Spend a year investigating your area of interest and conducting research that advances the field of epidemiology.

Field Research

During your field placement, you get to apply your knowledge and skills to real epidemiological research projects. More than 75% of faculty in the College of Integrated Health Sciences hold appointments with the NYS Department of Health, which provides opportunities for you to work in the labs of the internationally recognized Wadsworth Center.

Career Paths

PhD program alumni currently work for organizations like:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• National Institutes of Health
• New York Department of Health
• New York Office of Mental Health
• Sanofi
• Purdue Pharma

Graduates are also pursuing academic careers at institutions including:

• Emory University
• Penn State University
• The Ohio State University
• University of California San Diego
• Albany College of Pharmacy
• Albany Medical College

Admission Requirements

Deadlines

• Fall: December 15

Applicants who wish to be considered for a departmental doctoral graduate assistantship must submit their application by the published deadline. Students who wish to be considered for one of the non-departmental assistantships should consult our Costs & Aid page for information on additional funding opportunities, requirements, and deadlines.

Application Requirements

• Must hold a bachelor's degree from a college or university of recognized standing
• Must hold a master's degree in Epidemiology
• Grade point average of 3.00 or better
• It is recommended to have one semester of college-level calculus and biology
• An undergraduate major in biological, physical, or social sciences, computer science, mathematics, or statistics is very strongly recommended
• The matching with a research mentor is a key part of the PhD admission process

International Requirements

• International students must submit a minimum TOEFL score of 98, IELTS score of 7.0, or Duolingo score of 125. We will only accept official scores sent by the testing institution.
• UAlbany SOPHAS TOEFL code is 5688. We do not use department codes.
• Official Duolingo scores must be sent to the University at Albany (SOPHAS does not accept Duolingo scores). Students may include unofficial scores in their SOPHAS application, but official scores must be received by the University at Albany.

Required Application Materials

• Official transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation
• Personal Statement
• CV/Resume

Student Learning Objectives

• Epidemiology MPH Core Competencies
• Biostatistics MPH Core Competencies
• Be able to define epidemiologic study designs-ecologic (correlational), cross-sectional, cohort, case-control, and experimental (intervention) studies-and compare their strengths and weaknesses.
• Be able to define and discuss the relationship of random error, systematic error, bias, the types of bias-selection, information, and confounding bias-and methods of bias control.
• Be familiar with the concept of effect modification and how it differs from confounding.
• Be able to define, contrast, and apply the concepts of validity and generalizability while reviewing epidemiologic studies.
• Be able to define and apply the epidemiologic criteria of causality and be able to distinguish between a measure of association and evidence of causality.
• Begin to be able to make an epidemiologic decision on a public health issue, even if given conflicting research results, exercising your critical judgment based on what you have learned in this course.
• Be familiar with the ethical issues pertinent to epidemiological studies.
• Describe public health as a system, including its unique and important features and their role within it, to general audiences.
• Apply measures of population health and illness, including risk factors, to community health improvement initiatives.
• Identify and distinguishing public health and prevention strategies from curative strategies for prevalent health problems.
• Describe the role of law and government in promoting and protecting the health of the public and identifying specific functions and roles of governmental public health agencies in assuring population health.
• Describe the public health role, and their own level of participation, in emergency responses for a range of contingencies that might arise.
• Identify and explaining how various occupations, professions, and careers contribute to carrying out public health's core functions and essential services.
• Identify and describing key challenges facing public health workers in the early 21st century.
• Apply descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize public health data.
• Develop written and oral presentations based on statistical analyses for both public health professionals and educated lay audiences.
• Apply basic informatics techniques with vital statistics and public health records in the description of public health characteristics and in public health research and evaluation.
• Use statistical software to analyze public health data.
• Use information technology to access, evaluate, and interpret public health data.
• Identify key sources of data for epidemiologic purposes.
• Draw appropriate inferences from epidemiologic data.
• Comprehend basic ethical and legal issues pertaining to epidemiologic data.
• Distinguish between population and individual ethical considerations in relation to the benefits, costs, and burdens of public health programs.
• Solve problems under emergency conditions.
• Facilitate collaboration with internal and external emergency response partners.
• Apply statistical methods of estimation and hypothesis testing and explain the basics of correlation and regression for the purpose of analyzing the health of populations.
• Apply knowledge of statistical software and database management for the purpose of conducting research on the health of populations.
• Have a working knowledge of statistical software and database management.
• Conduct independent research in epidemiology
• Plan and execute, with considerable independence, original and extensive laboratory research on a significant problem in epidemiology.
• Demonstrate advanced communication skills, both verbal and written, to disseminate the results of research.

Supplemental Degree Programs

Graduate students can typically request a supplemental degree in one or more subordinate degrees without needing to go through the full admissions process again.

Supplemental programs available with this degree:

• Africana Studies CGS
• Biostatistics MS
• Community College Leadership CGS
• Demography CGS
• Epidemiology MS
• Geospatial Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics CGS
• Global Health Studies CGS
• Health Disparities CGS
• HIV Studies CGS
• International Education Management CGS
• Maternal and Child Health CGS
• Public Health Surveillance and Preparedness CGS