Program Overview

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Health Services Research in Pharmacy, PhD

The Health Services Research in Pharmacy (HSRP) program provides a rigorous background in a range of disciplines critical to preparing the next generation of health services researchers. The program's interdisciplinary approach combines theories and concepts from fields such as economics, sociology, psychology, management sciences, education, epidemiology, industrial/safety engineering, history, and law.

About the Program

The program was renamed from the Social and Administrative Sciences in Pharmacy (SAS) PhD Program. Students who earn degrees in the Fall of 2019 and later will earn the degree name Health Services Research in Pharmacy.

Objective

The objective of the HRSP graduate program is to prepare students for independent, theory-based research, leading to new knowledge and understanding of medication use, patient and provider communication and behaviors, health outcomes, patient safety, and healthcare systems.

Why Consider a Graduate Degree in Health Services Research in Pharmacy

Students in the HSRP graduate program have the advantages of studying at a world-class institution of higher learning. Courses may be taken from a wide range of academic units, providing access to top instructors and researchers. The HSRP graduate program has considerable curricular flexibility, and can be tailored to individual student interests.

Admissions

• Fall Deadline: December 7
• Spring Deadline: This program does not admit in the spring.
• Summer Deadline: This program does not admit in the summer.
• GRE (Graduate Record Examinations): Not required.
• English Proficiency Test: Refer to the Graduate School's policy.
• Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT): Not applicable.
• Letters of Recommendation Required: 3

Funding

Graduate School Resources

The Bursars Office provides information about tuition and fees associated with being a graduate student. Resources to help afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid.

Program Resources

HSRP faculty believe in supporting graduate students in their quest for knowledge and research expertise; maintaining a range of graduate student funding mechanisms is a high priority. Graduate students are typically provided with tuition remission and stipend (salary) support as either teaching assistants, research assistants, or fellows.

Requirements

Mode of Instruction

• Face to Face: Yes
• Evening/Weekend: No
• Online: No
• Hybrid: No
• Accelerated: No

Curricular Requirements

• Minimum Credit Requirement: 51 credits
• Minimum Residence Credit Requirement: 32 credits
• Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement: 26 credits must be graduate-level coursework.
• Overall Graduate GPA Requirement: 3.00 GPA required for graduate-level courses.
• Other Grade Requirements: Candidates may be dropped from the program if they receive more than 7 credits of grades at the BC level or lower.

Required Courses

• Core Seminar Courses:
  • S&A PHM 701: Grant Writing for Health Services Research
  • S&A PHM 702: Mixed Methods for Health Sciences: Purpose, Design and Approach
  • S&A PHM 703: Community Engagement in Health Services Research
  • S&A PHM 704: Dissemination, Implementation and Sustainment of Change in Health Services Research
• Core Methods and Principles:
  • S&A PHM 711: Research Methods for Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy Research
  • S&A PHM 715: Social Behavioral Theories in Pharmacy, Drug Use, and Health Behavior
• Research and Analysis:
  • Methods (Select from approved list in consultation with major professor): 6 credits
  • Analytic Techniques (Select from approved list in consultation with major professor): 9 credits
• Specialty and Advanced Coursework:
  • Select in consultation with major professor: 22 credits

Policies

Probation

A semester GPA below 3.0 will result in the student being placed on academic probation.

Advisor / Committee

All students in the PhD program are required to have a major professor/advisor through the duration of their studies.

Credits Per Term Allowed

15 credit maximum.

Time Limits

A candidate for a doctoral degree who fails to take the final oral defense and deposit the dissertation within five years after passing the preliminary examinations may be required to take another preliminary examination and to be admitted to candidacy a second time.

Professional Development

HRSP faculty conduct comprehensive annual reviews of each HSRP graduate student, providing confidential feedback to each student's own self-assessment.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate an advanced critical knowledge and in-depth application of economic, policy, and/or social behavioral analyses to the study of the interrelationships between pharmacy, pharmaceutical services, health care systems, and patients.
2. Formulate research questions, design experiments to test hypotheses, apply appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods, and evaluate evidence relevant to questions in health economics, health care systems, healthcare organization and management, outcomes research, health care policy, and pharmacy services.
3. Communicate, both orally and in writing, scientific knowledge, research findings, and/or core principles effectively to a range of audiences.