Doctoral Programs
The Department of Preventive Medicine offers four doctoral degree programs in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Behavior Research, and Population, Health & Place.
Doctoral Programs
Doctor of Philosophy in Biostatistics
The goal of the Ph.D. program in Biostatistics (BIOS) is to train biostatisticians who will have in-depth knowledge of statistical theory and methodology and the ability to apply this knowledge creatively to statistical problems in the biological and health sciences. At the same time, the increasingly specialized lines of biomedical and population research each include unique study designs, modes and complexities of data collection, as well as analytic, computational and methodological challenges.
Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology
The goal of the Ph.D. program in Epidemiology (EPID) is to train epidemiologists who will have in-depth knowledge of epidemiologic theory and methodology and the ability to apply this knowledge to design, conduct, and statistically analyze and interpret data from research studies in the biological and health sciences. At the same time, the increasingly specialized lines of biomedical and population research each include unique study designs, modes and complexities of data collection, as well as analytic, computational and methodological challenges.
Doctor of Philosophy in Health Behavior Research
The specific objective of the program is to train exceptional researchers and scholars in the interdisciplinary field of health behavior research. The well-rounded training that students receive encompasses theory and methods from many allied fields including: communications, psychology, preventive medicine, biostatistics, public health and epidemiology. Students also receive research experience participating in projects conducted by HBR faculty, most of them through the USC Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research (IPR). The program provides students with a depth of understanding, and intellectual capability they need to pursue a career and health-related research.
Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Population, Health and Place
In this innovative interdisciplinary doctoral program, faculty from the USC Dornsife Department of Sociology, the Department of Preventive Medicine of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and the USC Dornsife Spatial Sciences Institute provide training for careers in research, teaching and applied work in sociology (population), preventive medicine (health), and the spatial sciences (place). Students complete two research rotations as well as courses in biostatistics, demography, epidemiology, and spatial sciences, with additional course work required according to specialty area and/or dissertation topic.