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Public Health Sciences (PHS)

VERNON M. CHINCHILLI, Chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences
College of Medicine, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Hershey, PA 17033
717-531-7178

Degree Conferred:

M.S.

The Graduate Faculty

Roger T. Anderson, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins) Professor of Public Health Sciences, Chief, Health Services Research Division
Kwangmi Ahn, Ph.D. (SUNY Stony Brook) Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences
Vernon M. Chinchilli, Ph.D. (North Carolina) Professor of Biostatistics; Department Chair
Christopher S. Hollenbeak, Ph.D. (Washington U) Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences
Tonya S. King, Ph.D. (North Carolina) Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences
Kristen Kjerulff, Ph.D. (Illinois) Professor of Public Health Sciences
Eugene J. Lengerich, V.M.D. (Pennsylvania) Professor of Public Health Sciences
Duanping Liao, Ph.D. (North Carolina) Professor of Public Health Sciences
Jiangang (Jason) Liao, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins) Professor of Public Health Sciences
Thomas A. Lloyd, Ph.D. (Harvard) Professor of Public Health Sciences; Chief, Epidemiology Division
David T. Mauger, Ph.D. (Michigan) Professor of Public Health Sciences; Chief, Biostatistics Division
Joshua Muscat, Ph.D. (NYU) Professor of Public Health Sciences
John Richie, Ph.D. (Louisville) Professor of Public Health Sciences
Michele L. Shaffer, Ph.D. (Penn State) Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences
Li Wang, PhD (Penn State) Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences
Carol S. Weisman, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins) Distinguished Professor of Public Health Sciences and OB/GYN
Robin Taylor Wilson, Ph.D. (Iowa) Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences
Rongling Wu, Ph.D. (U Washington) Professor of Public Health Sciences and Statistics

The Master's Program in Public Health Sciences includes graduate-level course work in biostatistics, epidemiology, and health services research, and provides knowledge and insight required in health related research. Students learn population-based methods for planning, executing, analyzing, and disseminating research results, and methods for evaluating and improving health care practices.

Admission Requirements

Requirements listed here are in addition to general Graduate School requirements stated in the GENERAL INFORMATION section of the Graduate Bulletin. Prospective applicants for this program should have at least a bachelor's degree in a biological, physical, or behavioral science. Please see the program Web page for specific program application requirements.

Master's Degree Requirements

Each student in Public Health Sciences is expected to acquire breadth of knowledge in the disciplines of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Health Services Research, and skills in the areas of experimental design, data collection and quantitative analysis. The PHS Master of Science degree can lead to careers in a wide variety of fields and settings, including academic health centers; the health insurance industry; health services networks; local, state, and federal government agencies; and the pharmaceutical industry. Each student must complete at least 30 credits at the 500 level, including 3 research credits and 27 credits of formal course work. Each student must carry out a research project concluding with a manuscript suitable for publication.

Prescribed Courses: 16 credits

PHS 520(3), PHS 521(3), PHS 536(3), PHS 550(3), PHS 551(3), PHS 500(1)

Additional Courses: 11 credits

PHS 510(3), PHS 511(1), PHS 518(1), PHS 519(1), PHS 522(3), PHS 535(3), PHS 540(1), PHS 541(1), PHS 552(3), PHS 560(1), PHS 561(1), PHS 570(3), PHS 580(3), PHS 581(1)

Research Courses: 3 credits

PHS 594(3)

Courses in Health Policy and Administration (HPA) and Statistics (STAT) may be taken as elective courses and will be considered on an individual basis in consultation with the student's academic adviser.

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 599 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCES (PHS) course list

HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (H ADM) course list

STATISTICS (STAT) course list

DATE LAST REVIEWED BY GRADUATE SCHOOL: 6/1/04

Last Revised by the Department: Summer Session 2008

Blue Sheet Item #: 36-04-065

Review Date: 1/15/08

Last updated by Publications: 5/27/09

This is the official bulletin of The Pennsylvania State University. Programmatic expectations for General Education are those in effect at the time of admission to degree candidacy, and college and major requirements are those in effect at the time of entry to college and major. These are accurately indicated in each student's degree audit.

The University reserves the right to change the requirements and regulations listed here and to determine whether a student has satisfactorily met its requirements for admission or graduation, and to reject any applicant for any reason the University determines to be material to the applicant's qualifications to pursue higher education. Nothing in this material should be considered a guarantee that completion of a program and graduation from the University will result in employment.

The University Faculty Senate has responsibility for and authority over all academic information contained in the Undergraduate Bulletin.