The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree prepares public health practitioners to assume positions of leadership and influence in practice-based settings. In this professional doctoral degree program, students explore public health challenges from both a domestic and global standpoint and how evidence-based research can be applied to advance public health goals. Through their coursework, students examine topics such as ethics, budgeting, critical analysis, and supervision, with an overarching emphasis on enhancing practical skills. Students in this multidisciplinary program have the opportunity to collaborate on assignments with students from other Walden College of Health Sciences and Public Policy programs.
Accreditations
Walden University’s Doctor of Public Health program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. For a copy of the final self-study document and/or final accreditation report, please contact the dean of the College of Health Sciences and Public Policy.
For any questions about Walden’s accreditation, please visit our accreditation page.
Note on Certification
The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) offers the Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential as a voluntary core credential for public health professionals. As the eligibility criteria may change periodically, students should visit https://www.nbphe.org/eligibility for more information about certification in public health. It is the individual’s responsibility to understand, evaluate, and comply with all requirements relating to national certification. Walden makes no representations or guarantees that completion of Walden coursework or programs will permit an individual to obtain national certification or practice as a public health professional in the state where they intend to practice.
Learning Outcomes
As a graduate of this program, students will be prepared to:
- Critically evaluate the interdisciplinary role of stakeholders in the application and evaluation of population-based public health strategies.
- Evaluate approaches to inform and influence public health interventions and strategies.
- Apply research methods in the investigation of public health problems.
- Critically evaluate evidence-based research, theories, and models used in public health.
- Apply systems-thinking skills and strategies for the promotion of public health policy and advocacy.
- Apply evidence-based research and practices to promote positive social change.
- Examine the application of economic theories in relation to public health systems across diverse community settings.
- Apply community health assessment techniques to identify, prioritize, and formulate solutions to community public health problems.
- Apply ethical principles in public health practice.
Students who hold a Master of Public Health degree
Minimum Degree Requirements
For students who hold a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, they forgo foundational public health courses and complete the program in a shorter amount of time.
- Doctoral Writing Assessment
- Professional Development Plan and Program of Study
- Foundation courses (5 credits)
-
- Students must receive a B or better in PUBH 8004 in order to continue with the DrPH program.
-
- Core courses (40 credits)
- Inquiry courses (3 credits)
- Field Experience Preparation Course (0 credit)
- DrPH Applied Practice Experience (APE) (2credits) – (complete a minimum of 80 hours of applied practice work)
- Doctoral Capstone courses (15 credits)
- Two residencies
Curriculum
Foundation Courses (5 credits)
Core Courses (40 credits)
Inquiry courses (3 credits)
Applied Practice Experience (2 credits)
Learn more about the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Applied Practice at: https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/doctor-public-health/applied-practice
Doctoral Capstone Courses (15 credits)
Course Sequence
Students undertake courses in the following sequence.
| Quarter | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter 1 |
PUBH 8007 - Public Health Essentials |
0 credits |
|
PUBH 8004 - Foundations of Doctoral Success in Public Health |
5 credits | |
| Complete Residency 1 after successful completion of PUBH 8004; required in order to advance into PUBH 8048. | ||
| Quarter 2 | PUBH 8410 - Fundamentals of Leadership, System Evaluation, and Interventions in Public Health | 5 credits |
|
PUBH 8040 - Advanced Public Health Policy and Advocacy |
5 credits | |
| Quarter 3 | PUBH 8211 - Research Methods for Public Health | 5 credits |
| PUBH 8044 - Advanced Program Evaluation | 5 credits | |
| Quarter 4 | PUBH 8048 - Research Applications of Theories, Models, and Conceptual Frameworks in Public Health | 5 credits |
|
PUBH 8501 - Scholar-Practitioner Inquiry I |
1 credits | |
| Complete Residency 2 after successful completion of PUBH 8048 and prior to PUBH 9101. | ||
| PUBH 8317 - Financing Public Health Systems | 5 credits | |
| FEHP 8990 - Field Experience Preparation | 0 credits | |
| Quarter 5 | PUBH 8546 - Advanced Analysis of Community Health Data and Surveillance in Public Health | 5 credits |
| PUBH 8132 - Communication and Social Marketing Strategies for Public Health Leaders | 5 credits | |
| PUBH 8502 - Scholar-Practitioner Inquiry II | 1 credits | |
| Quarter 6 | PUBH 8990 - DrPH Applied Practice Experience | 2 credits |
|
PUBH 8503 - Scholar-Practitioner Inquiry III |
1 credits | |
| Quarter 7 |
PUBH 9101 - Public Health Capstone I |
5 credits |
| Quarter 8 |
PUBH 9102 - Public Health Capstone II |
5 credits |
| Quarter 9 |
PUBH 9103 - Public Health Capstone III |
5 credits |
Field Experience Preparation
Walden is committed to providing students with resources and support in preparation of field experience(s). To help ease anxiety in the field experience process, Walden offers a 0-credit Field Experience Preparation course, a structured experience that guides students through the application process and currently available readiness resources. The course is designed to complement other pre-requisite courses needed in preparation for field experience(s). The goal is that students submit their field experience application by the end of the course. Of course, there may be reasons why a field experience needs to be postponed, or the readiness course may not be needed if a field experience opportunity has already been secured. In this instance, students may opt-out of the course. By opting out of the Field Experience Preparation course without having submitted a complete field experience application you are notifying Walden that you have chosen to delay the beginning of your field experience indefinitely, it is your responsibility to notify Walden when you plan to begin the field experience component of your program. In some instances, opting out of the Field Experience Preparation course indicates the foundational components of the field experience process have been satisfied and submission of the field experience application is pending. While the course is not yet available for Tempo students, the same readiness resources are available to Tempo students seeking field experience.
Students who have a master’s degree in an academic discipline other than public health
Minimum Degree Requirements
- Doctoral Writing Assessment
- Professional Development Plan and Program of Study
- Foundations courses (5 credits)
-
- Students must receive a B or better in PUBH 8004 in order to continue with the DrPH program.
-
- Core courses (61 credits)
- Inquiry courses (3 credits)
- Field Experience Preparation Course (0 credit)
- DrPH Applied Practice Experience (APE) (2credits) – (complete a minimum of 80 hours of applied practice work)
- Doctoral Capstone courses (15 credits)
- Capstone writing courses (5 credits per term for a minimum of 3 terms; taken continuously until completion)
- Two residencies
Curriculum
Foundation Course (5 credits)
Core Courses (61 credits)
Inquiry courses (3 credits)
Applied Practice Experience (2 credits)
Learn more about the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Applied Practice at: https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/doctor-public-health/applied-practice
Doctoral Capstone Courses (15 credits)
Course Sequence
Students undertake courses in the following sequence.
| Quarter | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter 1 |
PUBH 8007 - Public Health Essentials |
0 credits |
|
PUBH 8004 - Foundations of Doctoral Success in Public Health |
5 credits | |
| Complete Residency 1 after successful completion of PUBH 8004; required in order to advance into PUBH 8048. | ||
| Quarter 2 |
PUBH 8038 - Health Behavior Theory |
5 credits |
|
PUBH 8032 - SPSS Revealed |
1 credits | |
| Quarter 3 | PUBH 8331 – Fundamentals of Biostatistics* (5 credits) | 5 credits |
| PUBH 8035 - Epidemiology: Decoding the Science of Public Health | 5 credits | |
| Quarter 4 | PUBH 8410 - Fundamentals of Leadership, System Evaluation, and Interventions in Public Health | 5 credits |
| PUBH 8034 - Environmental Health: Local to Global | 5 credits | |
| Quarter 5 | PUBH 8040 - Advanced Public Health Policy and Advocacy | 5 credits |
| PUBH 8211 - Research Methods for Public Health | 5 credits | |
| Quarter 6 |
PUBH 8317 - Financing Public Health Systems |
5 credits |
| Quarter 7 | PUBH 8044 - Advanced Program Evaluation | 5 credits |
| PUBH 8048 - Research Applications of Theories, Models, and Conceptual Frameworks in Public Health | 5 credits | |
| Complete Residency 2 after successful completion of PUBH 8048 and prior to PUBH 9100 - Public Health Capstone. | ||
| PUBH 8501 - Scholar-Practitioner Inquiry I | 1 credits | |
| FEHP 8990 - Field Experience Preparation | 0 credits | |
| Quarter 8 | PUBH 8546 - Advanced Analysis of Community Health Data and Surveillance in Public Health | 5 credits |
| PUBH 8132 - Communication and Social Marketing Strategies for Public Health Leaders | 5 credits | |
|
PUBH 8502 - Scholar-Practitioner Inquiry II |
1 credits | |
| Quarter 9 | PUBH 8990 - DrPH Applied Practice Experience | 2 credits |
|
PUBH 8503- Scholar-Practitioner Inquiry III |
1 credits | |
| Quarter 10 | PUBH 9101 - Public Health Capstone I | 5 credits |
| Quarter 11 | PUBH 9102 - Public Health Capstone II | 5 credits |
| Quarter 12 | PUBH 9103 - Public Health Capstone III | 5 credits |
Field Experience Preparation
Walden is committed to providing students with resources and support in preparation of field experience(s). To help ease anxiety in the field experience process, Walden offers a 0-credit Field Experience Preparation course, a structured experience that guides students through the application process and currently available readiness resources. The course is designed to complement other pre-requisite courses needed in preparation for field experience(s). The goal is that students submit their field experience application by the end of the course. Of course, there may be reasons why a field experience needs to be postponed, or the readiness course may not be needed if a field experience opportunity has already been secured. In this instance, students may opt-out of the course. By opting out of the Field Experience Preparation course without having submitted a complete field experience application you are notifying Walden that you have chosen to delay the beginning of your field experience indefinitely, it is your responsibility to notify Walden when you plan to begin the field experience component of your program. In some instances, opting out of the Field Experience Preparation course indicates the foundational components of the field experience process have been satisfied and submission of the field experience application is pending. While the course is not yet available for Tempo students, the same readiness resources are available to Tempo students seeking field experience.