Location: Online
Start Term: Fall, Spring, Summer
You have the power to shape your career and make your mark on the future of healthcare and health professions education as a scholar-practitioner who addresses complex problems of practice.
This part-time program builds on your master’s degree and your professional experience so you can advance your career with a concentration in academics or administration.
As a student, you will experience a curriculum that focuses on interprofessional practice, research, and scholarship. As a researcher, you will integrate and apply evidence in the pursuit of solutions to the complex challenges facing healthcare and education. As a graduating scholar-practitioner, you will change the face of healthcare delivery and health-professions education through your incorporation and dissemination of knowledge in practice.
Concentrations
The DHS program is designed to empower leaders in healthcare and health professions education. Students enhance their DHS degree by choosing a leadership-focused concentration in healthcare management, health-professions education, public health, or patient safety and quality improvement.
Leadership in Healthcare Management Concentration: Designed for healthcare professionals who wish to advance into a leadership role through concentrated study of healthcare delivery systems, organizational thinking, operations management, and legal aspects of healthcare administration. Graduates with this concentration are able to assess complex organizational issues in healthcare and present evidence-based solutions.
Leadership in Health-Professions Education Concentration: Designed for clinical educators who wish to gain knowledge in the areas of health-professions higher education, program development and accreditation, and departmental leadership or scholarship in academic health settings. Graduates with this concentration practice interdisciplinary and interprofessional leadership in pursuit of sustainable change in educational and health services institutions. They also demonstrate innovative leadership in the practice of health-professions education.
Leadership in Healthcare Quality and Safety: Designed for professionals in patient safety and quality improvement who wish to gain knowledge in areas of medication safety, patient safety, and quality improvement. Graduates are change agents, improving healthcare through the application of knowledge and research to complex problems related patient safety and quality improvement.
Leadership in Public Health: Designed for professionals who are focused on public health issues and the protection of populations around the globe. Graduates with this concentration improve public health through the application of research and scholarship. This concentration builds on the significant relationship between population health and the health professions by focusing on disease transmission, promoting health and wellness in communities, and advancing health equity across the globe.
Study Online
The DHS program coursework is entirely online, empowering students to balance career advancement with their busy lives. Designed for the working professional, including faculty members, managers, researchers, and industry professionals, the DHS program enables students to continue working full time while focusing on their doctoral studies.
On average, students should expect a commitment of nine hours per week per course.
A Focus on Interprofessional Education
The DHS program is focused on preparing students for the realities of healthcare and health professions education by emulating the interprofessional nature of today’s healthcare workforce. Faculty and students in the DHS program come from a variety of backgrounds and fields, bringing their own unique perspectives, as well as a truly collaborative and cross-disciplinary context, to the program.
Learn more about the Doctor of Health Sciences program.
Prospective applicants should have healthcare or health professions experience, such as being a credentialed health professional, experienced educators, or researchers in a health-related field. Admission decisions are based on the following:
- An earned Masters degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university
- Proof of credentials or experience as a health professional
- A minimum TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 90 (Internet-based), 213 (computer-based) or 550 (written) for all candidates for whom English is not the primary language.
Doctor of Health Sciences Core Courses
Required Courses (45 semester hours in total)
|
COURSE
|
TITLE
|
S.H. |
Healthcare Trends and Challenges
|
|
HSC 821
|
Health and Wellness Across Lifespan
|
3
|
|
HSC 823
|
Cultural and Mental Health Issues
|
3
|
|
HSC 827
|
Workplace Ethics and Professionalism
|
3
|
|
HSC 828
|
IPE and Collaborative Practice
|
3
|
Population Health
|
|
HSC 831
|
Demographics and Population Health
|
3
|
|
HSC 833
|
Non-Communicable and Infectious Diseases
|
3
|
|
HSC 837
|
Patient-centered Care and Healthcare Integration
|
3
|
Quality Improvement
|
|
HSC 841
|
Safety and Risk Management
|
3
|
|
HSC 843
|
Health Systems Monitoring and Evaluation
|
3
|
|
HSC 847
|
Innovative Healthcare Technology
|
3
|
Doctoral Core Courses
|
|
HSC 801
|
Introduction to Doctoral Studies
|
3
|
|
HSC 815
|
Healthcare Research Methods
|
3
|
|
HSC 852
|
Question Development and Lit Search
|
3
|
|
HSC 854
|
Literature Analysis
|
3
|
|
HSC 856
|
Dissemination of Findings
|
3
|
Health Sciences Required Courses Total Credits
|
45
|
Doctor of Health Sciences Concentration Courses
Students select one concentration (9 semester hours in total)
| COURSE |
TITLE |
S.H. |
Health Systems Administration
|
|
HSC 781
|
Leadership in Healthcare Administration
|
3
|
|
HSC 785
|
Health Policy and Reform
|
3
|
|
HSC 787
|
Financial and Human Resource Management
|
3
|
Educational Leadership
|
|
HSC 782
|
Principles and Theories of Teaching and Learning
|
3
|
|
HSC 784
|
Designing Curriculum
|
3
|
|
HSC 786
|
Assessment & Evaluation
|
3
|
Global Health
|
|
HSC 771
|
Critical Global Health Issues
|
3
|
|
HSC 773
|
International Relations and Politics
|
3
|
|
HSC 777
|
Disaster Management
|
3
|
Health Sciences Concentration Total Credits
|
9 |
Total credits to complete degree requirements: 54 semester hours
Our flexible course schedule allows students to go customize their curriculum plan to fit their needs. The following is a sample curriculum plan for the Doctor of Health Sciences program.
| Year
|
Fall Term
|
Spring Term
|
Summer Term
|
| Year I
|
HSC 801 - Introduction to Doctoral Studies
|
HSC 827 - Workplace Ethics & Professionalism
|
HSC 841 - Safety and Risk Management
|
| HSC 821 - Health & Wellness Across the Lifespan
|
HSC 823 - Cultural and Mental Health Issues
|
HSC 843 - Health System Monitoring and Evaluation
|
| Year 2
|
HSC 847 - Innovative Healthcare Technology
|
HSC 828 - IPE and Collaborative Practice
|
HSC 831 - Demographics & Population Health |
| HSC 833 - Non-Communicable & Infectious Disease
|
HSC 837 - Patient-centered care & Healthcare Integration
|
HSC 815 - Healthcare Research Methods |
| Year 3
|
Concentration Course |
Concentration Course |
Concentration Course |
| HSC 852 - Question Development & Lit Search
|
HSC 854 - Literature Analysis
|
HSC 856 - Dissemination of Findings |