Health and Behavioral Sciences
Requirements for Admission
A master's or equivalent graduate degree, or substantial research experience, is recommended for admission to the PhD program. Students applying without prerequisites may be admitted, but will be required to complete appropriate courses before being permitted to complete the core curriculum.
In addition to the general admission requirements for graduate admission, the specific admission requirements for the PhD in health and behavioral sciences are as follows:
- Knowledge from prior course work or vocational experience in Epidemiology (3 semester hours or the equivalent work experience). The applicant should have an understanding of the basic concepts and methods of epidemiology, including measures of risk, mortality, the distribution of disease, the role of bias and confounders, and study design.
- Demonstrated academic excellence as evidenced by strong undergraduate and graduate GPAs. Admission to the program is highly competitive.
The applicability of a student's prior course work will be decided by the program executive committee after reviewing the student's transcript and additional materials. If the student does not have the requisite educational background or GPA, the student may be admitted on a conditional or provisional basis and additional course work required in accordance with Graduate Education Policies and Procedures.
Prospective students should not be dissuaded from applying to the program if they do not meet all of the requirements for admission. In some cases, employment experience may be counted toward meeting a requirement. In other cases, students may be admitted conditionally upon their completion of a list of prerequisite courses that will be established at the time of admission. Students should be sure to address this issue in completing the graduate application by specifying the academic and vocational experience they possess that meets, in part or full, the admission requirements described above.
Master's Level Preparation for the Doctoral Program in Health and Behavioral Sciences
The program does not currently offer master's-level training in HBSC.
To Apply For Admission
At the Denver campus, all graduate applications are now submitted electronically. To begin the application process, go to the online admissions website. If you have any difficulties, call the administrative assistant at 303-315-7157. The program admits students only for the fall semester, which typically begins in mid- to late August. The deadline for the receipt of all application materials is January 1 for admission the following August.
Applicants should invest considerable thought and effort in preparing their application. For instance, in the essay, applicants should provide information on:
- their research interests and plans for graduate study;
- how they see their research interests fitting into our program;
- academic or professional research experiences including publications, theses, and research in progress;
- academic and professional experiences in their proposed or related fields, including non-course education, teaching or other relevant employment, or other scholarly activities.
Applicants should also submit a brief writing sample that showcases their current skills in writing and analytical thinking. It is more important that the writing sample reflect their best work than that the topic match their planned area of study in our PhD program. Examples could include a class paper, a selection from a thesis, a lead or sole authored paper, an op-ed style essay, a policy brief, or other sample.
Applicants should provide a current resume or CV to support their application.
In addition to the required recommendation form, letters of recommendation are required from at least three individuals in a position to judge the applicant's ability to complete the program. Recommenders may be employers, colleagues or professors; however, the applicant should be sure that the letters address the quality of, and aptitude for academic work as well as personal characteristics and qualities.
The program does not require GRE scores, but applicants may submit their scores if they believe it will strengthen their application.
Financial Aid
There are five kinds of financial aid available: graduate student stipends/fellowships; tuition assistance; teaching assistantships; research assistantship positions funded by grants to specific program faculty; and the regular package of financial aid (primarily loans) available through the financial aid office.
Newly admitted, out-of-state, and students demonstrating outstanding scholastic achievement receive priority when assigning departmental sources of funding. Students interested in research assistantships should contact the individual faculty member with whom they wish to work regarding potential assistantship positions.
All other aid should be requested through the CU Denver Financial Aid Office
Advisors
Upon admission to the program, each student will be assigned a first-year advisor. The student or the faculty will then choose the faculty advisor who will guide the student through the core and elective course work. This faculty advisor may or may not be the student's dissertation advisor. The student selects his or her dissertation advisor and a minimum of three additional committee members who oversee the student's comprehensive examination and dissertation research.
Faculty
Professors:
Patrick Kreuger, PhD, University of Colorado
Ronica Rooks, PhD, University of Maryland College Park
Karen Spencer, PhD, Indiana University
David P. Tracer, PhD, University of Michigan
Sara Yeatman, PhD, University of Texas Austin
Associate Professors:
Jennifer Morozink Boylan, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Assistant Professors:
Emma Bunkley, PhD, University of Arizona
Hyeyoung Oh Nelson, PhD, University of California Los Angeles
Ivan Ramirez, PhD, Michigan State University
Faculty Affiliates:
Karen Hampanda, PhD, University of Colorado Denver
Professors Emerita:
Debbi Main, PhD, University of Colorado
Jean Scandlyn, PhD, Columbia University