The Maternal and Child Health Ph.D. program requires 48 graduate credit hours beyond the master's degree, including 21 core credits (theory, issues), 12 research methodology and statistics courses, 3 elective credits, and 12 dissertation credits. Ph.D. students must also pass a comprehensive examination and complete a dissertation and oral defense.

Tips for Completing Your Dissertation

This program provides interdisciplinary training in research, practice, and policy relevant to health problems and services for women, infants, children, adolescents, and their families (including men). The MCH program prepares students to advance research, policy and practice to improve the health, safety, and well-being of these groups, with a particular emphasis on low income and ethnic minority populations.

Students admitted full-time to the Ph.D. program post-master's can complete this program within three years.

Program Courses (48 credits)

•FMSC 710 Foundations in Maternal & Child Health (3)
•FMSC 720 Perinatal, Child, and Adolescent Health (3)
•FMSC 730 Maternal and Family Health in Adulthood and Aging (3)
•FMSC 606 Ethnic Families and Health Disparities (3)
•FMSC 810 Theory in Family Systems and Family Health (3)
•FMSC 750 Family and Health Policy (3)
•FMSC 660 Program Planning and Evaluation (3)
•EPIB 611 Intermediate Epidemiology (3)
•EPIB 651 Biostatistics II (3)
•FMSC 780 Qualitative Research Methods in Family and Health Research (3)
•FMSC 850 Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology (3)
•Elective Public Health Course (3)
•FMSC 899 Doctoral Dissertation Research (12)