Population Health Sciences - PhD

The Population Health Sciences (PHS) PhD program at the UTMB School of Public and Population Health trains researchers to understand how biological, behavioral, social, and environmental factors shape the health of populations. Students develop advanced quantitative skills and learn to design, conduct, and communicate research that addresses health risks, determinants, and outcomes across clinical, community, and occupational settings.

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A student presents a poster on federal nutrition assistance programs for aging populations to two attendees.

Why Population Health Sciences at UTMB

~5 Years

Average Time to Degree

Funded

For Competitive Applicants

MPH Option

Earn an MPH in Epidemiology

Small Cohorts, Close Mentorship

Students work directly with their faculty advisor from day one. Small cohort sizes mean individualized training, regular feedback, and strong working relationships throughout the program.

Nationally Recognized Faculty

Faculty research spans health disparities, chronic and infectious diseases, environmental health, population aging, and pharmacoepidemiology. Students align with a mentor whose work matches their research interests.

What You Will Learn

Doctoral training emphasizes high-level quantitative skills in data collection and analysis, with coursework in epidemiology, biostatistics, social epidemiology, and population health sciences. Graduates are expected to:

Evaluate the roles that social, behavioral, environmental, and biological factors play in contributing to population health
Develop and critically evaluate multidisciplinary theories, conceptual models, and research approaches used to examine population health research questions
Analyze and interpret population health data using quantitative or mixed methods approaches
Apply the highest ethical standards to population health research
Communicate research findings and their implications to academic and non-academic audiences

What Makes a Competitive Applicant

Well-defined career goals that require doctoral training

Research interests that align with faculty expertise

Familiarity with faculty members and their research

Knowledge of current public and population health challenges

A student explains a research poster to faculty and another attendee during a doctoral program event.

Application Materials

Documentation of U.S. or Canadian transcripts
CV or resume
Personal statement
Writing sample
Three professional letters of recommendation

International applicants must also submit an iCAP course-by-course evaluation of academic records and TOEFL or IELTS scores less than two years old.

Resources

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