The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Health Education prepares students for teaching and research careers in health education and health promotion. Graduates are trained for post-doctoral appointments and positions in universities and research institutes. The program prepares students to conduct research in basic and applied health education.

Program Foundation

The Texas A&M University Ph.D. program in Health Education is designed to assure that graduates are fully competent scholars, engaged in the practice of theoretically sound health education and/or health promotion research, and experienced in the process of knowledge dissemination. The following key concepts provide the philosophical foundation of the Ph.D. in Health Education:

• The Ph.D. program requires interaction with an accomplished group of professional health educators (the graduate faculty), and the study of a unique body of knowledge (the health education/health promotion literature).
• The Ph.D. program is based on a set of core responsibilities and competencies set forth by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (A Competency-Based Framework for Graduate-Level Health Educators, 1999).
• The Ph.D. program is a researcher-oriented degree, but requires competence as a practicing health educator/promoter.
• The Ph.D. program facilitates the development of a competitive scholastic and professional portfolio by students.

Expectations

All coursework and structured educational experiences of the Ph.D. program are designed to provide students the opportunity to develop skills and competencies as health education and health promotion professionals. Ph.D. students are expected to:

• Work closely with faculty who are actively engaged in research and involved with funded research projects.
• Work closely with faculty who are actively engaged in health education applications and service projects.
• Become skilled, independent, ethical researchers of health education and/or health promotion subject matter.
• Publish in Health Education journals and become professionally involved in Health Education professional associations.

The Course of Study

Each Ph.D. student's course of study is individually designed on the basis of his or her career objectives and the competencies associated with the professional role to which he or she aspires. The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 64 hours of coursework beyond the Master's Degree and 96 hours beyond the Bachelor's Degree, including the following components:

·         a set of courses designed to enhance understanding of the profession and practice of health education (the Health Education Core);

·         a set of courses designed to enhance understanding of the procedures and applications of research in the field of health education (The Statistics/Research Requirement);

·         for students who have no experience as a teacher, or for those who wish to augment their teaching experience, a teaching internship designed to assure that all graduates are prepared for the teaching role of an academic appointment; and

·         a dissertation of original research.

Most students enter the Ph.D. program after completion of the Master's Degree. Students may enter the doctoral program with a Bachelor's Degree. Bachelor's Degree applicants must have an exemplary record of achievement at the undergraduate level and significant professional preparation in health education. Students entering the program may petition to substitute elective courses  for required Health Education courses already completed.

The Ph.D. in Health Education Course of Study (96 hours post baccalaureate)

Examinations

Ph.D. students at Texas A&M University are required to complete the Preliminary Examination. Upon completion of the dissertation, students are expected to defend their work in a Final Examination before their Graduate Advisory Committee.

Dissertation

Ph.D. students at Texas A&M University are required to complete a dissertation on a topic relevant to health education. Students work with their Graduate Advisory Committee during all phases of the dissertation. Upon completion, students must successfully, orally defend their research before their Graduate Advisory Committee.  In the Department of Health & Kinesiology at Texas A&M University, the student may choose from two formats for the dissertation:

1.  A 5-chapter, traditional format.

2.  A journal-article format.

For answers to frequently asked questions regarding the distinction between the two formats, and how to structure each of them, see

http://www.cehd.tamu.edu/articles/dissertation_formatting_guidelines

Regardless of which format is chosen, specific guidelines provided by the Thesis Office must be followed. See…

http://thesis.tamu.edu/

All doctoral students in the Health Education program at Texas A&M University are required to complete a set of research and statistics courses. The exact coursework required in this area is determined by the student in concert with the Chair of his or her Graduate Advisory Committee and based on individual career goals and personal research agenda. The Statistics and Research Requirement is a minimum of 15 hours with HLTH 605 required of all Ph.D. and Ed.D. students. Other courses suggested to fulfill the Statistics / Research requirement are listed below.