The Board of Regents recently granted approval to the Georgia State University Institute of Public Health to offer a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health degree. The new degree program supports the university’s overall ten-year strategic plan and its emphasis on public health education. In addition, it will help meet the demand for highly-trained public health researchers in Georgia and heighten Georgia State’s focus on the health of under-served urban communities.

The first Ph.D. class will begin the 62 credit hour degree program in Fall 2011. As the only public university public health doctoral program in the Atlanta area, Georgia State expects to prepare its graduates for research careers. The new doctoral students will have the opportunity to assist with research projects funded by a new $6.7 million federal research grant developed to reduce health disparities in urban populations.

The Institute also offers a Master of Public Health degree (MPH), which was established in 2004 in order to meet the demand for an affordable public health program. The MPH program has more than 150 current students and 150 alumni.

“This new doctoral degree program will educate the next generation of prevention scientists who will conduct behavioral science research in a variety of settings including academia, local, state and federal government health, health care organizations, and the private sector,” says Michael Eriksen, professor and director of the Institute of Public Health.

For more information or to apply to the Ph.D. in public health, email publichealth@gsu.edu.