Health Behavior doctoral students learn to use theories and methods from the social and behavioral sciences to develop programs that encourage healthy behaviors. They are exposed to state-of-the-art techniques and methods for research and program evaluation. Students study health topics in depth as they apply their knowledge and skills to conducting research and writing proposals and manuscripts. Our doctoral-level training in the social and behavioral sciences places a heavy emphasis on research training and application, with faculty involving doctoral students in their research on a broad range of health issues such as:
behavioral interventions
family and adolescent health issues
obesity prevention
prevention and control of addictive behaviors
sexual health risks including HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment
community based health promotion
health communication and program evaluation
translation of research findings
Another vital part of our department's doctoral level training is one-on-one research mentoring, which fosters student development through activities such as participation in manuscript and proposal writing.
We aim to prepare our students as social and behavioral scientists who will conduct rigorous public health research and apply findings. Our graduates have often gone on to research and service careers in academic settings or public agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Our goal is to enable students to:
Apply health behavior theories to analyze individual and social influences on health behavior
Develop original research questions and apply research designs to address those research questions
Design a theoretically informed health behavior intervention plan
Develop an implementation and evaluation plan for a theoretically informed health behavior intervention
Conduct theoretically informed health behavior research from design through analysis and interpretation
Curriculum
The PhD program requires completion of a minimum of 72 hours of graduate credit, satisfactory performance on the qualifying exam, and completion of a doctoral dissertation. All PhD students must meet the graduation requirements of their department and the UAB Graduate School.
Students are required to complete at least 12 directed research credit hours. Goals are to provide:
experience in planning, conducting, and reporting behavioral science research under the mentoring of a faculty member or a researcher employed by an agency such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and local health departments
opportunities to develop manuscripts for publication, conference paper presentations, grant submissions, or other research products
preparation for dissertation work
Qualifying Exam
Doctoral students are required to take a qualifying examination before proposing a dissertation.
Doctoral Dissertation
The doctoral dissertation requirement provides students with a comprehensive and original research experience. Students conducting dissertation research must complete a minimum of 12 dissertation credit hours after completing coursework, passing the qualifying exam, and being admitted to candidacy. Students must be enrolled for a minimum of two semesters of dissertation research after they successfully propose in order to graduate, including the semester they graduate.
Certification in public health is a voluntary credential that can help to distinguish a public health professional from their peers in the public health sector. The Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential is administered by the National Board of Public Health Examiners (www.nbphe.org). Specific licensure requirements vary from state to state, and among territories. Please visit the Professional Licensure and Certification General Disclosures webpage for more information on state and territories requirements.