Students who have not taken the following courses (or their equivalents) are required to do so: CHS 212; Biostatistics 100A, 100B, and 406. These courses do not count toward the minimum course requirements for the doctoral degree, and must be taken for a letter grade.
If the student does not have a master’s degree in public health, the following courses are also required. These courses do not count toward the minimum course requirements for the doctoral degree, and must be taken for a letter grade.
The CHS Doctoral Handbook courses document (below) outlines recommended courses in methodology and statistics.
The typical sequence for the doctoral degree is two years of coursework, followed by preparation and completion of two written qualifying exams, preparation of a research proposal, oral qualifying exam (proposal defense), completion of a dissertation, and oral dissertation defense. Doctoral students are advanced to candidacy after they have passed their oral qualifying exam.
The typical time to degree for the PhD in Community Health Sciences is six years. The maximum amount of time permitted to obtain the degree is eight years.
In addition to meeting the University’s minimum requirements, the department requires:
Applicants are only admitted in the Fall. Applicants who wish to be considered for all financial aid considerations should have their applications, letters, transcripts and official GRE scores here at the School of Public Health by December 1 of the year preceding the desired entrance year.
The application process has three steps. You must:
For complete application instructions and the list of required materials, review the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Admission Application Check List and Submission Instructions.
As we receive many more qualified applicants for the program than there are available spaces, meeting the minimum requirements for admission does not ensure admission to the program.
For the most up to date fees and more information on fee breakdown, visit the registrar's office.
Please see FSPH Financial Opportunities page for information on awards, scholarships, training opportunities, employment, summer internship funding, and need-based aid. Please note that opportunities listed under 'Summer Internship Funding' are only applicable to MPH students.
Graduates of the program generally assume teaching, research, and managerial positions in universities, government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, international health agencies, and research centers.
Graduates often enter careers in the following areas:
Faculty in the department of Community Health Sciences have backgrounds in public health, medicine and diverse disciplines within the social and behavioral sciences.
For a list of faculty in this department, please click here.
To search all School of Public Health faculty members by name, department or area of expertise, click here.
For more information or questions, please contact Kathy Yi kathyy@ph.ucla.edu or 310.825.8314.
*This information is intended as an overview, and should be used as a guide only. Requirements, course offerings and other elements may change, and this overview may not list all details of the program. For the most up-to-date information, please consult the registrar’s office.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Doctoral Handbook 2019-21.pdf | 1.5 MB |
* Admission requirements listed are departmental requirements, and are in addition to the University's minimum requirements. Many programs receive more applicants than can be admitted, so meeting the minimum requirements for admission does not ensure admission. Every effort is made to ensure minimum admissions requirements are up to date - for the most up-to-date information on the University's minimum requirements, please visit the UCLA Graduate Division.
** Fees are subject to change and should be used as a guide only. For the most up to date fees and more information on fee breakdown, visit the registrar's office.
