DrPH Qualifying Exam

Open

DrPH Qualifying Examination

Students must complete a field-based doctoral project that is designed to influence programs, policies, or systems applicable to public health practice. The doctoral project must include a minimum of three high-quality, evidence-based deliverables, with at least one written product. The doctoral project must also demonstrate synthesis of competencies across all DrPH curriculum domains in the student's concentration. For the USF policy please refer to the USF Catalog. Doctoral Project Plan Description & Guidelines

The Doctoral Project is completed in two parts:

Open

When the majority of the student's coursework is satisfactorily completed, the student must pass a qualifying examination. The qualifying exam consists of a written Doctoral Project Plan, followed by an oral examination.

In order to qualify to take the exam, students must:

1. Committee Form must be approved in Archivum, (form should be submitted at least 10 weeks in advance of the proposed qualifying exam date).

2. Attain an overall and degree program GPA of 3.30 at USF at the of the exam

3. Not have any "I" or "M" grades (this includes "IF" and "MF" grades)

4. Be enrolled in a minimum of (2) credit hours during the semester in which the exam is taken.

5. Complete Chapters 1-3 of the Doctoral Project

6. Obtain approval from their doctoral committee

7. Obtain approval from the DrPH Director (completed document must be sent no later than 4 weeks prior to the proposed exam date; no later than posted deadlines)

Written Part of the Qualifying Exam

The qualifying exam will consist of a written Doctoral Project Plan (Chapters 1-3) that describes the proposed doctoral project, followed by an oral examination that relates the content, approach, and deliverables of the project to the DrPH competencies in the student's concentration. The examination will be administered and evaluated by the student's doctoral project committee.

The student should begin working with their Major Professor early in the program to develop ideas for their doctoral project.  The student should then work with the Major Professor and other committee members as needed on completing the Doctoral Project Plan prior to submission for evaluation. The written Doctoral Project Plan must follow the guidelines described in the Doctoral Project Plan document, and will be evaluated based on the Doctoral Project Plan Rubric found here.

Once approved by the Major Professor, the student will notify the committee members of intention to be examined on the Doctoral Project Plan and will schedule the oral examination with the committee members at a mutually agreeable time. The oral examination will take place via Microsoft Teams. The student must submit the final draft of the written Doctoral Project Plan to the committee members a minimum of two weeks prior to the scheduled oral examination.

Students in the Advanced Practice Leadership concentration must submit the written Doctoral Project Plan to the DrPH Director a minimum of 4 weeks prior to the proposed start of the oral qualifying examination, for review and approval. Students in the Clinical Laboratory Science and Practice concentration must submit the written Doctoral Project Plan to the Lab Concentration Director a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the proposed date of the oral qualifying exam.

After the Doctoral Project Plan has been submitted for final approval, the student must submit the Qualifying Examination form in Archivum. Qualifying exam forms will not be allowed to be submitted retroactively. Forms not submitted prior to the proposed exam date, could be subject to denial and a repeat of the oral exam. Once the Doctoral Project Plan and Qualifying Exam form has been approved by all parties, the Office of Doctoral Training will send an meeting invite to the oral part of the exam. The qualifying exam is not open to the public, no announcement will be sent. 

Oral Part of the Qualifying Exam

On the day of the oral Qualifying Exam, students present their written Doctoral Project Plan.

• The Major Professor serves as Chair and introduces the student.

• The student gives a presentation (max 35 minutes).

• Committee members ask questions in multiple rounds.

• After the exam, the committee deliberates on the project's appropriateness and recommends any necessary changes. Even if the student passes, modifications may still be required.

The oral exam will focus on:

• Community Engagement: How does the project involve and impact the community?

• Leadership & Management: How does the project develop leadership or management skills?

• Communication & Education: How does it contribute to public health transformation?

• Evidence-Based Approach: How is the project grounded in research and best practices?

The committee must approve any future changes to the Doctoral Project Plan.

Students can register for PHC 7919 Doctoral Project after completing their qualifying exam. However, students who have submitted committee-approved Chapters 1-3 by the published deadlines of the prior semester may be eligible to register for PHC 7919 during the semester of their qualifying exam, pending approval from the DrPH Director.