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Public Health (DrPH)

Doctor of Public Health

Advanced practical training for transformative health leaders.

The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program produces leaders in public health to take on emergent and increasing threats to local, national, and global health. Guided by our experienced faculty and utilizing our unique resources, partnerships, and opportunities, you will receive rigorous practical training, preparing you to take on vital leadership roles in government, nonprofit, and private sectors. Graduates of this program will be equipped to implement population- and evidenced-based public health strategies that are responsive to the dynamic, interdependent nature of human systems and the environment.

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Program Benefits

The DrPH program equips students with competencies in data analysis, leadership, management, governance, policy development, program implementation, education, and workforce development. You will learn to synthesize, translate, and generate evidence-based practice, all aimed at advancing programs, policies, services, and systems that address population health. Crucially, you will gain knowledge and skills that will enable you to guide the public health field in various contexts toward the successful realization of overarching strategy and transformative change.

Program Highlights

  • Flexible Format: Experience a professional doctoral program designed to accommodate your busy schedule. Online courses utilize the latest technology to enrich the learning experience and enhance your presentation skills. This includes multimedia lectures and interactive demonstrations.
  • Real-World: The DrPH program provides opportunities to gain experience in real-world practice through the Applied Practice Experience. The program then culminates with the Integrative Learning Experience, where you will develop and execute a dissertation project to produce transformative change in programs, policies, or systems.
  • Location: Proximity to local health departments in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties provides many employment and educational opportunities for students.
  • Network: The SCGH Student Association provides opportunities for leadership and impact through intellectual, social, and cultural contributions that meet the needs of public health students through community service, dialogue, and special events.

Who Should Apply

The DrPH program is designed for aspiring public health leaders seeking to enhance global public health through improved research, practice, policymaking, and system response. As an ideal candidate, you:

  • Have a Master’s in Public Health (MPH)* and a strong desire to make significant contributions to the field of public health, the SCGH, and the DrPH program.
  • Possess qualities like integrity, honesty, trustworthiness, and the ability to engage with diverse communities and collaborate across disciplines.
  • Demonstrate responsibility, dedication, persistence, and a lifelong commitment to personal and professional growth.

*If you show exceptional potential for success in the DrPH program and in contributing to the public health field, you may be admitted without an MPH. You will need to satisfactorily complete five prerequisite courses (as presented in the core course requirements for the MPH degree). Completion of the courses (totaling 20 units) entitles you to receive a formal certificate in Foundations of Public Health.

Additional Requirements:

  • Applicants must have completed a Research Methods course or an equivalent.
  • Applicants who have not completed a Research Methods course but demonstrate exceptional potential may be admitted conditionally. You will need to complete CGH 313: Research Methods (4 units) or an equivalent course.
  • All admitted students must complete a validation method determined by the SCGH to ensure grounding in foundational public health knowledge.

Program At-a-glance

  • 49 units

    required units

  • Doctor of Public Health

    degree awarded

  • Online

    modality

  • Spring, Fall

    program start

  • 3-5 years | full time*

    estimated completion time

Alumni Paths

Faculty

  • Jay Orr

    Jay Orr

    Clinical Full Professor
    Dean, School of Community & Global Health

  • Jamie Felicitas Perkins

    Jamie Felicitas-Perkins

    Assistant Professor of Practice of Community and Global Health,
    Director of the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program

    Research Interests

    Determinants of health among racially/ethnically diverse, underserved, and underrepresented populations; health disparities among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders; cancer disparities and contributing factors; cancer prevention; tobacco control and prevention; tobacco-related disparities; and community-based participatory research

  • Portrait of Darleen Peterson

    Darleen V. Peterson

    Professor of Practice, Community and Global Health
    Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
    Director of the Certificate and Master of Public Health (MPH) programs

    Research Interests

    Evaluation of Health Communication Campaigns, Effects of Pro- and Anti-Tobacco and Alcohol Marketing; Public Health Education Accreditation

  • Portrait of Jessica DeHart

    Jessica Clague DeHart

    Associate Professor of Community and Global Health

    Research Interests

    Epidemiology, chronic disease, cancer etiology, cancer survivorship, molecular and genetic epidemiology, lifestyle intervention trials, exercise, nutrition, quality of life, community-based interventions

  • Stewart Donaldson

    Stewart I. Donaldson

    Distinguished University Professor
    Executive Director, Claremont Evaluation Center
    Executive Director, The Evaluators' Institute (TEI)

    Research Interests

    Positive Organizational Psychology, Health/Well-Being & Positive Functioning Across Cultures, Program Design & Re-Design, Culturally Responsive Theory-Driven Measurement & Evaluation

  • Portrait of C Anderson Johnson

    C. Anderson Johnson

    Professor
    Founding Dean, School of Community & Global Health

    Research Interests

    Transnational prevention of tobacco, alcohol, and drug abuse, HIV-AIDS, and obesity; Community-based substance abuse prevention; Social and environmental influences on health; Community and mass media approaches to health

  • Paula Palmer

    Paula Healani Palmer

    Professor of Community and Global Health
    Director of the PhD in Health Promotion Sciences program

    Research Interests

    Determinants of health among ethnically diverse populations; Community-based participatory research among under-served, underrepresented populations; Health of Pacific Islanders and South Asians; Technology applications for health behavior interventions; Tobacco control, mental health, disaster management, health of migrants and indigenous peoples; Maternal and child health

  • Kim Reynolds

    Kim D. Reynolds

    Professor

    Research Interests

    Nutrition and physical activity, Health promotion and disease prevention, Diabetes and obesity

  • Portrait of Alan Stacy

    Alan Stacy

    Professor
    Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs

    Research Interests

    Application of theories and methods of human memory; Cognitive neuroscience and social cognition to health behavior: etiology, prevention, and media effects; Translation of basic research to field research, high-risk populations, and prevention; Validation issues in assessment

  • Portrait of Bin Xie

    Bin Xie

    Professor of Community and Global Health
    Director of the Applied Biostatistics (MS) program

    Research Interests

    Obesity prevention; Tobacco control; Diet, physical activity, body image in adolescents; Psychological adjustment to obesity; Diabetes and cancer; Application of statistical analysis in prevention research

  • Javad Fadardi

    Javad Salehi Fadardi

    Research Full Professor of Community and Global Health

    Research Interests

    Application of theories and methods of human goal-seeking and motivated behavior; cognitive neuroscience and goal-related cognitive processes related to health behavior; translation of basic research to field research, high-risk populations, and e-Health technologies

  • Portrait of Bree Hemingway

    Bree Hemingway

    Assistant Clinical Professor of Community and Global Health,
    Associate Director of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program,
    Co-director of the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)/MPH dual program

    Research Interests

    Program evaluation, health disparities, and public health workforce development

  • Eric Houston

    Eric Houston

    Research Assistant professor

    Research Interests

    Application of theories and methods of goal-seeking and motivated behavior; cognitive neuroscience and goal-related cognitive processes related to health behavior; translation of basic research to field research, high-risk populations, e-Health technologies, and prevention

  • Portrait of Rachaline Napier

    Rachaline Napier

    Clinical Associate Professor of Community and Global Health

    Research Interests

    Global Health, Epidemiology

  • flame logo graphic

    Gary Selnow

    Research Professor

    Research Interests

    Health promotion and disease prevention, translation of basic research to field research, high-risk populations, e-Health technologies

  • Yusuke Shono

    Yusuke Shono

    Assistant Professor of Community and Global Health

    Research Interests

    Application of theories and models of cognitive processes; Implicit cognition and health behavior; Cognitive screening and assessment; Measurement of health disparities and inequity; Measurement and validation in cognitive, behavioral, and health outcome assessment

Curriculum

The curricular criterion for the DrPH degree is framed in terms of five related components: foundational and concentration-specific skills and content, professional disposition, application and practice, and integrative experience. The DrPH degree has distinct and defined learning objectives and a delineation of associated competencies for coursework, the practice experience, and the integrative learning experience.

Core Courses (35 units)

  • Foundations of Global Health: A Transdisciplinary Approach (4 units)
  • Seminar in Grant Writing & Proposal Development (4 units)
  • Foundations of Program Planning (4 units)
  • Designing and Evaluating Health Behavior Interventions (4 units)
  • US Health Policy (3 units)
  • Advanced Theoretical Foundations in Health Education & Promotion (4 units)
  • Advanced Statistical Methods I (4 units)
  • Advanced Research Methods (4 units)
  • Qualitative Research Methods (4 units)

Concentration Courses (10 units)

  • Advanced Topics in Public Health Management (3 units)
  • Health Equity in Research and Practice (3 units)
  • Positive Organizational Psychology (4 units)

Transdisciplinary Course (4 units)

  • Transdisciplinary Changemakers. Justice-Centered Frameworks for Education (4 units)

Advanced Practicum (0 units)

Students can choose:

1) Community Lab Course Series (0 units)

  • Community Based Translational Research to Promote Population Health (0 units)
  • Health Systems Engineering and Integration (0 units)
  • Advanced Practicum in Public Health (0 units)

OR

2) Advanced Practicum in Public Health (0 units)

Learning Outcomes

  • Demonstrate knowledge of the Public Health core areas of epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health systems management, and the biological, social, and cultural aspects of health and disease in addressing and solving problems
  • Design, conduct, and analyze data from well-designed formative research for the purpose of developing and evaluating appropriate public health interventions in diverse contexts
  • Develop and apply professional leadership and management skills to coordinate global health interventions in diverse settings
  • Engage in evidence-based policy development, analysis, and translation processes
  • Design well-developed funding proposals
  • Engage in advanced field experience that allows students to develop competencies in advanced practice skills, including leadership and pedagogy
  • Generate a field-based product consistent with advanced practice designed to influence program, policies, or systems addressing population health

Networking Opportunities

With more than 80 chapters throughout the world, the Delta Epsilon chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health at Claremont Graduate University opens up numerous academic and professional opportunities, including:

  • Electing students, faculty, alumni, and honorary members based on high academic standards and outstanding performance in scholarship, teaching, research, and community service.
  • Connecting students to a vast networking pool of 15,000 members from the top echelons of graduate schools, programs of public health, and the public health community.
  • Opening doors for faculty and students to network and positively impact public health initiatives in the Southern California region.
  • Boosting students’ transition from academic life to professional life.

Application Guidelines

University Requirements
Application Fee

$135 (fee is non-refundable)

Official Transcripts

Undergraduate/graduate

Applicants must submit a sealed, official transcript from every undergraduate and graduate institution that has granted the applicant a degree. Electronic transcripts sent to admissions@cgu.edu are also accepted. For undergraduate coursework, applicants are required to submit proof of a completed bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Unofficial copies of transcripts are accepted for review purposes, but official copies will be required upon admission.

Applicants currently earning a degree that will be completed prior to attending CGU are required to submit a transcript showing work in progress for evaluation purposes. Once the degree has been granted, a final official transcript documenting the degree conferred must be submitted to CGU.

International applicants are advised to review the International Transcript Guidelines for additional information on submitting international transcripts.

English Proficiency Exam

Required (international applicants only)

A valid score on one of the following examinations TOEFL, IELTS, Pearson PTE, Duolingo English Test is required of all non-native English-speaking applicants. The examination is not required for the following applicants:

  • Citizens or permanent residents of countries where English is the sole official language of instruction, e.g., Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada (except Quebec), England, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Scotland, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad, Tobago, Uganda, and Wales (see the CGU Bulletin for a complete list of accepted countries).
  • Applicants who hold an undergraduate or advanced degree, or will have earned such a degree prior to enrolling at CGU, from an institution in the US or in countries where English is the sole official language of instruction (see above).
  • Applicants who have successfully completed an academic English pre-master’s or intensive graduate bridge program from a nationally recognized, regionally accredited four-year college or university in the United States in the last two years, with submitted evidence of successful completion, and subject to curriculum approval.
  • CGU allows for an English proficiency waiver if the applicant has received, or will receive prior to enrollment at CGU, an undergraduate or advanced degree from an institution where English is one of the primary languages of instruction for the majority of courses in the student’s program. To receive the waiver, documentation must be provided by the applicant to show that English is the language of instruction at their university/college.

CGU’s school code for the TOEFL exam is 4053.

International applicants are encouraged to visit our International Applicants page for more information, including score requirements.

Resume

Applicants must submit an up-to-date copy of their resume.

Program Requirements
Statement of Purpose

Please submit a 2-3 page statement of purpose that details your academic and/or professional achievements, your specific areas of research interest within your desired field of study, why you are a strong candidate for graduate studies at CGU, and your career goals.

Letter of Recommendation

3 letters required

When filling out the online application, please enter references acquainted with your potential for success who will submit a written recommendation on your behalf. In most academic departments, references from faculty members who can speak to your academic ability are preferred; applicants with substantial work experience may request professional references. Please do not enter family members as references.

You will be required to input information for your recommenders (whether they are submitting online or not) in the “Recommendations” section of the online application. Please follow the directions in this section carefully before clicking on “Recommendation Provider List” to input the names and contact information for each recommender. You will have an opportunity to indicate if the reference writer will be submitting online. These reference writers will receive an email from CGU with instructions on submitting an online recommendation.

Recommenders who are indicated as offline will not receive an email from CGU with instructions to submit. These reference writers can submit via traditional mail and should use the supplemental New Student Recommendation Form. Recommenders can also email their letter of recommendation to the Office of Admissions at admissions@cgu.edu.

Download the Recommendation Form

Standardized Test Scores

GRE (optional)

For applicants applying to begin in a 2024 term, standardized test scores are not required for this program. Applicants who have taken the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test are invited to submit scores but are not required to do so.

Applicants who feel that their Grade Point Averages do not adequately represent their ability to succeed in a graduate program may find it helpful to submit GRE scores for consideration.

CGU’s school code:
ETS (GRE and TOEFL) 4053

Writing Sample

All applicants are required to submit a writing sample of previous work in addition to the statement of purpose. You may submit samples of any length you feel indicate your writing ability, but please note that we will be unable to return any items submitted as part of your application (please, no books). Most applicants submit one or two scholarly papers or excerpts of around 10-15 pages. Writing samples should not exceed 30 pages.

Key Dates & Deadlines

CGU operates on a priority deadline cycle. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit complete applications by the priority dates in order to assure maximum consideration for both admission and fellowships.

Once the priority deadlines have passed, the University will continue to review applications for qualified candidates on a competitive, space-available basis. The final deadlines listed are the last date the University can accept an application in order to allow sufficient time to complete the admissions, financial aid, and other enrollment processes.

Spring 2025
Priority Deadline – November 1, 2024
Final Deadline (International) – November 15, 2024
Final Deadline (Domestic) – December 1, 2024
Classes begin – January 21, 2025

Fall 2025
Priority Deadline – February 1, 2025
Final Deadline (International) – July 5, 2025
Final Deadline (Domestic) – August 1, 2025
Classes begin – August 25, 2025

SOPHAS Application

Applicants to the Master of Public Health and Doctorate in Public Health programs in the School of Community and Global Health should apply using the SOPHAS application. SOPHAS is a service of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, which represents the CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health. You will not be required to submit an additional application to CGU directly; submission through the SOPHAS portal is all that is required.

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Cost & Aid

ESTIMATED TUITION (CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, NON-RESIDENTS, INTERNATIONAL)
Program 49 units (students can transfer up to 13 units)
Tuition per unit* $2,020

*Based on 2024-2025 tuition rates.

 

STUDENT FEES (PER SEMESTER)
$245 Student Fee
$150 Technology Fee
International Student Services Fee*: $661 fall semester, $776 spring semester
**Applies to all international students (F-1 visa only) who are registered in coursework, doctoral study, or continuous registration. The fee is assessed each fall and spring semester for annual ISO accident and sickness plans and administrative fees. Subject to change.

For estimates of room & board, books, etc., please download CGU’s Cost of Attendance 2024-2025.

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*Program completion times may vary depending on course registration, units transferred, and time to complete other degree requirements.

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