Keck School of Medicine
Department-Specific Programs
Department of Preventive Medicine
Doctor of Philosophy in Biostatistics
The department offers a degree program leading to the Ph.D. in biostatistics. The program is designed to produce biostatisticians who will have in-depth knowledge of statistical theory and methodology and the ability to apply this knowledge creatively to statistical problems in the biological and health sciences. All students will enroll in a set of core courses that cover both biostatistical theory and applications. Students will then choose from one of four tracks that will allow them to develop expertise in a specific area. The available tracks are: (1) biostatistics theory; (2) statistical genetics; (3) environmental statistics; (4) clinical trials.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 60 units of graduate study is required for the Ph.D. degree; a maximum of 19 of these units may be from research and dissertation. In preparation for the qualifying examination, students are required to take all remaining core and track-specific courses.
Screening Procedure
In preparation for the screening examination, all students must take four core courses: PM 511ab and PM 522ab. A student failing the screening examination will either terminate or will terminate with the M.S. degree upon completion of an acceptable thesis.
Qualifying Exam Committee
A formal qualifying exam committee will consist of at least five faculty members. The committee chair and at least two additional members must be affiliated with the student’s program. At least three members of the committee must be tenured or tenure track.
Qualifying Examination
The written portion of the qualifying examination will comprise testing on track-specific course content and focus on the student’s dissertation topic. An oral examination will ascertain the student’s competence in orally communicating this knowledge. Students must pass the written portions and the oral portions in order to pass the qualifying examination.
Annual Research Appraisal (ARA)
Beginning in the second year, each student must register for PM 610 (1 unit) and present an annual progress report to the program oversight committee. Once a dissertation topic has been selected, the annual progress report is presented to the student’s qualifying exam committee. Once the student has passed the qualifying examination and is appointed to candidacy, the annual progress report is presented to the student’s dissertation committee. The student will meet annually with the dissertation committee, until he or she graduates from the program. The oral portion of the screening examination as well as the qualifying examination and the defense examination will count as ARAs.
Dissertation and Oral Defense
Upon passing the qualifying examination the Ph.D. candidate and his or her chair will recommend a three-member dissertation committee. The dissertation should be completed within two years and should be oriented toward a theoretical-methodological application to a problem area in the biological or health sciences. The oral defense is based on a rough draft or final version of the dissertation. The defense is administered by the dissertation committee, with other faculty invited to attend.
| Prerequisite | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 510L | Principles of Biostatistics | 4 |
| Required Courses for all tracks (Screening exam courses) | units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 511ab | Data Analysis | 4-4 |
| PM 522ab | Introduction to the Theory of Statistics | 3-3 |
| Recommended Courses: All tracks | units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 511c | Data Analysis | 4 |
| PM 520 | Advanced Statistical Computing | 3 |
| PM 610 | Seminar in Biostatistics and Epidemiology | 1 |
| Recommended Courses: Biostatistics Theory Track | units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 513 | Experimental Designs | 3 |
| PM 518ab | Statistical Methods for Epidemiological Studies I, II | 3-3 |
| Recommended Courses: Statistical Genetics Track | units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 534 | Statistical Genetics | 4 |
| PM 570 | Introduction to Statistical Genetics | 4 |
| Recommended Courses: Environmental Statistics Track | units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 518ab | Statistical Methods for Epidemiological Studies I, II | 3-3 |
| PM 558 | Environmental Epidemiology: Concepts, Methods and Practice | 4 |
| PM 575 | Statistical Methods in Environmental Epidemiology | 3 |
| Recommended Courses: Clinical Trials Track | units | |
|---|---|---|
| PM 513 | Experimental Designs | 3 |
| PM 518a | Statistical Methods for Epidemiological Studies I | 3 |
| PM 523 | Design of Clinical Studies | 3 |
| PM 552 | Statistical Methods in Clinical Trials | 3 |
Elective Courses
| BIOC 543, BISC 478, BISC 502ab, BISC 505, BISC 577ab, CSCI 570, CSCI 653, INTD 561, INTD 572, INTD 573, MATH 505ab, MATH 507ab, MATH 509, MATH 520, MATH 541ab, MATH 542L, MATH 543L, MATH 545L, MATH 547, MATH 548, MATH 550, MATH 578ab, PM 511c, PM 513, PM 516ab, PM 517ab, PM 518ab, PM 520L, PM 523, PM 533, PM 538, PM 544L, PM 552, PM 558, PM 565, PM 575, PM 579, PM 599, PM 603, SSCI 581, SSCI 582, SSCI 583, SSCI 585, SSCI 586, SSCI 587, SSCI 589 |
Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology
The department offers a degree leading to the Ph.D. in epidemiology. This program may be an extension of the applied biostatistics and epidemiology M.S. program and is especially aimed at persons with a strong background in medicine: in particular, students enrolled in the M.D. program of the Keck School of Medicine who wish to interrupt their M.D. studies after two years to complete a Ph.D. degree. This program is designed to produce an epidemiologist with in-depth statistical skills. The program requires a solid core of courses in methodological aspects of statistics and in statistical thinking as applied to medicine, as well as a solid grounding in epidemiological methods and in certain medical disciplines.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 60 course units with a maximum of 20 units of research and dissertation; passing of screening and qualifying examinations; and completion of dissertation and final oral are required. In preparation for the screening examination the student must take the required core course and elective 33 units of master’s level applied biostatistics and epidemiology courses. A student failing the screening examination will either terminate or terminate with the M.S. degree upon satisfactory completion of a master’s thesis. In preparation for the qualifying examination, the student is required to join an on-going research project under the direction of the chair of the qualifying exam committee and directly participate in the conduct of that project. Credit will be given as PM 790 (4 units, two semesters). In addition, it is recommended that the student take PM 610 (at least two semesters). Electives may be selected with the approval of the chair of the qualifying exam committee from courses in the biological sciences or from the medical school. For students in the M.D./Ph.D. program in epidemiology, satisfactory completion of the first two years of the M.D. program will be considered to provide 20 units toward the Ph.D. degree.
Qualifying Exam Committee
A formal qualifying exam committee will consist of at least five faculty members. The committee chair and at least two additional members must be affiliated with student’s program. At least three members of the committee must be tenured or tenure track.
Qualifying Examination
The written portion of the qualifying examination will test the student’s integration of knowledge in biostatistics and medicine. In general, the qualifying examination will present plans for implementation and completion of three components: an independent and complete data analysis arising from ongoing epidemiological study, a “review” paper on an area of epidemiological research, and a grant application for a new epidemiological study.
Dissertation
Upon passing the qualifying examination, the Ph.D. candidate and his or her chair will recommend a three-member dissertation committee. The dissertation should be completed within two years and should be oriented toward a methodological application to a problem area in the biological or health sciences.
The Oral Defense
This examination is based on a draft or final version of the dissertation and will be administered by the dissertation committee with other faculty invited to attend.
Language and Other Requirements
Proficiency in the English language is essential.
Course Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 60 units, with a maximum of 20 units of research and dissertation; pass screening and qualifying examinations; complete the dissertation and the dissertation defense examination. In addition the student is required to join a research project under the direction of one or both of the chairs of the qualifying exam committee and directly participate in the conduct of that project. Credit will be given by the department (DPT) conducting the research project DPT 790 Research (4 units, 2 semesters). In addition, at least two semesters of PM 610 is recommended.
Prerequisites: PM 510 Principles of Biostatistics or the equivalent. INTD 571 Biochemistry or the equivalent.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Core Courses (16 units): BIOC 543, INTD 531, INTD 561, INTD 504 or INTD 555.
Preventive Medicine Core Courses (17 units): PM 522aL, PM 512, PM 517a, PM 518a, PM 533.
Suggested Electives (at least 7 units) from: MICB 551, PM 511bL, PM 517b, PM 523, PM 527, PM 529 and PM 534.
Preparation for Screening Examination
The screening examination will be taken after two years in the program. Prior to the screening examination a mentor who will serve on the qualifying exam committee must be identified. The screening examination will consist of a written component and an oral component. The written component will be drawn from the core courses. A student failing the screening examination may be given a second opportunity to retake either one or both portions. Students failing the examination for the second time will terminate with the M.S. degree upon satisfactory completion of 37 units and an acceptable master’s thesis.
Annual Research Appraisal (ARA)
Beginning in the second year, each student must register for PM 610 (1 unit) and present an annual progress report to the program oversight committee. Once a dissertation topic has been selected, the annual progress report is presented to the student’s qualifying exam committee. Once the student has passed the qualifying examination and is appointed to candidacy, the annual progress report is presented to the student’s dissertation committee. The student will meet annually with the dissertation committee, until he or she graduates from the program. The oral portion of the screening examination as well as the qualifying examination and the defense examination will count as ARAs.
Doctor of Philosophy in Preventive Medicine (Health Behavior Research)
The Department of Preventive Medicine, Division of Health Behavior Research, offers a degree program in preventive medicine (health behavior), leading to attainment of the Ph.D. The program is designed to train exceptional researchers and scholars in the multidisciplinary field of health behavior research. Students receive a thorough grounding in academic and research experience, encompassing theoretical and methodological training in such allied fields as communication, psychology, preventive medicine, biostatistics, public health and epidemiology. Students receive research experience by participating in projects conducted through the USC Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research (IPR). The doctoral program is full-time: students are expected to enroll for fall, spring and summer semesters.
Assistantships
Financial and educational support is provided to qualified doctoral students in health behavior research. Graduate (research and/or teaching) assistantships are half-time (20 hours per week) and provide tuition remission as well as a monthly stipend.
Computer Language Requirement
Sufficient familiarity in computer languages to operate major software packages for data management and analysis is required.
Course Requirements
The doctoral program in health behavior research is structured as a four to five year course of study for students entering with a bachelor’s degree. Time requirements are subject to review and approval by the division’s Graduate Program Committee and the Graduate School.
A total of 60 units of graduate study is required for the Ph.D. in health behavior research. Students are required to complete nine core courses: PM 500, PM 511abL, PM 515, PM 530, PM 601, PM 602, PM 604 and PM 756 (total of 37 units). Other requirements include: two elective PM courses, one not offered by health behavior faculty (minimum of 7 units); and a minimum of 4 units each in PM 590, PM 690abcdz, PM 790 and PM 794abcdz.
For students entering with a bachelor’s degree, one of the directed research projects will be equivalent in scope to a master’s thesis. All research experiences/projects must be completed before registering for 794abcdz Doctoral Dissertation.
Screening Procedure
The progress of each student is reviewed at the end of every academic year. At the end of the second year of study, students who have not made satisfactory progress are advised that they will be dropped from the program unless their progress improves during their second year.
Qualifying Exam Committee
Each student’s qualifying exam committee consists of five members, including: no more than three health behavior faculty members; one other member from the Department of Preventive Medicine; and one member from a doctorate-granting program outside the Department of Preventive Medicine, representing the student’s minor field.
Qualifying Examination
Following course work and prior to beginning the dissertation, students must demonstrate written and oral mastery of the general field of health behavior research as well as of their chosen area of specialization. The qualifying process includes a written examination on theory and literature relevant to a selected content area. The examination is administered by the student’s qualifying exam committee.
In addition to the qualifying examination, each student is expected to produce the following as evidence of qualification to conduct dissertation research: an academic dossier consisting of a summary of the student’s academic record, teaching and research experience, and professional presentations and publications; at least one original empirical research paper of publishable quality, produced in connection with one of the student’s courses or research experiences or developed independently; a dissertation proposal; and an oral defense of all the preceding materials.