colorado school of public health

coloradoSPH

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PhD in Epidemiology

In this program, you'll gain advanced skills in analytical methods, biostatistics, and field research methods. In addition, you’ll learn about grant writing and research ethics and have the opportunity to select a minor course of study. Our department has a strong base of funded research projects providing students with many opportunities for research support and data for dissertation projects. Our faculty are studying everything from food safety, to diabetes, to gene-environment interactions, which means you can find the mentor who’s right for you.

Quick facts, careers, and skills

When you leave this program, you’ll be able to rigorously investigate the genetic, behavioral, environmental, and physiological factors that underlie complex human diseases and effective preventive measures.

Quick facts

Program location: CU Anschutz
Credit hours: 68
Est. time to complete: 5-7 years

Sample careers

Staff scientist
Principal investigator
Instructor
& more

Skills you'll gain

Grant writing
Study design
Data analysis and interpretation
& more

Curriculum

In this program, you’ll take courses in epidemiology, biostatistics, research methods, analytical methods, and research ethics. You'll also complete a dissertation based on work completed under the supervision of one of our world-class researchers.

Course requirement	Course ID	Credits
Biostatistics Methods I	BIOS 6611	3
Biostatistics Methods II	BIOS 6612	3
		6

Course requirement	Course ID	Credits
Research Methods with Secondary Datasets Sources	EPID 7605	3
Epidemiologic Field Methods	EPID 7911	3
Developing a Research Grant	EPID 7912	3
Analytical Methods in Epidemiology *		4
		13

*A minimum of 4 credits of advanced analytic coursework in biostatistics or epidemiologic methods from the ColoradoSPH

Course requirement	Course ID	Credits
Doctoral Thesis	EPID 8990	30

Total credits: 68

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View the course book and course schedule >

Competencies

Identifier	Competencies	Course Where Competency is Addressed/Assessed
PHD-EPID 1	Transform scientific questions into study aims with testable hypotheses, a research protocol with appropriate data collection methods and an analysis plan.	EPID 7632 EPID 7605 EPID 7912
PHD-EPID 2	Synthesize a body of evidence, while critically evaluating methodologic quality of individual studies to identify areas of need for future investigation.	EPID 7632 EPID 7912
PHD-EPID 3	Create research proposals to answer a research or public health question using a variety of data sources; considering limitations, study design and analytic solutions.	EPID 7632 EPID 7605 EPID 7912
PHD-EPID 4	Develop statistical models appropriate to specific study designs, distinguishing between predictive, associative, and causality-based analytic approaches.	EPID 7632
PHD-EPID 5	Demonstrate mastery of a substantive area of research including knowledge and application of that knowledge in conducting original research.	EPID 7912

Colorado School of Public Health

CU Anschutz

Fitzsimons Building

13001 East 17th Place

3rd Floor

Mail Stop B119

Aurora, CO 80045

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Course requirement	Course ID	Credits
Advanced Epidemiology 1	EPID 7631	3
Advanced Epidemiology 2	EPID 7632	3
		6

Course requirement	Course ID	Credits
Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research OR PUBH 6655 Public Health Ethics	CLSC 7150 PUBH 6655	1 1
Electives		12
		13

PhD in Epidemiology

Quick facts, careers, and skills

Curriculum

Core epidemiology coursework

Core biostatistics coursework

Research methods

Additional coursework

Dissertation

Total credits: 68

Competencies

Colorado School of Public Health