Mar 29, 2024  
Graduate Catalog 2008-09 
    
Graduate Catalog 2008-09 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences


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Nickola Nelson, Director
2584 CHHS Building
Telephone: (269) 387-7990
Fax: (269) 387-8912

The Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences (IHS) is designed to prepare Health and Human Service professionals for careers in research, teaching, and leadership. Several national commissions, including the Pew Health Professions Commission and the National Commission on Allied Health, have challenged higher educational institutions to respond to fundamental changes in health and related systems by designing more flexible curricula, removing disciplinary boundaries, and increasing research.  The College of Health and Human Services has met this challenge by developing a three-strand curriculum, which incorporates an interdisciplinary core curriculum, strong research preparation, and the use of innovative pedagogy. In order to meet the needs of working professionals, the courses are delivered through intensive weekend and summer on-campus sessions and distance learning modalities. Students enter the program as a cohort once every two years and can complete the didactic sequence in two years. Comprehensive examinations and dissertation research can be completed in an additional two to three years. 

Admission requirements

Students are admitted to the program as a cohort every two years, in even numbered years. Applicants to the program must meet the entrance requirements of the Graduate College and document:

  1. Minimum of two years of professional experience in the health and human service field.
  2. Master’s degree with a minimum graduate grade point average of 3.25/4.00.
  3. Completion of at least one graduate level course in statistical methods, with a minimum of a grade B within the last 10 years.
  4. Computer competency in databases, word-processing, spreadsheets, and Internet use.

Application must be made both to the Office of Admissions—Graduate Admissions and to the IHS program within the College of Health and Human Services. The application form is available at the program’s website www.wmich.edu/hhs/IHS/index.htm. It asks for information about the student’s academic and clinical background and an essay outlining career and research goals. Letters of recommendation from three academic or professional sources also are required. Finalists participate in on-campus interviews.

Program Requirements


Required courses are presented in sequential order, so that the didactic portion of the curriculum can be completed in two years. Courses are delivered through: distance education, on-campus intensive weekend sessions held three times per semester, or on-campus two-week long intensive summer sessions. Students are required to:

1. Attend a week-long, on-campus Orientation session.


This session is in the Summer II session of the student’s year of admission. Students are familiarized with program expectations and the University’s resources, and begin coursework.

2. Complete, with a 3.25 grade point average, a total of 63 semester hours of credit as follows:


a. Interdisciplinary core (12 hours)


b. Research and statistics module (16 hours)


c. Research practicum (6 hours)


d. Pedagogy module (8 hours)


e. Disciplinary cognate (9 hours)


The student may design the cognate to meet his/her own learning objectives, and cognate courses may be taken at other accredited, graduate institutions with the prior approval of the student’s academic advisor and Academic Affairs Committee, which includes the program director.

f. Dissertation research (12 hours)


3. Successfully complete a 4-part Comprehensive Examination.


Comprehensive examinations are performance-based and include the submission of a research paper for publications, policy analysis (with oral defense),  competitive grant proposal, and teaching portfolio describing development and delivery of an adult-learning course.

4. Successfully complete a doctoral dissertation


The dissertation entails completion, written documentation, and oral defense or a research project approved by the student’s dissertation committee.

Financial Assistance


The College of Health and Human Services offers some financial support through part-time doctoral research associateships. Contact the program director for details.

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