Graduation

Eligible students may graduate at the end of summer, fall, and spring semesters. Commencement occurs in December and May.

Time Limit for Earning Degrees

Students in the Bachelor of Science in Public Health program must complete the 60-credit hour curriculum in public health in no more than six years after initial enrollment in the program.

A Master of Public Health degree or a Master of Science degree must be completed in not more than four years and all doctoral programs within eight years.  Any requests for an extension of this policy are subject to approval by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, based on recommendations from the student’s Academic Program Director.

Doctor of Philosophy

Residence Requirement

The LSUHSC-NO Schools of Graduate Studies and Public Health requires three years (9 semesters) of full-time residence, although in most instances more time is needed. Exceptions may be made by petition to the School Dean. A minimum of one year (three consecutive semesters) must be taken in residence at the Health Sciences Center following completion of the qualifying examinations (written and oral).

Course Requirements

Specific course requirements are dependent upon individual Program policies. However, in general, a minimum of 60 credit hours is required and at least 30 of those hours must be taken in courses that require a letter grade for evaluation. The minimum courses required by each Program are listed in the Program Descriptions in this catalog. 

Qualifying Process

Students must pass a series of written comprehensive examinations after completing their PhD core courses. After passing the written comprehensives, students must pass an oral defense of the student’s research prospectus. This oral examination will be given by the Doctoral Advisory Committee of each student and will assess the research prospectus and mastery of discipline in the dissertation area. The student selects the Committee Chair in conjunction with the Academic Program Director and PhD advisor.

If students fail either the written or the oral examination, the program faculty or Doctoral Advisory Committee determines the conditions to be met before another examination may be given.

The Doctoral Advisory Committee consists of the Chair and at least four other faculty members representing major and minor (if applicable) disciplines. One member must be from a program outside the School of Public Health and a member of the Graduate Faculty of the LSUHSC School of Graduate Studies or equivalent at an institution outside of the Health Sciences Center. The Dean may make substitutions or additions of committee members after consultation with the major professor and Academic Program Director, but the continuity of membership is sought to provide consistent guidance to students throughout the program. This examination is the most thorough in the doctoral program. It should require the candidate to demonstrate competence in a broad segment of the major and minor (if applicable) fields. If there is no more than one negative ballot out of a minimum of five, students become a “candidate” after the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Dean have been notified by the student’s Major Professor and Program Director of the successful completion of the preliminary examination.

Students must complete the Request for Preliminary Examination at least two weeks prior to the scheduled exam. A Report of Preliminary Examination form must be completed after the oral preliminary examination. These forms are also available on the school’s website or from the Office of Academic Affairs.

Dissertation

The dissertation must make a significant contribution to the field, suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal of international repute. Refer to the LSUHSC School of Graduate Studies Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines for the preparation of the dissertation. For the planned graduation date, students should check the academic calendar for the final date for submission of the dissertation to the School of Public Health. 

There are two stylistic options for dissertation manuscript(s): the monograph option and the three publishable papers options. Students must choose one and must have the permission of their Committee Chair/Major Advisor. The format decision must be made prior to the prospectus defense and clearly described to the student’s dissertation committee. Once the prospectus has been accepted, the student may not change the format.

MONOGRAPH OPTION

This is a traditional format of dissertations. With this format, the student extensively cites the literature and empirical support for the methods applied in their research. The committee has the ability to review this information in advance of the oral defense and the student has access to reference this material in the oral defense. Since this format does not clarify a publication plan for the final dissertation, the student should be prepared to describe publication progress and/or plans to convert the document into peer-reviewed journal submissions and/or book chapters. 

ARTICLE-STYLE OPTION

For this format, the dissertation consists of at least three full-length manuscripts on original research conducted by the candidate. The manuscript(s) may have been published/accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals during the PhD study period or sent for review to peer-reviewed journals, depending on the program. The articles should form a cohesive body of work that supports a theme or themes that are expressed clearly in the introduction of the dissertation (Chapter 1). The dissertation must include an abstract that synthesizes the articles, as well as an introduction (Chapter 1) and a conclusion (Chapter 5) that discusses the synthesis of what is learned from the three articles. With this option, and after a successful dissertation defense, the student must still convert the three papers into a hybrid monograph for submission to the school for binding and submission to ProQuest.

Dissertation Defense - Permission to hold the final examination will be granted by the Dean of the School of Public Health only after all the foregoing conditions are satisfied and one calendar year has elapsed since students have passed the prospectus (three academic semesters). The defense may be preceded by an open seminar on the student’s dissertation research. Students must petition the Dean for permission to take the examination. The doctoral committee is composed of no less than five graduate faculty members, one of whom must be from outside the School of Public Health and a member of the faculty of the School of Graduate Studies or equivalent at another institution. The Dean may serve as a member or may appoint members to the Committee. Traditionally, this examination is a test of the student’s intimate knowledge of the area of the field in which the student is working. However, at the discretion of the Committee or the Dean, the examination may include questions from the major or minor fields, in general. To pass the examination there may be no more than one negative vote. Prior to the Dissertation Defense, students must complete the Request for Dissertation/Thesis Defense and Final Examination at least two weeks prior to the scheduled defense.

Students must submit the completed Dissertation/Thesis Defense Final Examination Report to the Office of Academic Affairs after the defense.

Certification

If not more than one member of the examining committee dissents and if the dissertation is accepted, the candidate will be certified to the School of Public Health Faculty, Graduate Faculty, and Chancellor as having met all requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Exam Only Status

Doctoral students in good standing having completed the required dissertation credit hours may register under “Exam Only” in their anticipated final semester of the program. Students are allowed to register for “Exam Only” for a maximum of 3 semesters.

Binding and Publication

After the defense, students must submit at least two copies of the printed dissertation for binding. The two copies are for the library and the dean. Binding expenses are covered with graduation fees that appear in the fee bill, however, all printing costs are the responsibility of the student. Students may order additional copies at a cost of $15 each for binding; this fee may be paid by check or money order made out to LSUHSC. 

Students must also submit the dissertation to ProQuest for electronic publication at the following link: https://secure.etdadmin.com/cgi-bin/etdadmin_login?form=etdadmin&request_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.etdadmin.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fstudent%2Fetd

Time Limit

The School of Public Health requires that all work towards a doctoral degree be completed in not more than eight calendar years. Any requests for an extension of this policy are subject to approval by the student’s doctoral committee, ADAA and Dean.