The purpose of this forum is to assist students in making steady progress toward earning a doctoral degree. Doctoral students are offered the opportunity to synthesize knowledge of their program of study and complete an in-depth exploration of a practice, issue, or problem within their discipline. Students will engage in regular scholarly discussions with a faculty chair and fellow doctoral students and submit Quarterly Plans and products toward completion of the doctoral degree. Information and resources related to the doctoral study, residencies, research, writing, and doctoral program expectations are provided for guidance.

Students take this course for a minimum of three quarters and are continuously enrolled until completion of their doctoral study with final chief academic officer (CAO) approval.

To complete a doctoral study, students must obtain the academic approval of several independent evaluators including their committee and the Institutional Review Board; pass the Form and Style Review; gain approval at the oral defense stage; and gain final approval by the chief academic officer. Students must also publish their doctoral study on ProQuest before their degree is conferred. Learn more about the doctoral study process in the Doctoral Study Guidebook.

Students in the applied practice experience are provided with the opportunity to apply and integrate the knowledge and skills acquired throughout their program of study and to further develop key professional and leadership competencies. Students engage in a field experience in an approved public health setting, which they align to their professional goals. Throughout the course, students explore pertinent workplace topics including safety, sexual harassment, emotional intelligence, cultural humility, leadership traits, and social change. Supervision by an on-site preceptor is a critical component of the applied practice experience. The on-site supervisor and the course instructor monitor and evaluate students’ performances throughout the applied practice experience. Students also participate in the accompanying online course and develop an ePortfolio based on five agreed-upon competencies. One of the five competencies must be related to leadership, management, and governance. Students are required to complete at least one project that is meaningful for the organization and advances public health practice. Students are required to complete a minimum of 80 hours of applied practice work.

This seminar introduces students to the doctoral study and its components, providing information about the doctoral study process and expectations at Walden. Resources available for completion of the doctoral study and appropriate scholarly topics will be discussed. Students will also examine success strategies including time management.

In this research course, students are provided with the opportunity to develop core knowledge and skills for designing and carrying out quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods public health research at the doctoral level. Students explore ecological and systems approaches to public health problems at the individual, group, organization, community and population levels. They also explore and learn to apply commonly used methods for developing research questions, research designs and approaches, data collection and data analysis, including statistical tests used in public health research. Students explore the ethical and rigorous conduct of research and consider the public health practice implications of conducting research.

In this course, students will explore the field of public health and analyze foundational components of the discipline, including philosophies and values, from the viewpoint of what it means to become a scholar-practitioner in the field. They will also examine literature in public health including information on emerging issues and trends and technologies used. Students will learn about the public health doctoral programs and the resources that are available to improve scholarly voice, writing, and communication. In addition, students will examine the skills that are needed to complete a doctoral study program with regards to time management, self-discipline, and academic integrity.

In this course, students will discover the importance in inter-organizational collaboration in the identification and resolution of public health concerns within communities. To this end, students will demonstrate the ability to integrate knowledge, approaches, methods, values and potential contributions from multiple professions and systems in addressing public health problems. Going a step further, the students will propose an inter-professional team approach to improving public health. The importance of ensuring strategic alignment with public health programs and services will be covered. Students will become familiar with sources of grant funding, common grant jargon and acronyms, types of grants, and best practices and red flags in grant writing. Students will apply a systematic approach to grant writing, which will culminate in the drafting of a public health Mock Grant Proposal. The proposal will address human, fiscal, and other resource needs to achieve strategic goals while creating new resources and revenue streams for the grantee.

In this course, students examine the role of federal, state, and local government in the assurance of public health through health policy and law. Consideration is given to contemporary policy, law, and regulatory issues arising in public health practice, as well as to the economics and financing of public health programs. The advocacy, political, and creative process in the formulation, implementation, and modification of health policy are examined and discussed. Students also learn how to structure and write a health policy brief, which will provide students with experience integrating scientific information, legal, and regulatory approaches, ethical frameworks, and varied stakeholder interests in policy development and analysis.

This course provides an in-depth review and analysis of the leading global health problems, and the primary methods used to measure those problems. Students analyze the social and environmental determinants of global health problems, including urbanization, global industrialization, environmental pollution, and their role in health inequalities within and between populations. In addition, students evaluate population-based approaches to improving global public health, including culturally inclusive and sensitive primary health care, and policies that promote health literacy, health equity and positive social change. Emphasis is placed on strategies to advance inclusion, cultural humility and health equity in public health research, policies and programs. The course takes a cross-disciplinary, ecological approach, enabling students to examine the complex inter-relationships between economic, social and environmental factors, and health.

The purpose of this forum is to assist students in making steady progress toward earning a doctoral degree. Doctoral students are offered the opportunity to synthesize knowledge of their program of study and complete an in-depth exploration of a practice, issue, or problem within their discipline. Students will engage in regular scholarly discussions with a faculty chair and fellow doctoral students and submit Quarterly Plans and products toward completion of the doctoral degree. Information and resources related to the doctoral study, residencies, research, writing, and doctoral program expectations are provided for guidance. Students take this course for a minimum of three quarters and are continuously enrolled until completion of their doctoral study with final chief academic officer (CAO) approval. To complete a doctoral study, students must obtain the academic approval of several independent evaluators including their committee and the Institutional Review Board; pass the Form and Style Review; gain approval at the oral defense stage; and gain final approval by the chief academic officer.

Students in the applied practice experience are provided with the opportunity to apply and integrate the knowledge and skills acquired throughout their program of study and to further develop key professional and leadership competencies. Students engage in a field experience in an approved public health setting, which they align to their professional goals. Throughout the course, students explore pertinent workplace topics including safety, sexual harassment, emotional intelligence, cultural humility, leadership traits, and social change. Supervision by an on-site preceptor is a critical component of the applied practice experience. The on-site supervisor and the course instructor monitor and evaluate students’ performances throughout the applied practice experience. Students also participate in the accompanying online course and develop an ePortfolio based on five agreed-upon competencies. One of the five competencies must be related to leadership, management, and governance. Students are required to complete at least one project that is meaningful for the organization and advances public health practice. Students are required to complete a minimum of 80 hours of applied practice work.