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INTRODUCTION
One of the requisites for obtaining a doctoral degree in Public Health with specialty in Epidemiology is to develop a research project in the field of public health that helps in the advancement in the field of health. The research study may be an epidemiological study, the development of an epidemiological model, simulations of an epidemiological surveillance program, development of public policy, development of an educational program and/or intervention or another type of research, which contributes to epidemiology. This change responds to the fact that the DrPH is a professional, not an academic degree.
A doctoral dissertation has as its main objective to contribute to the existing knowledge of a topic, marking a difference between before and after the doctoral dissertation. For this reason, the topic must be original.
Doctoral dissertation is defined as an original investigation that will contribute new and up-to-date information to the knowledge on a specific subject. The doctoral research project should evaluate the capacity of the new researcher to undertake future research.
This dissertation procedure manual is a guide for the student and faculty. Here both students and faculty will find a standard procedure to help with the dissertation preparation process. The manual includes the evaluation criteria of both the dissertation proposal and the final dissertation. This guide contains the minimum requirements that the Public Health Program of Ponce Health Sciences University requires for the development and defense of a doctoral thesis.
The processes quoted in the manual are:
- Composition and Responsibilities of the Dissertation Committee
- Dissertation Proposal
- Oral defense of the proposal
- Development of the doctoral dissertation
- Oral defense of the dissertation
Writing of the final document, refereed by peers and indexed.
The research by the doctoral degree candidate must add new knowledge to their specialty field, showing command of the methods used for the design, gathering of data, and its analysis. Resources that can be used during the research include the expertise and mentorship by the dissertation directors, as well as from other members of the dissertation committee. This manual establishes the guidelines of what is expected from a doctoral dissertation of excellence.
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