PhD Health Behavior at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Programme overview

In the Doctor of Philosophy in Health Behavior program, students are trained to lead research that will advance understanding of health-related behaviors and their determinants at all social levels as they contribute to critical public health problems. Doctoral students gain skills and knowledge in the empirical, conceptual and theoretical foundations of the field, research methods, intervention development and evaluation and professional development topics. Graduates apply their training to research focused on domestic and global public health problems. Electives must be graduate-level courses.

Faculty: Gillings School of Global Public Health | Department: Health Behavior | Study mode: full-time | Location: Chapel Hill, NC, United States

What you will study

Core courses include SPHG 600 Foundations of Public Health; HBEH 815 Foundations of Health Behavior I; HBEH 816 Foundations of Health Behavior II; HBEH 760 Research Methods with Health Behavior Applications I; HBEH 761 Applied Statistical Methods in Health Behavior Research I; HBEH 762 Applied Statistical Methods in Health Behavior Research II.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Graduate School minimum (applies to all graduate programmes): a four-year bachelor's degree (or international equivalent) from an accredited institution completed before graduate study begins and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 (B) or better; application via the Graduate School online application with transcripts, three recommendation letters, statement of purpose and CV, plus any programme-specific tests/materials; international applicants add a TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English Test score; admission decisions are made by each programme.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate applicants apply for a start term; fall is the main start term. Very few programmes admit new students for spring or summer terms.

Graduate applications and payment must be received by the deadline of the academic programme applied to, which varies by programme; the application closes at 11:59pm Eastern Time on the deadline date. The Graduate School recommends complete applications by December 15, 2026 for full fellowship consideration.

Apply through the official page: https://gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/instructions/

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