PhD Maternal and Child Health at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Programme overview

The Ph.D. program develops research scholars capable of producing and disseminating new knowledge and methods for the public health profession in the field of Maternal and Child Health. Each doctoral student is expected to develop and demonstrate competence in at least four areas: core Maternal and Child Health content, research methods, a chosen disciplinary concentration, and a chosen area of ‘specialization.’ The specialization area is topic-specific and should be related to the area chosen for the student’s dissertation research. Ph.D. students must declare a disciplinary concentration in another department or program in the School of Public Health.

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

What you will study

Public Policy) but must be approved by the student’s faculty advisor and the MCH Vice Chair. 15 hours of coursework in the disciplinary concentration are required.15 Core courses include SPHG 600 Foundations of Public Health; MHCH 701 Foundations of Maternal and Child Health I; MHCH 702 Foundations of Maternal and Child Health II; MHCH 801 Doctoral Research Seminar; MHCH 859 Proposal Development for Maternal and Child Health; MHCH 804 Special Topics in Maternal and Child Health.

Career pathways

The degree is designed for students who have a bachelor’s degree and is intended for applicants who plan a practice career.

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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