Public Health Sciences (Aging, Health and Well-Being) - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

B.C Matthews Hall (BMH)

B.C Matthews Hall (BMH) on Waterloo's Campus, across Columbia St W.

Focus on aging, health and well-being for your PhD in Public Health Sciences with this unique collaborative program offered by the Faculty of Health.

Through an interdisciplinary approach, you’ll develop a broad understanding of issues related to the health and wellbeing of our aging population while using research as a tool to design, implement, and evaluate health programs, policies, and services. 

The first collaborative PhD program in Canada with a focus on aging, health and wellbeing, it provides opportunities for cross-departmental collaborations, access to diverse course offerings and resources including dissertation committee members who can add unique perspectives in addressing emerging research problems. 

You’ll learn how to use research to improve the management and accountability of health promotion programs and health systems, preparing you for a career in research (industry, government and academia), health promotion, health planning, policy and health information analysis, research management, healthcare coordination, epidemiology, program evaluation and other many others. 

Research areas

  • Health information management
  • Illness and injury prevention
  • Dementia and dementia care
  • Social and environmental aspects of aging
  • Health services and continuum of care
  • Nutrition and healthy lifestyles
  • Vascular aging and cerebrovascular disease
  • Epidemiology and aging
  • Mobility and aging
  • Gender, sexuality, ethnicities and aging

Program overview

Department/School: School of Public Health Sciences
Faculty: Faculty of Health
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December)
Delivery mode: On-campus
Program type: Collaborative, Doctoral, Research
Length of program: 48 months (full-time)
Registration option(s): Full-time, Part-time
Study option(s): Thesis

Application deadlines

  •  February 1

Key contacts

Program Contact
sphs.grad.admissions@uwaterloo.ca

Raquel Watkis

My education has been a journey of exploration and adaptation. Pursuing a PhD in public health sciences gives me the space to combine my different perspectives.

Raquel Watkis, Aging, Health and Well-being, PhD

Supervisors

  • Review finding a supervisor resources to learn how to reach out to potential supervisors. While it is not required to reach out to potential supervisors prior to applying, it is strongly recommended to ensure that the faculty member you are interested in working with is accepting new students and your research interests align.

Admission requirements

  • Normally a Master's degree with a minimum 75% average in a field that is relevant to the area of aging, health and well-being (normally kinesiology, recreation and leisure studies or health studies and gerontology, but other degrees in life and social sciences could be suitable as well).
  • Submit a letter indicating reasons for pursuing graduate studies and a written statement outlining research interests.

Degree requirements

Application materials

  • Resume/Curriculum vitae
  • Supplementary information form (SIF)
    • The SIF contains questions specific to your program, typically about why you want to enrol and your experience in that field. Review the application documents web page for more information about this requirement
    • If a statement or letter is required by your program, review the writing your personal statement resources for helpful tips and tricks on completion
  • Transcript(s)
  • Writing sample
    • Students must submit a copy of previous academic work, such as copies of preprints, reprints, or master's thesis, or other evidence of written scholarly work
  • References
    • Three academic references are required
    • Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable

      • TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)

      • The School of Public Health Sciences does not consider international applications whose English language proficiency scores fall below the minimum requirements

Tuition and fees