PhD degree requirements

To obtain the PhD degree, students must complete required coursework, pass a comprehensive examination, and complete and defend a doctoral research proposal and thesis.

A list of all courses is available on the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar. The course offerings for each term are available in the Schedule of Classes.

For long-term course planning, please consult your supervisor or the graduate coordinator because some courses are not offered on a regular basis, even if shown in the graduate handbook, and some courses may be cancelled on short notice for a variety of reasons.

Collaborative PhD program with water specialization

Students must fulfill the minimum requirements of the PhD program in the School of Public Health (SPHS) as specified earlier. They will complete four courses, consisting of a core/fundamentals course (HLTH 701), a graduate-level statistics/research methods course, WATER 601: Integrated Water Management, and WATER 602: Integrated Water Management Project. Students who have already completed WATER 601 and WATER 602 as part of their MSc Water degree must complete one graduate-level water course from outside the student’s home faculty, as agreed to by the student’s supervisor and the collaborative water program director. For further information, see Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Health Sciences - Water.

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Collaborative PhD program in Aging, Health and Well-being

Students must fulfill the minimum requirements of the PhD program in SPHS as specified earlier. They will complete four courses, consisting of a core/fundamentals course (HLTH 750), a graduate-level statistics/research methods course, and two electives related to aging, health, and well-being. In addition, students will participate in the doctoral research seminar in Aging, Health, and Well-being which is a milestone for the Aging, Health and Well-being program. For further information, see Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Health Sciences - Aging, Health and Well-Being.

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Selected topics and independent studies (HLTH 620/720)

These are typically single enrolment courses that students will complete with their own supervisor or another faculty member in SPHS. Topics can vary and are usually chosen to supplement the student’s proposed thesis topic.

The HLTH 620/HLTH 720 Selected Topics Proposal Form is available on LEARN in the SPHS Research Grad Community Group and must be approved by the Associate Director, Research Graduate Studies before the course can be created on Quest and the student permitted to enrol. From time to time, students will seek permission to have these courses replace required or elective courses. Approval of these requests rests with the Associate Director, Research Graduate Studies and students can expect denials if the material covered in HLTH 620/720 differs substantially from the required or elective course in question.

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Practicum (HLTH 641/741) description and guidelines

Graded as Credit/No Credit

A practicum is a supervised field or lab experience designed to enhance research and analytical skills (either quantitative or qualitative). The practicum must have an 'application' or hands-on focus. Please see the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar for descriptions of the practicum opportunities available for MSc and PhD students. Please note that a designated practicum instructor and Experiential Learning and Communications Specialist will need to approve your practicum before you can enrol.

A contract must be completed by the student, in conjunction with the proposed field supervisor, outlining the nature of the project, describing the specific tasks the student will be responsible for (or involved in), specifying the timeline and meeting/supervision schedule, and finally, describing the final product (and due date) to be produced for assessment purposes. The student and field supervisor(s) must sign this form, which will then require the approval of the student’s practicum instructor. Be prepared to produce multiple drafts of this contract; clarifications are frequently required prior to approval. Make sure the specifics are agreeable to all parties (approval in principle) before getting signatures. Ethics approval through UWaterloo or a sponsoring organization for the project in question may be required depending on the nature of the practicum.

A copy of the Practicum Proposal and Contract is available from the SPHS Experiential Learning and Communications Specialist, Ashley King.

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