PhD in Mental Health
Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health
Key Information
Campus location
Baltimore, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 - 5 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
USD 59,184 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* additional fees may apply. Scholarships are available
Introduction
The Ph.D. degree is a research-oriented doctoral degree. Although it does not require the completion of a master’s degree, it entails completion of all course requirements for the Master of Health Science (MHS) degree along the way. We encourage all doctoral students to participate in at least one research group of the major research programs in the department:
- The Center for Prevention and Early Intervention (CPEI)
- The Center for Prevention of Youth Violence
- Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders
- Cognitive Health and Aging
- Global Mental Health
- The Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities
- The Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse
- Psychiatric Genetics
- Statistical Methods for Mental Health
In addition to these research areas, the department currently has four NIH-funded training programs to support pre-doctoral candidates and post-doctoral fellows in the domains of Psychiatric Epidemiology, Global Mental Health, Substance Use, and Substance Use Disorders, and Aging and Dementia.
Program Goals
The Department of Mental Health engages in population-based research on the etiology, occurrence, prevention, and control of mental, alcohol-, and drug-dependence disorders. Its mission is to advance understanding of causes and consequences of these disorders in populations; to develop, implement and evaluate methods to prevent and control these disorders, and to promote mental health in the population. To achieve this mission, faculty and students study a wide range of disorders and apply public health research and practice-based methodologies to study these problems across the lifespan and across the globe.
The Ph.D. degree is generally completed in four to five academic years. In the first two years, students take core courses in the Department of Mental Health, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Ethics (550.860). All doctoral students must complete and register for four full-time terms of a regular academic year, in succession, starting with Term 1 registration in August-September of the academic year and continuing through Term 4 ending in May of that same academic year. Full-time registration entails a minimum of 16 credits of registration each term and a maximum of 22 credits per term. Full-time residence means more than registration. It means active participation in department seminars and lectures, research workgroup meetings, and other socializing experiences within our academic community.
After completing the course requirements, doctoral students sit for a 1-day written comprehensive exam (usually in January of the 2nd year) that allows for evaluation of a student's comprehension of the general subject matter related to public mental health. Following successful passing of the comprehensive exam, students develop a dissertation proposal under the mentorship of their academic advisor. During the students' 3rd year it is expected that doctoral students will complete their dissertation proposal and sit for an oral exam with a committee comprised of faculty from at least 3 different departments across the School of Public Health. The purpose of the oral exam is to determine whether the student has both the ability and knowledge to undertake significant research in the student’s general area of research.
Once the student has passed the oral exam, they move on to their dissertation research. All doctoral students must complete an original investigation presented in the form of a dissertation thesis. The thesis must be based on original research, worthy of publication, and acceptable to the Department of Mental Health and a committee of thesis readers. The dissertation can take one of two forms: the traditional dissertation monograph model or the three-manuscript dissertation model.
Curriculum
Courses usually taken first year:
- Seminars in Research in Public Mental Health (all terms required for first year students)
- Psychopathology for Public Health (first term) 1
- Public Mental Health (first term) 1
- Psychiatric Epidemiology (second term) 1
- Social, Psychological, and Developmental Processes in the Etiology of Mental Disorders (third term) 1
- Prevention of Mental Disorders: Public Health Interventions (Third Term) 1
- Introduction to Behavioral and Psychiatric Genetics (fourth term) 1
- Brain and Behavior in Mental Disorders (fourth term) 1
Courses to be taken either first or second year:
- Introduction to Mental Health Services (first term) 1
- The Epidemiology of Substance Use and Related Problems (first term online and second term in person) 1
Courses usually taken second year:
- Statistics for Psychosocial Research: Measurement (first term) 1
- Grant Writing for the Social and Behavioral Sciences (fourth term)
- Writing Publishable Manuscripts for the Social and Behavioral Sciences (second year and beyond only - second term)
- Doctoral Seminar in Public Mental Health (2nd year PhD students only)
Career Opportunities
- Assistant Professor
- Postdoctoral Fellow
- Psychiatric Epidemiologist
- Prevention Scientist
- Social and Behavioral Scientist
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Admissions
Student Testimonials
Program Outcome
Learning Outcomes
The PhD program is designed to provide key knowledge and skill-based competencies in the field of public mental health. To gain the knowledge and skills, all PhD students will be expected to:
- complete required coursework, including courses that meet the CEPH competency requirements and research ethics;
- successfully pass the departmental comprehensive exam;
- select and meet regularly with a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) as part of advancing to doctoral candidacy;
- present a public seminar on their dissertation proposal;
- successfully pass the departmental and school wide Preliminary Oral Exams;
- complete a doctoral thesis followed by a formal school wide Final Oral Defense;
- participate as a Teaching Assistant (TA);
- attend Grand Rounds in the Department of Psychiatry; and
- provide a formal public seminar on their own research.
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the school website for more information