THE
PH.D. IN HEALTH COMMUNICATION
The doctoral program prepares students to assume leadership roles in national and international health and health care services' public and private institutes, and to conduct independent research associated with the discovery and application of knowledge about communication and health.
The doctoral program in Health Communication at Penn State affords students the opportunity to gain depth in their knowledge of communication strategies associated with [1] community-based health campaigns, [2] the organization and delivery of health care, [3] developmental/lifespan issues, and/or [4] health care interactions. As a result, students will become expert in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of communication activities associated with their declared emphasis or emphases.
In addition to program requirements in the Department (see http://speechcomm.la.psu.edu/grad/phd_program.htm), students pursuing the Health Communication specialty within he Ph.D. will take the following courses:
Required:
Same requirements as M.A. plus,
LLED 545: literacy and language assessment for instructional decisions
HPA 521, 522: [Intro to health services; Health politics, policy, and finance]
Three additional Methods courses elected with the approval of the student’s committee.
Health Care Interaction Emphasis
CAS 5xx: dr-pat interaction seminar
Developmental/Lifespan Issues Emphasis
ANTH 511: Health Implications in the Growth and Development of School Children
ANTH 513: Health Implications in Maturity and Aging
Health Care Organizational Communication Emphasis
HPA 503 [understanding organizational beh]
HPA 504 [interorganizationl relations]
HPA 510 [health services administration]
HPA 511 [health services administration II]
HPA 512 [health services administration III]
Risk Communication Emphasis
Take M.A. message design track +
SOC 547: environmental sociology
Community-based Health Campaigns Emphasis
Econ 543: [industrial organization and public policy]
CLJ [crime, law, and justice]: 501 [criminal justice organizations and institutions], 585 [law enforcement process and police]
CMPSY [community psychology]: 500 [theories and issues in community psychology], 510 [changes processes within institutions and communities], 511 [social impacts on psychological functioning]
