Program Requirements
General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 45
Required Courses:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| HIM 5212 | Application Development in Public Health | 3 |
| HIM 5299 | Introduction to Language Processing and Text Mining for Health Professionals | 3 |
| HIM 8112 | Advanced Clinical Decision Support Systems | 3 |
| HIM 8129 | Advanced Health Data Analytics | 3 |
| HIM 8216 | Applications of Machine Learning for Health Informatics | 3 |
| HRPR 5001 | Current and Emerging Issues in Public Health and Health Professions 1 | 0 |
| Research Methods Courses | ||
| EPBI 8012 | Multivariable Biostatistics | 3 |
| EPBI 8212 | Grantsmanship in Health Research | 3 |
| HIM 8016 | Principles and Practices of Health Informatics Research | 3 |
| Electives 2 | 15 | |
| Select electives in Health Informatics: | ||
HIM 5114 | Health Informatics Project Management | |
HIM 5127 | Privacy and Security: Protecting Healthcare Data | |
HIM 5128 | Health Data: Standards and Interoperability | |
HIM 5213 | Informatics Solution Design and Development for Health Data and Its Applications | |
HIM 5256 | Global Health Informatics | |
HIM 9082 | Independent Study in Health Informatics | |
| Select electives in Health Policy: | ||
HPM 5006 | Political and Economic Aspects of Health | |
HPM 5016 | Public Health Advocacy | |
HPM 8005 | Theor Hlth Policy Making | |
HPM 8008 | Health Economics | |
HPM 8014 | Comparative Health Policy | |
| Select electives in Research Methods: | ||
EPBI 8201 | Structural Equation Modeling | |
EPBI 8204 | Multilev Mod in Int Res | |
EPBI 8208 | Data Management and Analysis | |
HPM 8013 | Research Methods in Health Policy | |
POLS 8002 | Qualitative Research Methods | |
SBS 8001 | Research Methods in Public Health | |
| Research Courses 3 | 6 | |
HIM 9994 | ||
HIM 9998 | Dissertation Proposal Research for Health Informatics | |
HIM 9999 | 4 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 45 | |
- 1
This common College Core course is required of all incoming graduate students in the College of Public Health. It is available completely online and designed such that students can complete the modules at their own pace over the course of their degree program.
- 2
Students select electives in consultation with the faculty advisor or PhD Program Director. With approval, electives from outside of the department can be taken.
- 3
The Graduate School requires that students complete a minimum of 6 credits that include HIM 9994, HIM 9998, and HIM 9999. Of the 6 credits, at least 2 credits must be earned in HIM 9999.
- 4
Students enroll in HIM 9999 after their proposal is approved, taking at least 1 credit each term until the dissertation is defended and filed with the Graduate School. A minimum of 2 credits of HIM 9999 must be earned.
Proposed Plan of Study Outlined by Year and Term
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| HIM 5212 | Application Development in Public Health | 3 |
| HIM 8112 | Advanced Clinical Decision Support Systems | 3 |
| HIM 8129 | Advanced Health Data Analytics | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| HIM 5299 | Introduction to Language Processing and Text Mining for Health Professionals | 3 |
| HIM 8216 | Applications of Machine Learning for Health Informatics | 3 |
| HRPR 5001 | Current and Emerging Issues in Public Health and Health Professions 1 | 0 |
| Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| EPBI 8012 | Multivariable Biostatistics | 3 |
| HIM 8016 | Principles and Practices of Health Informatics Research | 3 |
| Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| EPBI 8212 | Grantsmanship in Health Research | 3 |
| Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| HIM 9994 | 3 | 1 |
| Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 4 | |
| Spring | ||
| HIM 9998 | Dissertation Proposal Research for Health Informatics 3 | 1 |
| Credit Hours | 1 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| HIM 9999 | 3,4 | 2 |
| Credit Hours | 2 | |
| Spring | ||
| HIM 9999 | 3,4 | 2 |
| Credit Hours | 2 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 45 | |
- 1
This common College Core course is required of all incoming graduate students in the College of Public Health. It is available completely online and designed such that students can complete the modules at their own pace over the course of their degree program.
- 2
In consultation with the faculty advisor or PhD Program Director, students select five approved electives within Health Informatics, Health Policy and/or Research Methods, as identified above. With approval, electives from outside of the department can be taken.
- 3
The Graduate School requires that students complete a minimum of 6 credits that include HIM 9994, HIM 9998, and HIM 9999. Of the 6 credits, at least 2 credits must be earned in HIM 9999.
- 4
Students enroll in HIM 9999 after their proposal is approved, taking at least 1 credit each term until the dissertation is defended and filed with the Graduate School. A minimum of 2 credits of HIM 9999 must be earned.
Minimum Grade to be Earned for All Required Courses: B-
Culminating Events:
Area Paper:
Prior to sitting for the preliminary examinations, students must have successfully published or written a publishable paper in their chosen area of research interest. The purpose of the paper requirement is to demonstrate critical and interpretive knowledge in health informatics, as well as a high proficiency in written communication and a capacity to contribute to generalizable knowledge in the field. The student must be the lead or sole author.
The paper can be written in any of a variety of formats, including a systematic review, an empirical paper, or a theoretical piece relevant to the field. The paper can be a peer-reviewed published or in-press article. Papers that are of publishable quality but have not yet been submitted or are under review for publication are also acceptable. A committee of departmental faculty members, exclusive of the student’s advisor, determines if the published paper meets the writing requirement. The committee evaluates the paper and votes on whether the student has passed or failed. Students who fail the paper requirement are allowed to submit a revision by the end of the next term.
A student cannot advance to the preliminary examinations without passing the paper requirement. Failure to satisfactorily complete the area paper requirement within one term after initial submission can result in dismissal from the PhD program. Students entering the PhD program who have already published a peer-reviewed paper can request to waive this requirement by completing a waiver application and submitting it along with the published document to the PhD Program Director.
Preliminary Examinations:
After completing the paper requirement, students are required to take the preliminary examinations. Students meet with the PhD Program Director in January of their second year to discuss the exams. It is suggested that students form a study group that meets at least one day per week during the term prior to the examinations. The exams are offered in the Summer term and cover the core components of students’ training in health informatics.
The preliminary examinations should be taken prior to initiating the third academic year in the program and within one term of completing all coursework. Students are required to meet with their faculty advisor to establish eligibility before the beginning of the term in which they plan to take the examinations. When eligibility has been confirmed, students request to be registered for HIM 9994 in the subsequent academic term with the faculty advisor or PhD Program Director.
In order to advance to doctoral candidacy, the student must pass a written preliminary examination based on the required coursework in the Health Informatics PhD program and its application to theoretical and practical problems. The examination is set by a group of faculty members who are familiar with the content of the core courses and critical review of Health Informatics research. The student has five days to complete the review after receiving the research topics. An oral exam, based on the student’s response to the written exam and any material from the core courses, occurs after the student successfully passes the written exam and critical review.
The PhD Program Director coordinates the grading of the preliminary examinations. A committee of departmental faculty members review and score the examinations. Students who fail these exams may have one opportunity to take the examinations again. A second failure results in automatic dismissal from the PhD program.
Dissertation Proposal:
After passing the preliminary examinations, students may enroll in HIM 9998. Students must be enrolled for 1 credit of HIM 9998 each term until they file their dissertation proposal with the Graduate School.
All students must form a Doctoral Advisory Committee (DAC) with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. The DAC is composed of at least three Graduate Faculty members: two members, including the chair, must be from the PhD program faculty of the Department of Health Services Administration and Policy. The DAC Chair must be approved as doctoral graduate faculty by the Dean of the College of Public Health and by the Graduate School. The Chair is responsible for overseeing and guiding the student's progress; coordinating the responses of the Committee members; and informing the student and the Director of Graduate Studies annually of the student's academic progress.
To fulfill the requirements of HIM 9998, students must submit a dissertation proposal, successfully defend it orally before their Committee, apply for Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for the proposed research, and submit the proposal to the Graduate School. Students may enroll in HIM 9998 for only two terms without permission. Students needing more time may, with the support of their advisor, formally petition the Director of Graduate Studies for an extension, although an extension is not guaranteed. Failure to meet these requirements can result in dismissal from the program.
Once the proposal is defended, the student is elevated to candidacy and eligible to register for dissertation credits.
Dissertation:
The doctoral dissertation is an original theory-based research study that makes a significant contribution to the field of Health Informatics. It should expand existing knowledge and demonstrate the student's mastery of theory and research methods, particularly within a concentration or specialty area. The research should be rigorous, while upholding the ethics and standards of the field. Students are expected to submit their dissertation study for publication and presentation to professional audiences.
To fulfill the dissertation requirement, students must prepare and orally defend the final dissertation in a public meeting. Students must be enrolled continuously in HIM 9999 until their dissertation is successfully defended. The Graduate School requires a minimum of 2 credits of HIM 9999. Students must be enrolled in the term that they graduate.
The Dissertation Examining Committee (DEC) consists of the DAC plus at least one additional external reviewer. The external reviewer must be doctorally prepared. If this person is not a member of the Temple University Graduate Faculty, they must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, the Dean of the College, and the Graduate School to take part in the final dissertation examination. The DEC evaluates the student’s written dissertation and oral defense, including the student’s ability to articulate orally the research question; methodological approach; primary findings; interpretation of the findings; and implications for theory, research and practice. The DEC votes to pass or fail the dissertation and the defense at the conclusion of the public presentation.
If a student needs to change a member of a committee, the new member must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and registered with the Graduate School.
Students who are preparing to defend their dissertation should confirm a time and date with their DEC and work with their department’s administrative assistant to secure a room. This should be done at least one month in advance of the proposed date. The administrative assistant arranges the time, date and room within two working days. After the time, date and room are secured, the student must send to the Graduate School a completed "Announcement of Dissertation Defense" form, found in TUportal under the Tools tab within "University Forms." This must be submitted at least 10 working days before the defense. The department posts flyers announcing the defense, and the Graduate School lists the defense on its website.