91PORN

School of Health Professions

Objective/Program Outcomes

Ph.D. in Health Sciences

The educational objectives of the program are designed to prepare outstanding allied health professionals to assume major educational, leadership, and research positions within their professions, as well as to provide career advancement opportunities.  The program will prepare individuals for careers as faculty in colleges and universities, as educators in multiple settings, as outcome and health services researchers and as leaders within allied health, and more broadly, within health care and higher education. The program is unique in Texas, providing an interdisciplinary/ interprofessional health science core and the opportunity to take additional, discipline-specific course work and engage in research relevant to allied health.  The outcome of the program will be a graduate who can address the larger issues of health and wellness across the health care continuum. 

Each course is evaluated by students anonymously using a standardized course and instructor evaluation system (IDEA). The  provides each faculty, program director, and department chair with a personalized on-line dashboard and a wealth of resources to improve instruction. Summary data is reviewed each semester by personnel in the School of Health Professions Dean’s office and distributed for review to each of the school’s departments. Course evaluations are reviewed by each faculty member and the program director. Suggestions for change and additions are incorporated as appropriate.

Program Outcomes Assessment includes administration and review of annual Graduate Exit Surveys, Graduate Six-Month Follow-Up Surveys, graduate job placement, and monitoring graduate career success in achieving leadership positions.

Program Goals and Student Learning Outcomes

The goals of the program are to (1) prepare competent health science professionals at the doctorate level to assume leadership roles as educators, researchers, and leaders; (2) provide leadership training in specific clinical-related allied health specialty areas; 3) develop individuals who can formulate appropriate questions, organize and test hypotheses, and apply research results to improve health care.

Student Learning Outcomes for the Ph.D. in Health Sciences have been developed for each major core area and are mapped to individual courses. The four major core areas which all students must complete are: Education (12 SCH), Research and Statistics (16 SCH), Leadership (10 SCH), and Professional Track (9 SCH).  The nine hours of professional track credit provides advanced cognate courses in specific allied health sciences.  In addition, students will take up to 12 hours of elective courses, which will be individualized based on the student’s interests and career goals. The 12 hours of electives may include advanced science courses, leadership, measurement and statistics, and research courses that are available at 91PORN Science Center.  Elective courses will require approval by the student’s major advisor.  

Students must complete a minimum of 9 semester credit hours of dissertation, generally over a one-year period (at least two semesters).  Because this is a Ph.D. in Health Sciences (vs. a doctoral program in a specific allied health professional area), outcomes for the major core areas are the same for all students for the education, research and statistics, and leadership core areas. 

Prior to graduation, all students in the program will demonstrate achievement of the competencies described below in each of the core competency areas of education, research, and leadership.  Students will also demonstrate the achievement of the required competencies in their individual professional track cognate areas.

 

Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes

The assessment of student learning outcomes consists of homework assignments, tests, quizzes, class participation, attendance, etc., and the weight of the classwork in addition to other direct measures of student assessment (e.g. comprehensive qualifying examination, research proposal prospectus defense, dissertation defense) and corresponding rubrics to assess and ensure student success.