Featured School

University of Phoenix More Info

An online PhD in Health Science, also called Health Management or Health Services, is designed to help experienced students build a solid foundation around health care administration, public health management, and even health issues as they relate to the national and global economy. Health issues affect everyone, and many different sectors of the health care industry rely on well-educated health science leaders to provide the guidance needed in an era of changing medical technology, government policy, and access issues. Accredited online PhD programs in Health Science are designed to help students continue their work in the health care sector while gaining the skills they will need to lead that sector into the future. The combination of job experience and advanced study will make them some of the most sought-after employees in a competitive market.

Online PhD in Health Science Requirements

Pursuing an online doctorate in health science requires time and dedication. Successful PhD candidates are focused, goal-oriented and driven. Students studying to obtain online doctorate degrees in health science from accredited institutions will have the opportunity to further develop these characteristics. The very qualities that make them good PhD candidates will also make them excellent leaders in the health sciences.

Candidates for an online health science doctorate are usually expected to have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in one of the following fields:

• Health Administration
• Health Education
• Health Science
• Nutrition
• Public Health
• Social Work
• Business Administration
• Nursing

In some cases, a master’s isn’t required if the applicant has an equivalent amount of work experience. In addition, many online PhD management students may also have prior work experience as executives, executive assistants, social workers, nurses, hospital administrators, government policy makers, office managers, or public health administrators. You should also be able to demonstrate at least a 3.0 grade point average in your previous degree.

Online PhD in Health Science Education

Online PhD programs in health science typically take between 2.5-5 years to complete, though some students are able to finish earlier. During the course of their education, online PhD health students are generally required to produce doctoral papers, excel in exams, continue with practical work in their field, and submit a lengthy dissertation.

Information on Health Science Courses

Top online doctoral programs in health science will emphasize the importance of applying research to the daily endeavors of hospitals, clinics, and other health related sites. Thus, many of the courses required to obtain online doctoral degrees in health science will revolve around the needs and policies of these institutions.

Some common courses found in the best online health science PhD programs are:

• Writing for Health Professionals
  This course will help prepare you for the extensive writing your PhD program will require, as well as for the writing that your advanced career opportunities will require.
• Principles of Management and Decision Analysis
  Students will learn how to take leadership roles through analyzing and executing important decisions in their field.
• Risk Management for Health Professionals
  This course further helps students hone their leadership qualities by applying the economic principles of risk management to their health science context.
• Health care Information Systems
  Students will learn how to manage computer systems, to share information with caregivers and between health systems, while remaining within the guidelines of privacy and confidentiality. New laws concerning electronically stored and accessed medical records will also be explored.
• Health Administration Law and Ethics
  This PhD course will explore the legal and moral aspects of the health sciences, a major concern for any field that controls health resources on behalf of others. Privacy laws, conflict of interest, insurance law, authority and power, and HIPPA will be included.

Online PhD Specializations and Concentrations

The study of Health Science is broad, so in order to become an expert in a specific niche of management, some students will pursue specialties or concentrations within online doctoral programs in Health Science. Although the core health science classes will remain consistent through all these specialties, there will be additional online PhD courses that will be unique to each.

The specialties and concentrations related to an online PhD degrees in health science include:

• Pediatrics
• Geriatrics
• Health education
• Health management
• Clinical practice
• Community advocacy
• Cardiopulmonary sciences
• Clinical laboratory sciences
• Interdisciplinary studies
• Physical therapy/movement sciences
• Nutrition
• Student-specific specialization

Careers in Health Science

A student graduating from accredited online doctorate programs in management can consider a wide spectrum of careers as options. Some popular career opportunities for online PhD in management graduates are:

• Professor
  Graduates with a PhD will almost always have the option of going into academia. Health Science professors work to both prepare materials and deliver class lectures in health science topics. They also grade student work as well as prepare syllabi. Health science professors generally make between $73,300 and $100,626 yearly.
• Community Advocate
  Community advocates with a health science background are leaders in helping cities, counties, states, and the federal government make policies and allocate resources that address the health concerns of the communities they serve. These are often underprivileged people who don’t have the resources to address the health concerns they deal with. Community advocates may make anywhere from $33,000 to $104,000.
• Advanced clinical practitioner
  Nurses, physicians’ assistants, and other medical professionals often pursue doctorates so that they can serve their patients in the best ways possible. A PhD in Health Sciences gives you the option of staying on the floor and working with patients daily, knowing you are organizing resources and time in ways that benefit them the most. A clinical practitioner with a PhD can make $65,000 or more.
• Clinical researcher
  Those who have worked with patients often find themselves wanting to know more about certain illnesses or circumstances. A PhD not only allows, but requires you to do research on something in the health sciences that interests you. A clinical researcher may make anywhere from $48,772 to $62,215 .
• Health Services Manager
  These managers help guide institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, research centers, and political centers. A health science doctorate helps you understand both the day to day realities of health care and the long-term implications of those realities. The median salary range for health service managers is $84,980.

The median salary for all those who hold a PhD in Health Science is $95,440 for post-secondary health specialty teachers and $84,980 for medical and health service managers.

Health care is a growing field, and all indications are that this field will need strong, well-educated leaders to guide it. With the right online PhD in Health Science, you could be one of them.