PhD in Health Professions Education
The Department of Medical Education (DME) is thrilled to announce the establishment of a new online PhD program in Health Professions Education (HPE). The PhD in HPE evolved from our successful former collaboration with the UIC College of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. The PhD in HPE also builds upon the success and strong reputation of DME’s Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE), as well as upon the department’s broader expertise in HPE research and teaching excellence.
Program Overview Heading link
What is the PhD in HPE?
The PhD in HPE program will produce exemplary scholars who advance the field of health professions education by developing innovative research agendas that shape educational policy, standards, and practices, with the ultimate goal of improving healthcare. While the PhD in HPE will share course offerings with DME’s renowned MHPE program, it will include a greater emphasis on research design, data collection, and original scholarship for students who aim to serve as principal investigators in HPE studies in the future.
Who is this program for?
Typical students in the program may include students from a wide range of professional backgrounds, including MDs, other clinicians, and non-clinical educators, aiming to deepen their methodological training and increase their knowledge of the health professions education canon. The student body is also likely to be heterogenous in terms of career stage, and thus may include students ranging from trainees (e.g., residents and fellows) to administrators and leaders (e.g., program directors and deans).
The program is designed for students to have the option to pursue the program on a part-time basis, in conjunction with their regular employment or full-time.
What should students expect to gain?
After completion of the PhD in HPE, students will be able to:
- Integrate theories in the social sciences and health professions to define and understand challenges in health professions education, research, and practice
- Employ a range of relevant research designs, research methodologies, and other scholarly practices to advance the field of health professions education as an independent investigator and eventual leader of a research team
- Situate education and education science within the sociopolitical context of health care and health professions education, and translate educational science into practice
- Additionally, students will have the opportunity to make numerous connections with experts in HPE in order to grow their professional networks.
Program format and cost
The PhD in Health Professions Education is an online program, though some courses included in the curriculum have short-term, in-person requirements.
The online tuition for 2024 is $925 per credit plus fees (information about fees can be found on the UIC Registrar’s website. The program/department (DME) does not offer any funding at this time. Graduate funding at UIC is primarily provided to students who attend their programs on a full-time basis; as such, the majority of PhD in HPE students are not eligible for the most common ways that PhD students at UIC fund their graduate degrees. PhD students may be able to seek funding through their employers. Also, all full-time students who are eligible to apply for financial support (e.g., scholarships, fellowships, or assistantships) through the Graduate College will be supported in their applications by departmental and PhD program administration.
Degree Requirements Heading link
Students must achieve the following requirements to graduate with a PhD in Health Professions Education.
Details on hours
The PhD in HPE degree requires 96 credit hours past the baccalaureate. However, we anticipate that the majority of admitted students will be eligible to receive 32 hours of advanced standing credit for a previously earned relevant master’s degree or advanced clinical degree (e.g., MDs), thus leaving 64 credit hours to complete the degree. (For more details, see FAQs.)
Categories
The program consists of several different categories of coursework: Foundational courses, Methodological courses, and HPE Area of Study courses. Many of these courses are shared with the MHPE program; however, students are also welcome to take other UIC courses with DGS and advisor approval.
To accommodate the heterogeneity of the expected student body, the curriculum aims to be quite flexible. Rather than being prescriptive about specific courses, the program focuses on the specific domains and competencies that were determined by program faculty to be fitting for rigorous, doctoral-level training in HPE. Specifically, students will work with their advisors and the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) to develop programs of study based upon their scholarly and methodological needs.
Details of mentorship
Students must complete a mentored, Applied Health Professions Education Experience in order to better facilitate integration of coursework and their understanding of HPE concepts within applied settings. These experiences might include working on DME faculty members’ research projects, engaging in HPE journal editorial work, helping to teach a course taught by a DME faculty member, or something comparable.
There are 3 exams
- Departmental Qualifying Examination: This comprehensive exam will evaluate students’ knowledge of foundational readings within health professions education and their ability to synthesize and critique these readings.
- Graduate College Preliminary Examination: Students are required to draft a dissertation prospectus and defend this prospectus at a virtual hearing in front of their Preliminary Examination committee (and future dissertation committee).
- Dissertation Defense: Students are required to complete a written dissertation with a public, virtual oral defense before their dissertation committee and other members of the academic community.
Dissertation details
PhD in HPE students must complete a Dissertation research project. Dissertation research must include original data collection (i.e., the research needs to include the development of a dataset, identification of sample/analytic subject, etc.). The project can include one large project with multiple components or serial linked studies/experiments. The most common format for the dissertation is the multiple-article model (three publishable articles, plus an introduction and conclusion), though a single monograph is also acceptable.
How to Apply Heading link
The application deadline for Fall 2024 is January 15, 2024. Only two applicants are accepted each year.
All applicants submit materials via Online Application. The Department of Medical Education Admissions Committee will then develop a ranked short list for subsequent interviews with potential PhD advisors. Short-listed applicants will interview (via Zoom) with the DGS and two potential advisors, all of whom will submit reviews for the applicants, which will then be used to develop the final ranked list for admissions.
Please review the application requirements before applying.
Application requirements Heading link
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Details on prior degree requirements
Required
Applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree.
Preferred
A combination of a master’s degree in education, social science, or related fields and significant experience in a health professions setting or A master’s degree in health professions education and/or an advanced professional
degree in a health professions discipline.Applying as a graduate of the Department of Medical Education MHPE program
Graduates of DME’s MHPE are eligible to apply to this program. However, since many of the courses are shared between the two programs, students in this group will need to take a larger proportion of their coursework outside of DME. If you have additional questions about how this works, please contact us for more information.
Transfer credits
Advanced standing credit determinations will be considered for applicants with master’s degrees in health professions education; master’s degrees in education, social science, or related fields; and advanced professional degrees in a health professions discipline. Admitted students may be eligible to receive 32 hours of advanced standing credit for a previously earned relevant master’s degree (or its equivalent; or an advanced clinical degree) toward the minimum 96 semester hours of credit requirement for the doctoral degree.
Transfer of graduate credits from other institutions will be handled on a case-by-case and course-by-course basis, pursuant to the transfer process described on the Graduate College website.
Read more on the policies around transfer of credit on the Graduate College website.
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GPA details
Applicant’s previous grade point average must be above 3.75 on a 5-point scale or 3.0 on a 4-point scale.
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Which tests to take
The GRE is not required for this program; however, applicants may submit their scores if they wish.
Applicants whose native language is not English must take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the exam of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Pearson’s PTE Academic. The test score cannot be more than two years old. For English proficiency test score minimums, reporting requirements, and exemptions, see the UIC Admissions International Requirements page for more details.
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Review for submitting
To be considered for the PhD in HPE, students must demonstrate either credentials or experience in health professions education. Additionally, applicants must be actively engaged in, or preparing for, health professions educations scholarship. Applicants should demonstrate this engagement through their application materials. Applicants must submit:
- Registrar-issued transcripts from each college and professional school attended
- Letters of Recommendation (3)
- Recommendation letters should address the applicant’s academic qualifications, research ability/experience, and ability to carry out advanced degree studies (including institutional/financial support, if available)
- Personal Statement—this 2-3 page statement should be a narrative that touches on the
following topics:- Past experience in HPE and/or education, including previous experience with HPE research, including mentored research projects
- Present and future research projects or interests
- Fit with program and why the applicant is pursuing the PhD in HPE at DME
- Applicant characteristics or experience likely to contribute to applicant success in the PhD program, including experience with online/virtual learning, prior graduate programs, institutional support, local mentorship, etc.
- If applicants are planning to pursue the degree in connection with their employment (i.e., part-time), they also must include a statement of how the doctoral program of study will fit in with their professional schedules and commitments.
- A Curriculum Vitae (CV) highlighting research, teaching, and service experience, particularly in HPE
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Read if you are applying from outside the United States
International applicants must follow all UIC Admissions International Requirements for graduate admission. Please visit the UIC Admissions website for more details.
The Office of International Services is working to obtain authorization to allow international students to be admitted to this new academic program. In the event that the authorization is not in place in time prior to the start of the term of admission, admitted international students may defer their admission until the following year.
Next steps Heading link
What to expect after applying
Students will be informed of admissions decisions in Spring 2024. Note: All admitted students will be required to attend the 1-week in-person introductory course (MHPE 506), which takes place at the end of July 2024.