Doctor of Applied Health

The Doctor of Applied Health (DrAH) program at UPEI is the first professional degree program of its kind in Atlantic Canada. This four-year, 60-credit professional doctoral program is delivered using a cohort approach with a high degree of active engagement and collaborative interdisciplinary learning.

The curriculum focuses on developing essential skills based on theory and evidence for real world applications to resolve issues within health-related sectors.

Graduates of the Doctor of Applied Health program will be ready to make meaningful contributions to scholarship in applied health through their knowledge and understanding of a range of research methodologies and their relevance to specific real world challenges impacting health-focused organizations and communities.

In responding to the demand for scholar-practitioners with the ability to provide leadership in the workplace and build strong collaborative networks, through this program, UPEI aims to meet the pressing needs for evidence-informed, upstream prevention, policies and practices that target population health promotion. To this end, the DrAH focuses on developing graduates with the competencies required to bridge gaps between health systems, health researchers, health practitioners, and decision/policymakers in a manner that breaks down silos and enables professionals to work toward common goals.

A student may be considered eligible for admission to the DrAH program if they have completed, at a minimum a 4-year bachelor's degree in a health-related field from an accredited university (note: a bachelor's degree with an Honours thesis or equivalent will be an asset).
Two or more years of work experience in an area of health specialization such as healthcare, health service delivery, health promotion, health education, health studies or health science.
Applicants to the Doctor of Applied Health program would normally have graduated with a minimum average of 75% or a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) in the last 20 courses of a bachelor's program.
It is strongly recommended that applicants have completed course work in qualitative and/or quantitative research methods.
Completion of a health-related graduate degree in an applied health related field (such as a Master of Applied Health, Master of Public Health, Master of Applied Health Services Research, Master of Nursing, Master of Global Affairs, Master of Health Science, or Master of Science with a specialty in Health, Health Studies, Health Promotion, Health Education, or Health Sciences), or equivalent experience in a health-related field will be considered an asset.

IELTS (Academic) - 7 in writing and speaking, 6.5 in reading and listening. TOEFL paper-based test - 600 with minimum TWE of 6, TOEFL internet-based test - 100 with no band lower than 25