The PhD degree is a research-oriented doctoral degree. In the first two years, students take core courses in the Departments of Mental Health, Biostatistics, and Epidemiology, in research ethics, and attend weekly department seminars. Students must complete a written comprehensive exam (in January of their second year), a preliminary exam, two presentations and a final dissertation including presentation and defense. Throughout their time in the department, we encourage all doctoral students to participate in at least one research group of the major research programs in the department: Substance Use Epidemiology, Global Mental Health, Mental Health and Aging, Mental Health Services and Policy, Methods, Prevention Research, Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetic Epidemiology, Psychiatric Epidemiology, and Autism and Developmental Disabilities.
The prevention area includes researchers from multiple disciplines who examine issues related to the prevention of mental health problems, substance abuse, and behavioral problems and the promotion of positive outcomes and wellbeing across the life course. Researchers in this area are involved in developing, adapting, testing, implementing, and bringing to scale prevention programs for children, adolescents, adults and the elderly across a range of community and service settings.