vcu online phd programs

Undo the status quo

With more than 100 graduate and professional degree programs — 20-plus of which are ranked in the top 50 by U.S. News & World Report — VCU is the destination for artists, engineers, doctors, designers and anyone else who wants to reimagine the human experience and tackle the problems of tomorrow.

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Graduate school takes focus, dedication and hard work. We’re here to help you find your way and reach your goals faster.

Paying for grad school

From scholarships and grants to loans and assistantships, we offer plenty of resources aimed at making graduate school more affordable.

Career assistance

No matter where your plans will take you, we’re here to help you achieve your goals and enrich your career.

Connecting with peers

Explore our graduate student organizations and find out how to connect with your classmates and empower your education.

Student resources

From the academic guidance to personal support, VCU has a wealth of resources for graduate students.

Quick facts

• 2,457  full-time faculty
• 5,550  graduate students

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VCU Online offers a number of degrees and certificates at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in a variety of different delivery methods. Use the tools below to explore our our existing list of degrees and certificates.

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Graduate School

Office of the provost, graduate programs, a to z.

The Graduate School at VCU is home to more than 140  master’s, doctoral and certificate programs, which are listed alphabetically below. To browse a list of our graduate programs by academic area, visit our programs page. For a searchable list of programs, visit   VCU Academics .

Additional information about each program, including courses and admissions requirements, can be found in the  VCU Bulletin .

*Denotes STEM OPT-designated degree programs as determined by the Department of Homeland Security.

• Accountancy (M.Acc.)
• Addiction Studies (M.S., CERT)
• Adult-Gerontology, Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (CERT)
• Aging Studies (CERT)
• Anatomy and Neurobiology (M.S.)*
• Applied Social Research (CERT)
• Applied Statistics (CERT)
• Art Education (M.A.E.)
• Art History (M.A.)
• Biochemistry (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Bioinformatics (M.S.)*
• Biology (M.S.)*
• Biomedical Engineering (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Biostatistics (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Brandcenter: Branding (M.S.)
• Business (M.S., Ph.D.)
• Business Administration (M.B.A.)
• Care Coordination (CERT)
• Chemical and Life Science Engineering (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Chemical Biology (Ph.D.)*
• Chemistry (M.S.)*
• Chemistry (Ph.D.)*
• Clinical Psychology (Ph.D.)
• Clinical and Translational Sciences (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Clinical Genetics (CERT)
• Clinical Research (CERT)
• Computer Science (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Counseling Psychology (Ph.D.)
• Counselor Education (M.Ed.)
• Craft/Material Studies (M.F.A.)
• Creative Writing (M.F.A.)
• Criminal Justice (M.S., CERT)
• Culturally Responsive Leadership (CERT)
• Curriculum and Instruction (M.Ed.)
• Cybersecurity (CERT)
• Data Science (CERT)
• Decision Analytics ( M.D.A.* , CERT )
• Dentistry (M.S.D.)
• Design Studies- VCUartsQatar (M.F.A.)
• Developmental Psychology (Ph.D.)
• Disability Leadership (CERT)
• Economics (M.A.)*
• Education (Ph.D.) (Various concentrations)
• Educational Leadership ( M.Ed. , Ed.D. , CERT )
• Electrical and Computer Engineering (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• English (M.A.)
• Environmental Studies (M.Envs., M.S.)*
• Epidemiology (Ph.D.)
• Family Nurse Practitioner (CERT)
• Forensic Science (M.S.)*
• Gender Violence Intervention (CERT)
• Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies (CERT)
• Genetic Counseling (M.S.)
• Genomics Data Science (CERT)
• Geographic Information Systems (CERT)
• Gerontology (M.S.)
• Graphic Design (M.F.A.)
• Health Administration (M.S.H.A., M.H.A.)
• Health and Movement Sciences (M.S.)
• Health Behavior Coaching (CERT)
• Health Care Financial Equity (CERT)
• Health Care Innovation (CERT)
• Health Equity (CERT)
• Health Psychology (Ph.D.)
• Health Related Sciences (Ph.D.)
• Health Services Organization and Research (Ph.D.)
• Healthcare Policy and Research (Ph.D.)
• History (M.A.)
• Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (M.A., CERT)
• Human Genetics (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Information Systems (M.S.*, Ph.D.)
• Integrative Life Sciences (Ph.D.)*
• Interdisciplinary Studies (M.I.S.)
• Interior Environments (M.F.A.)
• Kinetic Imaging (M.F.A.)
• M.D./Ph.D. Program
• Mass Communications (M.S.)
• Mathematical Sciences (M.S.)*
• Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Media and Leadership (CERT)
• Media, Art, and Text (Ph.D.)
• Medical and Laboratory Sciences (M.S.)*
• Medical Education (CERT)
• Medical Physics (M.S., Ph.D., CERT)*
• Microbiology and Immunology (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (Ph.D.)*
• Neuroscience (Ph.D.)*
• Nonprofit Management (CERT)
• Nurse Anesthesia Practice (D.N.A.P.)
• Nursing (Ph.D.)
• Nursing Practice (D.N.P.)
• Occupational Therapy (O.T.D.)
• Oral Biology (M.S.)
• Oral Health Research (Ph.D.)
• Painting and Printmaking (M.F.A.)
• Patient Counseling (M.S., CERT)
• Pharmaceutical Engineering (Ph.D.)*
• Pharmaceutical Sciences: Medicinal Chemistry (M.S., M.P.S., Ph.D.)*
• Pharmaceutical Sciences: Pharmaceutics (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Pharmaceutical Sciences: Pharmacoeconomics and Health Outcomes (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Pharmaceutical Sciences: Pharmacotherapy (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Pharmacology and Toxicology (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Photography and Film (M.F.A.)
• Physical Therapy (D.P.T.)
• Physics and Applied Physics (M.S.)*
• Physiology and Biophysics (M.S., Ph.D.)*
• Pre-Med Graduate Health Sciences (CERT)
• Product Innovation (M.P.I.)
• Professional Counseling (CERT)
• Psychiatric Mental Health NP (CERT)
• Public Administration (M.P.A.)
• Public Health (M.P.H.)
• Public History (CERT)
• Public Management (CERT)
• Public Policy and Administration (Ph.D.)
• Reading ( M.Ed. , CERT )
• Real Estate (CERT)
• Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling (M.S.)
• Rehabilitation and Movement Science (Ph.D.)*
• Sculpture (M.F.A.)
• Social and Behavioral Sciences (Ph.D.)
• Social Psychology (Ph.D.)
• Social Work (M.S.W., Ph.D.)
• Sociology and Digital Sociology (M.S.)
• Special Education ( M.Ed. , Ph.D. , CERT )
• Sport Leadership (M.S.L.)
• Statistical Sciences & Operations Research (M.S.)
• Supply Chain Management ( M.S.C.M. , CERT )
• Sustainability Planning (CERT)
• Systems Modeling and Analysis (Ph.D.)*
• Teaching (M.T.)
• Teaching Elementary Education (CERT)
• Theatre (M.F.A.)
• Urban and Regional Planning (M.U.R.P.)
• Urban Revitalization (CERT)

Department of Psychology

College of humanities and sciences, ph.d. in counseling psychology.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology offered by VCU is accredited by the American Psychological Association.

The program seeks to advance the field of counseling psychology through innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to science and service provision. 

We offer generalist training and exposure to multiple theoretical models; however we also have a distinctive slant toward counseling health psychology. Specifically, students will be well-prepared to engage in:

• Applied research
• Evidence-based clinical practice
• The integration of research and practice

Students are trained for a variety of career paths, including working as faculty in academia or medical schools, and implementing and evaluating interventions in hospital, community, university or other clinical settings. 

Upon graduation, students are both competent scientists, and ready for licensure as doctoral-level psychologists with the knowledge and skills needed to engage in evidence-based practice consistent with the highest ethical and professional standards.

Please see the VCU Bulletin for additional degree information.

Practicum and Internship

All students complete practicum positions at VCU in their second and third year. Second-year students work at VCU's University Counseling Services . Third-year students work at the Center for Psychological Development's Multicultural Clinic .

In their fourth year, students complete an external practicum in the greater Richmond community.

Counseling Psychology doctoral students are also required to complete an APA-accredited internship that must be one calendar year of full-time supervised counseling experience.

APA Accreditation

Our program has been accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1984. Our last APA site visit was in fall 2018. Our next APA site visit is scheduled for 2028. 

Our program upholds the  Counseling Psychology Model Training Values Statement Addressing Diversity  put forth by the   Council of Counseling Psychology Programs . 

Commission on Accreditation 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Phone: (202) 336-5979

Enroll in the HSEP master’s program to advance your career and serve your community. The threats of modern society don’t stop, so why should you?  Apply today  and put your new skills into action immediately.

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Key Dates and Deadlines

How to apply.

It’s easy to apply for your master’s in HSEP.

Click  here  to apply to the HSEP program.

Explain why you are pursuing a master’s in HSEP from VCU Wilder School.

Work and volunteer history should demonstrate a commitment to service.

Demonstrate completion of a bachelor’s degree.

Your personal and professional references should illustrate your capacity for graduate study.

*Applicants are not required to submit standardized test scores.

Master of Arts in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Return on Investment

Graduates from master’s programs like ours often find employment in a range of positions across industries. Below are national average salaries for some of these positions. As each graduate is unique, you should evaluate your personal goals after graduation in order to assess your earning potential.

Source  1 bls.gov ,  2 payscale.com ,  3 glassdoor.com

Learn more about Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness careers .

Request Information

Please complete the form below to receive information about the Online MA in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Bachelor’s degree is required to attend; Applicants are not required to submit standardized test scores.

Schedule a Call

Fill out this form to schedule an appointment with one of our enrollment advisors, who is happy to help answer your questions.

SOM town hall

Join Dr. Saavedra in recognizing our school's accomplishments over the last six months at our virtual town hall, Oct. 19 at noon.

Microbiology and Immunology Ph.D.

Designed to prepare students for research-oriented careers in academia, government or the private sector, our Ph.D. program provides a foundational background in the biosciences, with courses to match the needs and interests of each student. Graduate students work closely with department faculty to conduct rigorous, independent research projects in one of the following areas of microbiology and immunology:

• Microbial pathogenesis, genomics and translational science
• Cancer biology and immunology
• Immunopathology and immunotherapy

Meet our faculty ❯

Program Structure

Matriculating students enter the School of Medicine graduate programs through the Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Portal , or BSDP, which oversees admissions for six of the school’s doctoral programs. First-year coursework includes foundational and elective courses, plus 10-week rotations through three faculty laboratories to explore research areas of interest. The BSDP provides flexibility, allowing students with varied interests to combine coursework and lab experience across multiple basic health science departments.

By the end of the first year, students choose a specialty and faculty advisor, enter a Ph.D. program and join a research lab for their dissertation project.

Explore the Ph.D. degree requirements here ❯ Explore the Ph.D. admission requirements here ❯

In year two, students will complete remaining coursework, participate in seminars and journal club and shift their attention to active research. In collaboration with their adviser, students will choose a dissertation project and form their graduate advisory committee. In collaboration with their advisor, students choose a tentative dissertation project by the start of the fall semester and identify faculty to serve as members of their graduate advisory committee.

Students focus on their research project and related activities such as publishing articles and presenting at conferences. They must independently prepare a grant proposal in the style of an NIH F31 application and present it to the graduate advisory committee. The committee will grade the proposal and the student’s oral defense of the proposal as the basis for the candidacy exam.

After successfully completing the written and oral exams, students enter candidacy for a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology.

Learn more about doctoral candidacy requirements here ❯

Upon completion of the research project, students prepare a written dissertation based on their findings, which they present and defend to their graduate advisory committee. Friends and family are invited to attend the presentation before the defense exam behind closed doors with the committee.

More information about dissertations is available here ❯

VCU School of Medicine provides funding for the first two years of the Ph.D. program. At the start of year three, student support and research funding will be derived from the principal investigator’s funding.

If you have questions about the curriculum or Ph.D. program structure, please contact:

• Lisa Shock, Ph.D.
• Graduate Program Director
• [email protected]

If you have questions about the Ph.D. admissions process, please contact:

• Kimberly Jefferson, Ph.D.
• Graduate Program Director of Admissions
• [email protected]

Apply through the Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Portal

Supporting our students is at the core of the School of Medicine's mission. We provide a wide variety of resources to help enhance our graduate students' experience and ensure their safety, as well as resources to support our faculty.

Current Students

• Doaa Abdallah Microbial pathogenesis Adviser: Daniel P. Miller, Ph.D.
• Jason Burchett Immunopathology and immunotherapy Adviser: John J. Ryan, Ph.D.

Gavin Chambers Microbial pathogenesis, genomics and translational science Adviser: Richard T. Marconi, Ph.D.

• Nicholas Cramer Microbial pathogenesis, genomics and translational science Adviser: Richard T. Marconi, Ph.D.

Mallory E. Cunningham N/A Adviser: Gregory A. Buck, Ph.D.

• Lauren Dain N/A Adviser: Tomasz K. Kordula, Ph.D.

Eva P. Davis Cancer biology Adviser: Devanand Sarkar, Ph.D. .

Kathryn Flinn Microbial pathogenesis, genomics and translational science Adviser: Richard T. Marconi, Ph.D.

Gilbert Glago Microbial pathogenesis, genomics and translational science Adviser: Richard T. Marconi, Ph.D.

• Annie N. Hinson Microbial pathogenesis Adviser: Daniel P. Miller, Ph.D.

Kaitlyn G. Jackson, M.S. Immunopathology and immunotherapy Adviser: Huiping Zhou, Ph.D.

Caellaigh Kimpston Microbial pathogenesis, genomics and translational science Adviser: Richard T. Marconi, Ph.D.

• Nicholas J. Koelsch Immunonbiology of cancer Adviser: Masoud H. Manjili, D.V.M., Ph.D.

Mary Clark H. Lind Microbial pathogenesis, genomics and translational science Adviser: Jason A. Carlyon, Ph.D.

• Dionna Long Immunopathology and immunotherapy Adviser: Rebecca Martin, Ph.D.

T ania Maldonado, M.S. Microbial pathogenesis, genomics and translational science Adviser: John J. Ryan, Ph.D.

• Samantha E. Mercer Microbial pathogenesis, genomics and translational science Adviser: Jason A. Carlyon, Ph.D.
• Aiden Moylan Microbial pathogenesis Adviser: Daniel P. Miller, Ph.D.
• Yu Par Aung Myo Immunopathology and immunotherapy Adviser: Patricia Sime, MD, FRCP

Dhara T. Patel, M.S. Microbial pathogenesis, genomics and translational science Adviser: Richard T. Marconi, Ph.D.

• Chelsie Poffenberger Neuroimmunology Adviser: Kirsty Dixon, Ph.D.
• Destiny Pryor Immunopathology and immunotherapy Adviser: Lisa S. Shock, Ph.D.
• Thomas E. Siff Microbial pathogenesis, genomics and translational science Adviser: Jason A. Carlyon, Ph.D.

Lia Signaevskaia Immunopathology and immunotherapy Adviser: Masoud H. Manjili, D.V.M., Ph.D.

• Anuj Tharakan, M.S. Immunopathology and immunotherapy Adviser: Rebecca Martin, Ph.D.
• Matthew Zellner Immunopathology and immunotherapy Adviser: Rebecca Martin, Ph.D.

Life in Richmond

We encourage our students to maintain a healthy work-life balance, and Richmond is a wonderful place to engage in that well-rounded lifestyle. As a mid-sized city with a metropolitan population of 1.3 million, Richmond provides stimulating activities while maintaining an intimate quality and unique vibe. Vibrant neighborhoods offer distinct, diverse experiences, with no shortage of art galleries, museums, music venues, restaurants, breweries and parks.

Learn more about our community ❯

College of Engineering

Online programs.

The VCU College of Engineering has online Master of Science programs tailored to the needs of professionals. Our distance learning master’s programs offer you a practical, rigorous education and opportunities to build connections with a network of VCU faculty and industry colleagues. As a student in our online graduate programs, you benefit from VCU Engineering’s intellectual resources and our spirit of innovation — without having to leave home.

Online M.S. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering

VCU’s online M.S. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering provides advanced training in a curriculum based on an integration of disciplines. VCU is the only university in the commonwealth with an accredited undergraduate nuclear engineering major concentration, as well as hybrid M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering. Content in the online M.S. program is delivered synchronously, allowing you to take master’s level classes remotely, but in real-time with the VCU professors.

Cardinal Education

VCU also participates in Cardinal Education , a partnership of six of Virginia’s leading universities that offer online graduate programs in engineering and science to students admitted into one of the host institutions. Participating universities include: George Mason University, Old Dominion University, The University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Tech. Cardinal Education offers eligible individuals the opportunity to mix and match courses from all six universities as they earn a graduate degree.

SOM town hall

Join Dr. Saavedra in recognizing our school's accomplishments over the last six months at our virtual town hall, Oct. 19 at noon.

PhD Programs

Neuroscience Ph.D. Program

Neuroscience

Our uniquely   interdepartmental, integrated curriculum   provides students with a core of knowledge of the basic structure and function of the central nervous system while allowing flexibility in choosing their   advis o r s, electives and specialized areas of research.    

Students function as independent research investigators after completing their required didactics,   and upon   graduation   will be equipped to   conduct independent research and   teach in the neuroscience disciplines at a university or academic health center.

A Message from our Director

The strength of VCU’s interdisciplinary Neuroscience Ph.D. program lies in its flexibility. We encourage students to explore a multitude of fields relating to neuroscience and ultimately pursue research that sparks their interest within any of our participating departments. Ph.D. candidates have the unique opportunity to interact and collaborate with peers and educators across nearly a dozen departments within the School of Medicine, facilitating both academic and social opportunities that enhance their overall learning experience here at VCU.    

The program has had a strong focus on head trauma, drugs of abuse and glial cell biology, and our dedicated faculty and students take pride in shaping the future of neuroscience research.     

John Bigbee, Ph.D.

Supporting our students is at the core of the School of Medicine's mission. We provide a wide variety of resources to help enhance our graduate students' experience and ensure their safety, as well as resources to support our faculty.

We encourage our students to explore a variety of neuroscience research areas before committing to a mentor and a research laboratory. Research groups include:  

• Drug   a buse and   m ental   i llness  
• Glial cell biology  
• Injury,   r epair and   d egeneration  
• Plasticity and   d evelopment  
• Channels,   r eceptors and   t ransporters  

• See Ph.D. in Neuroscience degree requirements on the VCU Bulletin »
• See Ph.D. in Neuroscience admission requirements on the VCU Bulletin »

Exam Schedule

Candidacy exams occur in two parts, typically after the second year for Ph.D. students and the first graduate year for those on the M.D./Ph.D. track. Students should complete both parts by the end of their third-year fall semester, and M.D./Ph.D. students should complete both parts by their second graduate year.

Part One Students write a mini-review paper and defend it before their graduate advisory committee.

Part Two In consultation with their advisors, students prepare an NIH-style grant proposal and oral defense before their graduate advisory committee. We strongly encourage students to submit their proposals for extramural funding, such as NIH predoctoral fellowships, when appropriate.

Current Students

• Maria Bent Thesis Advisor: Jennifer Wolstenholme, PhD Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Belle Buzzi Thesis Advisor: M. Imad Damaj, PhD Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Rebekah Frye Thesis Advisor: Roxann Roberson-Nay, PhD Department of Psychiatry
• Samantha Gottlieb Thesis Advisor: Michael Miles, MD, PhD Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Martina Hernandez Thesis Advisor: Audrey Lafrenaye, PhD Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
• Kijoon Kim Thesis Advisor: Peter Hamilton, PhD Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
• Jyoti Lodha Thesis Advisor: Jennifer Wolstenholme, PhD Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Jessica Maltman Thesis Advisor: Javier Gonzalez Maeso, PhD Department of Physiology and Biophysics
• Nima Nassehi Thesis Advisor: Dana Selley, PhD Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Kelly Platfoot Thesis Advisor: Andrew Ottens, PhD Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
• Joseph Piccone Thesis Advisor: Peter Hamilton, PhD Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
• Vera Purcell Thesis Advisor: Jennifer Wolstenholme, PhD Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Chloe Simons Thesis Advisor: Pamela Knapp, PhD Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
• Maya Gaines-Smith Thesis Advisor: Javier Gonzalez Maeso, PhD Department of Physiology and Biophysics
• Michelle Taylor Thesis Advisor: Kirsty Dixon, PhD Department of Surgery
• Namrata Tiwari Thesis Advisor: Liya Qiao, PhD Department of Physiology and Biophysics
• Natalie Truby Thesis Advisor: Peter Hamilton, PhD Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
• Susie Turkson Thesis Advisor: Gretchen Neigh, PhD Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
• Amy Wegener Thesis Advisor: Gretchen Neigh, PhD Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology

Program Alumni

Elizabeth Dustin, PhD Dissertation title: Unraveling the consequence of adult onset sulfatide depletion: its implications in myelin and axonal heath in the context of neurodegenerative disease

Kelly Flounlacker, PhD Dissertation title: Effects of HIV-1 Tat and opiates on gene regulation of oligodendrocyte lineage cells: Identification of Myrf as a novel target

Alan Harris, PhD Currently in the medical phase of the MD/PhD program Dissertation title: Vulnerability and adaptation of neocortical neuron subtypes after concussive traumatic brain injury  

Yu Tzu (Rita) Chen, PhD Dissertation Title: TRP to the reward center: muscarinic excitation of VTA dopamine neurons via activation of a non-selective cation conductance

Gladys Shaw, PhD Dissertation Title: Enduring consequences of chronic repeated stress on neuro-metabolic function

Nicole Weston, PhD Dissertation Title: The injury-induced neurogenic response and the role of Notch1 in regulating this process

Rory Weston, PhD Dissertation Title: Role of CLIC4 and the synaptic transcriptome in the behavioral and molecular neurobiology of ethanol

Justin Saunders Dissertation title: Glucocorticoid receptor dysregulation underlies 5-HT2A receptor-dependent synaptic and behavioral deficits in a mouse neurodevelopmental disorder model

Rudy Toneatti, PhD Dissertation title: Interclass GPCR heteromerization affects localization and trafficking serotonin 5-HT2A and mGlu2 receptors organization and trafficking

Aaron Barbour, PhD Dissertation title: KCC2: a novel therapeutic target to rescue GABAergic dysfunction and behavioral deficits induced by HIV and opiate use

Nicole Ekanem, PhD Dissertation title: Focal augmentation of somatostatin interneuron function and subsequent circuit effects in developmentally malformed, epileptiform cortex

Vishal Patel, MD, PhD Dissertation title: Recovery from visual dysfunction following mild traumatic brain injury in the mouse is associated with adaptive reorganization of retinal inputs to the lateral geniculate nucleus

Samantha Spencer, PhD Dissertation title: LPA receptors modulate gene expression during oligodendrocyte differentiation

Rory Weston Dissertation title: Role of CLIC4 and the synaptic transcriptome in the behavioral and molecular neurobiology of ethanol

Kristen Lee, PhD Dissertation title: Glial cell mechanisms regulate alcohol sedation in Drosophila melanogaster

Pavel Lizhnyak, PhD Dissertation title: Enhanced proteomics resolves KCC2 as a novel therapeutic target for traumatic brain injury

Sarah Kim, MD, PhD Dissertation title: Role of glial CCR5 in mediating HIV-1 TAT and opiate neurotoxicity and behavioral phenotype

Megan Sayyad, PhD Dissertation title: The role of Syndecan-1 and extracellular vesicles in breast cancer brain metastasis

Tyler Steele, PhD Dissertation title: Structural determinants of high potency MDPV inhibition of the dopamine transporter

Samantha (Brookins) Benusa, PhD Dissertation title: Mechanisms regulating axon initial segment stability

Amr Ellaithy, MD, PhD Dissertation title: Metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 activation: computational predictions and experimental validation

Vinay Idikuda, PhD Dissertation title: Regulation of HCN channel function by direct camp binding and singlet oxygen

Guoqing Xiang, PhD Dissertation title: Signaling through homomeric and heteromeric cannabinoid CB1 receptors

Tuoxin Cao, PhD Dissertation title: Hydrogen peroxide and pharmacological agent modulation of TRPV2 channel gating

Robin Chan, PhD Dissertation title: Epigenetic editing to validate findings from methylome-wide association studies of neuropsychiatric disorders

Kareem Clark, PhD Dissertation title: Altered axon initial segment structure and function in inflammatory disease

William Marks, PhD Dissertation title: The effects of the HIV-1 Tat protein and morphine on the structure and function of the hippocampal CA1 subfield

Nicolas Russell, MD, PhD Dissertation title: Heme oxygenase 1 expression after traumatic brain injury and effect of pharmacological manipulation on functional recovery

Michel Vascak, MD, PhD Dissertation title: Structural and functional alterations in neocortical circuits after mild traumatic brain injury

Joyce Balinang, PhD Dissertation title: Human neural progenitor cells are productively infected by R5-tropic HIV-1: opiate interactions on infection and function involve Cdk5 signaling

Kristen Davis, PhD Dissertation title: A neural circuit of appetite control in c. elegans

Melissa Powell, PhD Dissertation title: The role of matrix metalloproteinase 9 and osteopontin in synaptogenesis and reinnervation of the olfactory bulb following brain injury

Natalie (Allen) Wheeler, PhD Dissertation title: Autotaxin in central nervous system development and disease

Jason Younkin, PhD Dissertation title: Allosteric effects of g-protein coupled receptor heteromerization: relevance to psychosis

Matthew Baer, MD, PhD Dissertation title: Elucidating the role of endogenous electric fields in regulating the astrocytic response to injury in the mammalian central nervous system

Shiping (Patrick) Zou, PhD Dissertation title: Effects of HIV-1 viral protein tat on the viability and function of oligodendroglial cells

Ruturaj Masvekar, PhD Dissertation title: HIV-1 and opiate mediated neurotoxicity: GSK3beta is a potential therapeutic target

Thomas Taetzsch, PhD Dissertation title: NF-kB p50: The role of redox signaling and loss of function in dysregulated microglial activation

Ahmad Altarifi, PhD Dissertation title: Effects of mu opioid receptor agonists on intracranial self-stimulation in the absence and presence of “pain” in rats

Justin Brooks, PhD Dissertation title: A molecular mechanism regulating the timing of corticogeniculate innervation in dLGN

Julie Chan, MD, PhD Dissertation title: Osteopontin expression during the acute immune response mediates reactive synaptogenesis and adaptive outcome

John Greer, MD, PhD Dissertation title: The characterization of the anterograde and retrograde consequences of traumatic axonal injury in a mouse model of diffuse brain injury

Matthew Lazenka, PhD Dissertation title: THC-mediated induction of delta-fosB and its modulation of CB1R signaling and adaptation

Jiaqiong (Joan) Wang, MD, PhD Dissertation title: Diffuse traumatic axonal injury within the visual system: implications for visual pathway reorganization

John Campbell, PhD Dissertation title: The role of calcineurin in dendritic remodeling and epileptogenesis in a rat model of traumatic brain injury

William (Alex) Foxworthy, PhD Dissertation title: Unique features of organization and neuronal properties in a multisensory cortex

Yun-Kyung Hahn, PhD Dissertation title: CNS neural/glial progenitors as targets of HIV-1 and opiates: effects on proliferation and population dynamics may alter behavior outcomes

Crystal Lantz, PhD Dissertation title: Effects of early alcohol exposure on ocular dominance plasticity in mice

Peter T. Nguyen, PhD Dissertation title: Cannabinoid receptors in the 3D reconstructed mouse brain: function and regulation

Arco Paul, PhD Dissertation title: Overexpression of serum response factor in astrocytes restore ocular dominance plasticity in a model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Tania Seabrook, PhD Dissertation title: Circuit development in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of the mouse

Julie Ziobro, PhD Dissertation title: Characterization and development of a stroke-induced model of acquired epilepsy in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures: role of the cannabinoid CB1 receptors in modulation of neuronal excitation and inhibition

Andrew Bell, PhD Dissertation title: Age dependent spatial characteristics of epileptiform activity in malformed cortex

Rana El-Danaf, PhD Dissertation title: Developmental remodeling of relay cells in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of the mouse and the role of retinal innervation

Nisha Nagarkatti, MD, PhD Dissertation title: Inhibition of the calcium plateau following in vitro status epilepticus prevents the development of spontaneous recurrent epileptiform discharges

Larra Yuelling, PhD Dissertation title: Autotaxin: a regulator of oligodendrocyte differentiation

Emily Dilger, PhD Dissertation title: Role of synaptically evoked plateau potentials in retinogeniculate development

Audrey (Forrest) Lafrenaye, PhD Dissertation title: Focal adhesion kinase, a major regulator of oligodendrocyte morphological maturation and myelination

Sheine Schanuel, PhD Dissertation title: Heterologous expression and subcellular targeting of the invertebrate FMRFamide-gated sodium channel (FaNaC) in different subtypes of mammalian neurons

Michelle Hoot, PhD Dissertation title: The effect of chronic constriction injury on cellular systems within nociceptive pathways in the mouse

Jennifer Wolstenholme, PhD Dissertation title: Behavioral and molecular analysis of individual variation in ethanol drinking

Jonathan E. Kurz, MD, PhD Dissertation title: Pathological upregulation of a calcium-stimulated phosphatase, calcineurin, in two models of neuronal injury

Katherine Sayers, PhD Dissertation title: Functional redistribution of hippocampal cannabinoid CB(1) receptors in the rat pilocarpine model of acquired epilepsy

Mary Cage, MD, PhD Dissertation title: Molecular characterization of mesocorticolimbic brain regions in DBA/2J mice sensitized to the locomotor activating effects of ethanol

Amanda Mower, PhD Dissertation title: Cyclic AMP response element-binding protein in ocular dominance plasticity

Cristina Falo, PhD

David A. Sun, MD, PhD

Life in Richmond

Urban life with a small-town feel

We encourage our  graduate students  to maintain a healthy work-life balance, and Richmond is a wonderful place to engage in that well-rounded lifestyle. As the capital of Virginia since 1779, Richmond attracts students, faculty and staff from around the globe. The city’s location affords easy day trips to destinations like Washington, DC, Virginia Beach, Colonial Williamsburg and the Blue Ridge Mountains, among others.

As a mid-sized city with a metropolitan population of 1.3 million, Richmond provides stimulating activities while maintaining its intimate feel and unique vibe. Vibrant neighborhoods offer distinct, diverse experiences, with no shortage of art galleries, museums, music venues, restaurants, breweries and parks. For the outdoor enthusiast, you can’t beat the offerings in the city’s riverfront parks and urban wilderness areas such as white-water rafting, hiking, mountain biking and festivals.

How to Apply

The Neuroscience Ph.D. program typically admits five to seven students per year , with financial support including a living stipend plus tuition and fees for the duration of their training .   

The application is available   through the   Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Portal . If you have any questions about the program or application requirements, please contact:

Neuroscience Graduate Program Director

Neuroscience Program Director

Email: [email protected]

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Doctoral Programs

Leading. Finding solutions.

Be part of the conversation around solutions to unprecedented challenges in educational settings across the country and globe. Blend your past professional and academic experiences into a rewarding specialized doctoral program.

Through our doctoral programs, our students have access to our School of Education research , labs , cross-disciplinary collaboration , affiliate centers , and faculty and staff practitioner knowledge to develop relevant research to improve the field of study and wider local and global community. Here is a full list of our doctoral program options across three programs :

• Ed.D. in Leadership
• Art Education concentration
• Counselor Education and Supervision concentration
• Curriculum, Culture and Change concentration
• Educational Leadership, Policy and Justice concentration
• Educational Psychology concentration
• Research, Assessment and Evaluation concentration
• Ph.D. in Special Education

The VCU Holmes Scholars Program  is a selective program that provides accepted doctoral students from  historically underrepresented groups  with resources and professional development to best position them for  tenure track faculty positions in high (R2) and very high (R1) research universities . Our cross-disciplinary scholars create a network that leverages the collective and individual strengths of each member to maximize their VCU School of Education program. Learn more about how we live our values  through the Holmes program!

Our Three Doctoral Programs

Our is a great resource to review what research is currently being conducted at the school. This may help you identify a specific content area of interest, or a few, to help narrow your track options.

After identifying a few research areas of interest, review the key faculty who are researching in those areas and their research interests in our directory .

As you are debating tracks, contact [email protected] to schedule a meeting with our recruitment specialist to talk through your research interests, past academic and professional experiences, and where you hope to go in your future career.

The Ed.D. in leadership engages leaders of learning organizations with practitioner-oriented knowledge and skills, authentic leadership and research experiences, and opportunities for reflection that will enable them to succeed in a variety of organizational leadership positions. Three analytic lenses (equity, accountability and learning theory) guide coursework and enable students from diverse backgrounds to consider learning through common perspectives. The Ed.D. is a 48-hour, 36-month program which centers on action-oriented andragogy and curriculum, includes the application of theory and research, and focuses on addressing practitioners’ problems of practice, culminating in the Capstone study the final year in the program.

The Ph.D. in education prepares individuals for leadership in a variety of educational arenas, including school administration, curriculum and instruction, research and evaluation, special education and disabilities, as well as private and public organizations and agencies. Students are provided opportunities to build on one’s life experiences and interests through the advanced study of important ideas and practices, through the conduct and application of research, and through interactions with Ph.D. students and professors from departments across the university.

Ready To Get Started?

• Jenna Lenhardt, Ph.D.
• Director, Strat Recrt & Outrch
• (804) 827-6847
• [email protected]
• Recruitment specialist
• (804) 827-2479
• Email: [email protected]

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This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2024-2025 VCU Bulletin. We may add courses that expose our students to cutting-edge content and transformative learning. We may also add content to the general education program that focuses on racial literacy and a racial literacy graduation requirement, and may receive notification of additional program approvals after the launch. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.

The Ph.D. in Computer Science will educate and train students in core areas of computer science. Students will explore the advanced concepts of computer science theory, systems and research. They will learn how to identify problems, set a research agenda, clearly identify and isolate good ideas, solve programming challenges creatively, and communicate in a clear and concise manner. Graduates will possess the necessary analytical, technical and research skills of complex computer science topics in order to respond directly to the needs of industry, research laboratories, the public sector, academia and government for effective, innovative and productive engineers, professors and researchers.

Students in the Ph.D. in Computer Science program will be immersed in a curriculum that exposes them to computer science theory, computer systems, machine learning, data sciences and cybersecurity. The program prepares students with the ability to formulate and analyze new algorithmic solutions and to turn them into usable programs that efficiently exploit distributed, multi-core architectures dominating current computer hardware.

Student learning outcomes

Students will be able to:

• Apply knowledge of the foundations of computer science
• Apply knowledge of a specialized research area
• Use principles of scientific inquiry and software design to evaluate scientific literature and formulate research hypotheses
• Solve computational problems and discover or generate new ideas, concepts, techniques and/or products in general and specialized areas of computer science
• Write technical reports and scholarly papers in computer science
• Present problems and solutions in computer science

VCU Graduate Bulletin, VCU Graduate School and general academic policies and regulations for all graduate students in all graduate programs

The VCU Graduate Bulletin website documents the official admission and academic rules and regulations that govern graduate education for all graduate programs at the university. These policies are established by the graduate faculty of the university through their elected representatives to the University Graduate Council.

It is the responsibility of all graduate students, both on- and off-campus, to be familiar with the VCU Graduate Bulletin as well as the  Graduate School website  and academic regulations in individual school and department publications and on program websites. However, in all cases, the official policies and procedures of the University Graduate Council, as published on the VCU Graduate Bulletin and Graduate School websites, take precedence over individual program policies and guidelines.

Visit the academic regulations section for   additional information on academic regulations for graduate students.

Degree candidacy requirements

A graduate student admitted to a program or concentration requiring a final research project, work of art, thesis or dissertation, must qualify for continuing master’s or doctoral status according to the degree candidacy requirements of the student’s graduate program. Admission to degree candidacy, if applicable, is a formal statement by the graduate student’s faculty regarding the student’s academic achievements and the student’s readiness to proceed to the final research phase of the degree program.

Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following degree candidacy policy as published in the VCU Graduate Bulletin for complete information and instructions.

Visit the academic regulations section for   additional information on degree candidacy requirements.

Graduation requirements

As graduate students approach the end of their academic programs and the final semester of matriculation, they must make formal application to graduate. No degrees will be conferred until the application to graduate has been finalized.

Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following graduation requirements as published in the Graduate Bulletin for a complete list of instructions and a graduation checklist.

Visit the academic regulations section for   additional information on graduation requirements.

Admission requirements

The program requires the following for admission:

• Students must present proof of graduation from an accredited college/university with a master’s degree in computer science or a related discipline with a minimum grade point average of 3.0. Outstanding students with a B.S. degree in computer science can be admitted into the direct B.S. to Ph.D. program.
• Applicants must submit a written statement of purpose that demonstrates interest and commitment to a career in computer science.
• Students must submit results from the Graduate Record Examination obtained within the past five years.
• Students must submit at least three letters of recommendation from individuals qualified to evaluate the applicant’s ability to engage in graduate study in computer science.
• Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in spoken and written English. A B.S., M.S. or doctoral degree from an accredited college or university located in the U.S. is considered sufficient proof of proficiency. For other students, satisfactory scores on the TOEFL or IELTS exam obtained within the past two years are required. The VCU minimum TOEFL score is 550 (paper-based) or 80 (Internet-based). The minimum IELTS score requirement is 6.5. Students with a TOEFL score of 80 or higher but below a 100 will be required to take VCU’s English Language Placement examination and successfully complete prescribed language training or submit appropriate test scores that satisfy VCU requirements for language proficiency.
• International students seeking admission to the program must also satisfy requirements related to timeline, visa, immigration status and other items as specified by VCU’s Graduate School.

Acceptance of an applicant is based upon the recommendation of the graduate admissions committee. The admissions committee makes admission recommendations based on a holistic assessment of the applicant’s potential for success in the program.

The program may admit students unconditionally or provisionally. Provisional admission may be granted when small deficiencies are identified for otherwise strong candidates; these deficiencies should be remedied in the time specified by the admissions committee. At the end of the provisional period, the student’s progress is evaluated. Undergraduate remedial courses designed to remove deficiencies are not accepted for credit toward the fulfillment of course requirements for the Ph.D. degree. A student who fails to meet the goals set forth by the admissions committee at the time of admission will be recommended for termination from the program.

A student admitted to the program may need to take undergraduate computer science courses in order to prepare for the required graduate-level courses. The choice of these courses is left to the discretion of the student’s adviser. Credit hours from the undergraduate courses do not count toward the doctoral degree.

Transfer credits

Up to 50 percent of the required minimum of didactic, non-research graduate-level credit hours can be transferred into the Ph.D. program from another college or university. Only didactic graduate-level credits can be transferred. No more than 50 percent of the required minimum of didactic, non-research credit hours in graduate-level courses can be fulfilled by courses taken at VCU prior to admission to the Ph.D. program. All transfer credit hours must be graduate-level and must be approved by the graduate committee and Graduate School using the graduate course transfer form. These credit hours must not have been applied to any degree in any institution.

Degree requirements

In addition to the  VCU Graduate School graduation requirements , students must meet the following requirements.

Students can earn the Ph.D. in Computer Science through two routes: post-baccalaureate study and post-master’s study.

The Ph.D. curriculum requires completion of a minimum of 72 credit hours for students entering with a baccalaureate degree and a minimum of 54 credits for students entering with a master’s degree.

Only graduate credit hours count for the doctoral degree. At least half of the minimum required course work credit hours must be at the 600-level or higher.

To graduate, degree applicants must achieve an overall minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The GPA for graduation will be based on all the graduate courses attempted after acceptance into the program. Graduates must also achieve a passing performance on their qualifying and comprehensive examination.

Curriculum requirements

Total graduate credit hours required for post-baccalaureate students is 72 (minimum). Total graduate credit hours required for post-M.S. students is 54 (minimum).

The Ph.D. curriculum will prepare the program graduates for research and teaching careers in computer science, with emphasis on areas of cybersecurity and data science. The program will allow students to ascertain breadth in computer science education and depth relevant to the selected research topics. 

The program consists of the following components:

Computer science core

This component is common to all students in the Ph.D. program.

Elective courses allow students to expand their education in areas related to their dissertation research. The choice of courses is based on the recommendation of the student’s dissertation adviser. The program will include courses related to algorithms, computer systems, networking, security, privacy and reliability of information processing. The program will also include elective courses focused on numerical and scientific computing, computer architecture, artificial intelligence and machine learning, bioinformatics, and methods for efficient and accurate processing of data and extracting knowledge from data. Students may also take courses outside of the computer science department, however these courses (not labeled CMSC) must show relevance to the student’s research and be pre-approved by the dissertation adviser.

Directed research requirement

Students are required to complete at least 36 (B.S. to Ph.D. students) or 24 (M.S. to Ph.D. students) credit hours of combined dissertation course work ( CMSC 697  and  CMSC 702 ). This part of the program exposes students to current developments in the field of computer science and emphasizes research directed toward solving a challenging problem of computer science under the guidance of the dissertation adviser and dissertation committee. Topics pursued as directed research credit hours ( CMSC 697 ) are devoted to open-ended projects in computer science. Students must enroll in the seminar course ( CMSC 702 ) each semester of enrollment.

B.S. to Ph.D. curriculum for students entering with a baccalaureate degree

The minimum number of graduate credit hours required for this degree is 72.

M.S. to Ph.D. curriculum for students entering with a master’s degree

The minimum number of graduate credit hours required for this degree is 54.

Doctoral requirements and procedures

Research adviser and dissertation committee.

Students select a research adviser before they can be admitted into the graduate program, and a dissertation committee within 24 months of enrollment. The selection of the research adviser and the dissertation committee has to be approved by the CS graduate program director. The dissertation committee consists of five faculty members, including the primary research adviser. Three committee members must be from the CS graduate program and two from outside; whenever possible, one of the committee members should be from outside of VCU. This committee votes to approve or not the student’s dissertation proposal and the final Ph.D. dissertation defense and makes the recommendation to award or not the Ph.D. degree. All members of the committee must be members of the VCU graduate faculty.

Qualifying examination

The Ph.D. qualifying examination focuses on the knowledge fundamental to computer science and on problem-solving skills critical to the student’s research area. The QE is an oral exam typically lasting at least an hour. It is conducted by the exam committee composed of the student’s research adviser and the CS department members of the student’s dissertation advisory committee; the research adviser may also choose to invite the outside members of the student’s advisory committee to participate in the exam. The exam has to take place prior to the proposal defense or can be scheduled as an additional element of the proposal defense. Typically, the student will take the qualifying exam within 24 months of starting in the doctoral program. Students cannot take the qualifying exam if they are not in good standing.

Dissertation proposal and proposal defense

The dissertation proposal consists of the research plan and initial results. It includes a thorough literature review of the topic and enough information to judge the feasibility, scope and potential impact of the research. The student will submit one copy of the dissertation research proposal to each member of the dissertation committee two weeks before the proposal defense. The defense typically happens during the time allotted for departmental seminars. All faculty and students can ask questions during an open part of the defense, followed by more questions by the dissertation committee during the closed session of the defense. This constitutes an oral comprehensive exam.

The purpose of the dissertation proposal is to display comprehensive knowledge of the chosen research area, defend the chosen research hypothesis and show a well-reasoned plan for exploring the hypothesis through additional research. The OCE should be taken within 36 months from enrollment.

Admission to candidacy

Admission to doctoral degree candidacy is a formal statement regarding the student’s academic achievements and their readiness to proceed to the final research phase of the doctoral program. Before admission to candidacy for the doctorate, students must have: (1) completed core courses in the program, (2) completed at least 75 percent of all the required didactic course work and (3) successfully completed the qualifying examination and the oral comprehensive examination. To be admitted to candidacy, the student must be in good standing.

Dissertation research 

The student must complete at least 38 (students entering with M.S. degree) or at least 42 (students entering with B.S. degree) research and seminar credit hours conducting an original investigation under the guidance of the adviser and prepare a dissertation reporting the results of this research and comparing its significance in relation to existing scientific knowledge. Once the research is close to completion, no later than three months prior to the planned dissertation defense, the student should meet with their dissertation committee members. In order for the student to proceed toward dissertation defense, all committee members must certify that the student is ready to write the dissertation.

Dissertation defense

In drafting the dissertation, the doctoral candidate is expected to follow all style and format guidelines outlined by VCU. The doctoral candidate will submit individual copies of the complete dissertation to the dissertation committee. If the committee accepts the dissertation for defense, the candidate appears before them for a final oral examination: the dissertation defense. This examination is open to all members of the faculty and students. There shall be an announcement of the candidate’s name, department and title of dissertation, specifying day, place and time of the final oral examination at least 14 days in advance.

The final oral examination is normally limited to the subject of the candidate’s dissertation and related matters. All committee members are required to vote, and a favorable decision by the dissertation committee with no more than one negative vote is required for passing the examination. The committee can approve the final oral examination conditionally, subject to corrections required by the committee, to the satisfaction of either the adviser or the entire dissertation committee.

All members of the committee should be present at the dissertation defense; in exceptional cases, the defense may go forward if no more than one committee member is absent but the absent committee member has to provide the student an opportunity to present and discuss the dissertation before voting. The dissertation adviser must be physically present at the final dissertation defense.

Publication requirement

Since the Ph.D. is awarded for completion of work on an original research problem, peer-reviewed evidence of the quality of this work, in terms of at least one accepted journal paper or published high-quality conference paper in a student’s research area and a second manuscript submitted for review to a journal or a high-quality conference must be approved by the dissertation committee and the CS graduate committee before the final oral examination can be scheduled.

Optional training

Students enrolled in the program have an option to participate in additional non-technical training that will prepare them for future careers. Within the School of Engineering, students will be encouraged to take a course on career and professional development that will be focused on the process for making meaningful career choices, preparing and connecting these decisions and career goals, and gaining confidence in career development. Students will also be encouraged to participate in career training outside of School of Engineering, including the Preparing Future Faculty Program and the Leaders and Entrepreneurs Academy for Professional Development offered by the VCU Academic Learning Transformation Lab and VCU Graduate School. PFFP is designed for graduate students interested in pursuing careers in higher education. It introduces students to the roles and responsibilities of higher education and addresses teaching and learning issues in the college classroom. The LEAPD program targets students seeking careers in industry, nonprofit organizations, health care, public service and government. Areas of study include how to start your own business, building networking skills, leadership, enhancing communication skills, resume writing, negotiation skills and opportunities for discovering alternative career paths. Both programs consist of a series of short one- or two-credit-hour courses that students can easily add into their schedules. These credits do not count toward the Ph.D. in Computer Science degree.

Time to degree

Students in the Ph.D. program will be able to enroll on a full-time or part-time basis.

The time to degree will vary based on the entrance pathway. The typical time to degree for full-time post-bachelor’s students in the program is four years. Students are required to attend during the fall and spring each year. Students with a B.S. degree are required to enroll full-time and are not permitted to attend on a part-time basis.

The typical time to degree for full-time post-master’s students in the program is three years. Full-time students are required to attend during the fall and spring each year. Students entering with a master’s degree may enroll on a part-time basis. The typical time to degree for part-time post-master’s students in the proposed degree program is six years.

All requirements for the Ph.D. degree must be completed within eight years from the date of admission to the degree program.

Contact Bridget Thomson-McInnes, Ph.D. Associate professor and graduate program director [email protected]

Additional contact Krzysztof J. Cios, Ph.D. Professor and chair, Department of Computer Science [email protected] (804) 828-9671

Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia 23284 Phone: (804) 828-0100 [email protected]

All Bulletins © 2024-2025 Virginia Commonwealth University Fri Dec 29 2023 09:08:20 GMT-0600 (CST)

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VCU College of Health Professions

Health administration, ph.d. program in health services organization and research.

“Truly exceptional is the best way I can describe my experience as a Ph.D. student in the VCU Department of Health Administration.  It was one of the most challenging, invigorating, and exciting educational experiences I could imagine.”   --Abby Swanson Kazley, PhD (2006), Professor, Medical University of South Carolina.

Mission Statement

The Doctoral Program in Health Services Organization and Research (HSOR) prepares individuals for careers in teaching ,  research, and consulting at the highest level of capability in the field of health care organizational analysis and health services research. Graduates will be competitive for positions at the nation’s top research and teaching institutions, governmental agencies, and health care organizations.

Program Description

We embrace students with diverse educational, work and life experiences who demonstrate a capacity to pursue a rigorous course of doctoral study.  Admission is competitive and offered to a limited number of students with clear career goals in health administration and research. A master’s degree in a health- or business-related discipline is recommended.

The program’s didactic course work and comprehensive examinations can be completed in two years, but the program offers a part-time option with expected completion in three years. Required courses in organizational theory and methods are combined with opportunities for you to customize your areas of interest. You will receive dedicated support from a distinguished faculty as you pursue your doctorate at VCU. Faculty members are active highly respected scholars who disseminate their work in prestigious academic and practice journals.

Learn More:

Upcoming information sessions.

Learn more about the doctoral program in HSOR by joining us for a virtual information session! You'll have the opportunity to meet with program faculty and staff, learn about admissions, funding, and more.

For any questions, please reach out to Cameron Parkins at [email protected] .

Why choose a PhD in Health System Organization & Research at VCU?

Why you should consider the vcu ph.d. in hsor:.

• Our  faculty are highly respected scholars who disseminate their work in prestigious academic and practice journals.
• We have a small student-centric program where you will receive individualized guidance and attention.
• We encourage and promote collaborative research projects between students/faculty that are often published in refereed journals before graduating including Medical Care Research and Review, Medical Care and Health Care Management Review.
• We offer financial assistance in the form of stipends and tuition is available for those who apply early.
• We offer a part-time option.
• Our students have enjoyed a 100% placement after finishing the HSOR program.
• Our alumni are employed at universities, and research organizations including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Duke University, Tulane University, MUSC, GAO and more.
• VCU’s department is located at the nexus of a major, diversified and highly competitive health care market and is adjacent to one of the nation’s top teaching hospitals, the VCH Health System.
• VCU offers the advantages of an urban setting in the thriving city of Richmond, Virginia, which is full of history, art, and natural beauty. It is a two-hour drive from the coast, mountains, and Washington, D.C.

Admission Requirements / How to Apply

Admission requirements.

The Ph.D. in HSOR program admits students with diverse education, work, and life experiences who have demonstrated a capacity to pursue a rigorous course of doctoral study. Admission is limited, competitive, and open to students with clear career goals in health services administration and research.   The Fall 2024 application opens on July 15, 2023.

Click here to apply.

Admission requirements include:

• bachelor's degree with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, or graduate degree in an academic or professional field with a 3.0 or higher
• working knowledge of college-level algebra
• advanced courses in statistics and economics
• for foreign students, scores from the test of English as a Foreign Language
• transcripts and application forms
• three letters of recommendation
• personal interviews with members of the Admissions Committee.

Recommended admission requirements include:

• a score at least at the 50th percentile on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or equivalent GMAT scores (testing date within the past five years)  

Information for International Applicants

The VCU Office of International Admissions processes undergraduate and graduate applications for non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. residents. Non-U.S. residents should refer to the   instructions for the international student application .

Please note that only the International Admissions Office and the Graduate School are authorized to notify applicants of the official acceptance by the university. Do not interpret statements made in casual correspondence with any university faculty member to mean that you have been fully accepted.

Financial Aid  

Financial Aid is available through competitive assistantships, which cover tuition and provide a $25,000 per year stipend as well as a health insurance subsidy. Additional information about assistantships will be provided to students upon admission to the program.

Program Structure

The vcu doctoral program in health services organization and research courses are distributed across four areas:.

• Foundations of health services organization and research (11 credit hours)
• Health services organization theory core (12 credit hours)
• Health services research methods (18 credit hours)
• Electives (7 credit hours)

In addition, 9 dissertation credit hours are required. The course work is sequenced so that it can be completed in two years of full-time study. A part-time option, which requires three years of course work, is also available. Required courses are listed below. Other courses, independent studies, special topics, and practicum courses are available as electives in the Department of Health Administration as well as in other VCU departments.

Foundation of Health Services Organization and Research - 11 credit hours

(Each course is a three hour semester course, three credit hours, unless otherwise noted.)

Health System Organization, Financing and Performance (HADM 602) -  Examines the structure, functioning and financing of the U.S. health services system. Emphasizes foundational concepts for understanding and analyzing patterns of health and illness; health care cost, quality, access and utilization; workforce; competition in health care markets; and supplier, provider and payer effectiveness and efficiency.

Health Economics (HADM 624)  - Prerequisites:  ECON 203  with a minimum grade of B and  ECON 211 . Develops an understanding of (1) economics as a managerial tool in making choices or decisions that will provide for an optimum allocation of limited health care resources and (2) economics as a way of thinking about and approaching issues of public policy in financing and organizing health and medical services. Individual research on crucial or controversial issues in the health care field. Crosslisted as:  ECON 624 .

Research in Health Care Financing and Delivery Systems (HADM 702)  – Prerequisites: HADM 701, 704, 705 or permission of the instructor.  Critically reviews and evaluates emerging research in organization, delivery and financing of health care services. Introduction to Health Services Organization Research I (HADM 711) - (1 cr.)  - Assists PhD students in becoming members of the health services research community and developing skills to be a successful researcher.  Introduces students to health services research as a field, major data bases for health services research, career paths, and related ethical issues.  Develops key foundational skills including data base management, statistical software, grant applications and career development.  First in a two course sequence.  

Introduction to Health Services Organization Research II (HADM 713) -  Assists PhD students in becoming members of the health services research community and developing skills to be a successful researcher.  Introduces students to health services research as a field, major data bases for health services research, career paths, and related ethical issues.  Develops key foundational skills including data base management, statistical software, grant applications and career development.  Second in a two course sequence. 

Health Services Organization Theory - 12 credit hours

Foundations of Health Organization Theory (HADM 704)   - Examines the roots of foundational theories and concepts in organization theory and their application to research on health care organizations and systems. Emphasizes the environment and structure of health care organizations and systems. Advanced Health Service Organization Theory (HADM 705)  – Prerequisite: HADM 704 or permission of the instructor.  Covers contemporary perspectives in health organization theory in depth, with emphasis on their research application in health care organizations. Critically assesses current examples of research on health care organizations using these perspectives. Organizational Behavior for Health Services Research (HADM 701)   - Prerequisite: HADM 704 and HADM 705 or permission from instructor. Analysis of medical care organizations at both micro and macro levels. Critical review of empirical research in organizational analysis and design. Identifies measurement issues related to the quality of care and to the formulation of evaluative research on health services programs.

Health Services Research Methods - 18 credit hours

Health Services Research Methods I (HADM 761)   - Prerequisites: upper division course in statistics. Research as a systematic method for examining questions derived from related theory and/or health service practice. Major focus in on the logic of casual inference, including the formulation of testable hypotheses relating to health services organizations and management, the design of methods and measures to facilitate study, and the concepts, principles, and methods of epidemiology. Applied Health Services Research (HADM 763)  - Prerequisites: HADM 761 and ECON 501 or permission of the instructor.  Seminar for Ph.D. students who have had courses in quantitative analysis of health care data and research methods. Develops framework for classifying the major topics and issues addressed by health services research. Explores the relationships between health services research, policy analysis and program evaluation. Emphasizes assessment of the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of the health system at various levels of analysis. Stresses the importance of conceptual modeling as a foundation to rigorous empirical research. Introduction to Econometrics (ECON 501)   - Semester course 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: ECON 500, 210 or 203, the latter with a minimum grade of B; and MGMT 301, STAT 210 or STAT 212. Sources and uses of economic data; includes the application of statistical methods and regression analysis to time series and cross-section data to test hypotheses of micro- and macroeconomics. Econometrics (ECON 612).   Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: ECON 501. Provides empirical content to the theoretical concepts of the economics by formulating and estimating models. Introduction to simultaneous equation problems in economics and the studies of production, demand, and consumption functions.

Elective . Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. 

Electives - 7 credit hours

With faculty advisor's assistance, students choose three elective courses that comprise an area of specialization. Generally, these courses are drawn from other programs at VCU and from independent study with department faculty. Students may choose independent study under the direction of faculty mentors in their expertise areas or may enroll in courses in other departments at VCU.

Comprehensive   Examinations

Students take two written comprehensive examinations over the coursework: (1) health services organization theory and (2) health services research methods.

Dissertation - 9 credit hours

Upon successful completion of the four major study areas, students devote an additional 9 credit hours to preparing a dissertation. The Doctor of Philosophy degree is awarded after the minimum 57 credit hours of course work are completed, comprehensive exams are passed, and the dissertation is written and defended orally.

Oral Defense of Dissertation Proposal

Students must orally defend their proposal before their dissertation committee.

Core Competencies

Phd hsor core competencies.

Throughout your studies, you will develop the following core competencies:

• Foundational Knowledge of Health Care:  Display comprehensive knowledge of the context of health care systems, institutions, actors and environment.
• Theoretical Knowledge:  Apply organizational theoretical and conceptual models relevant to health services research.
• Generate Research Questions and Hypotheses:  Review, critique and synthesize a body of research, identifying significant gaps in knowledge, methods and study subjects to develop research questions and testable hypotheses.
• Study Design:  Select appropriate interventional (experimental and quasi-experimental) or observational (quantitative, qualitative or mixed) study designs to address health services research questions. Use a conceptual model to specify study constructs and develop valid and reliable variables to measure the constructs.
• Data Collection and Management:   Sample and collect primary health and health care data and/or assemble and manage existing data from public or private sources. 
• Ethical Conduct of Research:  Describe procedures that ensure the ethical and responsible conduct and dissemination of research.
• Data Analysis and Interpretation:  Apply rigorous quantitative and qualitative analytical strategies to specific research questions. Demonstrate ability to interpret results of data analysis.
• Communication and Knowledge Transfer:  Effectively communicate issues, research findings and implications of health services research verbally and in writing to appropriate professional, scientific, student, policy and lay audiences.
• Integration:  Develop and conduct original research that includes identifying the research question, selecting the theoretical framework, developing a study design, using appropriate methodologies, conducting the analysis and interpreting the results.

Meet our Faculty and Students

• Department Faculty  |  See Recent Publications
• Current Students

Ph.D. HSOR Alumni News

Recent alumni activities and awards  (list is representative, not complete)

Hsueh-Fen Chen   (PhD '08) is now Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. 

Askar Chukmaitov   (PhD '05) was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Health Behavior and Policy at VCU. 

Hui-Min (Esther) Hsieh   (PhD '10) is a tenured Associate Professor at Kaohsiung Medical University. 

Mark Diana   (PhD '06) is Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Health Management and Policy at Tulane University. 

Ken White   (PhD '96) is University of Virginia Medical Center Professor of Nursing and Associate Dean for Strategic Partnerships & Innovation at the School of Nursing. 

Anna Lin   (PhD '10) served on a student’s dissertation committee and participated in the Introduction to Health Services Organization Research course virtually. 

Patrick Shay   (PhD '14), Assistant Professor at Trinity University  in San Antonio teaches HADM 704   Foundations of Health Organization Theory  virtually .  

Janet Freburger   (PhD '98) is a Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Joanna Jiang   (PhD '97), Senior Social Scientist at AHRQ,   Urvashi Patel   (PhD 2006), Chief Data Scientist, Montefiore, and   Reethi Iyengar   (PhD 2011), participated in the Introduction to Health Services Organization Research course virtually. 

Recent alumni publications (list is representative, not complete)

Bazzoli, G. J., Harless, D. W., &   Chukmaitov, A . S. (2017). A taxonomy of hospitals participating in Medicare accountable care organizations.   Health Care Management Review,   doi:10.1097/HMR.0000000000000159 [doi]

Chen, H. F ., Oluyomi Popoola, T., & Suzuki, S. (2017). Does paid versus unpaid supplementary caregiving matter in preventable readmissions?   The American Journal of Managed Care, 23 (3), e82-e88. doi:87032 [pii]

Chiu HC, Lin YC,  Hsieh HM   (Esther) ,   Chen HP, Wang HL, Wang JY. The impact of complications on prolonged length of hospital stay after resection in colorectal cancer: A retrospective study of Taiwanese patients. (2017)   The Journal of International Medical Research . 300060516684087. PMID 28173723 DOI: 10.1177/0300060516684087 

Freburger, J. K ., Li, D., Johnson, A., & Fraher, E. (2017). Physical and occupational therapy from the acute to community setting following stroke: Predictors of use, continuity of care, and timeliness of care.   Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,   doi:S0003-9993(17)30220-4 [pii]

Jones, R. S., &   Stukenborg, G. J.   (2017). Patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) use in surgical care: A scoping study.   Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 224 (3), 245-254.e1. doi:S1072-7515(16)31675-1 [pii]

Langabeer, J. R.,2nd, Champagne-Langabeer, T., Helton, J. R., Segrest, W., Kash, B.,   DelliFraine, J ., & Fowler, R. (2017). Interorganizational collaboration in emergency cardiovascular care.   Quality Management in Health Care, 26 (1), 1-6. doi:10.1097/QMH.0000000000000120 [doi]

Markley, J. D.,   Pakyz, A ., Bernard, S., Lee, K., Appelbaum, N., Bearman, G., & Stevens, M. P. (2017). A survey to optimize the design of an antimicrobial stewardship smartphone app at an academic medical center.   American Journal of Infection Control, 45 (3), 317-320. doi:S0196-6553(16)30921-X [pii]

Mazurenko, O., Richter, J.,   Kazley, A. S ., & Ford, E. (2017). Examination of the relationship between management and clinician perception of patient safety climate and patient satisfaction.   Health Care Management Review,   doi:10.1097/HMR.0000000000000156 [doi]

Muroi, M.,   Shen, J. J ., & Angosta, A. (2017). Association of medication errors with drug classifications, clinical units, and consequence of errors: Are they related?   Applied Nursing Research : ANR, 33 , 180-185. doi:S0897-1897(16)30376-7 [pii]

Ozcan, Y. A ., Tanfani, E., & Testi, A. (2017). Improving the performance of surgery-based clinical pathways: A simulation-optimization approach.   Health Care Management Science, 20 (1), 1-15. doi:10.1007/s10729-016-9371-5 [doi]

Pakyz, A. L.,   Wang, H.,   Ozcan, Y. A ., Edmond, M. B., & Vogus, T. J. (2017). Leapfrog hospital safety score, magnet designation, and healthcare-associated infections in united states hospitals.   Journal of Patient Safety,   doi:10.1097/PTS.0000000000000378 [doi]

Pestian, J. P ., Sorter, M., Connolly, B., Bretonnel Cohen, K., McCullumsmith, C., Gee, J. T., . . . STM Research Group. (2017). A machine learning approach to identifying the thought markers of suicidal subjects: A prospective multicenter trial.   Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 47 (1), 112-121. doi:10.1111/sltb.12312 [doi]

Sundaram, V., Sahadevan, J., Waldo, A. L.,   Stukenborg, G. J ., Reddy, Y. N. V., Asirvatham, S. J., . . . Bilchick, K. C. (2017). Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators with versus without resynchronization therapy in patients with a QRS duration >180 ms.   Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 69 (16), 2026-2036. doi:S0735-1097(17)30795-7 [pii]

Trinh, H. Q ., & Begun, J. W. (2017). The proliferation of elective services in U.S. urban hospitals.   Health Care Management Review, 42 (2), 184-190. doi:10.1097/HMR.0000000000000101 [doi]

2016                                                                     

Ball, B. Z., Jiang, B., Mehndiratta, P.,   Stukenborg, G. J ., Upchurch, G. R.,Jr, Meschia, J. F., . . . Southerland, A. M. (2016). Screening individuals with intracranial aneurysms for abdominal aortic aneurysms is cost-effective based on estimated coprevalence.   Journal of Vascular Surgery, 64 (3), 811-818.e3. doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2016.05.065 [doi]

Bazzoli, G. J.,   Carcaise-Edinboro, P ., Sabik, L. M., Chandan, P., & Harpe, S. (2016). Integrated case management: Does it reduce health service disparities across African American and white medicaid beneficiaries?   Medical Care Research and Review : MCRR,   doi:1077558716649879 [pii]

Carey, T. S., &   Freburger, J. K . (2016). Exercise and the prevention of low back pain: Ready for implementation.   JAMA Internal Medicine, 176 (2), 208-209. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.7636 [doi]

Cary, M. P.,Jr, Pan, W., Sloane, R., Bettger, J. P., Hoenig, H.,   Merwin, E. I ., & Anderson, R. A. (2016). Self-care and mobility following postacute rehabilitation for older adults with hip fracture: A multilevel analysis.   Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 97 (5), 760-771. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2016.01.012 [doi]

Chen, H. F ., Carlson, E., Popoola, T., & Suzuki, S. (2016). The impact of rurality on 30-day preventable readmission, illness severity, and risk of mortality for heart failure medicare home health beneficiaries.   The Journal of Rural Health : Official Journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association, 32 (2), 176-187. doi:10.1111/jrh.12142 [doi]

Chen, H. F ., Homan, S., Carlson, E., Popoola, T., & Radhakrishnan, K. (2016). The impact of race and neighborhood racial composition on preventable readmissions for diabetic medicare home health beneficiaries.   Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities,   doi:10.1007/s40615-016-0268-2 [doi]

Chukmaitov, A ., Siangphoe, U., Dahman, B., Bradley, C. J., & BouHaidar, D. (2016). Patient comorbidity and serious adverse events after outpatient colonoscopy: Population-based study from three states, 2006 to 2009.   Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, 59 (7), 677-687. doi:10.1097/DCR.0000000000000603 [doi]

Crego, N., Baernholdt, M., &   Merwin, E . (2016). Differences in pediatric non-interventional radiology procedural sedation practices and adverse events by registered nurses and physicians.   Journal of Pediatric Nursing,   doi:S0882-5963(16)30092-6 [pii]

Dieleman, J. L., Baral, R., Birger, M., Bui, A. L., Bulchis, A., Chapin, A., … Highfill, T . . . Murray, C. J. (2016). US spending on personal health care and public health, 1996-2013.   Jama, 316 (24), 2627-2646. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16885 [doi]

Goode, V., Phillips, E., DeGuzman, P., Hinton, I., Rovnyak, V., Scully, K., &   Merwin, E . (2016). A patient safety dilemma: Obesity in the surgical patient.   AANA Journal, 84 (6), 404-412.

Goode, V., Rovnyak, V., Hinton, I., Phillips, E., &   Merwin, E . (2016). Are international classification of diseases codes in electronic health records useful in identifying obesity as a risk factor when evaluating surgical outcomes?   The Health Care Manager, 35 (4), 361-367. doi:10.1097/HCM.0000000000000112 [doi]

Hsieh HM , Shin SJ, Tsai SL, Chiu HC. (2016) Effectiveness of Pay-for-Performance Incentive Designs on Diabetes Care.  Medical Care . PMID 27479599 DOI: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000000609 

Hu, Y., Puri, V., Shami, V. M.,   Stukenborg, G. J ., & Kozower, B. D. (2016). Comparative effectiveness of esophagectomy versus endoscopic treatment for esophageal high-grade dysplasia.   Annals of Surgery, 263 (4), 719-726. doi:10.1097/SLA.0000000000001387 [doi]

Huerta, T. R., Harle, C. A., Ford, E. W.,   Diana, M. L.,   & Menachemi, N. (2016). Measuring patient satisfaction's relationship to hospital cost efficiency: Can administrators make a difference?   Health Care Management Review, 41 (1), 56-63. doi:10.1097/HMR.0000000000000045 [doi]

Jordan, D. W., &   Cotter, J. J . (2016). Association between employee earnings and consumer-directed health plan choices.   Journal of Healthcare Management / American College of Healthcare Executives, 61 (6), 420-434. doi:00115514-201611000-00007 [pii]

Kaissi, A.,   Shay, P ., & Roscoe, C. (2016). Hospital systems, convenient care strategies, and healthcare reform.   Journal of Healthcare Management / American College of Healthcare Executives, 61 (2), 148-163.

Kazley, A. S ., Hamidi, B., Balliet, W., & Baliga, P. (2016). Social media use among living kidney donors and recipients: Survey on current practice and potential.   Journal of Medical Internet Research, 18 (12), e328. doi:10.2196/jmir.6176 [doi]

Lin, C. C ., Bruinooge, S. S., Kirkwood, M. K., Hershman, D. L., Jemal, A., Guadagnolo, B. A., . . . Olsen, C. (2016). Association between geographic access to cancer care and receipt of radiation therapy for rectal cancer.   International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, 94 (4), 719-728. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2015.12.012 [doi]

Lobo, J. M.,   Stukenborg, G. J ., Trifiletti, D. M., Patel, N., & Showalter, T. N. (2016). Reconsidering adjuvant versus salvage radiation therapy for prostate cancer in the genomics era.   Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research, 5 (4), 375-382. doi:10.2217/cer-2015-0015 [doi]

Marlow, N. M.,   Kazley, A. S ., Chavin, K. D., Simpson, K. N., Balliet, W., & Baliga, P. K. (2016). A patient navigator and education program for increasing potential living donors: A comparative observational study.   Clinical Transplantation, 30 (5), 619-627. doi:10.1111/ctr.12728 [doi]

Martin, A. N., Kerwin, M. J., Turrentine, F. E., Bauer, T. W., Adams, R. B.,   Stukenborg, G. J ., & Zaydfudim, V. M. (2016). Blood transfusion is an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality after hepatectomy.   The Journal of Surgical Research, 206 (1), 106-112. doi:S0022-4804(16)30238-4 [pii]

McHugh, M., Shi, Y., McClellan, S. R., Shortell, S. M.,   Fareed, N ., Harvey, J., . . . Casalino, L. P. (2016). Using multi-stakeholder alliances to accelerate the adoption of health information technology by physician practices.   Healthcare (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 4 (2), 86-91. doi:10.1016/j.hjdsi.2016.01.004 [doi]

Mick, S. S., &   Shay, P. D . (2016). Accountable care organizations and transaction cost economics.   Medical Care Research and Review : MCRR, 73 (6), 649-659. doi:1077558716640411 [pii]

Ni, Y., Beck, A. F., Taylor, R., Dyas, J.,   Solti, I ., Grupp-Phelan, J., & Dexheimer, J. W. (2016). Will they participate? predicting patients' response to clinical trial invitations in a pediatric emergency department.   Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA, 23 (4), 671-680. doi:10.1093/jamia/ocv216 [doi]

Pakyz, A. L ., & Harpe, S. E. (2016). Takin' it to the streets: Antimicrobial stewardship in the outpatient setting.   Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA, 56 (6), 608-609. doi:S1544-3191(16)30825-1 [pii]

Pakyz, A. L ., Moczygemba, L. R., VanderWielen, L. M., & Edmond, M. B. (2016). Fecal microbiota transplantation for recurrent clostridium difficile infection: The patient experience.   American Journal of Infection Control, 44 (5), 554-559. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2016.01.018 [doi]

Paly, J. J.,   Lin, C. C ., Gray, P. J., Hallemeier, C. L., Beard, C., Sineshaw, H., . . . Efstathiou, J. A. (2016). Management and outcomes of clinical stage IIA/B seminoma: Results from the national cancer data base 1998-2012.   Practical Radiation Oncology, 6 (6), e249-e258. doi:S1879-8500(16)30049-2 [pii]

Park, J., &   Johantgen, M. E . (2016). A cross-cultural comparison of symptom reporting and symptom clusters in heart failure.   Journal of Transcultural Nursing : Official Journal of the Transcultural Nursing Society,   doi:1043659616651673 [pii]

Patterson, J. A., Edmond, M. B., Hohmann, S. F., &   Pakyz, A. L . (2016). Association between high-risk medication usage and healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection.   Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 37 (8), 909-915. doi:10.1017/ice.2016.87 [doi]

Pestian, J. P ., Grupp-Phelan, J., Bretonnel Cohen, K., Meyers, G., Richey, L. A., Matykiewicz, P., & Sorter, M. T. (2016). A controlled trial using natural language processing to examine the language of suicidal adolescents in the emergency department.   Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 46 (2), 154-159. doi:10.1111/sltb.12180 [doi]

Shao, H., Brown, L.,   Diana, M. L ., Schmidt, L. A., Mason, K., Oronce, C. I., & Shi, L. (2016). Estimating the costs of supporting safety-net transformation into patient-centered medical homes in post-katrina New Orleans.   Medicine, 95 (39), e4990. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000004990 [doi]

Shay, P. D ., & Mick, S. S. (2016). Clustered and distinct: A taxonomy of local multihospital systems.   Health Care Management Science,   doi:10.1007/s10729-016-9353-7 [doi]

Stukenborg, G. J ., Blackhall, L. J., Harrison, J. H., Dillon, P. M., & Read, P. W. (2016). Longitudinal patterns of cancer patient reported outcomes in end of life care predict survival.   Supportive Care in Cancer : Official Journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 24 (5), 2217-2224. doi:10.1007/s00520-015-3024-y [doi]

Suneja, G.,   Lin, C. C ., Simard, E. P., Han, X., Engels, E. A., & Jemal, A. (2016). Disparities in cancer treatment among patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.   Cancer, 122 (15), 2399-2407. doi:10.1002/cncr.30052 [doi]

Umapathi, B. A., Friel, C. M.,   Stukenborg, G. J ., & Hedrick, T. L. (2016). Estimating the risk of bowel ischemia requiring surgery in patients with tomographic evidence of pneumatosis intestinalis.   American Journal of Surgery, 212 (4), 762-768. doi:S0002-9610(15)00643-1 [pii]

Van Parys, J., Stevens, M. P., Moczygemba, L. R., &   Pakyz, A. L . (2016). Antimicrobial stewardship program members' perspectives on program goals and national metrics.   Clinical Therapeutics, 38 (8), 1914-1919. doi:10.1016/j.clinthera.2016.06.008 [doi]

Walker, D., Mora, A., Demosthenidy, M. M., Menachemi, N., &   Diana, M. L . (2016). Meaningful use of EHRs among hospitals ineligible for incentives lags behind that of other hospitals, 2009-13.   Health Affairs (Project Hope), 35 (3), 495-501. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0924 [doi]

Walker, D. M., &   Diana, M. L . (2016). Hospital adoption of health information technology to support public health infrastructure.   Journal of Public Health Management and Practice : JPHMP, 22 (2), 175-181. doi:10.1097/PHH.0000000000000198 [doi]

Ward, E. M., DeSantis, C. E.,   Lin, C. C ., Kramer, J. L., Jemal, A., Kohler, B., . . . Gansler, T. (2015). Cancer statistics: Breast cancer in situ.   CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 65 (6), 481-495. doi:10.3322/caac.21321 [doi]

White, K. R . (2015). Know yourself first. to find the career that is satisfying, you must first look introspectively.   Healthcare Executive, 30 (4), 60-61.

White, K. R ., Pillay, R., & Huang, X. (2016). Nurse leaders and the innovation competence gap.   Nursing Outlook, 64 (3), 255-261. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2015.12.007 [doi]

Wisniewski, J. M., Yeager, V. A.,   Diana, M. L ., & Hotchkiss, D. R. (2016). Exploring the barriers to rigorous monitoring and evaluation of health systems strengthening activities: Qualitative evidence from international development partners.   The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 31 (4), e302-e311. doi:10.1002/hpm.2339 [doi]

Wong, M. L., McMurry, T. L.,   Stukenborg, G. J ., Francescatti, A. B., Amato-Martz, C., Schumacher, J. R., . . . Kozower, B. D. (2016). Impact of age and comorbidity on treatment of non-small cell lung cancer recurrence following complete resection: A nationally representative cohort study.   Lung Cancer (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 102 , 108-117. doi:S0169-5002(16)30518-9 [pii] 

For any questions about applying to the Ph.D. in Health Services Organization and Research program at VCU, please contact [email protected] .

Department of Epidemiology

School of population health.

PhD in Epidemiology

The mission of the PhD program in Epidemiology is to train students to become independent research scientists and leaders who can develop epidemiologic methods and conduct outstanding population-based research.

Program Objectives

• Develop scientists experienced in the use of state-of-the-art research methods for the purpose of advancing fundamental knowledge of issues central to the improvement of population health
• Cultivate public health professionals skilled in the communication of scientific knowledge
• Train scientists to optimally contribute as part of multidisciplinary teams
• Develop scientists equipped with leadership skills for the purpose of implementing transformative research programs, and influence equitable health

Specialty Training Areas

• Genetic Epidemiology - Dr. Elizabeth Prom-Wormley
• Social Epidemiology - Dr. Derek Chapman
• Traumatic Brain Injury - Dr. Juan Lu
• Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Disturbance and Cancer - Dr. Jim Burch
• Public Health Nutrition - Dr. Chrisa Arcan

Selecting the right doctoral program for your educational needs and career objectives is critical. Our small program offers one-on-one mentoring, and competitive applicants are matched with faculty whose research program complements the student's area of interest. 

Program Highlights

• Goal setting and strategic mapping of educational program
• Support for membership in professional organizations and research conferences
• Teaching and teaching assistantship requirement for one semester
• Formal grant submission experience
• Leadership development and leadership opportunities
• The doctoral program provides full funding, including tuition and fees contingent on academic good progress, including tuition and fees, and an annual stipend.
• Dissertation format: three first author, peer-reviewed publications

Our Graduates

VCU Epidemiology graduates find positions in a variety of academic and professional settings, including:

• Post-doctoral, fellowship and assistant professor positions at University of California-Berkeley, Columbia University Medical Center, University of South Florida, University of South Carolina, Richmond University, and more.
• National and state governmental agencies, such as epidemiologist at National Cancer Institute, FDA Center for Tobacco Products, CDC, Texas Department of State Health Services, and more.
• Private institutions and businesses, such as epidemiologist at GlaxoSmithKline, WellPoint Inc, and more.

Typical Plan of Study

A minimum of 43 credit hours of coursework is required and at least 18 credit hours of directed dissertation research. Full details can be found on the VCU Graduate Bulletin.

The PhD Program enrolls primarily full-time students, who receive tuition and fee coverage plus an annual stipend.  Part-time students, who receive no financial support, may occasionally be considered for admission. Full-time enrollment is defined as registration for 9 or more credits per semester in fall and spring or 3 or more credits in summer. Part-time enrollment is defined as registration for fewer than 9 credits per semester in fall and spring.

Average time to completion is 4-5 academic years for full-time students; VCU allows a maximum of 8 years for students to complete a doctoral degree.

• For full-time students, years 1 and 2 are focused on completion of didactic course work and culminate in the written comprehensive exam.
• Year 3 focuses on preparation for the oral examination, approximately 6 months after successful completion of the written comprehensive exam; i.e., by the end of the third fall semester.
• After successful completion of the oral examination, students devote the remaining semesters (typically 4, including third spring and summer semesters and fourth year) developing the dissertation and completing the dissertation examination ("defense") in the final semester of enrollment. The dissertation is developed as three separate manuscripts suitable for publication, and at least one manuscript must have been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal before the dissertation examination takes place. 

Application Details

Please review the admission requirements before applying. Applications are accepted online on the SOPHAS website . Search for Virginia Commonwealth University to find our program. The code for submitting GRE scores to VCU through SOPHAS is 7543. VCU also requires a secondary application. Supplemental application information is also available.

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VCU College of Health Professions

Ph.d. program in health related sciences, welcome to the ph.d. program in health related sciences.

The Doctoral Program in Health Related Sciences program provides a unique opportunity for health care providers interested in assuming leadership positions in teaching, research and administration.

Learn about CHP's Ph.D. in Health Related Sciences program

VCU at a Glance

Curriculum Structure

Monica L. White Endowed Scholarship

21 Year Program History

129 Graduates

Students and Alumni From 32 States and 4 Countries

Featured news

Congratulations to dr. miranda yelvington, who graduated in december from the phd in health sciences program..

Dr. Yelvington's dissertation research, chaired by Dr. Stacey Reynolds, resulted in three peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Ann Shih Receives VCU Breakthroughs Fund Award

Award is part of the One VCU Research Strategic Priorities Plan

Arnethea Sutton selected for National Cancer Institute Early Investigator Advancement Program

Arnethea Sutton earned her Ph.D. in health related sciences from VCU in 2017, and most recently completed a T32 postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Health Behavior and Policy at VCU.

VCU Ph.D. in Health Related Sciences

SOM town hall

Join Dr. Saavedra in recognizing our school's accomplishments over the last six months at our virtual town hall, Oct. 19 at noon.

Pharmacology and Toxicology Ph.D. Program

Supporting our students is at the core of the School of Medicine's mission. We provide a wide variety of resources to help enhance our graduate students' experience and ensure their safety, as well as resources to support our faculty.

Degree Requirements

Prospective Ph.D. students in pharmacology and toxicology are admitted through the Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Portal ( BSDP ). The BSDP admits students into the first year of their Ph.D. training in six departments: Anatomy and Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Human and Molecular Genetics,Microbiology and Immunology, Pharmacology and Toxicology or Physiology and Biophysics. In addition, the portal admits students into the first year of two interdisciplinary training programs in Neuroscience and Molecular Biology and Genetics.

Students in the BSDP who seek the Ph.D. degree in pharmacology and toxicology may do all their research rotations in laboratories of the department’s faculty and take courses that satisfy the department’s requirements. Official entry into the Ph.D. program of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology occurs after two semesters when the student choses a mentor from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

Admission into the BSDP does not impede the progress of applicants who are committed to earning the Ph.D. degree in pharmacology and toxicology but offers flexibility to students who have not decided on a particular discipline or field. For details on applying, the BSDP site provides  instructions  for submitting your application through the  VCU Office of Graduate Admissions . It is helpful to indicate interest in pharmacology and toxicology in the personal statement section of the BSDP application for those prospective students committed to the department’s Ph.D. program.

All students in the Pharmacology and Toxicology Graduate Program take “core” courses in biochemistry, pharmacology and statistics. This is followed with advanced courses in more specialized areas of pharmacology and toxicology that relate directly to the student’s research interests. Students participate in a weekly seminar program that teaches them how to present research data more effectively.

Applicants should have a baccalaureate degree in some aspect of biological science such as biology, chemistry, biochemistry, or in pharmacy.  Previous course work in the following areas are encouraged:

• General and organic chemistry
• The biological sciences
• Chemical Engineering
• Biochemistry

Ph.D. students in pharmacology and toxicology take courses designed for graduate students with an emphasis on research design and experimentation. They do not take classes with medical students or other professional students. A full-time course load for graduate students is 15 credits in the fall and spring semesters and six credits in the summer.  Student must achieve a minimum 3.0 overall GPA in graduate courses and a minimum 3.0 GPA in pharmacology and toxicology courses to graduate.

For a comprehensive list of coursework by year see the Pharmacology & Toxicology page in the current VCU Bulletin

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination has two components, written and oral. The written component consists of a research proposal that is then followed by an oral defense of the proposal and on general pharmacology knowledge. The Graduate Advisory Committee grades both the written and oral components.

The oral examination tests knowledge related to the proposal and general pharmacological principles. The student is required to schedule the oral component through the Office of Graduate Education (available on GradTrak) with at least two weeks prior notice. A dean’s representative is appointed to conduct the oral examination.

Graduate Student Handbook

Download the Pharmacology & Toxicology Graduate Student Handbook (PDF)