Dec 05, 2025

2025-2026 Graduate Catalog

Epidemiology PhD

Epidemiology focuses on understanding the determinants and prevention of disease, on the role of environmental factors in health and disease and how the administration of health programs can help implement this understanding. We offer academic programs and research opportunities to help you understand disease causes, preventions and the best way to implement this knowledge to improve public health.

Requirements

The PhD requires 72 credit hours of classroom coursework, directed research and dissertation credits.

The UB Graduate School requires a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and a minimum grade of B in all coursework to count towards your degree.

Required Courses (31 credits)

All courses are 3 credit hours unless otherwise indicated.

* This course is designed for advanced doctoral students.

Professional Development

PhD students are required to sign up for 1 credit of EEH 650 in the fall and spring semesters of the third year of their program of study. PhD students are required to sign up for 0 credits in all other semesters in the program. (2)

EEH 650SEM - Research and Professional Development Credits: 1

PhD Dissertation Guidance

EEH 700TUT - Dissertation Guidance Credits: 1 - 10 * (a minimum of 1 credit required)

Credit hours total 36 for required core courses.

Electives

Epidemiology Electives Courses for PhD

Choose four of the following courses.

Taught every year:

EEH 510LEC - Prin Measurement Pub Hlth Credits: 3
EEH 570LEC - Cancer Epidemiology Credits: 3
EEH 571LEC - Epi of Cardiovascular Dis Credits: 3
EEH 573LEC - Epi of Infec Diseases Credits: 3
EEH 575LEC - Epi Appl to Environ Hlth Credits: 3

Taught in even falls (2020, 2022, 2024, etc.):

EEH 673LEC - Molecular Epidemiology Credits: 3 *

Taught in odd springs (2021, 2023, 2025, etc.):

EEH 572LEC - Nutritional Epidemiology Credits: 3
EEH 574LEC - Epidemics & Outbreaks Credits: 3

Taught in odd falls (2021, 2023, 2025, etc.):

EEH 577LEC - Perinatal Epidemiology Credits: 3

Taught in even springs (2020, 2022, 2024, etc.):

EEH 610LEC - Fundamentals of Grant Development Credits: 3 will be taught again in 2022, not 2020 *
EEH 670LEC - Adv Cancer Epi & Prev Credits: 3 *
EEH 672LEC - Phys Activ Chron Dis Credits: 3 *

Credit hours total 12 for required epidemiology elective courses.

Graduate Seminar

EEH 591SEM - Graduate Seminar Credits: 0 All PhD students are required to present at a Graduate Seminar before scheduling their dissertation defense.

Ethics Course/Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training

RPG 504SEM - Responsible Conduct of Research Credits: 1
RSC 602SEM - Research Ethics for the Health Sciences Credits: 3

Recommended Options to Fulfill Remaining Credit Hours Balance

The remaining courses to meet the required 72 credits will be tailored to your interests and needs, and planned in consultation with your faculty advisor.

These may include:

* This course is designed for advanced doctoral students.

Courses taken outside of the following departments must first be approved by the MS/PhD graduate director: Epidemiology and Environmental Health; Biostatistics; Community Health and Health Behavior; Roswell Park’s Natural Sciences or Roswell Park’s Cancer Prevention and Control.

Any courses listed above as epidemiology electives
Other EEH classes
EEH 697LEC - Independent Study PhD Credits: 1 - 6 *
EEH 698TUT - Directed Research Credits: 1 - 6 *
EEH 700TUT - Dissertation Guidance Credits: 1 - 10 *

Total Credit Hours: 72

3.0 Degree GPA required

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

1) Application of Methodology: Apply advanced understanding and application of epidemiologic methodologic issues to plan, execute and interpret results from varied epidemiologic research study designs.

2) Advanced Analysis and Data Interpretation: Utilize expertise in advanced analysis and interpretation of data, such as data cleaning, data file construction, and management or implementation of analytic strategies.

3) Develop a Research Study Proposal and Appropriate Data Collection: Design a research study proposal that could be reviewed by an external group

4) Written and Oral Communication Skills: Effectively communicate orally and in writing the results of an epidemiologic research study in the form of an abstract, manuscript, poster and/or oral presentation in an external peer-review setting.

5) Culminating Dissertation: Perform as a dissertation, a hypothesis-driven epidemiologic research study that includes a minimum of three aims publishable as manuscripts that demonstrate mastery and understanding in one or more overarching content area(s). This includes developing testable hypotheses using appropriate data and study design(s), conducting data analysis and interpreting study results in epidemiologic and broader contexts.

6) Ethical Conduct of Human Subjects Research: Apply the basic ethical and legal issues pertaining to the collection, use and dissemination of data; apply knowledge of human subjects’ protection to research activities.

SED Statement

This program is officially registered with the New York State Education Department (SED).