2023 Best Online PhDs in Health Sciences

Liberty University (LU) is a large, private, Evangelical Christian institution offering a Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc). This 60-credit program takes students an average of three years to complete. LU accepts transfer credits worth up to 50% of the DHSc degree total, which can save time and money. Graduating also requires a practicum in a student's area of interest and an applied doctoral research project. LU offers a tuition discount for military veterans and service members interested in this doctoral program.

LU's distance learners access the Canvas learning management system to participate in classes asynchronously. Online doctoral students use Canvas to complete their coursework, including 21 core credits in courses such as Cultural Competency in Health Sciences, Leadership in Professional Practices, Risk Management in Health Sciences, and Evidence Based Practices in Health Sciences.

Students should note that LU is not an LGBT-friendly institution. According to its 2022-2023 Student Code, "statements and behaviors that are associated with LGBT lifestyle are prohibited."

Indiana-based Purdue Global (PG) is a public institution offering an online Doctor of Health Science. Students can also earn micro-credentials in specialty areas, such as Global Health, Diversity, COVID-19 Contact Tracing, and Health Data Systems. Graduating requires completing 59 credits and takes an average of 2.5 years. PG accepts up to 28 transfer credits from other accredited colleges and universities. Depending on preference, this program culminates in either a dissertation or an applied project.

PG delivers its asynchronous online coursework and instruction via Brightspace. DHSc distance learners take courses, such as Advanced Health and Health Care Global and National Systems, Advanced Health and Health Care Policy, Advanced Health and Health Care Issues and Trends, and Advanced Health and Health Care Leadership. The curriculum can help prepare students for leadership roles in public health, from management and academics to administration and clinical practice.

Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a private, nonprofit, Asian American, Native American Pacific Islander, and Hispanic-serving institution. It offers an online Doctor of Health Science with concentrations in education in health care, global health, and telehealth. While most coursework is completed online, and two one-week, on-campus summer seminars are required. Students must complete 55 credits to graduate. If students take two courses per semester, they may finish in just over two years. Graduating requires an internship, practicum, and a Doctoral Objective Analysis instead of a dissertation.

NSU uses Canvas to deliver its online programming asynchronously to distance learners. Depending on the concentration, online health science students enroll in courses such as Traditional and Competency-Based Curriculum and Implementation, The Influence of Ethics and Culture on Global Health, Technological Infrastructures of Telehealth, and Global Epidemiology. Graduates may pursue careers as healthcare executives, clinical researchers, and educators.

Radford University Carilion (RUC) is a public institution in Virginia offering an online Doctor of Health Sciences with areas of focus including healthcare administration, community and public health, and education and academia. This 42-credit program can be completed in as little as two years plus one semester if students take two classes per term. It culminates in a capstone, similar to a scholarly-intensive "mini-dissertation."

Desire2Learn (D2L) is RUC's learning management system (LMS) for asynchronous online program content delivery. Depending on the focus area, online DHSc courses include Organizational Leadership in Healthcare, Health Promotion Program Planning and Evaluation, Educational Theories and Practices, and Occupational and Environmental Health. Career paths include clinical management, public health education, health research, and health services management.

As part of the American InterContinental University System, Trident University International (TUI) is a private, for-profit, distance-learning-only institution offering an online Doctor of Health Sciences. Concentrations include global health and health policy and administration. Graduating requires 56 credits, and the average time of degree completion is six years. The program finishes with a comprehensive exam and a dissertation research study.

TUI uses D2L as its online learning platform for asynchronous distance learning. Depending on the concentration, online DHSc students enroll in courses such as Introduction to Health Equity, Strategic Planning for Health Care Organizations, and Current Issues in Global Health Research. Regardless of concentration, core courses include Program Evaluation, Linking Theory to Research, and Quantitative Research and Advanced Statistics II. Graduates may become educators, executives, researchers, consultants, and scholars.

Keiser Univesity (KU) is a public, Hispanic-serving institution based in Florida with an online Doctor in Health Science designed for healthcare practitioners. While most coursework is completed remotely, two doctoral residencies are required — one in the first year and one in the second. This 60-credit program takes 24-42 months to complete and culminates in a dissertation.

KU's distance learners log in to Blackboard to receive online coursework and instruction asynchronously. Online DHSc courses include Delivery of Health Care to Diverse and Vulnerable Populations, Health Care Finance, Health Informatics, and Cultural and Ethical Influences on Global Health. Graduates may pursue career advancement in health administration, teaching, and clinical practice.

Missouri's A.T. Still University of Health Sciences (ATSU) is a private, for-profit, graduate-level-only institution offering an online Doctor of Health Sciences through its College of Graduate Health Studies. Students can focus on one of four concentration areas: global health, leadership and organizational behavior, fundamentals of education, and generalist. Graduating requires 70 credits and takes an average of three years.

ATSU delivers its online curriculum asynchronously via Canvas. Depending on the concentration, online DHSc students take courses such as Contemporary Teaching and Learning Concepts, Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response, Strategic Change Management for Healthcare Organizations, and Healthcare Economics and Finance Management. Graduates often seek jobs as clinical researchers, health educators, and healthcare administrators.

PennWest California (PWC) — previously known as California University of Pennsylvania — is a public institution outside of Pittsburgh, with a Doctor of Health Science in Health Science and Exercise Leadership. Coursework addresses the impact of an aging population and the societal shift from treatment to prevention. Students must complete 48 credits to graduate and an evidence-based research portfolio, which takes about two years.

PWC distance learners use Brightspace to engage in classes. They log into Brightspace for courses such as Health Promotion & Wellness for the Individual, Community & Corporate Wellness, Values Ethics/Promo Health and Wellness, and Advanced Delivery Technique/Technology. The exercise leadership curriculum helps prepare students for leadership roles in the exercise science industry, academia, and research in health promotion, kinesiology, and human performance.

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) is a private, nonprofit institution offering a part-time online Doctor of Health Sciences. Concentrations include health system administration, educational leadership, and global health. Graduating requires 45 credits and generally takes about nine semesters. It culminates in a three-part capstone project.

MCPHS administers its online asynchronous instruction through Blackboard. Depending on the concentration, online DHS courses include Health Policy and Reform, Designing Curriculum, Critical Global Health Issues, and Disaster Management. This online program helps students prepare for advanced roles as clinicians, educators, and scholar-practitioners.

The University of South Dakota (USD) in Vermillion is a public institution offering an online Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences for students who want to assume leadership roles in academia, research, and health or human services practice settings. Students must be on campus for an initial orientation and a one-week dissertation bootcamp. Graduating with this PhD requires completing 75 credits. Completion times vary based on how much time students can devote to intense study.

USD distance learners use D2L to receive online coursework and instruction asynchronously. Students enrolled in the online health sciences PhD program may choose to complete courses such as Trauma Informed Care: Pediatrics, Social Policy Analysis, Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health, and Leadership Development in Quality Improvement in Nursing for Health Systems. Graduates often use their PhDs to become educators at the university level or perform high-level research.

Chicago's Rush University (RU) is a private, nonprofit institution with an online Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences presented in a curricular design that emphasizes advanced leadership, education, research, and professional development concepts and fundamentals. Full-time students may finish this 56-credit program in four to five years, with formal courses taking three years. Students complete coursework in education, leadership, research, statistics, and professional development courses. This online PhD program culminates in a comprehensive exam and a dissertation.

Distance learners at RU access the Canvas LMS to participate in their classes asynchronously. Online health sciences PhD courses include Leadership Theory, The Adult Learner, Grantsmanship, Advanced Biostatistics, and Issues and Trends in Healthcare. This online curriculum helps prepare students for advanced roles in academia, clinical research, and allied health.

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond is a public, Asian American, and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution offering an online Doctor of Philosophy in Health Related Sciences. While most work is completed remotely, required on-campus sessions are held in late June and at the beginning of January and run from seven to fourteen days. Students must also meet with their advisor in person after the fifth semester. This 51-credit online PhD program is designed to take four years.

VCU uses Canvas to deliver its online programming to distance learners asynchronously. Online PhD students in the health related sciences program take courses such as Multivariate Statistical Methods for Health Related Sciences Research, Health Informatics, and Curriculum and Communication Design for Health Care Professionals. Completing this program can help health professionals assume leadership roles in teaching, research, and administration.

New England's Bay Path University (BPU) in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, is a women-only, private, nonprofit institution offering an online Doctor of Health Science with 12 concentrations, including advanced trauma-informed counseling, autism spectrum disorders, organizational excellence in healthcare, productive aging, and mental health. Students complete 48 credits to graduate, generally taking about three years of study.

BPU uses Canvas for asynchronous online program delivery, so its distance learners can access coursework and instruction remotely. Depending on the concentration, students in the online DHSc program enroll in courses such as Transformational Leadership in a Complex Healthcare Organization, Teaching Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Neuroscience of Aging and Impact on Mental Health, and Leadership Theory in Healthcare. The curriculum is designed to help increase career advancement opportunities in health science, education, and healthcare settings.

Faulkner University is a faith-based (Churches of Christ), predominantly Black, private, and nonprofit institution in historic Montgomery, Alabama. It offers an online Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences worth 45 credits that takes full-time students 18 months to complete and integrates Christian faith principles. Courses start every five weeks, and rolling admissions are available year-round. Therefore, students have ten opportunities each year to enter this online PhD program.

Faulkner delivers online coursework and instruction via Blackboard asynchronously. Online health sciences PhD courses include Clinical Statistics, Leadership in Healthcare and Academia, Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, and Grants and Publication. Graduates often seek career advancement opportunities in administrative, clinical, and academic leadership.

Private University of Indianapolis (UI, also known as UIndy) is a United Methodist institution offering an online Doctor of Health Science. Even though students complete most coursework online, they must collaborate face-to-face with their cohorts at the beginning of the first and second years of this 60-credit program. It takes approximately three years to graduate if taking six to nine credits per term — enrolling in an extended degree plan allows students more time to finish. It culminates in a practicum and a dissertation.

Brightpsace is UI's LMS for asynchronous learning. Online DHSc students take courses such as Standardized Assessments in Health, Interprofessionalism in Health Sciences, Inclusive Leadership in Diverse Settings, and Designing an Online Course. The curriculum helps prepare graduates to serve as health science leaders, educators, and scholars.

Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk is a public graduate-level-only institution offering an online Doctor of Health Sciences. Graduating requires completing 42 credits and generally takes three years. Students take three to six credits per term. Courses in the online DHSc doctoral program follow a specific sequence that allows students to build on skills previously learned.

EVMS uses Canvas to deliver its asynchronous online programming. Online DHSc courses include Conflict Analysis & Negotiations, Population Health and Preventative Care, Effective Information Technology for Healthcare Organizations, and Leading Innovation. No dissertation is required to graduate. The diverse program curriculum is designed to help prepare mid-level and senior healthcare organization managers to become innovative leaders and influential change agents.

Utah's Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMU) in Provo is a private, for-profit institution with an online Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences in nine diverse concentration tracks, including athletic training, healthcare leadership, neurologic rehabilitation, and pediatric science. While most coursework is completed remotely, students must visit campus twice yearly for intensive training. Graduating requires 70 credits, which generally takes four to five years. However, students have up to eight years to complete coursework and dissertations.

Canvas is RMU's LMS of choice for asynchronous distance learning. Depending on the concentration, online health sciences PhD students enroll in courses such as Connective Tissue and Injury Repair: An Evidence Based Approach, Clinical Neuroscience and Contemporary Motor Models, and Oral-motor & Feeding Impairments in Infants & Children With Medical Fragility. Completing this coursework can help prepare students to move beyond clinical practice to educate and lead organizations into the future.

Campbell University (CU) in North Carolina is a private Baptist institution offering an interdisciplinary online Doctor of Health Sciences with concentrations in health administration, interprofessional education, and rural health. Students complete 54 credits through eight-week courses, which generally takes three years. This cohort program doesn't require any on-campus work. It culminates in a capstone research project.

CU's online students use Blackboard to access and participate in classes asynchronously. Depending on the concentration, online DHSc courses include Healthcare Informatics, Team Centered Active Learning, Innovations in Rural Health, and Healthcare Marketing. The curriculum helps prepare students to provide leadership, planning, innovation, and organizational improvement in various settings, such as colleges and universities, clinics and hospitals, government agencies, and nonprofits.