PhD in Health Professions Education

The most important and exciting aspect of earning a PhD is the opportunity to master a subfield related to your work and experience while conducting original scholarship that contributes to your subfield and pushes it forward. Students come to MGH Institute from all areas of healthcare with a variety of goals. We offer students an opportunity to apply once, to our MS-HPEd program, and continue through to their PhD without another application. This is especially valuable to students with less experience in health professions education. 

Our accelerated pathway is open to students who hold a graduate clinical degree or a master’s degree in another health-related field outside of Health Professions Education, Nursing Education, or Medical Education. Rather than be required to complete the entire Master’s HPEd curriculum (MS-HPEd), eligible applicants can take three prerequisite courses to prepare for entry into our PhD program. 

HE710: Health Professions Education Foundations (3 credits)
HE711: Health Professions Education Leadership, Evaluation, and Innovation (3 credits)
HE744: Research Methods in Health Professions Education (3 credits) 

After completion of the 9 credits of prerequisites, the 33-credit curriculum plan will be the same for the PhD program, with 27 credits for core required courses and 6 credits for elective courses. Students would apply to the PhD via this pathway conditioned on completion of the prerequisite courses with a B or higher.

Degree

Applicants must have an earned bachelor's degree from one of the following:

1. A regionally accredited U.S. college or university
2. An accredited college or university (for those educated outside the U.S.)

Please refer to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation website for additional information on regional accreditation and regionally accredited institutions.

Important: Applicants applying for the PhD in Health Professions Education program (33 credits) must have successfully earned a Master of Science in Health Professions Education (or equivalent) from MGH Institute of Health Professions, or a regionally accredited U.S. college or university.

GRE

The GRE is not required as part of the application process. The faculty will carefully consider applicant's previous academic record in the admissions decision.

TOEFL/ IELTS

The language of instruction and clinical education at the MGH Institute is English and a high level of proficiency in both written and spoken English is required.  Applicants who have not completed either an undergraduate or graduate program where English is the language of instruction must demonstrate English Language proficiency as part of your application to the MGH Institute of Health Professions.  If you have questions about the language requirements, please contact the Office of Admissions.

• Applicants who are citizens of Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, Guyana, an Anglophone country of Africa, or an English-speaking country of the Caribbean are not required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores.

• Applicants who are candidates for graduation from an accredited degree-granting program in the United States or at an English-speaking school in one of the countries listed above are also not required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. Acceptance to the IHP will be contingent upon successful completion of this degree prior to matriculation.

Please note that in some circumstances, demonstrating English language proficiency may be required by the academic program even if you are a citizen of a country in which the (or one of the) national language(s) is English. Decisions about the need for TOEFL or IELTS scores are at the discretion of the academic program to which you are applying in coordination with the department of OES.

The IHP accepts either the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). The test must have been taken within two years of the application deadline and official score reports are required. The minimum TOEFL (internet-based) score accepted is 89 and the minimum IELTS score accepted is 6.5.  

• To forward your TOEFL score please contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS).  The MGH Institute of Health Professions code is 3513.
• For IELTS, a Test Report Form may be mailed to MGH Institute of Health Professions and score information will be verified by the IHP directly. You may designate up to 5 schools to receive Test Report Forms at the time you register for the test.  To request additional Test Report Forms, contact your test center.

Please contact the Office of Admissions if you have any questions about the MGH Institute’s English Language requirements. 

Applicants are required to submit a transcript from each college and/or university attended, even if a degree was not received from that institution. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted throughout the application process, and official transcripts will only be required prior to enrolling in the program. 

The Office of Admission strongly encourages the use of online electronic transcript ordering which can be sent directly via email to admissions [at] mghihp.edu (admissions[at]mghihp[dot]edu). If this is not an option and your institution does not participate in electronic transcript delivery, please request official transcripts be sent to the mailing address listed below:

Admission Office
MGH Institute of Health Professions
36 First Avenue
Boston, MA 02129
 

Applicants that have earned a degree from a non-US institution are required to submit a course-by-course credential evaluation from one of the following NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) members: Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., SpanTran: The Evaluation Company, World Education Services (WES), or the Center for Educational Documentation. If you earned your bachelor's degree outside of the U.S. this credential evaluation must document minimum equivalency of a US baccalaureate degree or higher.

Personal Statement

All applicants are required to compose an essay that addresses the following:

In a 500-700 word statement, please discuss your academic objectives pertaining to your proposed plan of study, including contemplated research projects and professional career goals. Include evidence from your past educational, administrative, research, or teaching experiences that demonstrate your ability to succeed in the doctoral program. Applicants should include how their goals align with those of the HPEd program related to:

• Build skills in teaching and assessment of learners in the health professions
• Generate scholarship to address gaps in current literature supporting health professions education
• Develop skills to assess and advance change in education across the health professions

Resume or CV

Applicants are required to submit a current resume or CV.

References and Interview

Applicants are not required to submit recommendation letters. Instead, all applicants will be interviewed after other application materials have been submitted. You will be asked to provide two individuals who can serve as references. You should submit the following about your references:

1. Complete contact information for these references, including title and organization.
2. How the reference writer knows you.
3. How long the writer has known you.

The reference should be able to address your academic ability, character, and integrity, as well as your potential for graduate professional study.

One reference is required from an MGH Institute faculty member if you are IHP alumni or have previously worked with one of our faculty.

Discover special tuition benefits available for:

• Mass General Brigham employees, affiliates, and their families.
• Employees and preceptors at over 600 clinical affiliation sites.
• Institute alumni

Learn about eligibility and benefits