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Become a health professions educator, scholar, and leader

The PhD in Health Professions Education (HPEd) program prepares clinicians and other health professionals without a research degree to make contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning. The program meets the faculty requirement for doctoral-level expertise in numerous health professions. Specifically, graduates will be able to:

  • Design health professions curricula and evaluate program outcomes
  • Lead change and innovation in health professions education
  • Obtain intramural and extramural support for research projects
  • Engage in peer-reviewed scholarship in an area of expertise
  • Contribute to interprofessional education and practice leading to improved health outcomes

Students pursuing the PhD in HPEd can choose from the following concentration tracks: Leadership and Administration, Interprofessional Education, Simulation, or a customized concentration of your own choosing.

Approvals
The PhD in Health Professions Education was approved by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education in June 2019. The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) approved the PhD in Health Professions Education at its September 2019 meeting.

 

 

The IHP Advantage

Customize Your Program

You will work with an advisor and dissertation committee to conduct cutting-edge research on a topic of your choice. You will graduate having produced three publication-quality pieces of scholarship.

Learn on Your Schedule

Blended instruction and research balances the flexibility of distance learning with onsite instruction to develop your scholarship. We will help you plan your research around your work schedule and integrate it into your clinical setting.

Hone Your Expertise

Take the next step toward becoming a leading expert in your field. Master the literature pertaining to your chosen topic, identify knowledge gaps, and conduct research to fill them.

 

PhD Program Curriculum

The PhD program incorporates and builds on the Institute's Master of Science in Health Professions Education (MS-HPEd) by providing additional part-time (or full-time) blended learning with outcomes commensurate with a research-based PhD. Candidates from similar MS-HPEd programs are welcome to apply.

Applicants may apply for the PhD through two tracks:

  1. Post MS-HPEd PhD: 33 credits
  2. Combined MS-HPEd and PhD: 66 credit

Curriculum Plan (66 credits)

Required Courses: 60 credits

  • All required courses in the MS-HPEd degree: 33 credits (PhD students who have already completed this or a comparable master's degree can waive this portion of the requirements)
  • Core required doctoral courses in educational sciences, research methods, and implementation science: 18 credits
  • Onsite seminars: 2 credits
  • Dissertation seminar and mentored research spread over several semesters (with built-in gaps to enable IRB reviews and data collection): 7 credits

Electives: 6 credits

Two courses that may include one of three areas of concentration (interprofessional education, simulation-based education, leadership, or custom designed).

Comparable prior coursework (up to 12 credits) may be eligible to apply toward degree requirements.

Download the two-page guide to Health Professions Education Programs.

HPED MS-PhD Curriculum

HPED PhD Curriculum

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Costs & Funding: Health Professions Education Program

To learn more about costs, click the "Tuition and Fees" button below and refer to the Center for Interprofessional Studies and Innovation section of the main tuition and fees page.

 
 

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