Ph.D. in Health Sciences
What Can Our Program Do For You?
There is a growing demand for university programs to educate health care professionals. Our program is ideal for those with a wide range of research interests in the health and human sciences, those who want to develop competencies to work on research teams, or apply for academic positions in higher education and interprofessional practice. Emphasizing an interprofessional orientation to research and practice, our program will prepare you to teach, conduct research and practice in an increasingly complex interprofessional world.
Our Ph.D. in health sciences prepares you to function effectively as a scholar and researcher within health-related academic and nonacademic settings. If you are a nurse, physical therapist, speech pathologist, family practice professional, nutritionist, family social services provider, health agency administrator, or you practice or study a related field, this may be the program for you.
The deadline for priority consideration is Feb. 1, 2023.
Take the next step and request more information.
Why Choose NIU?
Flexible Hybrid Format
We utilize a hybrid (blended) course delivery format. That is, our courses are delivered using both synchronous and asynchronous online components as well as periodic face-to-face meetings, so you can study from where you are. You complete your coursework at your own pace, either full or part time.
Affordable
Our students are self-funded so we can offer you a doctoral program at a reasonable price. Most Ph.D. candidates continue to work and supplement program expenses with employer tuition support. Tuition is a flat rate so academic requirements can be met in less time. Also, we've eliminated the more expensive out-of-state tuition rate for graduate studies. If you enroll at least half time, you may be eligible for federal loans. And NIU offers competitive financial support, too.
Personal Attention
When you study here, you'll receive individual attention and assistance, whether your class is in person or online. You’ll be linked with a faculty member based on your career and research interests. And you’ll have the tools to conduct scholarly research independently and on multidisciplinary teams so you can graduate with the knowledge, experience and connections you need to advance your career.
"I applied to a few programs across the nation. A lot of them focused on public health, administration or health education fields. After I read about NIU’s program, it got me interested. The interdisciplinary approach of coming together to make the population healthier made me excited about the program’s mission."Steven Hinojosa
2018 graduate, Ph.D. Health Sciences
Interested? Request More Information
Frequently Asked Questions
You can customize your course load and complete our program at your own pace. On average, full-time students typically complete their degree in 3 1/2 years, while students who study part time graduate in 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 years.
Faculty in the College of Health and Human Sciences (CHHS) at Northern Illinois University have expertise in:
- Health disciplines (including audiology, gerontology, health education, medical laboratory sciences, nursing, nutrition/dietetics, physical therapy, public health, rehabilitation counseling and speech-language pathology).
- Human sciences (including early childhood studies, family and consumer sciences, hospitality management and textiles, apparel and merchandising.
Our Ph.D. in Health Sciences program is not a collection of disciplinary doctorates and no specific specializations have been identified. Specialization is dependent on the agreed area of research. For instance, if you're interested in specializing in language development might have a mentor with expertise in speech-language pathology, family and child studies or rehabilitation counseling depending on your particular research questions.