Doctor of Health Sciences

Our DHSc program offers an original approach to doctoral education that meets the needs of learners throughout their careers. Through this online program, health professionals earning a doctorate from our School of Health Sciences acquire the higher level of skills and training needed to be true leaders and to even change the course of healthcare in a variety of settings.

A female healthcare professional wearing blue scrubs typing on a laptop in an office setting.

Reach the Pinnacle of a Career in the Health Sciences

The University of New Haven’s Online Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) program takes you to the top of your field — to a career in administration, teaching, or applied research or practice – where advanced capabilities in conceptual thinking, original research, data analysis, and writing are essential in order to advance to high-level executive positions or academic appointments. With our Doctor of Health Sciences degree in hand, you will have achieved the highest formal degree in the field and can increase your earning potential, job prospects, and respect from your peers.

The healthcare sector continues to show high demand for employees who have advanced skill sets and can provide effective leadership in both practice and higher education settings. In fact, there is currently a national shortage of doctoral-trained health science faculty with the qualifications to teach at the master’s or doctoral level. You can help fill that gap by earning your Doctorate in Health Sciences.

Our program is one of only 12 similar programs in the entire nation and one of only three in New England that offers a Doctor in Health Sciences degree. Within that group, no other program places as strong a focus on health leadership in the domains of education and administration as ours does.

A Novel Approach to the Doctorate

This degree doesn’t just give you more knowledge. It prepares you to be a leader and a change agent in the numerous settings where healthcare is taught, practiced, or delivered. It starts with an innovative curriculum in a flexible, online format. Students can choose to study full-time or part-time.

In addition to the core courses, our program offers a choice of two concentrations,  Educational Leadership or Healthcare Leadership which will prepare students to be leaders in their field and will align with their career aspirations.  Supporting students during their doctoral program is our top priority!  This is accomplished by offering two short in person residencies during the program where students will meet their peers and faculty, as well as fully supporting students throughout the duration of their doctoral thesis project.

Students work with their thesis instructor and selected committee members as they develop and complete their thesis projects. This individual guidance will ensure the student has ample support as they complete their doctoral thesis. Thesis topics can include formal research, a high-impact project, or another project of interest.

All students are assigned a thesis advisor to oversee their project and mentor them throughout the experience.

A Program That Transforms You

You will emerge from the program prepared to direct the course of events in healthcare rather than to simply keep up with them. Through the program, you will acquire the advanced leadership skills that will set you apart as a go-to expert who doesn’t simply react to challenges in 21st century healthcare education and delivery but innovates solutions to them. You will become that expert by building competencies in:

  • health sciences systems thinking,
  • evidence-based practice,
  • professional ethics,
  • pedagogy,
  • research methods, and
  • professional writing

This suite of high-level skills is the toolkit you will use to evaluate, plan, and implement solutions in either higher education or in practice settings such as hospitals, physician groups, managed care plans, long-term care, and nursing homes.

The Natural Pathway to the Degree

Students who join our program come from a variety of academic backgrounds in the health sciences (including the MPH and MHA degree programs) and have a variety of diverse practical experiences. Those who have previously earned a master’s degree in any discipline can complete the program in 45 credit hours.

Students who are currently completing their master’s degree can apply to be conditionally accepted to support seamless progression in achieving their educational goals.

Students can complete the program on a full-time or part-time basis, depending on their needs and interests.

DHSc Student Thesis Projects

Examples of DHSc Thesis Projects

DHSc Program Quick Facts

Program Format: Online
Total Credits: 45
Start Dates: Fall, only
Application Deadline: August 1

Now Enrolling for Fall 2027

 

Who Can Enter the Program?

Students who join our program have a variety of academic backgrounds and diverse practical experiences. They include:

  • Those who have previously earned a master’s degree can complete the DHSc program with 45 credit hours. Only one earned degree needs to be in the health sciences.
  • Exceptional students who are currently pursuing a Master’s degree can apply to the DHSc program and be conditionally accepted to allow for seamless educational progression.
  • Transfer students from other doctoral programs can enter the program. Transfer credits from other institutions doctoral programs may also be accepted.
Jump to Application Info
Jill Moore, EdD, MHA, BSDH, RDHMeet the Program Coordinator

Hear It From a Charger

Meet some of the exceptional alumni of our DHSc program.

Jordan Schweidenback, DHSc '24Jordan Schweidenback, '24 DHSc
Sumbul Yousafi, DHSc '24Sumbul Yousafi, '24 DHSc
GARY HAVICAN '04 MBA, '23 DHScGary Havican '04 MBA, '23 DHSc

Courses and Learning Outcomes

The University of New Haven offers a wide variety of in-depth courses that create a transformational educational experience for our students. The information below comes directly from the latest Academic Catalog:

Coursework is 100% online, but there are two required in-person residencies.

Optional DHSc Certificates

Students who have been admitted into the DHSc program (both current students and alumni) have the option of completing both concentrations via the DHSc Degree Program and one 12-credit certificate. The certificates courses can be completed simultaneously while completing the DHSc Degree or after receiving the DHSc Degree.

Students who pursue the Healthcare Leadership Concentration as part of their degree will have the option of completing the Educational Leadership Concentration as a certificate.

Students who pursue the Educational Leadership Concentration as part of their degree will have the option of completing the Healthcare Leadership Concentration as a certificate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Both the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) are doctoral degrees, the terminal degree in the field of health sciences. The goal of a Ph.D. program is to train students for careers in research and so Ph.D. curriculum is generally very methods and analysis oriented. The DHSc is an advanced professional degree which aims for students to develop advanced leadership and management skills. Graduates from both Ph.D. and DHSc programs can go on to careers in the public and private sectors, academia, and clinical settings. The DHSc degree also leads to a career in high-level administration, teaching, and applied research or practice, where advanced analytical and conceptual capabilities are essential to advance careers to top executive and academic appointments.
  1. Apply advanced knowledge in health sciences systems thinking, scholarship, pedagogy, and evidence-based practice.
  2. Develop an evidence based, innovative solution for a contemporary issue in healthcare.
  3. Demonstrate advanced communication skills by disseminating research findings to targeted audiences.
  4. Explain how Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) relate to each other and why IPC is important in healthcare practice.
The DHSc program is 45 credits.
Yes.
Between 2-3 calendar years depending on full time or part time progression.
The DHSc program is designed to be a flexible online asynchronous program for adult learners. However, there are two required in-person meetings, called ‘residencies’ where students interact with peers and instructors. Students earn course credit while at the residencies. The first residency is in late August at the beginning of the program for 2 days (weekend) and the second is in May between the first and second year for 3 days (weekdays). All week-to-week coursework will be asynchronous and online.
The DHSc coursework prepares students to critically analyze ongoing challenges in the health sciences, with a focus on one of two select concentrations: educational leadership (EL) and healthcare leadership (HL). Those in the EL concentration are generally interested in pursuing or continuing their careers in higher education. EL concentration courses include Theories and Principles of Teaching and Learning in the Health Sciences, Curriculum Design and Development in the Health Sciences, Curriculum Assessment and Evaluation in the Health Sciences, and Evidence-Based Leadership in Health Sciences Education. Those in the HL concentration are generally interested in pursuing or continuing their careers in health administration or public health practice. HL concentration courses include Change Management in Healthcare Organizations, Quality Improvement in Healthcare Organizations, Population Health Management for Healthcare Leaders, and Health Informatics for Healthcare Leaders.
DHSc students are expected to complete a culminating project which integrates knowledge and experience. The project can be clinical in nature (i.e., quality improvement), practical (i.e., course development), or research (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods). Students receive support in the form of 18 credits taken over three semesters as well as a doctoral thesis chair and committee members.
If you’ve completed an academic program within the last seven years, you can submit a writing assignment from a course. Please make sure it’s an assignment that you are proud of and reflects your writing ability. Please also make sure it’s not a group project and only written by you, not supported by AI. If you do not have a writing sample from a prior course, please write a short academic essay on a topic of interest in your discipline area highlighting evidence found in the literature. There is no page length expectation or requirement for the writing sample.
The DHSc Admissions Committee is looking for a 1.5-2 page, double-spaced statement that describes why you are interested in pursuing a doctoral degree, what attracts you to our DHSc program, the concentration you are interested in completing, and what you hope to do with the DHSc once you graduate. Please do not summarize information that is found in your resume/CV, however, please share your past experience in healthcare.
Unfortunately, because of the online nature of the DHSc program, we are unable to legally enroll international students on the F-1 visa to this program. The use of B-2, ESTA, VWP, or other temporary visitors' visas for the required in-person residencies is not possible because these visas do not permit study toward degree attainment.
For program-related questions, please contact Dr. Jill Moore at JCMoore@newhaven.edu. For questions related to the application process or information sessions, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at graduate@newhaven.edu.

Distinguished, Expert Faculty

Our faculty are leaders and innovators in their fields, bringing both deep professional experience and academic rigor to the classroom.

DHSc Faculty

Upcoming Events

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News

DHSc graduate Nevila Bardhi at commencement

Graduate of Doctor of Health Sciences Graduate Program has Research Published, Selected for National Presentation

University of New Haven DHSc graduate Nevila Bardhi ’26 DHSc, MPH achieved two major milestones as her doctoral research on mercury-exposure screening was published in Public Health Reports, and it was selected for presentation at the 2026 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting.

Doctor of Health Sciences Graduates Celebrate Milestone Thesis Publications

Sumbul Yousafi, DHSc '24, and Jordan Schweidenback, DHSc '24 achieved being the first graduates of the Doctor of Health Sciences program, launched in 2021, to have their thesis research published in the Journal of Healthcare Leadership (JHL), highlighting the University’s expanding contributions to the health sciences.

Sumbul Yousafi ’24 DHSc (right) with Pavani Rangachari, Ph.D. (left)
Read More News

Next Steps

Ready to take the next step in your journey to becoming a Doctor of Health Sciences?

Application Submission

  • Applications are accepted throughout the calendar year, apply early to save your spot! The DHSc Admissions Committee will review completed applications monthly.

Candidate Meetings

  • Upon admission, candidates will be invited to meet with the program director to discuss their application, academic goals, and program course schedule.

Admissions Notification

  • Applicants will be notified within one month following their interview.

Priority Deposit Deadline

  • April 15 (note: the priority deposit deadline is the same regardless of when you apply or receive an admissions decision). Candidates accepted past April 15 have four weeks to submit their deposit. Failure to submit your deposit by the deadline may open your seat in the program to other applicants. We have a limited number of seats available each fall.

Program Start

  • Late August

An advanced degree from the University of New Haven will help you take your career to the next level. Each program offers convenient scheduling, personalized attention, and state-of-the-art facilities.

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The University of New Haven is an excellent value with reasonable tuition. We are committed to assisting our Graduate students in the financing of their education by offering a comprehensive financial aid program. 

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