Health Professions Studies (HPS)

HPS 803 is the third course in the six-course dissertation progression and marks the transition from proposal development to research implementation readiness. Successful completion of HPS 801 and HPS 802 is required prior to enrollment. This course focuses on the completion and refinement of the full dissertation proposal with emphasis on methodological rigor, research design alignment, ethics compliance, and feasibility. Students finalize their research methodology, ensuring coherence among the problem statement, purpose statement, research questions, theoretical or conceptual framework, and proposed methods. In addition to completing the final written dissertation proposal, students prepare for and complete the oral proposal defense. Upon successful defense, students develop and submit the Institutional Review Board (IRB) application. This course serves as the formal approval stage of the dissertation process. Passing the course requires: Approval of the Final Written Dissertation Proposal; Successful completion of the Oral Proposal Defense; and Submission of a complete IRB application. Courses may be repeated as necessary. Advancement to HPS 804 requires approval of the final milestone.

HPS 804 is the fourth course in the six-course dissertation progression and focuses on the execution of the approved dissertation study. Successful completion of HPS 801,802 and 803 are required prior to enrollment. In this course, students implement their IRB-approved research protocol by recruiting participants and conducting data collection in accordance with the approved study design. Emphasis is placed on executing recruitment strategies ethically and effectively, maintaining fidelity to the approved research protocol, documenting study procedures, and securely managing research data throughout the collection process. Students work closely with their dissertation mentor to monitor recruitment progress, and address logistical or methodological challenges. Students will work with their mentors to ensure that data collection procedures are conducted consistently and in alignment with the approved research design. By the end of the course, students are expected to have completed participant recruitment and data collection and to have compiled a complete raw dataset suitable for subsequent analysis in HPS 805. Courses may be repeated as necessary. Passing the course requires approval of the final milestone by the dissertation mentor.

HPS 805 is the fifth course in the six-course dissertation progression and focuses on the analysis of the collected research data and the initial development of scholarly manuscripts emerging from the dissertation study. Successful completion of HPS 801, 802,803 and 804 are required prior to enrollment. In this course, students analyze the complete dataset(s) generated during HPS 804 using analytic approaches appropriate to their research design. Emphasis is placed on rigorous, transparent, and systematic analysis procedures that align with the study’s research questions and methodological framework. Students will document their analytic procedures, interpret their findings, and organize results in a format suitable for scholarly dissemination. In parallel with data analysis, students begin developing manuscript drafts that present the findings of the study. This process includes organizing results, articulating methodological rigor, and situating findings within the existing literature. The course prepares students to move into the final phase of dissertation completion, where manuscripts will be finalized and study defended. Passing the course requires completion of data analysis and approval of the analytic outputs by the dissertation mentor. Courses may be repeated as necessary. Advancement to HPS 806 requires approval of the final milestone.

HPS 806 is the sixth and final course in the dissertation progression and focuses on the completion of scholarly manuscripts, preparation of the final dissertation document, and the successful defense of the doctoral research. Successful completion of HPS 801, 802, 803, 804 and 805 are required prior to enrollment. In this course, students finalize manuscript drafts derived from their dissertation research and prepare them for scholarly dissemination. Students synthesize the results of their study, refine their interpretation of findings, and situate their contributions within the broader academic literature. In addition, students assemble the final dissertation document in accordance with program and institutional guidelines. Students will also prepare for the final oral defense of their dissertation. Emphasis is placed on clearly communicating the study’s problem, methodology, findings, and scholarly contributions. Students work closely with their dissertation mentor and committee to refine their written work and presentation materials in preparation for the defense. Successful completion of this course requires approval of the final dissertation document and successful completion of the final oral dissertation defense. Courses may be repeated as necessary until the final milestone is achieved.