Public Health Research Honors Program


The Public Health Research Honors Program provides selected students the opportunity to work with a faculty mentor on a year-long project that is of personal interest to them. Students have the opportunity to gain practical skills in designing and carrying out an independent research project and continue development of their academic skills in oral and written communication. Public health research honors projects are marked by intellectual engagement and coherence, and by educational soundness and continuity.

Overview

The Public Health Research Program is a three-semester program that takes place in two phases. In their junior year, students are accepted on a preliminary basis to develop of research project, before they are formally accepted into the program to work on that project in their senior year. For each of the three semesters, students will attend a research workshop, and they will work with a faculty member on their own project.

Public Health Research Honors Eligibility

To make their preliminary application, students must have completed three of the four core courses in the public health major with at least a 3.50 GPA, and they should have completed all four courses by the end of their junior year. They must also have a 3.50 GPA in their major. To apply to the preliminary program, students need only meet these requirements and submit an application to the director of the honors program, which identifies their general area of interest and a faculty member who is willing to work with them to develop their research project.

Formal acceptance into the program takes place in the summer following the students’ junior year. To be accepted formally into the program, students must have completed the five core courses with a 3.50 GPA and maintained at 3.50 GPA in their major, and they must submit their research proposal to the Public Health Steering Committee (PHSC) for approval.

PHLT 389 Public Health Honors Seminar

PHLT 389 is a workshop for the public health honors students, in which students are expected to discuss their work. It is one credit hour for each of three semesters: one during the junior year (preferably spring) and during both semesters of the senior year. Admission is by permission of the instructor only, who serves as the director of the honors program.

PHLT 393 ‘Public Health Research Honors’

PHLT 393 is a credit-bearing course for which students can use UR Student to register. Students participating in the Public Health-Related Program Research Honors Program will register for a total of seven credit hours of PHLT 393 with their PHSC-approved faculty advisor. PHLT 393 course sections are not usually available until the beginning of the semester for students to register. Students will register for

  • One credit hour of PHLT 393 with their faculty advisor in junior year
  • Three credit hours of PHLT 393 with their faculty advisor in fall of senior year
  • Three credit hours of PHLT 393 with their faculty advisor in spring of senior year

The PHLT 393 faculty advisor and student will want to discuss the grading criteria at the beginning of each semester. Faculty advisors have the prerogative to assign the final PHLT 393 course letter grade. Performance measures may consider, but not be limited to: research process, concept knowledge and application, benchmarks met, and final product. The final letter grade is entered by the faculty advisor.

Public Health Research Honors Student Responsibilities

To graduate with research honors, students must:

  • Complete the four courses of the public health core with a 3.50 GPA or better
  • Complete their public health major with a 3.50 major GPA or better
  • Complete at least one advanced course designated with (H)
    • For BET, PHLT 300W Seminar in Bioethics
    • For ENH, or EESC 320 Sustainable Systems or PM 470 Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology
    • For EPD, PM 413 Field Epidemiology or another advanced course approved by the EPD advisor
    • For HBS, PHLT 215 Public Health Anthropology
    • For HLP, HIST 373 US Health Policy and Politics or HIST 374 Pandemics, Politics, and Policies in the US
    • Other courses may also be approved to meet the requirement at the discretion of the major advisor consulting with the director of the Honors Program
  • Complete a total of ten credit hours over and above the credits required for the major
    • Students must complete three credit hours of the class PHLT 389 ‘Public Health Honors Seminar’
    • Students must complete seven credit hours of PHLT 393 ‘Public Health Honors Research’ with a Public Health Steering Committee (PHSC)-approved faculty advisor
  • Complete a distinguished research paper under the direction of the PHLT 393 faculty advisor and approved by a second reader that
    • Studies an original and answerable question
    • Presents persuasive argument or persuasive evidence
    • Explains the public health relevance

Students are responsible for knowing the requirements of the Public Health-Related Program Research Honors Program and adhering to all program deadlines. They will maintain regular contact with their supervising PHLT 393 research faculty advisor and be proactive in alerting their faculty advisor to anticipated problems or concerns.

PHLT 393 Faculty Advisor Responsibilities

The role of the PHLT 393 Public Health Honors Research Program faculty advisor is to assist a student in the development and fulfillment of their proposed research honors project. The faculty advisor will be responsible for supervising the student and their independent research (PHLT 393) throughout the student’s participation in the research honors program. The faculty advisor will be listed as the course instructor for all of the PHLT 393 courses (see PHLT 393 for more information). To ensure that the goals and workload are carried out successfully, faculty are encouraged to meet regularly with their student during the semester to discuss the subject matter, review academic progress, and offer constructive feedback.

Important Public Health Research Honors Program Timeline

Junior year, spring semester first day of classes. Apply to enter the preliminary program. Eligible juniors will be informed after Thanksgiving that they may apply. Applicants must complete the four public health core courses before the end of their junior year. The preliminary application is a simple form, but it does require the applicant to identify a faculty who is willing to work with them to develop of research proposal. (If the mentor is not on the list of affiliated faculty on the public health web page, the selection must be approved by the director of the honors program). The faculty advisor need not be the mentor for the project; one of the tasks of the work is to develop a project and to find the best mentor for that particular project. The preliminary application need only be approved by the honors program director.

Note: Juniors who will be abroad during the spring semester may apply to begin the program in the fall semester of their junior year instead of the spring. Preliminary applications for the fall term are due on the first day of classes of the fall term.

Junior year, spring: Participate in the honors seminar and work with the faculty mentor to develop a research proposal that will be a part of the formal application into the program. (Note: if students are abroad in the spring, this work can be done during the fall term, with a preliminary application due August 15.)

Junior year, June 1: The formal application into the program is due. All five core courses must be complete, and the student must include a research proposal. Formal acceptance into the program requires the approval of the Public Health Steering Committee.

Senior year, fall: Participate in the honors seminar and work with the faculty mentor to begin research via PHLT 393.

November 15: Public health honors students must submit a three- to five-page update on their honors project to the PHLT 389 seminar instructor. Faculty advisors should sign the update before it is submitted; signatures are required for submission to be considered complete. This information will be reviewed by the Public Health Steering Committee.

At the end of fall semester in senior year: All public health research honors students will be evaluated at the end of the fall semester of senior year. The PHLT 389 seminar instructor will work in consultation with the PHLT 393 faculty advisor.

If the progress and level of effort demonstrated during the fall semester of senior year does not merit continuation of the project, the student may be withdrawn from the Public Health Research Honors Program. In such cases, grades reflecting the fall PHLT 393 and PHLT 389 semester of work will be assigned by the respective course instructors.

Senior year, spring: Participate in the honors seminar and work with the faculty mentor to finish the project. Students are expected to present their final project in a public forum.

Final Project Deadline: The final project must be submitted to their faculty advisor no later than four Fridays before Commencement.