| ALL EPI and BIOSTATS requirements listed below must be taken for an ORDINAL grade. | |
| EPI 203 | Study Design in Epidemiologic Research (2 Griffin GSAS credits) |
| EPI 205 | Practice of Epidemiology (2 Griffin GSAS credits) Note: Cannot be included in Final Program |
| EPI 207 | Advanced Epidemiologic Methods (2 Griffin GSAS credits) |
| EPI 247 | Epidemiologic Methods Development (2 Griffin GSAS credits) |
| EPI 289 | Causal Inference (2 Griffin GSAS credits) |
| EPI 507 | Genetic Epidemiology (2 Griffin GSAS credits) |
| BST 223 or BST 226 | Applied Survival Analysis and Discrete Data Analysis (4 Griffin GSAS credits) or Applied Longitudinal Analysis (4 Griffin GSAS credits) |
| BPH 208 | Human Physiology (4 Griffin GSAS credits) |
| BPH 210 | Pathophysiology of Human Disease (2 Griffin GSAS credits) |
| Strongly Suggested Courses | |
| EPI 215 | Adv. Topics in Case-Control and Cohort Studies (2 Griffin GSAS credits) |
| EPI 515 | Measurement Error and Misclassification for Epidemiologists (1 Griffin GSAS credit) |
Required Courses
To determine your Field of Study coursework, declare Epidemiology as the Major (at least 16 Griffin GSAS credits/20 Harvard Chan credits of coursework) and two minor fields in consultation with your advisor, one of which should be Biostatistics and the other should reflect your Area of Specialization (at least 8 Griffin GSAS credits/10 Harvard Chan credits of coursework for each minor). All of this coursework must be taken for an ordinal grade.
Courses to be completed before PQE I Written Examinations: Overview
The written examination is divided into two portions and students entering the program without a prior Harvard Chan Masters’ degree will take the exam at the end of the Spring semester of their second year. Those students entering the program with an SM or MPH from the Chan School will have the opportunity to take the exam Spring their first year.
The first session covers methods, including aspects of study design, analysis, and causal inference. As a guideline, a student should not attempt this exam until she or he has completed all of the courses below, but the questions are cross-cutting rather than being focused within material covered in individual courses.
| Courses to complete before attempting the Written Exam | |
| PHS 2000A/B | EPI 247 |
| BST 223 or BST 226 | EPI 289 |
| EPI 201 and EPI 202 | EPI 507 |
| EPI 203 | EPI 207 |
The second session covers substantive knowledge of epidemiology and is used to exam breadth in the field. Students will be asked to pre-select two concentrations outside of their own by the end of Spring 1, before the exam. During the exam, students will write a structured critique and design a follow up study for one paper from each preselected concentration.
The Department holds an information session each December and will cover details on the exam and provide additional resources to prepare for the exam.
Students are allowed and encouraged to enroll independent study credits with their advisor before the exam. These credits provide students with dedicated time to study. Students are allowed to enroll in a maximum of 5 HSPH independent study credits towards the exam in the spring term of the exam.
