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DEPARTMENT OF DEMOGRAPHY AND ORGANIZATION STUDIES


Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Applied Demography

Students accepted for admission into the Ph.D. program in Applied Demography have the opportunity to engage in advanced study and research in the field of Applied Demography as it applies to questions in such areas as public policy, life sciences, medicine, business, and the social sciences. Depending on their area of focus, students may work with faculty from a variety of areas of study offered at UTSA. Students may also choose to take related courses at or work with contributing faculty members from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and the San Antonio regional campus of The University of Texas School of Public Health.

There are two areas of concentration offered to students who enter the program. The Applied Demography and Health track prepares students to address the expanding education and research problems that are at the intersection of demography and health care. Students in this track not only pursue careers in university-based medical centers, health science centers, and social science departments but also in health care areas in the private sector such as marketing and planning. The Applied Demography and Policy track prepares students to work in the area of applied social demography. Students are trained to examine the effects of demographic factors on policy—both private and public. Students in this track may pursue academic careers as well as careers in national and corporate settings, such as marketing, advertising and policy. Special emphasis is placed on research and policy in large local, state, and federal agencies.

The regulations for this degree comply with the general University regulations (refer to Chapter 3, General Academic Regulations, and Chapter 6, Doctoral Degree Regulations).

Admission Requirements. In addition to satisfying the University-wide requirements for admission to graduate programs, all prospective students must have a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Science or Master of Arts degree from an accredited university in demography/sociology, geography, economics, biology, political science, statistics, mathematics, business, or a similar field. Students who have not earned a qualifying master’s degree may be required to complete the equivalent courses in the appropriate discipline area before admission to the Ph.D. program in Applied Demography.

In addition, applicants must submit:

  1. official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework completed
  2. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores from a GRE-administered examination completed no more than five years prior to the Ph.D. student’s date of application. All applicants are required to submit scores from the GRE math, verbal, and analytical portions of the examination and scores for a related specialty area
  3. three letters of recommendation from academic or professional sources familiar with the applicant’s background
  4. a letter of application describing the applicant’s academic and work backgrounds and goals and objectives related to the applicant’s Ph.D. program.

International students from non-English speaking countries must also submit a score of at least 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL paper version) as required by the University. These test scores may not be more than two years old at the date of application to the Ph.D. program.

A complete application includes the application form, official transcripts, GRE scores, three letters of recommendation, a letter of application stating academic and work experience, interests and goals, and if required, a TOEFL score. Admission is competitive and satisfying these requirements does not guarantee admission.

Degree Requirements. The Applied Demography Ph.D. requires students to complete a minimum of 48 hours of organized coursework and a minimum of 12 hours of dissertation credits for a total of at least 60 hours beyond the master’s degree. The doctoral program has a base of core courses that will result in all students having a firm grounding in demography and related areas of statistics with students then choosing from one of two tracks for their specialization. The tracks in Applied Demography are Applied Demography and Health and Applied Demography and Policy. All students will be required to complete the core courses listed below and a set of courses in their chosen track.

Program of Study

  1. Core Research and Statistics Courses (21 semester credit hours):

    1. 12 semester credit hours of the following required courses or their equivalents:

      Statistical Computing
      DEM 7203 Software Applications for Demographic Analysis
      or
      STA 5133 Data Analysis with Statistical Software

      DEM 7213 Advanced Software Applications for Demographic Analysis

      Research Methods
      DEM 7243 General Research Methods for Demographers I
      or
      GBA 7013 Research Methods I

      DEM 7253 General Research Methods for Demographers II
      or
      GBA 7023 Research Methods II

    2. 9 semester credit hours selected from the following:

      Mathematical Statistics
      DEM 7223 Advanced Methods for Life Table Analysis
      or
      STA 5903 Survival Analysis

      STA 5853 Analysis of Categorical Data

      Applied Statistical Methodology
      DEM 7233 Applied Forecasting Methods in Demography
      or
      STA 7083 Time Series Analysis

      STA 5313 Theory of Sample Surveys with Applications
      STA 7013 Advanced Applied Business Statistical Methods
      STA 7023 Applied Linear Statistical Models
      STA 7033 Multivariate Statistical Analysis

  2. Core Demography Courses (15 semester credit hours):

    1. 12 semester credit hours selected from the following:

      DEM 7013 Basic Demographic Methods of Analysis
      DEM 7023 Advanced Methods of Applied Demographic Analysis

      SOC 5143 Demography and Community Trends
      or
      PHS 3998* Demography and Public Health

      EES 5033 Geographical Information Systems
      or
      POL 5913 Design and Management of Geographic Information Systems

    2. 3 semester credit hours selected from the following:

      DEM 7033 Fertility and Mortality
      DEM 7043 Migration
      DEM 7053 International Migration

    3. (TOP)

  3. Courses in Alternative Demographic Tracks (a minimum of 12 semester credit hours are required in the track selected):

    Applied Demography and Health Track

    A minimum of 12 semester credit hours are required from the following courses:

    DEM 7063 Applied Demography in Policy Settings
    DEM 7403 Health Care Organizations, Professions, and the Government

    PH     1120*    Introduction to Program Evaluation
    or
    PH    3740*    Community-Based Health Assessment

    and at least one of the following courses:
    DEM 7073 Disparities in Health and Health Care
    FAPR  4100** Medical Economics
    PH       1110*   Social and Behavioral Aspects of Community Health
    PH       2610*  Introduction to Epidemiology
    SOC 5133 Sociology of Health and Health Care

    Applied Demography and Policy Track

    A minimum of 12 semester credit hours are required from the following courses:

    DEM 7063 Applied Demography in Policy Settings
    DEM 7413 Public Policy and Corporate Change
    SOC 5103 Complex Organizations

    SOC 5043 Evaluation Research
    or
    PH 1120*  Introduction to Program Evaluation

    and at least one of the following courses:
    MKT 5003 Introduction to Marketing
    POL 5853 Economic Geography

    PAD 5323 Public Policy Formulation and Implementation
    or
    PH  3915* Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Health Programs

  4. Doctoral Dissertation (minimum 12 semester credit hours):

    DEM 7911-6 Doctoral Dissertation

Note: * denotes courses that are to be completed at The University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio Regional Campus. Course descriptions may be found in The University of Texas School of Public Health course catalog at http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/uploadedfiles/catalog.pdf or on the Web site for the UTSA Ph.D. program in Applied Demography at http://utsa.edu/copp/.

Note: ** denotes courses that are to be completed at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Course descriptions may be found in The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio course catalog at http://studentservices.uthscsa.edu/publications/Catalog.html or on the Web site for the UTSA Ph.D. program in Applied Demography at http://utsa.edu/copp/.

The entire program of study must be approved by the student’s dissertation advisor and graduate committee, and must be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School through the Dean of the College of Public Policy for final approval.

Admission to Candidacy. Advancement to candidacy requires that a student complete University and Applied Demography requirements. The student must choose a graduate committee and designate one faculty member as chair of that committee. This faculty member must be a member of the graduate faculty of UTSA. A degree plan must be submitted by each student to his or her specific graduate committee and must be approved by the committee before the end of the second semester of enrollment. The student may seek candidacy by taking and passing written and oral qualifying examinations. The written examination is administered by the graduate faculty of each track. The oral qualifying examination will assess issues not adequately addressed in the student’s written examination. The student will also submit and undergo an oral examination in defense of the student’s dissertation proposal. Written qualifying examinations are scheduled twice a year, whereas oral examinations may be scheduled at any time. However, oral examinations are administered at the discretion of the student’s committee and must meet the time line and requirements of the university. All students must schedule a defense of their dissertation at which all members of their committee are present to examine the student and issue a pass/fail evaluation of the student’s work. The Chair of the student’s committee is responsible for approval of the final corrections of the student’s dissertation.

Dissertation. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research by completing and defending an original dissertation. The research topic is determined by the student in consultation with his or her supervising professor. A dissertation committee, selected by the student in consultation with his or her supervising professor, guides and critiques the candidate’s research. The completed dissertation must be formally presented and defended to, and approved by, the student’s Dissertation Committee. Awarding of the degree is based on the approval of the Dissertation Committee. The UTSA Dean of the Graduate School certifies the completion of all University-wide requirements.

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