All PhD students must participate in the Teaching Assistant Training and Teaching Opportunities (TATTO) program.  This includes a three-day summer teacher training workshop (normally taken in the summer before the second year in the PhD program), serving as a teaching assistant during the second and third years in the program and practical experience in statistical consulting.  

Research rotations are an integral part of the PhD in GHD. One purpose of the research rotation is to expose students to current research in different topics and/or disciplines, thus allowing them to make a more informed decision about which area of emphasis in the program they wish to pursue. A second purpose is to assist the student in deciding on a mentor by providing an opportunity to sample the research environment, assess the available research projects, and determine if the mentor will be suitable as a PhD dissertation advisor.

Each student will be required to complete two research rotations. Ideally these should be completed by the end of the summer of the second year in the program. Each rotation will be coordinated with individual faculty members selected by the student and will involve a time commitment of approximately 10 hours per week for a semester or three to four months.  

A typical research rotation will be equivalent to a course of 3 credit hours. Students who are planning to work more than 15 hours a week may be advised to register for more credit. Credits in excess of 3 hours per rotation should not be in lieu of course credits but can be used to meet the minimum of 12 credits per semester. 

The purpose of the general doctoral exam is to assess a student’s ability to conceptualize, articulate and justify an original research question. Independent of admission status, all students in the GHD doctoral program are required to take and pass the qualifying exam. 

Students are expected to complete their General Doctoral Exam, aka Dissertation Proposal Defense Exam (DPD) no later than the end of their second year. The purpose of the general doctoral exam is to assess a student’s ability to conceptualize, articulate and justify an original research question. Independent of admission status, all students in the GHD doctoral program are required to take and pass the DPD.

All PhD students are required to complete and defend a dissertation. Students are encouraged to begin exploring potential research topics as soon as they enter the program by meeting with faculty advisors.  

The doctoral dissertation must meet the requirements of both the department and Laney Graduate School. In particular, the dissertation must make a new contribution to the student’s field of study or present a unique new interpretation on existing knowledge. Students are required to pass an oral defense of the dissertation proposal. 

All students will also participate in the GHD Doctoral Seminar Series throughout their training and will be encouraged to start research rotations by the spring semester of the first year.

The purpose of the GHD doctoral seminar is to provide students with experience in preparing lectures, conveying scientific principles to an audience, and learning to provide and receive constructive feedback. All students are expected to attend seminar on a weekly basis and make at least three presentations throughout the duration of their career at Emory.  

First year students will take the Introductory Graduate Seminar on the Role of Partners in Global Health and Development (GH 702) in the fall semester followed by the Advanced Graduate Seminar in Global Health and Development (GH 704) when they will be required to present a seminar related to their area of research and/or interests as a stand-alone lecture in the spring of the first year and both the fall and spring semesters of the second year.