Overview

Please note: Applications open September 2024 for first cohort in Summer 2025. 

The Doctor of Applied Health (DrAH) program at UPEI is the first professional degree program of its kind in Atlantic Canada. This four-year, 60-credit professional doctoral program is delivered using a cohort approach with a high degree of active engagement and collaborative interdisciplinary learning.

The curriculum focuses on developing essential skills based on theory and evidence for real world applications to resolve issues within health-related sectors.

Graduates of the Doctor of Applied Health program will be ready to make meaningful contributions to scholarship in applied health through their knowledge and understanding of a range of research methodologies and their relevance to specific real world challenges impacting health-focused organizations and communities.

In responding to the demand for scholar-practitioners with the ability to provide leadership in the workplace and build strong collaborative networks, through this program, UPEI aims to meet the pressing needs for evidence-informed, upstream prevention, policies and practices that target population health promotion. To this end, the DrAH focuses on developing graduates with the competencies required to bridge gaps between health systems, health researchers, health practitioners, and decision/policymakers in a manner that breaks down silos and enables professionals to work toward common goals. 

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Course Structure
DrAH program courses

Note: Current UPEI students should refer to Student Planning in myUPEI and the UPEI Academic Calendar governing their entry year, and speak to an academic advisor about course requirements. The course structure presented for this program is a recommended, unofficial progression for prospective students.

The Doctor of Applied Health degree comprises 20 required courses, with a minimum of 360 hours of on-campus summer institute experience, and an applied research capstone project. The following program plan illustrates the schedule of curriculum delivery over the four years of the program.

Required courses

Year 1: Summer Institute (July – 2 compressed courses)

  • AH-7000: Introduction to Health and Health Promotion
  • AH-7010: Introduction to Applied Health Research Methods

Year 1: Fall Semester

  • AH-7020: Foundations of Population and Applied Health

Year 1: Winter Semester

  • AH-7030: Partnering to Advance Population Health

Year 1: Summer Semester

  • AH-7040: The Social Determinants of Health 

Year 2: Summer Institute (July – 2 compressed courses)

  • AH-7050: Policy Analysis
  • AH-7060: Introduction to Knowledge Translation

Year 2: Fall Semester

  • AH-7070: Improving Health Outcomes through Sustainable Development

Year 2: Winter Semester

  • AH-7080: Knowledge Generation in Applied Health – Research and Theories

Year 2: Summer Semester

  • AH-7090: Ethics and Professional Practice Issues in Applied Health 

Year 3: Summer Institute (July – 2 compressed courses)

  • AH-7100: Special Topics in Applied Health
  • AH-7110: Improving Health Outcomes through Collaborative Leadership

Year 3: Fall Semester

  • AH-7120: Introduction to Implementation Science

Year 3: Winter Semester

  • AH-7130: Community Development and Project Planning

Year 3: Summer Semester

  • AH-7140: Systemic Influences on Health – Applied Health Administration and Management 

Year 4: Summer Institute (July – 2 compressed courses)

  • AH-7150: Improving Health Outcomes Through Policy Development and Implementation
  • AH-7160: Marketing and Communicating Applied Health Programs 

Year 4: Fall Semester

  • AH-7170: Knowledge to Action – Assessing and Validating Wicked Problems

Year 4: Winter Semester

  • AH-7180: Improving Health Through Knowledge Translation I – Taking Action on Wicked Problems Implementing and Evaluating the Capstone Project

Year 4: Summer Semester

  1. AH-7190: Improving Health Through Knowledge Translation II- Sharing Solutions to Wicked Problems – Culmination and Dissemination of Capstone Project 

Elective Courses

  • None

For complete course details, please refer to the UPEI Academic Calendar.

Admissions Criteria
What's required for admission?

Please note: Applications open September 2024 for first cohort in Summer 2025.

Admission requirements to the Doctor of Applied Health program are as follows:

  1. A student may be considered eligible for admission to the DrAH program if they have completed, at a minimum a 4-year bachelor’s degree in a health-related field from an accredited university (note: a bachelor’s degree with an Honours thesis or equivalent will be an asset). 
  2. Two or more years of work experience in an area of health specialization such as healthcare, health service delivery, health promotion, health education, health studies or health science.
  3. Applicants to the Doctor of Applied Health program would normally have graduated with a minimum average of 75% or a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) in the last 20 courses of a bachelor’s program. 
  4. It is strongly recommended that applicants have completed course work in qualitative and/or quantitative research methods. 
  5. Completion of a health-related graduate degree in an applied health related field (such as a Master of Applied Health; Master of Public Health; Master of Applied Health Services Research; Master of Nursing; Master of Global Affairs; Master of Health Science; or Master of Science with a specialty in Health, Health Studies, Health Promotion, Health Education, or Health Sciences), or equivalent experience in a health-related field will be considered an asset. 

Students are expected to be proficient in the use of English, both written and oral, when they begin their studies at the University of Prince Edward Island. Please review the English Language Requirements for graduate programs.

Application Deadline
Apply before March 1

Applicants must submit the following via the application portal (apply.upei.ca):

  • a Graduate Application Form;
  • a personal statement outlining background preparation and explaining why this particular program is a match for the applicant;
  • a curriculum vitae;
  • $50 (CDN) application fee.

Applicants must ensure that the following items are forwarded directly to the university:

  • three letters of reference, at least two academic; the third may be academic or may reflect volunteer or professional experience;
  • official transcripts (undergraduate and graduate) from all post-secondary institutions at which courses have been taken.

All application materials must be received by March 1st of the calendar year the student wishes to enter the program.

Applications for the first cohort opening September 2024, with an application deadline of March 1, 2025.

Fees and Funding

Tuition

Intake for the Doctor of Applied Health program begins in summer 2025. Tuition and fees have not yet been finalized. 

For a complete breakdown of part-time or full-time study as a graduate student in related programs, visit our Tuition and Fees page.

Scholarships and Awards

UPEI supports you and your educational goals. We administer millions of dollars in scholarships and awards to our undergraduate and graduate students every year. Depending on your faculty or program, and year of study, you may be eligible for available awards.

Search the complete list of scholarships for information and application forms.  

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Master of Applied Health Services Research