PhD
Humanities, Social Sciences
Degree Programs
Considering a Master’s Degree?
Explore career-focused, interdisciplinary master’s programs at Laney.
African American Studies
African American Studies (AAS) offers an interdisciplinary doctoral program organized around the four pillars upon which AAS as a field rests: interdisciplinarity, intersectionality, community engagement, and transnationalism. The first doctoral program of its kind in the U.S. Southeast, the AAS Ph.D. program is a highly selective course of study combining the expertise of an esteemed group of over 50 graduate faculty with research specializations in a broad range of fields including African Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Art History, Business, Comparative Literature, Creating Writing, Education, English, Film & Media Studies, History, Law, Music, Nursing, Philosophy, Political Science, Public Health, Religion, Sociology, Theatre & Dance, Theology, and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies.
The program provides rigorous training and preparation for AAS Ph.D. students interested in careers within and beyond academe. All admitted doctoral students receive full funding and benefits for five years and are mentored—actively—by an advising team. In addition, each student enrolled in the program will be equipped with specialized training in AAS through one of three cognate fields:
- Gender & Sexuality
- Social Justice & Social Movements
- Expressive Arts & Cultures
Emory University’s location in the City of Atlanta, the cradle of the modern Civil Rights Movement, means that the AAS Ph.D. program is strategically positioned to facilitate an extraordinary graduate experience. The program will offer doctoral students access to institutions, organizations, and local histories and cultures at the very heart of African American political and cultural developments in the South, the U.S., and the broader African diaspora.
Director of Graduate Study
Bettina Judd
Graduate Program Administrator
Charles Edward Jackson
Anthropology
PhD
Social Sciences, Natural Sciences
Anthropology, by its very nature, is an interdisciplinary enterprise and is sought out by many other disciplines for cross-fertilization of ideas. Emory’s graduate program in Anthropology grounds cultural and biological anthropology, placing special emphasis on cultivating dialogues and combinations of people, interests, and ideas that cross, connect, and transcend the field’s received sub-disciplines. Specialization within cultural or biological sub-fields is encouraged, as are combinations and creative dialogues between them.
Our doctoral program balances rigorous courses with a tutorial approach to advanced subjects and is designed to be intense and demanding for both students and faculty. We encourage a diversity of doctoral research agendas across the entire range of cultural and biological anthropology. We believe that the successful anthropologists of the future are created not through a monolithic theoretical orientation but through exposure to alternative explanatory paradigms. As a whole, our program provides students with a grounding in cultural and biological anthropology that is sophisticated and unique. Specialization within cultural or biological sub-fields is encouraged, as are combinations and creative dialogues between them.
Art History
PhD
Humanities
Art History offers a doctoral program that explores cultural, formal, and theoretical concerns central to the visual arts. Academic concentrations include the art and architecture of: the ancient Mediterranean (Egypt, Greece, and Rome); the Ancient Americas; Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Europe; modern and contemporary art and architecture in Europe, the United States, and Africa. We aim to train effective teachers and productive scholars who will contribute new and original insights into their fields.
Our strengths include our range of research interests and our interdisciplinary. We have close relationships with a number of other programs in the broad fields of cultural studies, including Classics, Comparative Literature, History, Religion and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, as well as interdisciplinary programs such as Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Medieval Studies, African Studies, and Film and Media Studies.
Graduate Program Administrator
Linnea Wicklund
Director of Graduate Study
Megan O'Neil
Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences
PhD
Social Sciences
BSHES is committed to applying a broad spectrum of behavioral and social science knowledge, theory and methods to promote health, prevent disease and improve quality of life. We apply a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to research and advocate an ecological perspective to understanding and influencing the factors that shape health and illness. We have full-time faculty representing the disciplines of health education, communications, psychology, educational psychology, sociology, nursing, anthropology, history, and demography. We are also supported by faculty in the schools of Medicine and Nursing and in Emory’s graduate programs of anthropology, sociology, and the Institute of Liberal Arts.
We are also committed to bringing applied public health experience to our research, teaching, and mentoring activities. Many faculty members have served at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in state or local health departments, or in international public health organizations. Leading health educators and behavioral scientists from the CDC, the Georgia Department of Human Resources, the American Cancer Society, the Arthritis Foundation, and The Carter Center serve as adjunct faculty who teach and work closely with students.
Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology (GDBBS)
PhD
Natural Sciences
The life sciences are advancing at an unprecedented pace. At the core of these advances are three foundational life sciences: Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Developmental Biology. Biochemists elucidate the chemical reactions that sustain all living things, Cell Biologists examine how these reactions govern cellular processes, and Developmental Biologists investigate the interactions of cells during the growth and differentiation of organisms.
The Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology (BCDB) program combines these complementary disciplines into an interdisciplinary doctoral training program of the highest caliber. BCDB faculty and students are making discoveries at the levels of molecules, cells and organisms that improve our understanding of biological processes, including those that cause or prevent human disease.
BCDB is one of eight interdisciplinary PhD programs in the Graduate Division of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences.
Program Director
Michael Koval
Program Administrator
Ivy Overcash
404-727-2546
Bioethics
Master, Certificate
Humanities, Social Sciences
The Master of Arts in Bioethics program provides rigorous, advanced, and interdisciplinary training for professionals and students interested in social and ethical challenges in health care and the life sciences. Students in the program are connected with a dynamic network of experts, like-minded professionals, scholars, and resources in order to prepare themselves professionally to address ethical considerations in biomedicine.
Rapid scientific discovery, the development of technological medicine, and globalization have raised new questions and concerns about how we develop new biomedical technologies and provide health care to growing populations. Research on and utilization of stem cells, artificial reproductive technologies, the ongoing need for human subjects’ protection, the role of corporate sponsorship in research, the public health needs of developing countries, and the fragmented and problematic economic infrastructure of health care delivery are only a few of the more vexing challenges that face us as we move into the twenty-first century. Our society - and so our students - need to be prepared to face these and other bioethical challenges in the years to come.
As a leading research and teaching university, graduates of Emory’s Masters in Bioethics will be trained to help to advance the national conversation on important issues influencing public policy, scholarship, practice and education in the field. All students must have a degree from an accredited four year college or university before beginning the program. Many entering students will have also acquired an advanced degree in a related discipline, such as medicine, nursing, law, public health, or theology. Others may combine graduate work in Bioethics with other graduate or professional education, resulting in dual degrees.
The MA in Bioethics draws upon the resources of the Emory University Center for Ethics, the Laney Graduate School, and the six other graduate and professional schools of the University, as well as the Center’s close ties with leading state and national journals and organizations such as the Health Care Ethics Consortium of Georgia, CDC, and NASA. Faculty members of the Center for Ethics include scholars and practitioners in a variety of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, public health, law, theology, business, the life sciences, philosophy, religion, sociology, psychology.
Biomedical Engineering
PhD
Natural Sciences
The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME), a joint effort between Georgia Tech, Laney Graduate School, and the Emory School of Medicine, provides superb education and research in biomedical engineering with an emphasis on applications to human health. The BME PhD program is ranked first in the country by US News and World Reports. The curriculum integrates life sciences, engineering, and mathematics to train researchers who can formulate and solve significant biomedical problems quantitatively and with a systems perspective.
The BME doctoral program has identified five critical areas of research where our combined strengths are the foundation of strong research programs:
- Biomechanics and Mechanobiology
- Biomedical Imaging and Optics
- Cellular, Molecular and Biomaterials Engineering
- Computational Biomedical Systems Analysis
- Healthcare Informatics and Technology
The department now offers a unique joint degree with Peking University -- scroll down or click the link to the right for more information. Students apply to the program through the school designated as the home campus, either the Department of Biomedical Engineering at PKU in Beijing or the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory in Atlanta. Students will have an advisor at the home campus and co-advisor at the secondary campus, and will spend at least one year taking classes and participating in research in the co-advisor's lab on the secondary campus. A single dissertation will satisfy the thesis requirements of all three institutions. For details, follow the links at right.
Biomedical Innovation and Development – Advanced Therapeutics
Master
Natural Sciences
The Master of Science in Biomedical Innovation and Development – Advanced Therapeutics (MSBID-AT) is a full-time residential program completed in three sequential semesters over 12 months (fall, spring, and summer) at Emory University. This industry-focused program trains the next generation of leaders in bringing medical breakthroughs to the patient. Distinct from programs in drug discovery or vaccine development, our advanced therapeutics degree focuses on the emergent industries of cell therapy, gene therapy, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Trainees in the MSBID-AT program will learn at the interface of advanced therapeutics, healthcare, and business management, developing the skills they need to hit the ground running in this industry and spur advanced therapeutics innovation.
The MSBID-AT program is part of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University and draws on the department’s research strength and innovation in cell therapeutics, gene therapeutics, nanomedicine and regenerative medicine. Students of the MSBID-AT program are awarded a Master of Science in Biomedical Innovation and Development in Advanced Therapeutics from Emory University upon successful completion of the course requirements.
The curriculum consists of a set sequence of 30 credit hours required to cover all necessary topics concerning advanced therapies conception, development and commercialization. An MSBID-AT team project mimics and involves the real-life process of selecting an underserved disease or unmet clinical need (or cycle of care), propose a solution, build a business case, and address reimbursement and regulatory paths. The final deliverable is the writing and presentation of the project’s business report.
Please see the program website for details on application requirements and deadlines.
Biostatistics
PhD
Natural Sciences
The PhD program in Biostatistics prepares students for research careers by offering a blend of theoretical and methodological courses. Biostatistics and Bioinformatics faculty collaborate with researchers in a variety of disciplines, developing and applying statistical methodology in search of solutions to medical and public health problems. Our teaching curriculum is based on the principle that almost every biostatistician will have to spend at least some of his/her time on statistical analysis of real-life data. Therefore, we prepare our students to be familiar with a variety of statistical methods and approaches by exposing them to real‑life problems through consulting activities, field studies, and internships.
Biostatistics and Bioinformatics faculty collaborate with researchers in a variety of disciplines, developing and applying statistical methodology in search of solutions to medical and public health problems. They have ties with many affiliates both within Emory and in the broader health research community, including the Carter Center of Emory University, the Emory School of Medicine, Grady Memorial Hospital, Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital, the Georgia Department of Human Resources, the Georgia Mental Health Institute, the Georgia Medical Care Foundation, the Atlanta Veteran’s Administration Center, the American Cancer Society national headquarters, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and various branches of the National Institutes of Health.
Business
PhD
Social Sciences
The Business doctoral program, offered through the Laney Graduate School, provides students the opportunity to pursue one of the following academic areas: Accounting, Finance, Information Systems and Operations Management, Marketing, or Organization & Management. We seek doctoral students with superior intelligence, a strong work ethic, and a desire to take their place on the faculty of the best business schools in the world. Our doctoral program is highly selective and enables a small and closely-knit environment that promotes interaction between students and faculty.
Cancer Biology (GDBBS)
PhD
Natural Sciences
The Cancer Biology Program provides training opportunities in every aspect of cancer research, from basic to translational. This includes molecular and cellular biology, genetics and epigenetics, signal transduction, genetic engineering, nanotechnologies and many other disciplines used to understand the development and progression of cancer.
The Program provides training in three areas that correspond to the scientific focus groups of the Winship Cancer Institute:
- Genetics and Genomics
- Signal Transduction
- Cancer Therapeutics
Many different approaches are applied to a range of model systems to address how a normal cell becomes a cancer cell, how cancer progresses to a metastatic state at the molecular level and how our understanding of these mechanisms can be exploited for cancer therapy.
At the completion of their training, students will be able to design and conduct hypothesis-driven research using state-of-the-art techniques. Students will be able to critically interpret scientific literature and use effective written and oral communication to present their scientific discoveries.
The Cancer Biology program offers a "4+1" BS/MS degree in Cancer Biology and Translational Oncology, providing outstanding training opportunities at the MS level in every aspect of cancer research, from basic to translational research, to qualified Emory undergraduate students. Visit the website for application information.
Chemistry
PhD
Natural Sciences
The doctoral program in Chemistry offers a research oriented education that draws on an outstanding faculty and excellent research facilities in four major areas of concentration. Faculty engage in cutting-edge research, often in collaboration with faculty from related disciplines across the university.
In addition to the traditional disciplines of chemistry, we have strong research programs in interdisciplinary areas including biomaterials, organometallic chemistry, medicinal and bioorganic chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, and various collaborations of computational chemistry with each of these areas. Chemistry at Emory is a thriving research community, working on the frontiers of the field with state-of-the-art techniques and equipment.
Graduate Program Administrator
Kat Williams
Questions about applying to the PhD program?
Clinical Research
Master
Natural Sciences
For application deadlines, visit the program's website, and click on "Training Resources."
The Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR) program provides didactic and mentored clinical and translational research training designed for participants who hold a doctoral or equivalent degree and have demonstrated a commitment to a career in clinical investigation. Pre-doctoral (medical or graduate) students may apply to the MSCR through the TL1-Medical Scientist Training Program (dual degree program).
Investigators undertaking clinical and translational research must couple their knowledge of medicine and biology with analytic sciences including statistical reasoning, decision analysis, probability theory, analytical epidemiology, and informatics. They must also have an understanding of the principles of evidence-based medicine, implementation science, bioethics, clinical trial design, regulations involving human subjects and animals, scientific and grant writing, and responsible conduct of research.
Comparative Literature
PhD, Certificate
Humanities
The Comparative Literature program offers students a wide-ranging theoretical and interdisciplinary curriculum that prepares them to engage in research and teaching across traditional disciplinary boundaries and to interrogate the definition of the literary itself. Teaching faculty are drawn from departments throughout the University, representing a variety of literatures and related disciplines.
- We emphasize the primary expertise and goals of Comparative Literature: close reading and deep knowledge of literary theory, employed to compare literatures in different languages across national boundaries and to engage in theoretical explorations across disciplinary boundaries such as psychoanalysis and philosophy.
- We recognize the crucial significance of engaging “languages” more broadly defined, including, for instance, those languages or symbolic systems that are central to developments in the sciences and in technology.
- We encourage innovative theoretical reflection across linguistic and disciplinary boundaries, that grounds the work of comparison in theoretical rigor and in close reading, paying vigilant attention to the intricacies and performative powers of language.
Computer Science and Informatics
PhD
Natural Sciences
The Computer Science and Informatics PhD Program’s (CSI) is a joint program of the departments of Computer Science, Biomedical Informatics, and Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and is designed around these departments’ broad research strengths in computing and informatics. The program is distinguished by its interdisciplinary nature and has collaborations with Emory’s computational and discrete mathematics faculty, departments of physics, biology, psychology, and chemistry, and highly regarded schools of medicine, nursing, and public health. Aimed at educating the next generation of computer scientists and informaticists, the PhD is suitable for those wishing to pursue careers in academics, industry, government, or healthcare.
Computer Science
Master
Natural Sciences
The MS in Computer Science is suited to individuals with an undergraduate degree in computer science or mathematics with computational experience. Those obtaining the degree may pursue careers in industry or enter a Ph.D. program in Computer Science.
Data Science (DATASCIMS)
Master
Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences
The Data Science graduate program is designed for the next generation of data technicians. Featuring a rigorous curriculum and hands-on training in causal inference, research design, and technical communication, the Data Science MS is completed over the course of 12 months and intended for those who are dedicated to being responsible, data-driven decision-makers.
Data Science graduate students will engage with standard quantitative techniques, including data management, predictive modeling, and causal analysis, while also highlighting the ethical concerns related to bias, social responsibility, and privacy. These skills are further developed through an intensive technical writing course and capstone research project where students learn how to ask the right questions, unpack the data to answer those questions, and then convey the results in written and oral form to technical and non-technical audiences.
The Data Science MS creates researchers who recognize the underlying issues and advocate for the right approach. As such, graduates will be poised to contribute within a breadth of career paths in every field.
Development Practice
Master
Social Sciences
The Master's in Development Practice (MDP) program at Emory combines experiential learning and field-based practicum with rigorous academic training in a broad range of disciplines to meet the challenge of sustainable development. This integrated approach aims to produce a new generation of development professionals - prepared and committed to serving as catalysts to vulnerable people's own efforts to pursue livelihood security, economic opportunity, and meaningful empowerment.
Emory's MDP program is a two year course of study and practice that builds on an organic fusion of core scientific disciplines, development themes, and pragmatic skills. The program capitalizes on its partnership with prestigious development-oriented institutions, like CARE, the Carter Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These partners' global reach, and the grassroots experience of collaborating organizations in the global South, will provide students with invaluable exposure to the way development practitioners operate in the real world and with a perspective on the different institutional contexts in which they will serve after completion of their degrees.
Digital Scholarship and Media Studies
Certificate
Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences
In research institutions across the world, advanced technologies, computer hardware, software, and networks are significantly affecting the nature of scholarly exchange and collaboration. Emory’s four-course DSMS certificate program offers graduate students in the humanities and social sciences a way to enhance their knowledge, teaching skills, and career prospects in digital scholarship.
Economics
PhD
Social Sciences
Emory’s doctoral program in Economics puts students on the “intellectual frontier” by introducing them to the leading-edge theories and techniques in the Economics profession. With this training, students can actively investigate research questions they find of particular interest and importance. Our graduates are well prepared for research positions in industry, government, and research organizations, as well as for careers as productive scholars and effective teachers at colleges and universities.
The hallmark of our program is close interaction between faculty and students. Classes are small and interactive, and students have the opportunity to obtain a deep understanding of the material presented in class. Many students write research papers with the faculty, and in some cases this work develops into part of the dissertation. Other joint work stands alone, and is submitted to academic journals for publication. Almost all of this work is presented in the weekly departmental research seminar.
Economics
Master
Social Sciences
The Department of Economics is pleased to announce a new master of science program. The curriculum combines economic theory, quantitative methods, econometrics, and data analytics. We call it “Econolytics”.
The benefits of the MS degree:
- Stem-designated master’s program
- Degree earned in one year
- World class faculty
- Innovative curriculum
- Learn skills that prepare students for highly coveted analytical jobs
- Post graduation work opportunities for international students.
Applications for Summer 2025 admission are now open.
Director of Graduate Study
Kaiji Chen
Program Administrator
Tracie Hinnant
English
PhD, Certificate
Humanities
Emory’s doctoral program in English offers an environment that is both intellectually rigorous and collegial, a place where graduate students learn from faculty conducting cutting-edge research, and grow to become researchers and teachers in their own right. We are committed to a thriving and genuine intellectual community that supports rigorous work in fields across English and into other fields and disciplines.
With approximately 30 faculty members, we are large enough to support a full range of interests in literary and cultural studies, and small enough that our students enjoy ample access to faculty. In our PhD program, students work closely with faculty members to craft programs of study that reflect their individual interests while also exposing them to the historical and geographical range of English Studies.
We strongly support innovative work that crosses disciplinary boundaries. Our graduate students frequently enroll in courses in other programs such as Comparative Literature, Film and Media Studies, Psychoanalytic Studies, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Bioethics. Several of these programs offer organized sequences of courses that lead to a graduate certificate in the field. In addition, our students have opportunities to collaborate with cross-departmental initiatives such as the Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture; Irish Studies; and Emory’s Disability Studies initiative. Library resources including the world-renowned rare book and manuscript collections of the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book library and the Pitts Theology Library.
Environmental Health Sciences
PhD
Natural Sciences
The PhD program in Environmental Health Sciences seeks to improve human health by better understanding the impact of environmental factors in the development of disease. Graduate students will receive comprehensive training to become fluent in population and laboratory-based research in environmental health science by bridging the interdisciplinary areas of human populations and laboratory-based toxicological and analytical chemistry research.
Students will work with faculty whose research and expertise in air pollution, neurological disorders, global environmental health, pesticides, disease ecology, and exposure assessment have made the Department of Environmental Health a global leader in environmental health research. Due to their close proximity to Emory, students will also have access to global health institutions and partners such as the CDC, the Carter Center and CARE.
Environmental Sciences and Society
PhD
Social Sciences, Natural Sciences
Through co-mentoring & experiential cross-training in applied natural & social sciences, we will prepare alumni of this program to lead efforts to address environmental facets of the sustainability crisis (i.e., mitigating & responding to climate change & biodiversity loss, preventing future pandemics & mitigating environmentally mediated diseases, transforming urban development & agriculture with sustainability and justice at the core). Students will pursue actionable research to address environmental issues and their associated complex challenges through an integrated interdisciplinary applied perspective. Major areas of research pursued by our graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty mentors include:
- Global Environmental Change
- Sustainability Science & Policy
- Planetary Health
- Climate Science & Policy
- Environmental Justice
- Ecosystem Management
Director of Graduate Studies
Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec
Program Administrator
Alicia Graham
Epidemiology
PhD
Natural Sciences
The Epidemiology program trains future leaders in public health. Our curriculum is grounded in the methodologies of epidemiology and biostatistics enabling graduates to contribute new thinking to the field. These methodologies are applied to a broad range of clinical and public health concerns domestically and globally, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, environmental exposures, infectious diseases, and reproduction.
Our graduates leave with strong methodological skills, poised to expand the scientific knowledge of the nature of disease in human populations by developing new theories and testing those theories through epidemiologic studies. They are well prepared for positions in academia, government, or private industry.
We are committed to a vision of epidemiology as more than a career for the disciplined mind. Epidemiology is a profession where one works collaboratively with others to solve real-world problems. It is a field for researchers who are concerned for others and seek to contribute to the betterment of mankind.
French
PhD, Certificate
Humanities
The French department offers a doctoral program with a strong critical, cultural, and historical orientation. In addition to their respective specialties in French and Francophone literature, the faculty pursue research in related disciplines such as philosophy, aesthetics, psychoanalysis, rhetoric, intellectual history, and postcolonial studies.
Our interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to train teachers and researchers who:
- understand the nature of French literature and the theoretical idioms that inform and shape our understanding of that literature;
- are acquainted with the critical tradition, especially the main currents of continental theory that have in recent decades oriented literary critical studies in America;
- are familiar with current developments in the field of criticism, such as the rise of cultural studies; and
- know the fundamentals of second language acquisition and technology-aided instruction.
Graduate courses reflect the faculty’s interest in viewing French literature from multi-disciplinary critical approaches, emphasizing both the close reading of texts and modern theories of interpretation. Through cooperation with programs in Comparative Literature, Philosophy, Women’s Studies and Film Studies, students can readily incorporate an interdisciplinary focus into their coursework and dissertation.
Genetics and Molecular Biology (GDBBS)
PhD
Natural Sciences
Today, the opportunities in the fields of genetics and molecular biology are amazing. The wealth of genetic information and the potential to use this information for developing novel medical therapies and diagnostic procedures is unprecedented. With this in mind, the goal and philosophy of the doctoral program in Genetics and Molecular Biology is to provide both in-depth training in a core area of genetics and molecular biology and broad-based training in the related disciplines of biochemistry, cell biology, statistics, and bioinformatics. This combined education is designed to develop the scientific leaders of the 21st century.
Research Foci:
- Regulation of Gene Expression
- Genetics of Development and Differentiation
- Cancer Genetics and Human Disease
- Human and Medical Genetics
- Bioinformatics and
- Comparative Genomics
- Genome Stability, Replication, and Repair
Within these areas, model genetic system— bacteria, yeast, C. elegans, Drosophila, zebrafish, and the mouse — are used to explore genetic and molecular biology principles.
Genetics and Molecular Biology (GMB) is one of eight interdisciplinary PhD programs in the Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (GDBBS).
Global Health and Development
PhD
Social Sciences, Natural Sciences
This new PhD offering is one of the only programs globally that specifically offers a doctoral degree in Global Heath and Development. Distinct program advantages include:
- a specific focus on interrelationships between global health and other components of development (e.g. education, urban growth),
- deep learning in ethics and leadership,
- rigorous training in implementation science and interventions, and
- an explicit recognition that field training can be local or global. Moreover, Emory’s strong collaborative ties and engagement of experts based in non-academic settings, such as CARE, The Carter Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer our students unparalleled opportunities for training with experts who are engaged in designing and implementing programs and policies that influence global health and development. These are innovations in training that leverage the expertise of our faculty and our partnerships that are not explicitly emphasized at other institutions in the US or abroad.
The goal of this program is to train leaders and scholars who use science to improve public health policy and practice for underserved populations globally. Graduates will acquire a solid understanding of the theoretical frameworks of implementation science and relevant methodological skills required to guide programs and policies that are designed to improve health outcomes in a variety of settings across the globe.
Training will provide students with deep and broad expertise in the field of global health and development, creativity to cross discipline boundaries, courage to challenge convention, and confidence to ask unexpected questions and articulate bold new perspectives.
Training faculty include 47 core faculty members and 10 affiliated faculty members who are based at several partner institutions such as the Carter Center and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The core faculty have primary appointments in the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory School of Medicine, Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Goizueta School of Business, Nell Hodgson School of Nursing and Emory Law School and represent a wide variety of disciplines.
Health Services Research and Health Policy
PhD
Social Sciences
Emory’s Health Services Research and Health Policy (HSRP) program trains students to undertake original research, relying on social science theory and using sophisticated empirical analyses, to evaluate current issues in health policy. Our program combines a strongly interdisciplinary and policy-oriented public health approach with rigorous social science training in either economics or political science. We train future researchers and policy analysts for positions in academia, in industry, in research and consulting organizations, in government, and in non-profits focused on health policy and health services research. The HSRP program brings together academic knowledge with applied research aimed at improving the delivery and management of health care services.
Research interests of faculty in the Department of Health Policy and Management include the costs of chronic conditions and obesity, measuring outcomes in cardiac care, structuring health insurance markets, health reform in the U.S. and in Europe, and the impact of cancer screening on patient outcomes. The program also benefits from collaboration with several faculty members in the Department of Economics who specialize in the economics of health behaviors and prevention. Our program is closely aligned with Emory's Center on Health Outcomes and Quality and Emory's Institute for Advanced Policy Solutions.
Hispanic Studies
PhD, Certificate
Humanities
The interdisciplinary PhD program in Hispanic Studies focuses on the language, discourse, and cultural production/practices of the Spanish-speaking societies of the Americas and Spain, with the option of comparative study of the Lusophone world. The program is organized around three thematically-defined research areas:
- Narratives/performance of identity and citizenship
- Empire, colonialism, and post-coloniality
- Translating language and culture
Other key features of the program include:
- Incorporation of core faculty from diverse departments and programs (Spanish and Portuguese, History, Anthropology, English, Linguistics) along with affiliated faculty (Art History, Comparative Literature, Public Health)
- Structured yet flexible curriculum that facilitates completion of the doctorate in five years
- Pedagogical preparation: Seminar on teaching of language and culture; teaching opportunities at all levels (four courses total during five years); close mentoring
- Preparation for academic and non-academic careers with training in grant-writing, presentational skills, and long- and short-form writing
- Generous base stipend and research support
History
PhD
Social Sciences
Global History, Ancient Greece and Rome, Empire, Europe, Colonial and Post-Colonial History, United States, Slavery, Indigenous Peoples, Jewish, Environmental, Latin America, Disease and Public Health, Japan, Frontiers, China, Diasporas, India, Gender, Africa
The History Department offers a dynamic program that combines training in geographic and chronological areas with comparative, thematic, and interdisciplinary study. We provide rigorous preparation in historical scholarship and intensive training in the teaching of history. Our program cultivates a supportive and collegial academic community in which students work closely with faculty mentors. Emory’s state of the art resources and the vibrant city of Atlanta enhance students’ academic experiences and opportunities.
Doctoral candidates in History receive a broad introduction to historical scholarship and preparation in specific skills needed for research in a variety of fields, including work in affiliated departments. Students also participate in an innovative program of mentoring and teacher preparation. The program offers all incoming students with financial support for five years, including tuition, stipend, health insurance, and generous funding for research and travel. Graduates hold positions at universities, colleges, research centers, and in government in the United States and abroad.
History graduate students work closely with faculty mentors to develop a tailored program of study that combines regional and chronological specialization with training in theoretical and interdisciplinary approaches. Working with nationally and internationally recognized scholars, students build a specialized course of study that suits their interests and positions them strategically for their post-PhD careers. Our PhD’s compete successfully for highly competitive jobs, publish outstanding works, and garner the most coveted awards, including the MacArthur Fellowship “genius prize.”
The program’s strengths lie in its student-centered philosophy, flexibility, and strong relationships with other departments in the university. The size of our program facilitates close relationships with peers and faculty mentors, who produce cutting edge historical research and regularly win prestigious fellowships, such as the Guggenheim and American Council of Learned Societies Faculty Fellowships. Emory’s rich library holdings, Center for Digital Scholarship, and affiliated Carter Center broaden student opportunities to expand their research skills and experiences. The city of Atlanta – one of the most diverse and vibrant urban centers in the United States – contributes to the program’s distinctive character by virtue of its cultural offerings and resources.
Human Rights
Certificate
Humanities, Social Sciences
Institute of Human Rights
404-727-4609
Certificate director
David Davis
Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis (GDBBS)
PhD
Natural Sciences
The Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis (IMP) program offers exceptional interdisciplinary training in molecular and cellular immunology and the role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of infectious disease. The IMP program provides students with a unique opportunity to study all aspects of pathogenesis, ranging from basic immunology to the molecular biology of viral, bacterial, and protozoal pathogens.
The research programs of the faculty members use a wide range of experimental approaches in immunobiology, molecular and cell biology, pathobiology, and genetics. In addition, a number of IMP faculty work at the interface between basic and applied research (i.e., translational research).
A number of faculty in Emory’s IMP program collaborate closely with scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is located directly adjacent to Emory. The CDC is the world leader in uncovering new diseases and identifying infectious agents. It has strong basic science programs in molecular pathogenesis covering a broad range of microbes, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Several CDC scientists are faculty members in the IMP program.
Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis (IMP) is one of eight interdisciplinary PhD programs in the Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (GDBBS).
Injury and Violence Prevention
Certificate
Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences
The purpose of this program is to prepare graduate students to become leaders of injury and violence prevention within their chosen discipline by:
- Raising awareness of the importance of injury and violence prevention within the graduate student population and engaging Emory’s scholars around an issue of great relevance to society;
- Increasing the understanding of the causes, consequences and control strategies for injury and violence among students in varied disciplines;
- Educating graduate students on research design and analysis methods used to study injury and prevention;
- Exposing students to a vast network of injury experts and practitioners to aid in their professional development.
Islamic Civilizations Studies
PhD
Humanities
Islamic Civilizations Studies at Emory University offers a unified thematic approach to the global impact of Islamic civilizations. Focusing on the trans-regional and trans-national connections that have been part of Islamic civilizations from the beginning, the program promotes a multi-perspectival examination of Islamic civilizations by drawing on the multiple disciplines of Emory’s faculty.
By using a broad-based and integrated multidisciplinary approach to understanding and analyzing the Islamic world, graduates of the ICIVS program will be well prepared to assess and make sense of the momentous changes that have and are taking place in this region in a wide range of professional capacities.
Jewish Studies
Certificate
Humanities, Social Sciences
The Certificate in Jewish Studies is designed for Ph.D. students in discipline-based departments in the Laney Graduate School who wish to certify a specialization in Jewish studies. The goals of the program are:
- To provide a framework through which students may supplement their doctoral program with broad training in the data, methods, approaches, and languages of Jewish studies;
- To provide students with access to cross-disciplinary perspectives that they may not gain in their doctoral programs;
- To create, through participation in coursework and related programs, a sense of community for students working in Jewish studies;
- To facilitate mentoring and support in identifying professional opportunities such as conference attendance, for grants, fellowships, and jobs, and to prepare students for the professional culture of Jewish studies; and
- To provide a formal framework through which students may demonstrate credentials in Jewish studies for potential employers and granting agencies.
Mathematics
PhD, Master
Natural Sciences
The Mathematics graduate program offers a vital intellectual community that combines cutting-edge research with a friendly and supportive atmosphere. We have active research groups in several areas, including collaborations with faculty members from other programs and schools at Emory and with researchers at universities across the world.
The program offers two degrees in Mathematics:
- PhD in Mathematics. Our Mathematics PhD program is suitable for those wishing to pursue careers in academics or industry. Possible areas of research specialization include Algebra/Number Theory, Analysis/Geometry, Combinatorics/Graph Theory, Computational Mathematics, and Topology.
- MS in Mathematics. The degree is suited for those with an undergraduate degree in mathematics. Those obtaining the degree may pursue careers in industry or enter a Ph.D. program in Mathematics.
MD/PhD
PhD
Natural Sciences
The MD/PhD Program (Medical Scientist Training Program) provides the initial, pre-doctoral training for a career in academic medicine. It is designed to provide highly qualified students with the in-depth, high-caliber research training and medical education needed by biomedical academicians of the future.
The Emory MD/PhD Program combines a rigorous preparation in clinical medicine with interdisciplinary training in the basic sciences. The program design allows students considerable flexibility in arranging both the graduate and medical school phases of study.
The Emory MD/PhD Program provides the research training necessary to work at the forefront of a scientific field while concurrently developing outstanding clinical skills. Upon completion of the program, students receive appointments to the nation’s top residency training and post-doctoral training programs, generally receiving their first choice of appointments.
Medieval Studies
Certificate
Humanities, Social Sciences
Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (GDBBS)
PhD
Natural Sciences
The Program in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG) provides training in the study of microorganisms and the use of microbial models to investigate basic problems in molecular genetics.
Our faculty members have a wide range of expertise and interests, and our program offers a comprehensive education in the biology of microbes: bacterial genetics and physiology, microbial development, molecular biology of viruses and bacterial pathogens, mechanisms of bacterial and viral pathogenesis, molecular biology of gene regulation, antibiotic resistance, antiviral and vaccine development.
The central goal of the MMG program is to train successful independent investigators in microbiology research. We teach our students the basic principles of microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology and molecular genetics, and train our students to read the original literature and interpret it critically. Our goal is to enable our students to construct hypotheses and to design experiments using contemporary technologies to test these hypotheses. We emphasize training in effective communication, both oral and written.
The program is designed both for students interested in academic careers in teaching and research and for those interested in careers in related aspects of medicine and industry.
Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG) is one of eight interdisciplinary PhD programs in the Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (GDBBS).
Mind, Brain, and Culture
Certificate
Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences
The certificate in Mind, Brain, and Culture provides an opportunity for students to engage in a cross-disciplinary training experience to broaden their knowledge of and experience with concepts, theories, and methods pertaining to the study of mind, brain, and culture from fields outside their own. Students from any doctoral program interested in issues associated with mind, brain, culture or their intersections are eligible to pursue this certificate.
The goals of this certificate program are to (1) facilitate doctoral students’ appreciation of multi-disciplinary approaches to research in their areas of interest, (2) provide a formal means for pursuing the cross-disciplinary training experiences that many students are otherwise compelled to seek and attain in an ad hoc fashion and (3) provide a formal credential in multi-disciplinary study that will increase student marketability in an environment that increasingly values interdisciplinary.
Molecular and Systems Pharmacology (GDBBS)
PhD
Natural Sciences
The Molecular and Systems Pharmacology (MSP) graduate program at Emory University has a great deal to offer students interested in learning how the drugs of today work and how the novel therapeutics of tomorrow can revolutionize healthcare. The program also offers broad training in the biomedical sciences that prepares students for diverse careers in medical research.
Each year brings the development of exciting new therapeutics in the treatment of cancer, heart disease, AIDS, diabetes, psychiatric disorders, and other diseases. Pharmacology seeks to understand how such therapeutics work and to use this knowledge, along with techniques such as molecular modeling and computer-aided design, to develop new ideas that may lead to the revolutionary drugs of the future. Pharmacology also includes toxicology, the study of the adverse effects of certain drugs and environmental pollutants.
Emory University was recently rated by The Scientist magazine as the #1 university in the world in terms of impact in pharmacology and toxicology research. Particular strengths within the MSP program include neuropharmacology, cancer biology, AIDS research, cardiovascular pharmacology, toxicology, and chemical biology. Trends in NIH funding rank Emory among the fastest growing medical centers in the USA.
Molecular and Systems Pharmacology (MSP) is one of eight interdisciplinary programs in the Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (GDBBS).
Neuroscience (GDBBS)
PhD
Natural Sciences
Emory’s doctoral program in Neuroscience provides broad interdisciplinary doctoral training in the study of the nervous system, ranging from the molecular and cellular level to systems neurobiology covering developmental, behavioral and cognitive levels of organization.
The broad spectrum of research expertise provides our students a unique environment in which to pursue their graduate education.
The program includes over 120 neuroscientists drawn from more than 20 different departments in the University, the Medical School, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and Georgia Institute of Technology as well as collaborators from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Thus, our program provides access to excellent labs focused on a wide variety of specialties within neuroscience.
The first-year core curriculum focuses on basic cellular, molecular and systems neuroscience, coupled with research rotations that lead to selection of a thesis advisor. Subsequent years of study are flexible and can be tailored to each student’s specific interests and individualized program of study. The Program’s research enterprise is highly interactive, leading to numerous multidisciplinary collaborations between investigators and students in different research specialties. A hallmark feature of the Neuroscience Program is leveraging the strength of the Program’s interdisciplinary research breadth to generate compelling thesis projects.
Nursing
PhD
Natural Sciences
Emory’s PhD program in Nursing is committed to improving human health, the experience of health, and the provision of health care through the discovery of new knowledge and its translation into practice. The program is designed to prepare researchers who want to revolutionize health care and improve health outcomes for diverse populations.
Our PhD program is a full-time, intense learning experience designed to develop the next generation of researchers, a generation that will change the face of health care. It is built on the research strengths of its faculty in areas of the management of chronic illnesses, the biological and psychosocial bases of behavior, global health, and health care systems, with special emphases on women’s health and the health of vulnerable populations. The program is interdisciplinary, drawing on the strengths of Emory University and its partners in areas as varied as the humanities, natural and social sciences, public health, engineering, theology, law, and business.
The faculty, staff and students of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing are dedicated to the values of scholarship, leadership and social responsibility in shaping our current and future work as members of a leading private school of nursing.
Nutrition and Health Sciences
PhD
Natural Sciences
Emory’s strongly interdisciplinary doctoral program in Nutrition and Health Sciences (NHS) provides the expertise and skills necessary for original research into the relationship between nutrition and human health.
Nutritional science is an increasingly prominent aspect of biomedical science as well as public health programs and policies. Nutrition focuses on foods and nutrients — the composition of foods, the determinants and patterns of food consumption, the relation of foods consumed to physiological needs, and the fate of the nutrients in biochemical processes. Nutritional science investigates these phenomena on many levels, ranging from biochemical processes on the molecular level to population- level determinants of nutrition in the context of social environments.
Nutrition is the quintessential translational science in which discovery, development, and delivery intersect. Advances in the understanding of biochemical processes change the management of clinical disease and public health programs; clinical observations drive future research into the mechanisms of pathophysiology and disease progression; and the need for effective public health programs leads to research on behavior modification and the social processes that influence dietary habits.
Philosophy
PhD
Humanities
The Philosophy PhD program at Emory aims to produce teachers and scholars with a broad and systematic understanding of the history of philosophy. We welcome a diversity of approaches to the study of philosophy, including: analytic, continental, historical, literary, multicultural, and pragmatic. We seek to prepare our graduate students to make scholarly contributions in their areas of expertise and to become responsible members of the philosophical community.
Our department has both historical and systematic interests. We are particularly strong in four areas:
- The history of philosophy: the expertise of our faculty covers all of the canonical periods in the history of philosophy, including the Middle Ages, nineteenth-century philosophy and twentieth-century philosophy.
- Continental philosophy: several faculty members are noted for their contributions to philosophical scholarship in the continental tradition.
- Culture, history and social theory: philosophers have long emphasized the importance of society in their reflections on human existence, and our program has more faculty members working in this field than any other in the United States.
- Ethics and political philosophy: our program has expertise in a number of areas, including the American tradition, recent continental ethics, multicultural and feminist approaches, Hume’s ethics and political philosophy, and several more.
Physics
PhD
Natural Sciences
The graduate program in Physics offers a comprehensive education in physics and opportunities to engage in experimental and theoretical research with internationally-recognized groups using state of-the-art techniques and instrumentation. We also offer a collegial, supportive atmosphere, with close interactions among students, faculty and staff that are unique to a “research-1 university.”
The research in the program is focused in four principal areas, which are currently among the most active in the basic and applied physical sciences. Both experimental and theoretical research is conducted in the program in each of these areas.
- Biophysics investigates problems at the interface of physical and life sciences.
- Condensed Matter Physics and Optics group at Emory investigates nanoscale systems where surfaces, interfaces, and confinement effects result in new physical phenomena.
- Soft Matter Physics research addresses the properties of materials that display both fluid and solid behavior ("complex fluids").
- Statistical and Computational Physics addresses both equilibrium and nonequilibrium properties of condensed matter.
Physics researchers at Emory benefit from close interdisciplinary interactions and collaborations with faculty in other graduate programs and research centers at the University. The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science is located with Physics in the Math and Science Center Building, and the Department of Chemistry and the Emerson Center for Scientific Computation are located across the street. Medical and Biological Sciences researchers that are part of Emory’s renowned School of Medicine are a short walk away.
Our program awards both a PhD in Physics and a combined Physics PhD/Computational Science MS degree.
Political Science
PhD
Social Sciences
Political science aims to describe and explain the processes by which community values are translated into public choices. Political scientists use what they know about politics and political behavior to develop normative positions regarding desirable features of political systems.
The discipline covers a wide range of topic areas from the study of democratic and authoritarian institutions, the international system, local governance and policy, violent conflict, as well as the political behavior of individuals. Political science uses a diverse set of tools for descriptive and causal inference, which rely on diverse sources of evidence, including public opinion surveys, historical archives, social and lab experiments, social media, government documents, personal interviews, as well as ancient texts.
Emory's Political Science Department, consistently ranking as a top 20 department by a number of measures of faculty research productivity, trains and develops the next generation of political scientists through "learning by doing." Close faculty-student mentoring is central to our approach. With roughly thirty faculty and cohorts of about seven students per year, our high faculty-student ratio ensures that each student receives significant guidance throughout the program. Our faculty-student partnerships lead to collaboration on major research projects and published scholarly works.
Our internationally-recognized faculty, united in its emphasis on careful theory-building and rigorous empirical analysis, approach the study of politics from a variety of theoretical, normative, and methodological perspectives, all oriented toward understanding and explaining political life. They cover a wide range of scholarly interests, including conflict, political economy, judicial politics, legislative politics, executive politics, elections and voting, urban public policy, the politics of authoritarian regimes, racial and ethnic politics, the politics of Southeast Asia, gender and politics, the European Union, and political philosophy.
Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution (GDBBS)
PhD
Natural Sciences
Population biologists pursue research focused on understanding the basis, causes, maintenance, dynamics, and effects of variation in natural populations in systems ranging from viruses to humans. The focus on the use of quantitative methods and models is a strength of Emory’s program in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution (PBEE). The program in PBEE includes six main areas of inquiry, which broadly encompass major areas of research pursued by our graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty mentors. These include (in alphabetical order):
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics
- Biology of Species Interactions
- Disease Ecology
- Ecological and Evolutionary Modeling
- Genetics of Complex Traits
- Population and Comparative Genomics
The program is committed to training outstanding researchers capable of original work at the forefront of contemporary interdisciplinary biological science. Coursework provides students with the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to become successful, independent researchers. Frequent interaction between professors and students across the PBEE program facilitates an atmosphere of open discourse, cooperative research, and discovery.
Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution (PBEE) is one of nine interdisciplinary PhD programs in the Graduate Division of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (GDBBS).
Psychoanalytic Studies
Certificate
Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences
Emory University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers a certificate in psychoanalytic studies. The Psychoanalytic Studies Program (PSP) deals with the theory, application, and history of psychoanalytic thought and practice. It is not a clinical training program. Designed to give students a thorough knowledge of psychoanalysis across a range of disciplines, the certificate requires participation in series of informal talks by faculty and students, attendance at colloquia provided by faculty and psychoanalysts, completion of a four-course curriculum, preparation of a substantial paper of publishable quality and inclusion of a section on Psychoanalytic Studies in departmental doctoral examination.
The program draws faculty from Emory College, the Law School, and the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine. In addition, faculty affiliated with the Emory University Psychoanalytic Institute, the Atlanta Foundation for Psychoanalysis, and the Atlanta Psychoanalytic Society participate in the program, linking the academy with the psychiatric and psychoanalytic communities. Some psychoanalytic studies program courses enroll both analytic candidates and graduate students, fostering a rare opportunity for dialogue between traditionally disparate worlds.
The PSP students are provided a great deal of flexibility in designing courses of study to suit their unique needs and interests. Because psychoanalytic thought is not bound to one discipline, students are encouraged to cross disciplinary and intellectual boundaries.
Assistant Professor, Film & Media
Timothy Holland
Professor
Elissa Marder
404-727-0465
Assistant Professor - WGSS
Linette Park
404-727-0643
Director of Undergraduate Studies - WGSS
Elizabeth Wilson
404-727-0042
Program Administrator
Alian Teach
Psychology
PhD
Social Sciences, Natural Sciences
Our mission is to foster graduate students to become world-class researchers, scientists, and scholars who contribute knowledge and skills to the central and enduring questions of psychology. We are an open and inclusive community committed to diversity.
Our PhD Program has four concentrations to choose from. Faculty and graduate students affiliate with at least one and often two.
Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience (BSN) The study of the neural, genetic, hormonal and cognitive processes underlying behavior, in non-human animals in particular
Clinical Science (CS) The study of the assessment, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of psychopathology. The Clinical Science concentration includes a clinical training sequence designed to prepare competent clinicians who employ empirically supported assessment and treatment procedures.
Cognitive and Computational Science (CCS) The study of the conceptual and neural systems underlying human perception and cognition
Developmental Science (DS) The study of the origins of the human mind and brain over development
Religion
PhD
Humanities
The Graduate Division of Religion (GDR) prepares scholars and teachers of religion and theology, requiring mastery of a specialized field in the context of a general knowledge of the study of religion and the varieties of religious expression and practice. The GDR is unique because of the collegiality and collaboration that characterize this mix: not only faculty working with students, but also theologians working with sociologists, ethicists working with lawyers, Islamicists working with Buddhist scholars, ethnographers working with historians.
The GDR offers 9 distinct courses of study: American Religious Cultures; Ethics and Society; Hebrew Bible; Historical Studies in Theology and Religion; Jewish Studies; New Testament; Person, Community, and Religious Life; Theological Studies; West and South Asian Religions.
The GDR stands at the center of one of Emory’s deepest and broadest communities of inquiry. At Emory, religion is a major focus of interest and research for scholars not only in religion and theology, but also in such areas as African-American studies, anthropology, comparative literature, history, law, medicine, Middle Eastern studies, neurophysiology, nursing, psychology, public health, sociology, South Asian studies, and women’s studies.
The GDR brings together faculty from the Emory's Candler School of Theology and the Emory College Department of Religion.
Sociology
PhD
Social Sciences
Emory’s doctoral program in Sociology features an internationally recognized faculty dedicated to both research and teaching, to preparing students for a range of academic and research careers, to high levels of faculty-student interaction and publishing, and to extensive interdisciplinary connections.
We provide rigorous training in theory, research design, and statistics, as well as extensive preparation in these major substantive areas:
- Health: social determinants of population health; comparative health systems; relationships between health professionals and patients; self-perceptions of health and health behaviors
- Culture: mass media; religion; social change; world culture; music, literature, and the arts; popular culture; identity construction.
- Social psychology: interpersonal and group processes; status and power; racial attitudes; justice; legitimacy, emotions; identity processes, causes of crime, health and well being.
- Social inequality: education; complex organizations; work and industry; gender, race, class, and ethnicity.
We also collaborate in exploring links across these areas. Ongoing projects explore the effects of inequality on physical, mental, and social well-being, the interface between social psychology, justice, and culture; and religion as a determinant of health.
Director of Graduate Study
Irene Brown
404-727-7508
Graduate Program Administrator
Shakia Guest-Holloway
Training in Advanced Analytics to End Drug-Related Harms (TADA)
Certificate
Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences
The Training in Advanced Data Analytics to End Drug-Related Harms (TADA) program at Emory University started in 2020 as a NIH-Funded T32 training program for predoctoral fellows. It is the only program funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) specifically designed to bridge the gap between Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) and Advanced Data Science. The TADA Certificate Program was launched in 2022 to expand this opportunity to all doctoral students.
TADA’s mission is to train the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists to generate robust, actionable evidence about distributions, determinants, and prevention of substance-related harms (e.g., substance use disorders, overdoses) by integrating rigorous, theoretically sound, and ethical data science approaches with social and behavioral science approaches.
Methods include but are not limited to geospatial methods, machine learning and internet-based data analytics, as well as tools to integrate and analyze multiple large administrative datasets.
TADA Certificate Trainees will be required to:
- Complete TADA Mentee Training sessions (2 total)
- Successfully complete core TADA courses (10 credits) designed to embed data science methods into the social and behavioral science research lifecycle for SUD
- Successfully complete two (2) advanced, graduate-level courses (4 credits) in chosen methods track.
- Successfully complete one (1) SBS Research Lifecycle Course (2-3 credits):
- Trainees in SBS departments typically gain these competencies as part of their required coursework
- Data science students will use electives to fulfill this requirement with either 1) Advanced Social Epidemiology (EPI594, 3credits) or 2) Structural Interventions in Public Health. (EPI 590R, 2credits)
- Complete a TADA-Specific Individual Development Plan (IDP) and develop at least one dissertation aim focused data science + one (or same) Aim on a drug-related topic.
To be eligible for admission, students must:
- Be enrolled in any PhD program at Emory and be in good standing.
- Demonstrate interest in applying advanced data science analytics to end drug-related harms.
- Be prepared to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and learning multiple software packages used to analyze large datasets.
You are encouraged to apply for the certificate program as soon as possible in your PhD candidacy to begin to complete TADA requirements, some of which may overlap with program electives.
In addition to the certificate declaration, please follow this link to apply to the TADA program: TADA Application(v.12May2026).
Contact Marielysse Cortés mcortes@emory.edu with any questions about the application or the TADA Program.Certificate Program in Translational Science
Certificate
Natural Sciences
The Certificate Program in Translational Science is multidisciplinary program of the Emory Laney Graduate School for PhD students, Emory postdocs and faculty members who seek to conduct research at the interface between basic science and clinical medicine.
Despite the explosive growth in biomedical knowledge, it has been increasingly difficult to translate this knowledge and discovery into applications for the treatment of disease and to benefit human health. Thus, there is an urgent need to facilitate the translation of biomedical knowledge to improve human health and to address the gap between biology and medicine. This certificate program will enhance and transform translational research training for PhD students at Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Morehouse School of Medicine.
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
PhD, Certificate
Humanities, Social Sciences
The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program supports a generous and pluralistic understanding of scholarly research on women and gender in relation to other aspects of identity, including race, ethnicity, religion, class, disability, nationality, and sexuality.
Emory was the first university to offer the Ph.D. in Women's Studies, establishing its program in 1990. It remains the only Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies PhD program supported by a private institution. The WGSS emphasizes a wide interdisciplinary range of comparative feminist theories and empirical perspectives as well as grounding in traditional disciplines. Our program supports several distinctive interdisciplinary areas of study:
- Feminist and queer theory
- Race, difference, and justice
- Health, science, and embodiment theory
- Transnational, postcolonial, and political economies
The PhD program offers a great deal of flexibility in shaping a student’s curriculum and generative mentorship from diverse faculty. All students admitted to the PhD program receive full funding for five years. We also offer a graduate certificate in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies for PhD candidates from other programs at Emory.