Ph.D. in Behavioral and Social Health Sciences

At Brown University, tuition fees are 65,656 USD per year; applications for the Sep 2026 intake are due by Nov 15, 2026.

The Doctoral Program in Behavioral and Social Health Sciences is a multidisciplinary and collaborative doctoral degree focused on improving public health. Students engage in research to identify social, psychological, and behavioral risk factors for disease, understand health determinants, and develop and evaluate health-promoting interventions grounded in theory. Mastery is demonstrated through coursework, examinations, and an original dissertation.

Focus areas include addiction, health behavior and disease prevention, health equity, global public health, mindfulness.

The Ph.D. requires completion of 16 courses, with a minimum of 12 courses taken after enrollment. Students must also pass a qualifying examination and complete and defend a dissertation representing original research.

Competitive applicants typically hold a master's degree in public health or a behavioral or social science field, with quantitative coursework and research experience. Applicants must demonstrate a fit with faculty research interests, and international students whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. Required documents include transcripts, 3 letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and a CV.

For international students, tuition is well above the median for US programmes. The institution admits about 5% of applicants.

Brown University in Providence is an Ivy League research university founded in 1764, serving about 10425 students and offering 82 programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. The university’s Open Curriculum encourages intellectual freedom, enabling students to design individualized study plans, combine disciplines and learn directly from distinguished faculty. Brown blends long academic traditions with a modern emphasis on creativity, rigorous scholarship and collaborative problem solving in classrooms and labs.

Campus life is academically intense but supportive, with research opportunities across the humanities, engineering, medicine and social sciences. Undergraduates frequently join faculty labs, community initiatives and entrepreneurial projects, while the city of Providence offers cultural venues, internships and industry connections that broaden learning beyond the classroom. State-of-the-art facilities, libraries and interdisciplinary institutes support hands-on projects and entrepreneurship, and a vibrant student community fosters inclusive dialogue and extracurricular engagement.

International students benefit from dedicated advising, language assistance and a global alumni network that supports internships and careers worldwide. Brown’s focus on original inquiry cultivates critical thinking, communication and leadership skills prized by employers and graduate programs. Prospective students should emphasize curiosity, cross-disciplinary interests and collaborative experience in applications to take full advantage of Brown’s flexible curriculum, research opportunities and richly resourced campus.