Doctor of Health Sciences Degree Online

• Health Sciences Purpose/Mission/Values +

  • DHSc Program Purpose Statement

    The Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) program provides a rigorous interdisciplinary education for healthcare professionals, preparing students to be effective leaders and change agents in a variety of health settings. The program offers innovative curriculum in a flexible, asynchronous format to best meet student needs. Courses are facilitated by experienced faculty through an interdisciplinary and interprofessional approach. Coursework prepares students to critically analyze ongoing domestic and global challenges of access, cost, education and quality in healthcare, and builds competencies to skillfully evaluate, plan and implement solutions to these challenges.

    DHSc Vision

    The DHSc program has adopted the vision statement of the College of Graduate Heath Studies, adapting it to the program:

    The DHSc program will be the preeminent online program for leaders in the health professions. We will provide a contemporary and flexible curriculum that empowers our students to translate knowledge to meet the growing needs of domestic and global health and wellness.

    DHSc Values

    The DHSc program has adopted the values of the College of Graduate Health Studies:

     
    • Leadership: We value leadership development for our students, faculty, and staff and encourage participation in community and professional service.
     
    • Integrity: We value the highest ethical principles of fairness and honesty in all of our interactions.
     
    • Scholarship: We value critical thinking and the generation of ideas through innovation and analysis.
     
    • Diversity: We value differences among people and their personal and professional perspectives.
     
    • Interprofessional education: We value the combined contributions of our educational community and work to achieve an environment of teamwork and collaboration.
     
    • Innovation: We value a continual and aggressive push to develop new and efficient mechanisms for learning, teaching, and technological delivery.

    DHSc Goals

    Goals of the DHSc program are to provide an online environment that:

     
    1. Promotes diversity of student experiences
     
    2. Fosters student success
     
    3. Honors professionalism and ethical practice
     
    4. Supports a curriculum that develops critical and analytical thinking skills through an integrative approach of instruction, research, and evidence-based resources
     
    5. Promotes and supports excellence in faculty performance in teaching, scholarship, and service

    DHSc Outcomes

     
    1. Demonstrate advanced knowledge in health sciences fields, scholarship, and evidence-based practice.
     
    2. Demonstrate knowledge and skills for designing, conducting, analyzing and disseminating health sciences research.
     
    3. Demonstrate knowledge in critical analytical thinking skills in foundational areas of health sciences.
     
    4. Demonstrate advanced and effective skills in communication, professionalism, ethical practice, systematic thought, and writing.

• University Catalog+

  • 

    The ATSU Doctor of Health Sciences degree post-professional program offers focused, interprofessional learning in a flexible, online environment tailored for busy healthcare professionals. The online health science degree is achievable in three years, has various areas to concentrate learning and 100 percent of study can be completed online.

    Read the University Catalog to learn more about the Doctor of Health Sciences online program and university.

• Accreditation +

  • A.T. Still University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission

    230 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500,
    Chicago, IL 60604

    Phone: 800.621.7440 | Fax: 312.263.7462
    Email: info@hlcommission.org

    hlcommission.org

• Career Advancement+

  •    
    • Academic Educator
     
    • Athletic Trainer
     
    • Counselor
     
    • Dental Hygienist
     
    • Dietitian
     
    • Health Specialist
     
    • Healthcare Administrator
     
    • Healthcare Consultant
     
    • Pharmaceutical Researcher
     
    • Medical Technician
     
    • Registered Nurse

     

     
    • Occupational Therapist
     
    • Paramedic
     
    • Pharmacist
     
    • Physical Therapist
     
    • Physician
     
    • Physician Assistant
     
    • Psychologist
     
    • Public Health Administrator
     
    • Respiratory Therapist
     
    • Social Worker
     
    • Speech Pathologist

     

• Student Insights +

  • I think what best summarizes my choice of the DHSc was its direct relation to health sciences as opposed to some of the more arcane disciplines inherent in many PhD programs. This is not an exercise in merely obtaining a doctorate degree but in obtaining a degree which can actually further my educational and professional goals.
    ~Mark, ATSU DHSc student
    
    The DHSc is the best of both worlds. It is the integration of both research and practice. It is the focus on applied research with the end goal to affect the delivery of healthcare.
    ~Melanie, ATSU DHSc student
    
    I wanted more of a liberal and critical preparation approach to academics. The DHSc fits the need. It prepares us for clinical continuation, but has the applied portions of thinking infused with research.
    ~Debbie, ATSU DHSc student

Doctor of Health Sciences Degree Faculty

• Dean +

  • • Don Altman, DDS, DHSc, EdD, MPH, MBA, MA
      Dean
      
      

      Don Altman, DDS, DHSc, EdD, MPH, MBA, MA, is the Dean of the College of Graduate Health Studies (CGHS) at A.T. Still University (ATSU). He also serves as director of public health at ATSU’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH). Dr. Altman has been with ATSU since October 2006.

      Dr. Altman graduated from the University of Texas Dental Branch (DDS) in 1983. He completed his Master of Public Health degree at the University of Texas School of Public Health in 1989 and became Board Certified in Dental Public Health in 1999. Dr. Altman completed his MBA at the University of Phoenix (2002) and a MA in Bioethics from Midwestern University (2004). He graduated with a Doctor in Health Science (DHSc) degree in March 2012 from the Arizona School of Health Sciences at A.T. Still University (ATSU-ASHS) and his EdD from Southern New Hampshire University in March 2016.

      Dr. Altman has worked for The City of Houston, the State of Texas, the State of Arizona, as well as The Principal Financial Group. Dr. Altman’s public health experience includes: serving as President of the Arizona State Board Dental Examiners; serving as President of the Arizona Public Health Association; volunteering with Health Volunteers Overseas (Cambodia and Vietnam); Director of the National Oral Health Leadership Institute; and serving as the Consumer Representative to the Dental Products Panel for the Food and Drug Administration. On May 1, 2012 he was appointed as a Director to The American Board of Dental Public Health and is currently the president.

      Dr. Altman’s research interests are currently centered on public health and higher education. He has published articles in the Journal of Dental Education, Journal of the American Dental Association, Public Health Reports, Special Care in Dentistry, and Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology.

• Associate Dean Academics and Assessment +

  • • Jim Farris, PT, PhD
      
      

      Jim Farris, PT, PhD, is the associate dean for academics and assessment in A.T. Still University’s College of Graduate Health Studies (ATSU-CGHS). Dr. Farris earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1987, and master’s degree in exercise science in 1989, both from California State University, Fresno; as well as a bachelor’s degree in physical therapying 1999 from Arkansas State University. His doctoral degree was conferred by The Ohio State University in 1995, where his studies focused on exercise physiology and nutrition. His current scholarship efforts are aimed at cardiopulmonary fitness throughout the lifespan.

      He joined ATSU in 2009, started his associate dean role in 2020, and is now in his 25th year of higher education and administration. Dr. Farris has over a decade of academic administration and assessment experience as a department chair and has strived for overall educational excellence in that role. He completed the American Physical Therapy Association’s Education Leadership Institute Fellowship, is an Educational Leadership Institute Fellow, and has served on the board of directors for the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy before joining ATSU-CGHS.

      He enjoys serving the community, and one our nation’s most underserved populations, through his role as a clinical director for the FUNfitness program that is part of the Special Olympics Healthy Athlete’s program. His home is in the west where outdoor activity and sunshine is abundant. Work-life integration is a goal and he “sharpens the saw” through golfing, cycling, fishing, hiking, cooking, brewing, and yardwork.

• Chair and Associate Professor +

  • • Kathleen DiCaprio, PhD
      
      

      Kathleen DiCaprio, PhD, has been named chair for the Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) program in the ATSU College of Graduate Health Studies. She previously served as an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York, as well as the director of content development and education at Oceania University of Medicine. In addition, she served as an instructor and curriculum consultant for Kaplan Medical.

      Dr. DiCaprio has a history of teaching undergraduate, graduate, and medical courses in areas related to infectious diseases and infection control, immunology, public health, and emergency preparedness. She comes to ATSU with an impressive history as a faculty member and administrator in higher education of the medicine and the health sciences.

      Dr. DiCaprio earned her BS in biochemistry from The College of Saint Rose and her PhD in pathology from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Her prior research focused on studying pathogenesis of maximum containment (Biosafety-level 4) viruses such as Ebola and Marburg in non-human primate models. Her research efforts contributed to the development of potential vaccines and therapeutics against these deadly viruses, and her work has been profiled in numerous publications and press releases.

• Administration and Faculty +

  • • Jeffrey Alexander, PhD, FAACVPR
      Associate Professor
      Read Bio Close

      Dr. Alexander completed his doctor of philosophy degree at Arizona State University (2003) in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in exercise and wellness. He earned his Master of Science in exercise physiology from Brigham Young University and his bachelor’s degree in health promotion.

      In addition to his academic preparation, Dr. Alexander holds numerous health and fitness professional certifications; namely, Clinical Exercise Specialist® from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Consequently, Dr. Alexander has served as a personal and group fitness trainer primarily working closely with the older adult population.

    • Kathleen DiCaprio, PhD
      Associate Professor and Chair
      Read Bio Close

      Kathleen DiCaprio, PhD, has been named chair for the Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) program in the ATSU College of Graduate Health Studies. She previously served as an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York, as well as the director of content development and education at Oceania University of Medicine. In addition, she served as an instructor and curriculum consultant for Kaplan Medical.

      Dr. DiCaprio has a history of teaching undergraduate, graduate, and medical courses in areas related to infectious diseases and infection control, immunology, public health, and emergency preparedness. She comes to ATSU with an impressive history as a faculty member and administrator in higher education of the medicine and the health sciences.

      Dr. DiCaprio earned her BS in biochemistry from The College of Saint Rose and her PhD in pathology from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Her prior research focused on studying pathogenesis of maximum containment (Biosafety-level 4) viruses such as Ebola and Marburg in non-human primate models. Her research efforts contributed to the development of potential vaccines and therapeutics against these deadly viruses, and her work has been profiled in numerous publications and press releases.

    • Kathleen Mathieson, PhD, CIP
      Associate Professor
      Read Bio Close

      Dr. Mathieson completed her PhD in sociology at Arizona State University, with a focus in the areas of statistics and sociology of health. Before coming to ATSU, she spent five years as a research analyst and biostatistician at Maricopa Medical Center, a 449-bed teaching hospital in Phoenix.

      While at Maricopa Medical Center, Dr. Mathieson taught research and statistics courses to medical residents in various specialties, and co-authored research articles with faculty and residents in areas such as obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine, pediatrics, family practice, and public health. Since coming to ATSU, Dr. Mathieson has collaborated on both quantitative and qualitative research projects in various programs, and has begun her own research in the area of teaching and learning. She is also interested in research ethics and is the vice-chair of the ATSU-Arizona Institutional Review Board. Dr. Mathieson enjoys working with students, particularly in the process of mentoring them through research projects.

    • Eric Matthews, PhD
      Associate Professor
      Read Bio Close

      Dr. Matthews completed his PhD in education at Southern Illinois University with an emphasis in adult and vocational/technical education (workforce education and development). He also holds graduate degrees in education (administration and supervision) and museum studies. His professional medical preparation is in the field of diagnostic imaging. Dr. Matthews is certified in diagnostic radiography, cardiovascular-interventional technology, and magnetic resonance imaging by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. Prior to coming to ATSU, he was the program director of the radiography program at Southern Illinois University.

      Dr. Matthews has taught numerous courses on medical and educational history, his primary research interest. He enjoys qualitative-historical research and has served as a subject matter expert for several state and national organizations and museums on the topic of 19th century American medicine.

    • Helen Salisbury, PhD
      Assistant Professor
      Read Bio Close

      Dr. Salisbury earned her PhD in Biopsychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she completed some of her coursework and her externship with psychiatric residents from the University Medical Center’s Medical School. While at Stony Brook, she taught Research Methods and Statistics, and worked as the project director and statistician/database manager for a large NIMH grant.

      Dr. Salisbury worked at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, as part of the Clinical Neurobiology and Bioengineering Research group, and then as the research coordinator for trauma and general surgery, where she mentored trauma surgical residents in proposing, designing, analyzing, writing, and submitting required clinical research studies for publication. Additionally, Dr. Salisbury has worked for Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn, where she was the coordinator for trauma clinical research and served on the hospital’s Scientific Review Committee. Currently, she is also on the research faculty of an online university where she reviews doctoral dissertations for appropriate research design and analyses, and is a strong proponent of distance education.

Doctor of Health Sciences Degree Admissions

• Requirements +

  •  
    1. Application:
        
       • Completed and signed admissions application along with a nonrefundable application fee.

        

    2. Academic:

        
       • An accredited degree from a university recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (bachelor’s degree for masters programs and a master’s degree for doctoral programs). Applicants who graduated from a university outside the United States may have to provide a degree equivalency evaluation.*
        
       • Official transcript from the qualifying degree-granting institution. For students using VA benefits transcripts for all institutions attended are required.
        
       • Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) at the qualifying degree institution.
        
       • Some degree programs may require experience or credentialing relevant to the field.

        

    3. Elements of Success:

        
       • A current resume.
        
       • Completion of an essay.
        
       • English Proficiency **
        
       • Meet technology requirements.***

        

    *Applicants who have graduated from a foreign college or university should submit acceptable evidence of U.S. degree/course equivalency. All course work taken at the foreign institution must be evaluated for American institution equivalence by one of the following services:

     
    • World Education Services P.O. Box 5087 Bowling Green Station New York, NY 10274-5087 p: (212) 966-6311 f: (212) 739-6139 info@wes.org
     
    • Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. P.O. Box 514070 Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470 (414) 289-3400
     
    • American Assn. of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 520 Washington, DC 20036-1135 (202) 293-9161
     
    • Josef Silny & Associates, Inc. International Education Consultants 7101 SW 102 Avenue Miami FL 33173 p: (305) 273 -1616 f: (305) 273 -1338 info@jsilny.com
     
    • Intl. Education Research Foundation, Inc. PO Box 3665 Culver City, CA 90231-3665 (310) 258-9451

     

    **Applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in English when applying to A.T. Still University’s College of Graduate Studies. Written and spoken proficiency in the English language may be demonstrated by one of the following options:

     
    • Option 1 - English is your first language.
     
    • Option 2 - Graduated from a regionally accredited four year college/university in the United States with a BA/BS or graduate degree.
     
    • Option 3 - You are demonstrating your English proficiency by submitting acceptable scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

    Acceptable minimal scores for CGHS applications are:
    The Computer Based Test (CBT), Internet Based Test (iBT), or the Paper Based Test (PBT) are accepted. The following are the minimum required score based on test type:

     
    • CBT - minimum total score of 213 Minimum of 22/Reading Skills section | Minimum of 26/Writing Skills section
     
    • iBT - minimum total score of 80 Minimum of 22/Reading Skills section | Minimum of 24/Writing Skills section
     
    • PBT - minimum total score of 550 Minimum of 57/Reading Skills section | Minimum of 61/Writing Skills section

    The TOEFL is administered by TOEFL/TSE Services, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ, 08541-6151, USA 609. 771.7100. A.T. Still University’s institutional code is 0339. Please be sure to include this information when you submit your application packet. TOEFL Educational Testing Services P.O. Box 6151 Princeton, NJ 08541-6151, 609.771.7100
    ***ATSU technology requirements

     

• Application +

  • 

    Apply Now

    Review application deadline dates

    For additional information contact an Enrollment Counselor:
    877.626.5577 or cghsonlineadmissions@atsu.edu

• Tuition+

  • Review tuition and fees for Doctor of Health Sciences program. Please note tuition and fees are subject to change.

• Request Information+

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    Submit an inquiry for more information on your program of interest.

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    800 W. Jefferson Street
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    Phone: 877.626.5577
    cghsonlineadmissions@atsu.edu

• Financial Aid+

  • Federal financial assistance is available for qualifying students. For information about financial aid, visit ATSU’s Enrollment Services online or contact them at 866.626.2878 ext. 2019 or by email at enrollmentservices@atsu.edu.

Doctor of Health Sciences Curriculum Overview