Advance Your Expertise
The George Washington University's Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) degree enables health professionals from a range of backgrounds to build competencies in advanced professional practice in clinical or academic environments.
Unlike the PhD or EdD, which primarily prepares graduates for research-intensive or theory-driven roles, the online DHSc program equips practicing clinicians and educators to lead change, improve outcomes, and translate research into real-world healthcare practice. Students complete one of two tracks: Clinical Practice Leadership or Educational Practice Leadership and conduct original research to publish.
Why Should I Choose GW?
- Achieve Balance with the Online and Flexible Structure
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Designed for working professionals, the structure and format of the post-professional DHSc program incorporates projects tailored to your own work environment to balance doctoral scholarship and a full-time professional role.
- 48-Credits of Part-Time Online Courses
- Graduate in Less Than 3 Years
- Transform and Develop Your Career
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Apply skills, knowledge, and concepts directly to your real-world settings to support career advancement and transitions, and solve complex clinical or educational challenges.
- Design an Original Research Study
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Conduct meaningful research to enhance your subject-matter expertise, contribute to the evidence base, and improve healthcare.
- Join a Supportive and Experienced Interprofessional Community
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Receive one-on-one expert guidance and mentorship from dedicated faculty to directly impact your career and expand your interdisciplinary knowledge through engagement from a wide array of students in clinical or educational practice settings.
- Attend two Residency Weekends in Washington, D.C. throughout the program.
See Where DHSc Graduates Publish and Present
Alumni have recently published original manuscripts and presented work stemming from the DHSc seminar course series in a variety of fields. Below are examples:
- Journal of Dermatology for Physician Assistants
- Journal of Physical Therapy Education
- Journal of Allied Health
- The Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference
- Military Health System Research Symposium
- Journal of Transcultural Nursing
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention
- The Permanente Journal
Choose Your Degree Concentration
Tailored to your career goals, choose courses to advance your expertise and professional practice in the clinical or academic environment.
Leadership in Clinical Practice
Manage the clinical aspects of a healthcare facility and improve its outcomes. Courses include health care quality, health care research, and more.
Leadership in Educational Practice
Gain mastery of the design, implementation, and evaluation of health care programs. Courses include teaching strategies, curriculum development, and more.
Admissions requirements for the Doctor of Health Sciences - Leadership in Clinical Practice and Education program require a GW application with the following:
- Personal Statement
- Resume/CV
- Two Letters of Recommendation
- Official Transcripts
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Completed Graduate Degree in Biomedical Science or Health Science Discipline
- Leadership Series
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- HFR 8101 — Interprofessional Collaboration in Practice
- HFR 8107 — Program Theory and Health Innovations
- HFR 8116 — Academic and Clinical Leadership in the HP
- Health Practicum Series
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With an assigned mentor, complete a quality improvement project by integrating and implementing educational or clinical health professional leadership concepts and strategies into your practice environment.
- HFR 8102 — HP Practicum I
- HFR 8103 — HP Practicum II
- Research Methods Series
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Design research and study methods to address gaps in the body of health science knowledge.
- HFR 8203 — Bioethical Implications of Health Research
- HFR 8270 — Research Methods in the Health Professions I
- HFR 8271 — Research Methods in the Health Professions II
- Research Seminar Series
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With an assigned mentor, construct a significant problem statement, identify key terms, and conduct an extensive literature review relevant to the gap in the health science educational or clinical practice addressed by the problem statement, and generate a research question and protocol.
- HFR 8996 — Seminar I
- HFR 8997 — Seminar II
- HFR 8998 — Seminar III
Choose three courses for your degree concentration:
- Clinical Practice Leadership Concentration
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- HCQ 6200 — Introduction to Health Care Quality
- HCQ 6206 — Health Information, Quality and Outcomes
- HFR 8314 — Health Care Research
- HFR 8313 — Knowledge Translation in Health Care
- Educational Practice Leadership Concentration
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- HFR 8212 — Teaching Strategies in the Health Professions
- HFR 8213 — Curriculum Development in the Health Professions
- HFR 8214 — Assessment in HP Education
- HFR 8215 — Technology and Education in the Health Profession
Choose one general elective and one research elective:
- General Electives
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- HSCI 6297 — Independent Study for Health Professionals
- HFR 8315 — Healthcare Simulation in Education and Practice
- Research Electives
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- HFR 8123 — Qualitative Methods for the Health Professions
- HFR 8225 — Applied Research Design and Analysis
- HFR 8227 — Survey Methods in the Health Professions
- THS 8127 — Systematic Reviews of Health Care Innovations
The Doctorate of Health Sciences was the key to make sure that I'm always staying competitive in this field. It fit very well with my goals and my schedule – being online was a major plus for me, because it gave me the flexibility to be able to pursue it without pausing.
- Linda Monterroso, DHSc, MSHS
Our projects are all tailored to our experience in our own work environments and there's lots of discussion and collaboration online and in-person during residency weekends.
- Joshua McFarland, DHSc, MPAS, PA-C
Through this program, I've been able to collaborate with people that I would otherwise not interact with, develop deeper connections with colleagues, and engage with leadership. I'm able to put the material I am learning to practice, advancing my skills and my career, as it is directly applicable to my current role.
- Stephanie Katz, OTR/L, CHT
I chose the GW DHSc program to expand my knowledge and abilities to be an educational scholar, effective instructor, and leader in higher education. The program is very practical as I did not have to put my professional goals on-hold. I continuously applied the coursework to meet and exceed my professional objectives which kept me engaged and wanting to know more.
- Marisa Birkmeier, DPT, DHSc