Biobehavioral Health (BB H)

Biobehavioral Health (BB H)

Lynn T. Kozlowski, Head, Department of Biobehavioral Health
315 Health and Human Development Building East
814-863-7256

Degrees Conferred: Ph.D., M.S.

The Graduate Faculty

Frank M. Ahern, Ph.D. (Hawaii) Senior Research Scientist, Biobehavioral Health
Collins O. Airhihenbuwa, Ph.D. (Tennessee) Professor of Biobehavioral Health
John L. Beard, Ph.D. (Cornell) Associate Professor of Nutrition
Jordan W. Finkelstein, M.D. (NYU) Professor Emeritus of Biobehavioral Health and Human Development
Donald H. Ford, Ph.D. (Penn State) Professor Emeritus of Human Development
Carol Hancock Gold, Ph.D. (Penn State) Research Scientist
John Graham, Ph.D. (USC) Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Human Development
Douglas A. Granger, Ph.D. (California) Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Human Development and Family Studies
Byron C. Jones, Ph.D. (Arizona) Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Pharmacology
Gary King, Ph.D. (Boston) Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Laura Cousino Klein, Ph.D. (U of the Health Sciences) Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Patricia Barthalow Koch, Ph.D. (Penn State) Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Lynn T. Kozlowski, Ph.D. (Columbia U) Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Gerald E. McClearn, Ph.D. (Wisconsin) Evan Pugh Professor of Human Development and Psychology
Karl Newell, Ph.D. (U of Illinois) Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Exercise and Sport
Science; Head, Department of Exercise and Sport Science
Steven Petrill, Ph.D. (Case Western Reserve) Assistant Professor of Bibehavioral Health
Barbara J. Rolls, Ph.D. (Cambridge) Professor of Biobehavioral Health; Guthrie Chair of Nutrition
Joseph T. Stout, Ph.D. (Penn State) Research Scientist in Biobehavioral Health
Elizabeth J. Susman, Ph.D. (Penn State) Professor of Human Development and Nursing
David J. Vandenbergh, Ph.D. (Penn State) Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health
George P. Vogler, Ph.D. (Colorado) Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Sheila G. West, Ph.D. (North Carolina, Chapel Hill) Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health
Keith E. Whitfield, Ph.D. (Texas Tech) Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health; Professor in Charge of the Graduate Program
Linda Ann Wray, Ph.D. (Southern California) Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health

The graduate program in Biobehavioral Health (BB H) is an interdisciplinary graduate program provided by the College of Health and Human Development and involving faculty from its departments. The focus of the program is on the interaction of biological, behavioral, sociocultural, and environmental variables in the etiology and prevention of health problems and in the promotion of healthy human development. The program is designed to cultivate competence in basic and applied research, in the evaluation of biobehavioral health intervention strategies, and in university teaching. Graduates are prepared for research, teaching, or policy roles in health care settings, private and public research laboratories, government agencies, and universities including medical schools.

Special resources available in the college that students may draw upon and potentially participate in for their research programs include a Health and Human Development Consultation Center, Nutrition Clinic, and Speech and Hearing Clinic; Centers for Gerontology, the Study of Child and Adolescent Development, Developmental and Health Genetics, Locomotion Studies, Worksite Health Enhancement, and Developmental and Health Research Methodology; special laboratories in Behavioral Endocrinology, Biomechanics, Human Performance, Motor Behavior, and Nutrition; and extensive computer resources. Additional resources, including elaborate mainframe and super computer capabilities, are available in other parts of the University.

Admission Requirements

Scores from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), or from the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), are required for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to general Graduate School requirements stated in the GENERAL INFORMATION section of the Graduate Bulletin.

College graduates with an undergraduate or master's degree, or a health professions degree emphasizing biological and/or behavioral sciences, or an interdisciplinary program combining aspects of these will be considered for admission. Applicants should have a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 (A=4.00), an above-average score on the GRE or MCAT, and three supporting recommendations. At the discretion of the graduate program, exceptions may be made to these requirements for students with special backgrounds, abilities, and interests. Admission will be offered to candidates who are the best qualified, in the judgment of the faculty, taking all factors in to account.

Entering students should have a basic background in biological sciences, the behavioral sciences, or a combination of the two. In addition, they should have a basic background in quantitative methods. They should have competence in English, as reflected in a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 600 or above. In exceptional cases, superior students who do not meet these requirements may be admitted provisionally, while correcting their deficiencies. This must occur during their first two semesters in the program.

Master's Degree Requirements

M.S. degree candidates must take five core courses in biobehavioral health and 12 additional credits in methods individually designed in consultation with and with the approval of their adviser and committee. All M.S. degree candidates must complete a formal master's thesis or a master's paper. Candidates selecting the thesis option must complete an additional 6 credits of master's thesis research (BB H 600) for a total of 33 credits. Candidates selecting the paper option must complete an additional 6 credits of individual studies (BB H 596) in lieu of the 6 thesis credits. The master's thesis will typically describe original research. The master's paper may describe original research, but may also involve a substantial review of the literature, or a substantial description of a new research-related procedure. The choice of thesis or paper options will be made by the student in consultation with the adviser. The student's advisory committee judges the quality and acceptability of the paper or thesis. Additionally, the thesis must be submitted to, and accept by the Graduate School M.S. candidates' grade-point average of all course work through completion of M.S. degree requirements must be 3.0 or higher.

M.S. program course requirements: BB H core courses (15 credits: BB H 501, BB H 502, BB H 503, BB H 504, BB H 505); other methods courses (12 credits minimum: courses at the 400 or 500 level to be selected in consultation with the student's adviser); research credits (6 credits minimum or 6 thesis credits)

Doctoral Degree Requirements

Formal admission to the doctoral program depends on satisfactory completion of the candidacy examination. This exam is designed to assess the student's potential and academic preparation for doctoral study. The candidacy exam may be given after at least 18 credits have been earned in graduate courses beyond the baccalaureate and must be completed no completed no later than the end of the third semester (summer sessions do not count).

Communication and Language Requirement. Doctoral students must demonstrate competency in spoken English as judged by the faculty and in technical writing as demonstrated in research papers and/or publications. In addition, they must demonstrate competence in one of the following areas: (1) a foreign language; (2) computer science; (3) college teaching; (4) logic or philosophy of science.

Other Requirements. All students must take five core courses in Biobehavioral Health and 12 additional credits in research methods individually designed in consultation with and with the approval of the student's adviser and committee to develop doctoral-level competence in biobehavioral health and one or more related specialized areas.

NEUROSCIENCES OPTION

1. The student must meet the criteria for the Ph.D. in Biobehavioral Health. It is anticipated that most students in the Neurosciences option will have requirements to take BB H 503 waived with the approval of their adviser.

2. Neuroscience option.

3. In addition to the requirements of the Biobehavioral Health program, the student must take the requirements of the IBIOS Neurosciences Option.

Courses are to be distributed as follows:

Year 1

Fall Semester: BB H/BIOL 469, B M B graduate-level biochemistry course, BB H 501, BB H 505, IBIOS 590, IBIOS 596

Spring Semester at College of Medicine: CMBIO 540, IBIOS 590, IBIOS 596, IBIOS 597, NEURO 511, NEURO 521

Year 2

Fall Semester: BB H 502, IBIOS 596, IBIOS 597A, IBIOS 602, NEURO 523

Spring Semester: BB H 504, IBIOS 596, IBIOS 602, NEURO 523

Years 3-5

IBIOS 595 (optional), IBIOS 601

4. Any other course work or training deemed appropriate by the student's committee.

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 599 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

BIOBEHAVIORAL HEALTH (BB H) course list

The University reserves the right to change the requirements and regulations listed here and to determine whether a student has satisfactorily met its requirements for admission or graduation, and to reject any applicant for any reason the University determines to be material to the applicant's qualifications to pursue higher education. Nothing in this material should be considered a guarantee that completion of a program and graduation from the University will result in employment.

This electronic Graduate Bulletin is a version of the official bulletin of The Pennsylvania State University. It is suggested that users refer to this electronic bulletin when seeking the latest information about the University's academic programs and courses. Printed versions of the Bulletin are also official copies of the programs, courses, and policies in effect at the time of printing.

DATE LAST REVIEWED BY THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: 5/21/04

DATE LAST REVIEWED BY PUBLICATIONS: 7/9/07 (link check)