Doctor of Health Science

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[edit] Doctor of Health Science ( DHSc.)

The Doctor of Health Science degree was created in Europe and Australia. It is a post-professional doctorate and was usually awarded after completion of coursework and research to clinicians who do not hold the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree. In Europe and Australia, the degree is awarded after completion of two to three years of coursework and research beyond the Masters degree. The degree found its place in the United States in early 2000 with the first "Doctor of Health Science" degree offered to Physical Therapists by the University of St. Augustine in Florida, USA (http://www.usa.edu/history.htm). Concurrently, another program was developing at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (http://www.nova.edu/dhs/). Nova Southeastern graduated its first class of Doctor of Health Science students in 2003. In 2008, A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Health Sciences in Mesa, Arizona (http://www.atsu.edu/ashs/online_programs/DHsc/index.htm) became the second university offering this degree. While there are very few Doctor of Health Science programs in the United States, these two programs are the only unifying Doctorates open to Masters educated clinicians from all disciplines. Like its European counterparts, the degree requires two to three years of coursework and research beyond the Masters credential.