Doctoral Study Alongside Your Job
Best Part-Time DHSc Programs for Working Professionals
Part-time DHSc programs work only when the term schedule works with your job. The number of courses, their meeting times, and the project you must complete matter more than an online label. A program can be entirely online and still make a particular semester difficult to combine with clinical shifts.
This comparison covers two programs explicitly described as part time by their universities, Chatham and MCPHS, and a separate reduced-load option at Radford. We compare the published schedules without assigning numerical ranks to unlike enrollment plans. Start with the plan that fits your available study time, then confirm the dates for your intended cohort.
Last updated
Compare Part-Time DHSc Programs and Course Loads
| University and Program | Published Details | Decision to Make |
|---|---|---|
| Chatham UniversityDoctor of Health Science | Format: Online, Part Time Credits: 30–36, Depending on Approved Credit Published Pace: 16–20 Months Load: Up to Two Courses at a Time | Confirm the credit decision and the capstone timetable before using the shortest published duration. |
| MCPHS UniversityDoctor of Health Sciences | Format: Online, Part Time Credits: 36 Published Pace: Six Consecutive Semesters Load: Two Three-Credit Courses per Semester | Part-time enrollment still requires continuous progress through the scholarship sequence. |
| Radford UniversityDoctor of Health Sciences | Format: Online; Reduced Load Permitted Credits: 42 Standard Plan: Seven Sequential Semesters Scheduling Rule: Courses Usually Offered Once per Year | Reducing the course load can lengthen the degree by more than a single semester. |
The entries compare different enrollment schedules. Read the individual explanation before treating credit totals or completion times as equivalent.
Chatham University
Doctor of Health Science
- Format
- Online, Part Time
- Credits
- 30–36, Depending on Approved Credit
- Published Pace
- 16–20 Months
- Load
- Up to Two Courses at a Time
Chatham is the direct fit if you want a university-defined part-time DHSc. Its published plan runs four to five terms, with up to two courses at a time. Licensed healthcare professionals may receive up to six credits toward the 36-credit program, which explains the 30-credit route. That reduction depends on eligibility rather than on choosing to study part time.
The final work is an applied capstone connected to healthcare practice. Before enrolling, ask when you'll need a project site and whether your workplace can support it. A short overall calendar leaves less room to delay a course or postpone project approval.
Consider This If: A healthcare professional seeking an explicitly part-time online plan.
Plan Around: Confirm the credit decision and the capstone timetable before using the shortest published duration.
Read Chatham University's Doctor of Health Science DetailsMCPHS University
Doctor of Health Sciences
- Format
- Online, Part Time
- Credits
- 36
- Published Pace
- Six Consecutive Semesters
- Load
- Two Three-Credit Courses per Semester
MCPHS gives you a concrete workload to discuss with your manager: two three-credit courses per term across six consecutive semesters. One course follows the scholarship sequence while the other addresses the core or a concentration. Fall and spring starts provide more than one entry point into the academic calendar.
Its evidence-based healthcare capstone develops alongside the program's applied focus. The Teaching and Learning in the Health Professions and Population Health concentrations also let you test whether the coursework matches the job you want. Ask how course deadlines, faculty meetings, and project reviews fall within a typical term.
Consider This If: You prefer a regular six-credit term rather than a variable pace.
Plan Around: Part-time enrollment still requires continuous progress through the scholarship sequence.
Read MCPHS University's Doctor of Health Sciences DetailsRadford University
Doctor of Health Sciences
- Format
- Online; Reduced Load Permitted
- Credits
- 42
- Standard Plan
- Seven Sequential Semesters
- Scheduling Rule
- Courses Usually Offered Once per Year
Radford is a reduced-load comparison, not a separate branded part-time track. Its standard plan uses two courses per semester, but the program says students may take one. The important tradeoff is annual course availability: postponing a fall course can mean waiting until the next fall.
You also need to coordinate the applied scholarly project with that revised sequence. Ask an adviser to put the full reduced-load plan in writing, including project terms. Radford's current notice says fall 2026 capacity has been reached and directs prospective students toward fall 2027.
Consider This If: You want an adviser-approved slower route and can plan around annual course offerings.
Plan Around: Reducing the course load can lengthen the degree by more than a single semester.
Read Radford University's Doctor of Health Sciences DetailsHow We Selected These Part-Time DHSc Programs
We checked the universities' official descriptions on September 17, 2026. Chatham and MCPHS explicitly identify part-time formats. Radford explicitly permits a reduced course load, so it appears as a labeled alternative. An online delivery statement or a claim that a program suits working adults is not enough to establish formal part-time enrollment.
This is a schedule comparison, not an ordinal ranking. We don't use an institution's undergraduate completion rate to infer whether a working DHSc student will finish. For the wider selection process, read our DHSc comparison methodology. If you need to eliminate travel first, use the no-campus-visits ranking.
Plan the Hardest Term Before You Apply
Ask for a current sample syllabus and a term-by-term plan. Put live sessions, major assignments, and project meetings on the same calendar as your shifts. Then decide which blocks you can protect every week. A repeating schedule is easier to negotiate with an employer than a general promise to study in your spare time.
The final project can require access to people, records, or an organization even when the classes are online. Identify who can authorize that access and who supervises your work. Ask how the university handles a change of employer during the project. The DHSc capstone examples show how the type of project changes the access you need.
Compare the Financial Effect of Studying More Slowly
Request a program-level cost estimate based on your actual course load and approved credits. Add mandatory fees charged each term and any continuation charges during project work. A slower plan can preserve income while adding terms of enrollment, so tuition per credit alone doesn't settle the choice.
Discuss employer reimbursement before your first course starts. Find out whether approval is needed in advance, when reimbursement arrives, and whether you must remain employed afterward. Compare that written policy with the school's payment dates rather than assuming the two will line up. Our DHSc affordability comparison is a starting point for asking program-specific cost questions.
Choose a Part-Time DHSc Around Your Career Goal
A part-time schedule makes the degree attendable; it doesn't decide which concentration prepares you for the work you want. A clinician moving into teaching should inspect curriculum design and assessment courses. A manager should examine the leadership coursework and the scope of the applied project.
Read the DHSc programs for healthcare educators if teaching is the goal. If you're still deciding on the type of doctorate, compare DHSc and PhD study before comparing schedules. The final project and research training can differ as much as the class calendar.
Questions About Choosing These DHSc Programs
Are Part-Time DHSc Programs Entirely Online?
Chatham and MCPHS describe the compared programs as online and part time. Online delivery and enrollment status are separate attributes, so confirm both for your intended program and cohort.
How Many Courses Do Part-Time DHSc Students Take?
Chatham publishes up to two courses at once. MCPHS specifies two three-credit courses per semester. Radford's standard plan uses two courses, with a reduced load permitted after planning.
Can I Take One DHSc Course per Semester?
Radford permits students to take fewer than the usual two courses, but its annual course schedule can extend the completion timeline. Ask for an approved sequence before changing your load.
Does Part-Time Mean Less Work on the Capstone?
No. Your degree's project requirements still apply. What changes is how coursework and project milestones are distributed across your enrollment.
Should I Choose the Shortest Part-Time DHSc?
Choose the schedule you can sustain. Compare the course load, project access, employer support, travel, and full cost of the terms you expect to attend.
Official Sources for This DHSc Guide
Program and project sources checked September 17, 2026. Historical graduate examples retain the dates reported by their universities.