Every school says its DHSc suits people with jobs. These are the ones that say it on their own pages, ordered by how much of the schedule they actually build around work.
Last updated
Programs
12
Of all verified
55%
States
6
Fewest credits
36
Best DHSc Programs for Working Professionals, Compared
#
School
Credits
Ends
Format
Tuition
Work-Fit
Score
1
Radford VA
42
Applied project
Online
$8,528
4 of 4
98.9
2
Arcadia PA
Applied project
Online
$48,760
4 of 4
69.3
3
ATSU MO
70
Applied project
Online
4 of 4
60.2
4
Indiana State IN
37
Applied project
Online
$9,978
3 of 4
94.3
5
Chatham PA
36
Applied project
Online
$43,518
3 of 4
92
6
Lenoir-Rhyne NC
48
Applied project
Online
$31,000
2 of 4
76.1
7
Bridgeport CT
Dissertation
Online
$32,860
2 of 4
62.5
8
Old Dominion VA
42
Online
$7,800
1 of 4
96.6
9
Jefferson PA
43
Online
$46,175
1 of 4
80.7
10
East Stroudsburg PA
Dissertation
$7,716
1 of 4
58
11
UIndy IN
Dissertation
Online + campus
$35,448
1 of 4
53.4
12
Jefferson (Population Health) PA
Dissertation
Online + campus
$46,175
1 of 4
51.1
Score is the program's position on the national ranking, shown so you can
see where a program sits overall as well as on this cut. A blank cell means the school does not
publish that figure.
All 12 DHSc Programs Built for Working Professionals
#1Score 98.9
Radford University
Doctor of Health Sciences (D.H.Sc.) · Radford, VA · Public
Radford says most of its students are working professionals, and it asks applicants for three to four years of health work experience. Courses are self-paced online, two a semester over seven semesters, and you may drop to one a term when work gets heavy, though courses mostly run once a year, so a lighter load can stretch the calendar.
Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) · Glenside, PA · Private
Arcadia pairs asynchronous coursework with synchronous advising touchpoints, a mix that leaves your weekly calendar open while still giving you a person to check in with. You can pace the degree full time or part time, and the applied doctoral project ties to real healthcare and community health needs. Published tuition is $48,760 a year.
Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) · Kirksville, MO · Private
ATSU calls its online program tailored for busy healthcare professionals and delivers it in a flexible, asynchronous format, so there are no fixed class hours to protect. Four start dates a year and an applied research project with no dissertation help, but 70 credit hours over three to four years is a long commitment to carry alongside a job.
Doctor of Health Science in Healthcare Leadership (DHSc) · Terre Haute, IN · Public
Indiana State describes its Healthcare Leadership DHSc as designed for working professionals, and the calendar backs it up: eight- and 16-week terms and five start dates a year mean little waiting to begin. No campus visits are required, a dissertation is not required, and the school expects completion within seven years if life interrupts.
37 30 core + 7 scholarly experience, plus a concentration
Ends
Applied project
Starts
5/year
Tuition
$9,978
Completion
43%
Conferred
1
#5Score 92
Chatham University
Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) · Pittsburgh, PA · Private
Chatham states that the DHSc was designed for working professionals: part-time, fully online, and capped at up to two courses at a time so work and home keep their balance. The capstone is built around problems from your current job. Applications close July 31 for a fall start, which is the one date to plan your year around.
36 30 with up to 6 transfer credits for licensed professionals
Ends
Applied project
Starts
1/year
Tuition
$43,518
Completion
63%
#6Score 76.1
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) · Hickory, NC · Private
Lenoir-Rhyne says the program is designed for working professionals and combines flexible online learning with applied, real-world work. You finish an applied research project on an issue from your field rather than a dissertation. It is 48 credits, with a completed master's and at least a 3.0 GPA as the entry bar.
Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) · Bridgeport, CT · Private
Bridgeport markets the degree to busy working professionals who want to study on their own timeline, with three start dates a year and all coursework online. The catch for a full calendar is the ending: a dissertation, though you can meet it with original research, a literature review, a meta-analysis or a systematic review.
Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) · Norfolk, VA · Public
Old Dominion describes its online format as one that lets you earn the degree while working, and the plan is simple to budget: fourteen 3-credit courses, 42 credits, spread over three years. The stated aim is leaders and change agents in your own place of employment. Published graduate tuition is $7,800 a year.
Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) · Philadelphia, PA · Private
Jefferson's Health Professions DHSc is fully online and says it accommodates working healthcare professionals. It runs 43 credits over three to four years, with elective concentrations in Integrative Nutrition, Digital and Telehealth, and Mind-Body Medicine. Choose it when the topic you want to work on matters as much as the schedule.
Doctorate of Health Science (D.H.Sc.) · East Stroudsburg, PA · Public
East Stroudsburg builds around a working week: weekend courses in an executive model for busy professionals, with a small cohort and plenty of faculty contact. The nine-term plan ends in a dissertation, so weekends are not the only commitment. It suits someone who would rather have scheduled sessions than open-ended self-study.
Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) · Indianapolis, IN · Private
Indianapolis offers a standard 48-credit plan that can finish in as little as two and a half years, plus an extended plan paced for a working professional's schedule, with up to seven years allowed in all. The ending is a dissertation, and an on-campus prep session falls in the second year, so line up leave early.
Doctor of Health Science in Population Health Leadership (DHSc) · Philadelphia, PA · Private
Jefferson designs this cohort for working professionals and delivers courses asynchronously with no synchronous requirements, but the in-person side is heavy for a work calendar: two residencies in each of the three years. That makes it a fit when an employer will release you for scheduled blocks of time rather than for a purely remote life.
How to Fit a DHSc Around a Full-Time Health Care Job
Every school on this page says its DHSc suits people with jobs, so that claim alone does not separate them. What does is the rest of the week: whether classes meet at set times, whether you must travel, how much slack the pace has when a bad month hits, and whether the final project can use your own workplace.
Read the four signals as a checklist for your own life rather than a verdict. A night-shift clinician may value asynchronous delivery above everything else, while a manager with predictable weekends may prefer a scheduled weekend format. The order puts schools that meet more signals first, but a school meeting fewer can still fit you better.
Ask each admissions office two practical questions before you apply: what a typical week of work looks like in the term you plan to start, and what happens to your timeline if you need to drop to a lighter load. Radford, for one, notes that courses generally run once a year, so a lighter load can stretch the calendar.
Looking for a different cut? Online DHSc programs compares delivery format and cost across every program, and part-time DHSc programs compares published course loads at the schools that name a part-time route. This page asks a different question: which schools say they are built for people who work, and how much of the schedule bears that out.
Frequently Asked Questions About DHSc Programs for Working Professionals
Can you complete a DHSc while working full time?
Yes, and the programs on this page are designed around that. Radford says most of its students are working professionals, and Chatham says its program was designed for them, with up to two courses at a time. Expect to give your evenings and weekends to coursework, and ask about the typical weekly load before you commit.
Which of these DHSc programs are asynchronous?
ATSU describes a flexible, asynchronous format, Radford designs its courses to be self-paced, Arcadia delivers asynchronously with synchronous advising touchpoints, and Jefferson Population Health Leadership states there are no synchronous learning requirements. Other schools on the list do not describe their delivery this way on their program pages.
Do any of these programs require campus visits?
Two do. Jefferson Population Health Leadership schedules two in-person residencies in each year of the program, and Indianapolis requires an on-campus dissertation prep session in the second year. The other programs on this page do not list a required residency.
How is this list ordered?
By how many of four signals each program meets: online with no required campus visit, asynchronous or self-paced delivery, a schedule built around work, and an applied project instead of a dissertation. Programs with the same count are ordered by their national score, and the table shows each count.