Master of Science in Health Management & Policy
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The Health Management and Policy Program offers a master’s degree in the following three concentrations:
Program Objectives
Admission Requirements
Program Requirements
The Health Management and Policy Masters Program of the Department of Community Health and Sustainability offers advanced certificate and Master’s programs to prepare students to understand, analyze, and be able to develop solutions for:
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the many demands for effective and efficient healthcare services delivery, and;
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addressing the strong need for a comprehensive health system that prevents morbidities and premature mortality, promotes health, and assures universal and affordable, just and equitable access to high quality care for all.
The degree program has three main objectives.
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to provide health management students with the specialized knowledge and skills necessary to administer the delivery of high quality and cost effective health services.
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to provide health informatics students with the computer, software, and system planning skills necessary for modern health care and health promotion program management and effectiveness.
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to provide health policy students with the depth of understanding and analysis to be able to critically assess existing health policies as well as to be able to propose the policies necessary to meet an ever changing set of population health needs.
Students learn practitioners' tools for solving such healthcare and public health system problems - tools that can be useful in a variety of settings including healthcare provider organizations, insurance companies, healthcare equipment supply and purchasing organizations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The program offers students flexibility in choosing the appropriate mix of practitioner and research skills to meet their needs and interests.
The program is designed to accommodate individuals already employed in the health care field who wish to further their professional training, and for college graduates preparing to enter the field. Course requirements may be completed on either a full-time or part-time basis. A substantial proportion of program courses are offered in a blended format of face-to-face classroom settings and interactive online sessions. Many students complete one of the four-course Graduate Certificate Programs before seeking admission to the Master’s 51视频 Program, and the certificate courses are then accepted as credits toward the M.S. degree.
- Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution (51视频s from related fields of study are preferred but notrequired.);
- An official transcript;
- Three letters of recommendation pertaining to academic ability and professional performance;
- Personal letter (statement of purpose) including a statement about the applicant's professional interests, educational and work qualifications, and future goals;
- Personal interviews if requested by departmental faculty;
- Acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination Apptitude Test (GRE). (Use of GMAT scores may be approved by the graduate coordinator.) Students for whom English is not a native language must also submit a score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Students who complete one of our Certificate Programs with a GPA of 3.5 or better can be exempted from taking the GRE; and
- A resume summarizing education and work experience.
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1. Credits
Thirty-six credit hours are required to obtain the Master’s degree. There are no formal language or comprehensive examination requirements
2. Program of Studies
The Master of Science in Health Management and Policy consists of taking 11 Courses for 33 credits, and the completion of a Capstone Project (or thesis) for 3 credits.
(With prior approval, students may also take degree-relevant courses taught outside the Program and not listed here, i.e., taught within other departments or institutions.)
Students in all three concentrations must take the following three core courses:
32.514 Healthcare Management
32.611 Healthcare Finance
32.733 Capstone Project (or, alternatively, a formal thesis)
Additional courses are required as follows for each concentration.
Health Management Concentration:Health Management students are required to take five additional courses as concentration requirements (in addition to the three core courses indicated above):, as follows:
32.506 Quantitative Methods in Healthcare Management
32.607 Healthcare Information Systems (or 32.531 Healthcare Informatics)
32.612 Operations Analysis and Quality Improvement
32.616 Law and Ethics in Healthcare
32.625 Health Policy
In addition, Health Management students must take four additional courses. Any of the following courses may be taken as electives:
32.502 Organizational Behavior in Healthcare Services
32.515 Applied Health Economics
32.527 Planning and Marketing for Health Care Services
32.626 Leadership and Management
32.627 Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health
32.632 Health Information Systems Planning
32.633 Healthcare Database Design
32.634 Healthcare Database Development
32:671 Comparative Health Systems
32.763 Continued Graduate Research
The capstone project is generally based on a real world problem facing a health care organization. This project may be completed at a student’s place of employment if appropriate.
Health Informatics Concentration:
Health Informatics students are required to take the following eight concentration requirements (in addition to the three core courses indicated above):
32.531 Healthcare Informatics
32.607 Healthcare Information Systems
32.612 Operations Analysis and Quality Improvement
32.616 Law and Ethics in Healthcare
32.632 Health Information Systems Planning
32.633 Healthcare Database Design
32.634 Healthcare Database Development
32.502 Organizational Behavior in Healthcare Services
Health Informatics students must take one additional course; any of the following courses may be taken on an elective basis:
32.506 Quantitative Methods in Healthcare Management
32.515 Applied Health Economics
32.527 Planning and Marketing for Healthcare Management
32.625 Health Policy
32.626 Leadership and Management
32.627 Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health
32:671 Comparative Health Systems
Health Policy students are required to take four concentration requirements (in addition to the three core courses indicated above), as follows:
32.625 Health Policy (Prerequisit for all other policy courses)
32.506 Quantitative Methods in Health Management, (or 32.504 Health Data Analysis)
19.575 Introducton to Biostatistics and Epidemiology
57.515 Qualitative Research Methods (or 47512 Applied Research Methods)
The latter three courses above (19.575, 57:515, 47.512) are taught in other UML departments.
Health Policy students must take five additional courses; any of the following courses may be taken as electives:
32:671 Comparative Health Systems
32:672 Socioeconomic Inequalities and Health
32.616 Law and Ethics in Health Care
32:515 Applied Health Economics
32:531 Health Informatics
57.515 Politics and Economics of Public Policy
57.605 Social Movements and Empowerment
57.511 Dynamics of Power and Authority
57.546 Grant Writing
47.533 Mental Health Problems in the Community
47.547 Community Mapping
47.545 Community and Organizational Change
47.531 Substance Abuse
19.550 Environmental Law and Policy
19.651 Work Environment Policy
19.654 Labor and Technology
Only the first five courses are taught within the Program; other courses are taught in other UML departments. With prior approval, students may also take other graduate level, degree-relevant courses.
Policy concentration students who wish to conduct thesis research must choose that option at the start of their program of studies so that they can work closely with a faculty adviser to ensure their ability to complete this work within an agreed upon time schedule.
Students enrolled in a certificate program who are considering conducting thesis research as a master’s degree candidate are strongly encouraged to take a research course during their certificate program.
Students admitted prior to June 1, 2008 have different requirements.
topCapstone Project (or Thesis)
All students are required to complete a Capstone Project (or, alternatively, a formal thesis). Although students register only for a three-credit semester-length course, the Capstone Project (or thesis) typically takes longer than the four-month semester itself. The Capstone Projects are highly idiosyncratic, and may involve any of the following elements (as well as others):
- Market analysis and planning
- Program or product design/development
- Pilot testing
- Health data analysis
- Program evaluation
- Health policy analysis
- Health policy assessment
- Business process analysis
Most projects are substantially student-defined, and conducted in support of the organization or business where the student works. For students not working full-time, the student’s Faculty Advisor can assist in defining and structuring a Capstone Project. Indeed, several area healthcare providers have indicated an interest in getting assistance with their own internal projects or studies.
Although the projects themselves are highly variable, a substantial, narrative report (30 pages or more) is required for all Capstone Projects; and this report must include a review of relevant literature. Students are also asked to make a project presentation to students and faculty at a special forum event.
Students also have the option of writing a traditional Master’s Thesis. This alternative involves much higher standards of scholarship and review, including oversight by a three-person thesis committee. Because of the additional work involved, anyone writing a thesis is encouraged to register for an additional three-credit Independent Study. All theses are done in accordance with UML guidelines.
Faculty Advisors
Faculty Advisors are assigned by area of concentration as follows:
- Health Management - A. James Lee, Ph.D., or Michael O’Sullivan, Ph.D.
- Health Informatics - Patrick Scollin, Ed.D.
- Health Policy - Craig Slatin, Sc.D., or Eduardo Siqueira, Sc.D.