Health Policy and Management

The Department of Health Policy and Management is a mission-oriented department concerned withimproving the health care delivery system and mitigating public health risks in the United States andabroad.

The Department is dedicated toresolving major management and healthpolicy problems through original research,advanced training, and dispute resolution.Research priorities in the Department ofHealth Policy and Management are organizedinto nine broad areas:

• health financing and insurance, including the creation of new physician payment systems and the design of public policies dealing with rising insurance premiums
• management of health hazards, including use of risk assessment to set priorities for environmental health protection
• study of the causes and etiology of injury and the application of that work to the development and evaluation of prevention and intervention strategies and policy
• management of health care organizations, encompassing the application of corporate strategic-planning concepts to the challenges faced by health systems and pharmaceutical firms
• evaluation and management of medical technology, including the meta-analysis of data from clinical trials
• business and labor in health, including the negotiation of occupational safety and health care benefits in the collective bargaining process
• international health, including evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of health programs in developing countries
• quality of health care, encompassing the design of better methods to measure quality
• health care reform, involving the development of partnerships between the department and the corporate community to explore critical aspects of health policy and management

The department’s problem-solving orientationis exemplified by its strong ties toleading health practitioners in hospitals,managed-care plans, community health centers,health advocacy groups, corporatemedical departments, health and environmentalconsulting firms, state and localhealth departments, legislative committees,federal regulatory agencies, and internationalagencies. Practical skills are emphasizedby an interdisciplinary faculty that includesmanagement specialists, decision analysts,accountants, physicians, lawyers, policyanalysts, economists, political scientists,and program evaluators.

Degree Programs in Health Policyand Management

As described below, the department offersboth 80-credit and 42.5-credit master of science(SM) programs, a nonresidential, part timeSM in health care management forphysician and dental executives, and a doctorof science (SD) program. The departmentalso participates in the university widedoctor of philosophy (PhD) Program inHealth Policy. For information about schoolwiderequirements for master’s and doctoraldegrees, see degree programs and requirements.

Master of Science in Health Policy andManagement (80-credit and 42.5-creditprograms)

The 80-credit SM program emphasizesprofessional skills and concepts; a solidgrounding in the substance of health problems;rigorous quantitative training; and acurriculum that combines professional, academic,and practice activities. Acquiredknowledge is applied to practical situationsthrough a required summer internship programand a field research project. This professionalprogram is designed for studentswho are building careers in health-relatedfields and who aspire to leadership roles inthe public or private sector. Recent graduateshave taken positions in local, state, andfederal government agencies; consultingcompanies; public policy research organizations;community health centers; hospitals;health plans; and pharmaceutical companies.Others have gone on to doctoral andfellowship programs.

Applicants to the 80-credit program comefrom a wide varietyof undergraduatefields. They areexpected to havefull-time work experienceand an academicrecord, particularlyin quantitativeand analyticalcourses, thatsuggest outstandingpotential in theareas of health policyand management.Applicantsshould have at least two years of relevantpost baccalaureate work experience in thehealth field; exceptions are occasionallymade for outstanding candidates. Defer redadmission is available for applicants whodemonstrate strong potential but who lacksufficient professional experience in thehealth sector. These applicants work withinthe health field in positions approved by theprogram for a minimum of one year beforematriculating.

Of the 80 credits necessary to earn the SM,required courses account for 30 to 35. Inaddition to fulfilling schoolwide requirements,students must satisfy the requirementsof at least one of three areas ofinterest:

Management This area of interest preparesstudents for managerial and leadershippositions in health care organizations,such as hospitals, sub-acute and long-termcare facilities, physician practices, insurers,community health centers, and consultingcompanies.

Policy This area of interest is intended forthose who wish to become involved in theformulation of health policy, including medicalcare policy, heath finance and insurance,access to health care, payment toinsti tutions and practitioners, politicalanalysis and strategy, and Medi care andMedicaid reform.

Research This area of interest is gearedtoward students looking toward doctoraleducation and research careers in fieldssuch as health economics, quality of care,technology assessment, health decisionanalysis, and advanced statistical analysis.

The requirements for the management, policy,and research areas of interest are described in a guide available from the department.After the required credits have beencompleted, students are encouraged toenroll in relevant courses at Harvard Business School, Kennedy School, and Graduate School of Education.

The 42.5-credit SM program is designed forstudents pursuing research careers in public-or private-sector health care institutions,particularly physicians and other candidateswith relevant advanced degrees who desireintensive training in analytic and quantitative skills. The degree is appropriate for studentsinterested in either domestic or internationalresearch questions. Recent graduateshave taken research positions at academicmedical centers and other healthcare organizations.

Applicants to the 42.5-credit programshould hold graduate medical or other professionaldegrees and have significant experiencein health services. They typicallyexpect to devote a substantial portion oftheir careers to research in areas such ashealth services research, cost-effectivenessanalysis, and clinical decision making.

Students fulfill schoolwide requirementsand take up to 10 tutorial credits and anadditional 10 credits in courses within thedepartment. Recommended electivesinclude upper-level courses in biostatistics,epidemiology, health economics, healthservices research, health decision sciences,quality improvement, technology assessment,and program evaluation.

Master of Science in Health CareManagement

The SM in health care management is a42.5-credit, two-year, part-time, nonresidentialdegree program that trains clinicians inthe executive skills required for management.This professional program is for midcareerMDs, DOs, DMDs, and DDSs withsignificant management responsibilitieswho wish to be more effective in their rolesin the health care sector.

The program includes course work on strategydetermination, financial analysis, negotiation,organizational behavior, operationsmanagement, information systems, andquality-of-care management. Degree candidatesare required to spend three weekseach summeron campus, aswell as five four dayweekends(Friday throughMon day) eachacademic year.Participantsshould expectten to fifteenhours per weekof assignmentswhen not on campus. A final practicum andquality improvement field project are alsorequired.

This is a closed-cohort learning situation.Attendance at all sessions is mandatory,and previous courses and/or degrees willnot be applied to degree requirements. Noauditing or cross-registration is allowed.

Doctor of Science in Health Policy andManagement

The SD program in health policy andmanagement is designed for physicians,lawyers, and other professionals who areinterested in doctoral-level research trainingin health policy and who are committedto applied, interdisciplinary research. Theprogram prepares graduates to performresearch in the academic or professionalrealm.

Applicants should hold an MD, a DDS, aPhD, or a JD degree. Except in rare casesthe department also expects that applicantswill be in progress toward or will havealready obtained a degree at HSPH. Moreover, applicants should have a strongaptitude in a quantitative discipline (demonstrated by prior academic performance,work experience, and standardized testscores), experience in the health sector,and the ability to perform original and independentwork. Applicants should indicatetheir anticipated area of interest within thedepartment and anticipated faculty mentorin their application. An environmental scienceand risk management area of interestis offered jointly with the Department ofEnvironmental Health.

In addition to schoolwide requirements,candidates complete a set of requiredcourses in decision science, economics,program evaluation, health politics, andpublic health law (lawyers only). Each studentworks closely with a faculty adviser todevelop an individual plan of study. Whilestudents in this program have the opportunityto take courses throughout the university,all required courses are offered throughHSPH.

Doctor of Philosophy in Health Policy

The doctor of philosophy in health policy isa collaborative program of six HarvardUniversity faculties: the Graduate School ofArts and Sciences, School of Public Health,Medical School, Kennedy School, Law School, and Business School. Because thisis an interfaculty program, enrolled studentstake courses throughout the university. ThePhD is awarded by the Faculty of Arts andSciences. Please note that Graduate Schoolof Arts and Sciences application forms mustbe used when applying to the PhD Programin Health Policy. The deadline for applyingto the PhD program is December 15, 2009.

The program prepares students for tenure trackpositions and other research positionsat schools of public health, public policy,and medicine; organizations such as theKaiser Family Foundation, the RANDCorporation, the World Health Organization, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering CancerCenter; and government agencies such asthe Congressional Budget Office and theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.

Applicants wishing to combine the PhDProgram in Health Policy with either theMD program at Harvard Medical School orthe JD program at Harvard Law Schoolmust apply separately to each program andindicate in the PhD application that they arealso applying to the MD or JD program.

Applicants must submit GRE or GMATexam scores that are less than five yearsold, and individuals whose native languageis not English must submit TOEFL scores.A graduate degree is not required foradmission; however, with the possibleexception of applicants wishing to pursuea combined degree (see above), preferenceis given to those with either relevant workexperience or some prior graduate work.

Degree requirements include approximatelytwo years of course work; a concentrationin one academic discipline (decision science,economics, ethics, evaluative scienceand statistics, management, medical sociology,or political analysis); at the dissertationstage specialization in one of five policyareas (environmental health, health careservices, international health, mentalhealth, or public health); general and concentrationexams (usually at the end of thesecond year); a dissertation prospectus andoral examination; a dissertation based onoriginal research; and a dissertationdefense.

Financial aid is available to applicantsadmitted to the program. Financial aid(tuition for five years and a stipend for threeyears) is available for admitted minoritystudents with demonstrated need. Traineeships for some admitted students are alsoprovided from funding sources such as theAgency for Healthcare Research and Qualityand the National Institute of Mental Health.

Related Offerings: 

• Environmental science and risk management area of interest, department of environmental health
• Interdisciplinary concentration in the epidemiology of infectious disease
• MPH concentrations in health care management and policy and in law and public health

Contact Information

For more information about SM and SDprograms in health policy and management,please contact:

Anne Occhipinti, Director of Academic Programs
Department of Health Policy and Management
677 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Or visit the department website.

Phone: 617-432-4511
Fax: 617-432-3699

Email: aocchipi@hsph.harvard.edu
Web: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/departments/health-policy-and-management/

For more information about the SM degreein health care management, please contact:

Colin Fleming, Program Coordinator
Department of Health Policy and Management
677 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Or visit the department website.

Phone: 617-432-7075
Email: cfleming@hsph.harvard.edu
Web: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/mhcm

For the PhD program online submissionsare encouraged, using the Graduate Schoolof Arts and Sciences application form availableat the web address below:

Web: https://apply.embark.com/grad/Harvard/GSAS

For specific information about the PhD program,please contact:

Debbie Whitney, Associate Director
PhD Program in Health Policy
14 Story Street Street, 4th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138

Or visit the program website.

Phone: 617-496-5506
Fax: 617-496-2860
Email: deborah_whitney@harvard.edu
Web: http://www.healthpolicy.fas.harvard.edu