Department of Health Policy and Management

Course Waivers and Substitutions

Waivers and Course Substitutions in HPM

Course Waivers

  • MPH Public Health Core Curriculum
    • ID 201 waivers
    • MPH 101-105 cannot be waived.  All students are required to take all sections of this course.  There are 2 exceptions to this rule:
      • Those who are in the MPH 45 and 65 credit Health Policy Program are not required to take MPH 105, because other requirements of their degree covers much of the same material.  They do not have to officially waive this section – they just do not have to sign up for it.  All other HPM students must take this section and cannot waive it.
      • Those who are in the MPH 45 and 65 credit Health Management Programs are not required to take MPH 103, because other requirements of their degree covers much of the same material.  They do not have to officially waive this section – they just do not have to sign up for it.  All other HPM students must take this section and cannot waive it.
    • Foundations of Public Health – There is a waiver process for this course that happens over the summer.  Please contact the MPH Office with any questions you might have at mph@hsph.harvard.edu.
    • Please note that academic advisors cannot waive required core courses.
  • Field of Study Requirement Waivers -for SM1 and MPH students
      • Students must contact their Field of Study Director via e mail with a request to waive a requirement.  This request needs to be as detailed as possible and should illustrate why the student’s level of experience exceeds the knowledge that will be gained by taking the required course.  Along with their request, students should include as much supporting information as possible (course syllabi of past graduate level coursework and copy of their transcript, evidence of past extensive employment experiences, etc).  Here is the best way to proceed with each kind of request:
        • If you have successfully completed a graduate-level equivalent course (generally B/B+ or better)
          • Submit via email a syllabus and transcript
        • If you have “significant” work experience in the particular discipline for which you are seeking a course waiver:
          • Email a resume and a 2-3 paragraph description of how you believe your work experience fulfills the course requirements in light of the objectives outlined in the syllabus.
      •  Jen Moltoni (jmoltoni@hsph.harvard.edu) or Doug Scaffidi (dscaffidi@hsph.harvard.edu) must be cc’ed on this email so that they can help track the student’s request.
      • The Field of Study Director will then review the request, and will respond to the student.  The Field of Study Directors for each Program are:
      • Please note that academic advisors and course instructors cannot waive FoS requirements.
      • If a student waives a course, he/she does not get credit, just the ability to take more electives.
      • MPH Students must let the MPH Office (mph@hsph.harvard.edu) and Doug Scaffidi (dscaffidi@hsph.harvard.edu) know if they are able to get approval to waive a course.

Course Substitutions for Field of Study Requirements

  • Students must contact their Field of Study Director via e mail with a request to take a course in place of a required course.  This request needs to  include the syllabus of the course that the student would like to take to meet the requirement.   Jen Moltoni (jmoltoni@hsph.harvard.edu) or the HPM Senior Academic Coordinator (TBD) must be cc’ed on this email so that they can help track the student’s request.
  • The Field of Study Director will then review the request, and will respond to the student.  The Field of Study Directors for each Program are:
  • Please note that academic advisors and the instructors of required courses cannot approve course substitutions.
  • MPH Students must let the MPH Office (mph@hsph.harvard.edu) and Doug Scaffidi (dscaffidi@hsph.harvard.edu) know if they are able to get approval to waive a course.

All course substitutions for the SM1, and MPH-45 &65 Health Policy and Management Programs are considered on a case by case basis.