Welcome Master of Science in Health Policy and Management students! We are so pleased that you will be joining us in August 2022. This informational page is designed to help you transition into this program. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to reach out to Jen Moltoni (jmoltoni@hsph.harvard.edu) or Doug Scaffidi (dscaffidi@hsph.harvard.edu).
Feel free to also explore the items in the menu (located on the left hand side of this page), under the For Students tab.
Important Dates
Virtual Admitted Student Visit Week: Spring 2023
Admitted students will be contacted by the Admissions Office with details of the virtual opportunities that will be happening as part of this event. For more information, please visit: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/admitted-students/
Fall Session Course Registration Opens: August 10, 2023
Your username and password information for your Harvard Chan School portal will be sent to prior to this date, and your faculty advisor information will be updated in your portal. Please feel free to communicate with your academic advisor regarding your course selection prior to the Add/Drop Deadline for Fall 2023.
Helpful Course Registration Links
Student Portal: my.harvard.edu
Student Knowledge Center: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/r-o-student-knowledge-center/
How to register for classes in my.harvard: https://harvard.service-now.com/ithelp?id=kb_article&sys_id=6af11b09dbf94bc4a752f1a51d961984
Course Catalog: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/registrar/course-catalog/
Course Evaluations: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/office-of-education/course-evaluations/
Fall Orientation: August 21-25, 2023
Who should attend? All new fall students (SM, MPH, PhD and any other degree seeking students) beginning their program in August 2022 should attend this Orientation.
Attendance is required.
All new students are required to attend all scheduled days of orientation programming. Information will be presented during Orientation that is essential to your success at the School.
For more information about Orientation, please visit: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/orientation/
Fall 2023 Courses Begin: August 28, 2023
This is the official start of full Fall and Fall 1 terms.
Master of Science Degree Requirements (updated 7.26.22)
Program Requirements
Students must take a minimum of 42.5 credits for graduation (at least 30 of which must be taken for ordinal credit), and fulfill the course requirements below. Please note that students may only take a total of 12.5 pass/fail credits while working towards their degree.
School-wide Requirements for Academic Master’s Degree Programs
Foundational Public Health Knowledge
All Harvard Chan students are required to take the following course to obtain grounding in foundational public health knowledge:
| ID 100 [Pre-matriculation and Fall1] | Foundations for Public Health | 1.0 credits |
Students with a prior Bachelor’s in public health or Master of Public Health from a CEPH-accredited school or program are eligible to waive ID 100. To request to waive ID 100: Foundations for Public Health, please contact ID100@hsph.harvard.edu.
Biostatistics
Students must complete 5 credits of biostatistics. Courses that fulfill this school-wide requirement are:
| BST 201 [Fall] | Introduction to Statistical Methods | 5.0 credits |
| Or | ||
| BST 202/203[Summer] | Principles of Biostatistics I and II | 1.0 credits |
Epidemiology
Students must complete at least 2.5 credits of Epidemiology. Courses that fulfill this school-wide requirement are:
| EPI 500 [Summer 1] | Fundamentals of Epidemiology | 2.5 credits |
| Or | ||
| EPI 201 [Fall 1] and
EPI 202 [Fall 2] |
Introduction to Epidemiology: Methods I
Epidemiologic Methods 2: Elements of Epidemiologic Research |
5.0 credits |
| Or | ||
| EPI 208 [Summer] | Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology | 5.0 credits |
Students may request to waive these school-wide biostatistics and epidemiology requirements if they can demonstrate that they have completed prior equivalent graduate coursework. See more information here: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/epidemiology/waiving-school-wide-biostatistics-and-epidemiology-core-course-requirement/.
Any student who waives these requirements is encouraged to take more advanced quantitative coursework, with the selection of courses to be determined in consultation with their academic adviser.
B. Departmental Requirements
Students also must take an additional 10 credits in the Department of Health Policy and Management and complete an additional 5 credits of supervised independent study under the direction of an HPM faculty member.
The 10 HPM course credits must include courses in each of the following subject areas: Economic Analysis; Quality of Care; and Health Decision Sciences. Courses that fulfill these requirements are listed below.
1. Economic Analysis
| HPM 206 [Fall] | Economic Analysis | 5.0 credits |
| HPM 545 [Spring2] | Economics of Health Care | 2.5 credits |
| GHP 230 [Fall1] | Introduction to Economics with Applications to Health and Development | 2.5 credits |
2. Quality of Care
| HPM 253 [Summer2] | Improvement in Quality of Health Care | 2.5 credits |
| HPM 268 [Fall2] | Methods and Tools for Quality Improvement | 2.5 credits |
| HPM 516 [Spring 2] | Health Care Quality and Equity in the U.S. | 2.5 credits |
3. Health Decision Sciences
| RDS 280 [Fall 2] | Decision Analysis for Health and Medical Practices | 2.5 credits |
| RDS 202 [Spring] | Decision Science for Public Health | 2.5 credits |
| RDS 282 [Spring 2] | Economic Evaluation of Health Policy and Program Management | 2.5 credits |
| RDS 284 [Fall] | Decision Theory | 5.0 credits |
| RDS 285 [Spring 1] | Decision Analysis Methods in Public Health and Medicine | 2.5 credits |
| RDS 286 [Summer 1] | Decision Analysis in Clinical Research | 2.5 credits |
| RDS 288 [Summer 2] | Methods for Decision Making in Medicine | 2.5 credits |
Students may request to waive required courses in areas where they can demonstrate that they have attained the relevant competencies through prior graduate level coursework
4. Final Research Project or Paper
Students are required to complete a research project or paper, under the supervision of an HPM faculty member. This requirement will be completed through an independent study of at least 5.0 credits with the faculty member.
| HPM 300 [Fall/Spring] | Independent Study/Tutorial | 5.0 credits |
Questions and More Information
Any questions about the One-Year Master of Science Program may be directed to:
Jen Moltoni
Assistant Director of Academic Programs and Student Services
Information from The Office of Student Affairs
OSA’s mission is to enrich and support the student experience at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health through a wide range of educational, cultural and social programming and resources. Among other things, OSA assists students with disabilities, works closely with the Student Association and student organizations, manages Orientation and Commencement, and serves as an information source for students. Please visit their website to learn more about the support services available to you as a Harvard Chan student.
HOUSING
For helpful information about housing resources in the Boston area, visit the housing website.
Looking to connect with other Harvard Chan students who are searching for housing? Try the following resources:
- Harvard Housing Off Campus – Private market apartments, Harvard University Housing sublets, and roommate search
- Connect with Harvard Chan students on the 2022-2023 Slack workspace.
- Harvard University Housing, Sublets & Roommates Facebook Group and Harvard Grad Market Facebook Group – Public groups not managed or monitored by the Office for Student Affairs, recommended by students
If you are funding living expenses through loans, expect to live with roommates in the private market. Please visit the Office of Financial Service’s student budget page to determine loan eligibility and the estimated rent based on a shared two-bedroom apartment.
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS
The School is committed to providing appropriate services on a case-by-case basis to students with documented learning, physical, and other disabilities who are enrolled in full or part-time degree-granting or special programs. To request accommodations, visit the Disability Services website and complete the online request form.
Harvard ID, Harvard Key, and Email
You have already received your Harvard University ID (HUID) and claimed your HarvardKey in order to log into the my.harvard Portal. The Helpdesk will email you to set up your Harvard email roughly a month prior to your start date. In the meantime, you will receive communication to your personal email address. Your Harvard email will be your primary means of receiving School and University communications once you have set it up.
Connect with Harvard Chan on Social Media
Engage with other student on the 2022-2023 Slack workspace and stay up-to-date on what’s happening at Harvard Chan by liking us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Determine Your Commute to Campus
Depending on where you live there are a few ways to get to campus:
Please note that there is no parking for students available on campus.
For International Students
All full-time international students will require a student visa (I-20 or DS2019 for Canadian students). . Instructions to request a visa can be found on the visa page of this website.
Stay connected with HPM
HPM Departmental Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HarvardChanHPM/
HPM LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1876679
