MPH Field of Study: Health Policy

MPH-45 & MPH-65 HP Field of Study Requirements – Supplemental Information

Field of Study Waiver and Substitution Requests

Students who would like to request a waiver or substitution for a field of study requirement must email their request to the field of study leader (for MPH-45 HP, Benjamin Sommers; for MPH-65 HP, Nancy Turnbull.) If approved, documentation must be forwarded via email to mph@hsph.harvard.edu and Jen Moltoni for degree auditing purposes.

For MPH-65 Health Policy students, the list of possible areas of interest and courses for fulfilling the depth in a specific health policy area of interest requirement is posted below. These courses also may be of interest as electives for both MPH-45 and MPH-65 Health Policy students.

MPH-65 HP: Depth in Specific Health Policy Area of Interest (5 credits minimum in one area)

Within any of these areas of interest, or another approved area, you can seek approval of other courses, including cross-registered courses. If you have an idea for another area of interest, please discuss this with the field of study leader, Nancy Turnbull. Note that you cannot use courses that meet other requirements to fulfill this requirement (e.g., if you take RDS 280 to meet your analytical methods requirement, you cannot also count RDS 280 as part of your 5 credits for a decision sciences area of interest).

Students are required to take 5 credits minimum in one area. Please note that some courses have limited enrollment and students in other fields of study/degree programs may have priority enrollment in courses offered by their academic department/field of study.

DECISION SCIENCES
RDS 202, Decision Science for Public Health (Spring, 2.5cr) (ONLINE)
(Students cannot take RDS 202 if they have already taken RDS 280.)
RDS 282, Economic Evaluation of Health Policy and Program Management (Spring 2, 2.5cr)
RDS 284, Decision Theory (Fall, 5.0cr)
RDS 285, Decision Analysis Methods in Public Health and Medicine (Spring 1, 2.5cr)

GLOBAL HEALTH POLICY
GHP 269, The Political Economy of Global Health (Spring 2, 2.5cr)
GHP 272, Foundations of Global Health and Population (Fall, 5.0cr)
ID 552, Innovation and Global Health Systems (Fall 2, 2.5cr)

HEALTH CARE PAYMENT AND FINANCING
HPM 235, Managing Health Care Costs (Fall 2, 2.5cr)
HPM 255, Payment Systems in Healthcare (Spring 1, 2.5cr)

HEALTH ECONOMICS
HPM 545, Economics of Health Care: Public vs. Market Resolutions (Spring 2, 2.5cr)

HEALTH INEQUITIES AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
GHP 255, HIV Interventions: Rationale, Design, and Evaluation (Spring 1, 2.5cr)
HPM 509, Disability Policy in the U.S. (Spring 2, 2.5cr)
HPM 523, Homelessness and Health: Lessons from Health Care, Public Health, and Research (Spring 2, 1.25cr)
ID 539, Built Environment, Human Transportation, Public Health, and Climate Change (Fall, 2.5cr)
SBS 211, Public Health in Action: Strategies for Policy, Advocacy, and Communication (Spring 2, 2.5cr)
SBS 296, Leadership in Minority Health Policy (Fall, 2.5cr)
SBS 502, Mass Incarceration and Health in the US (Spring 1, 2.5cr)
SBS 506, An Introduction to History, Politics, and Public Health: Theories of Disease Distribution and Health Inequities (Fall 1, 2.5cr)
SBS 507, Advanced Seminar on History, Politics, and Public Health: Theories of Disease Distribution and Health Inequities (Fall 2, 2.5cr)
SBS 535, Global Perspectives on Racism, Poverty, and Power (Spring 1, 2.5cr)

LGBTQ HEALTH
WGH 220, Sexuality and Public Health (Spring 1, 2.5cr)
WGH 230, The Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People (Fall 2, 2.5cr)
DPI 376, Queer Nation: LGBTQ Protest, Politics, and Policy in the United States* (Spring, 5.0cr)
*Cross-registered course at Harvard Kennedy School

MENTAL HEALTH POLICY
EPI 217, Epidemiology of Adult Psychiatric Disorders (Fall 1, 2.5cr)
GHP 208, Global Mental Health Delivery: From Research to Practice (Spring 2, 2.5cr)
HPM 561, Loneliness and Public Health (Winter, 1.25cr)
SBS 219, High-Risk Behavior: Epidemiology and Prevention Strategies (Spring 2, 2.5cr)
SBS 504, Substance Use and Public Health (Fall 1, 2.5cr)
WGH 210, Women, Gender and Health: Critical Issues in Mental Health (Spring 1, 2.5cr)

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND PATIENT SAFETY
HPM 268, Methods and Tools for Quality Improvement (Fall 2, 2.5cr)
HPM 516, Healthcare Quality and Equity in the US (Spring 2, 2.5cr)

WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND FAMILIES
GHP 231, Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Global Perspective (Fall 1, 2.5cr)
GHP 553, Human Rights Dilemmas in Child Protection (Fall 2, 2.5cr)
SBS 208, Adolescent Health (Fall 1, 2.5cr)
SBS 222, Social Services for Children, Adolescents and Families (Spring 1, 2.5cr)
SBS 246, Maternal and Child Health: Programs and Policies (Fall 2, 2.5cr)
SBS 299, Science-Driven Innovation in the Early Childhood Ecosystem (Fall, 5.0cr)
WGH 201, Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice (Fall 2, 2.5cr)
WGH 207, Advanced Topics in Women, Gender and Health (Spring 2, 1.25cr)
WGH 220, Sexuality and Public Health (Spring 1, 2.5cr)

Last updated: 08.01.2022