Welcome to the Public Health Management and Policy Concentration!
The Public Health Management and Policy (PHMP) concentration focuses on the structure and administration of health organizations and the policies that impact health programs and reimbursement of health services. The concentration encompasses two of the major roles of leaders in public health. The roles of manager and policy developer are often, although not always, performed by the same individuals, and the skills required for these roles overlap a great deal. To manage an organization, skills in accounting, financial management, human resources, strategic and program planning, operations research, economics, and monitoring outcome measures are essential. Development, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of government policies require analytic skills and social skills, as well as a deep understanding of politics.
Students interested in PHMP come from a variety of backgrounds. Many of them have majored in business or finance in their undergraduate programs, although students from the social and bench sciences, as well as many other fields, often find their way to PHMP. Another large group have health professional backgrounds. These individuals are either current students of a health profession or they have “risen through the ranks” to administrative and/or leadership positions in public health, without the benefit of appropriate training in management and policy.
Career opportunities in public health administration and policy are widely available in health agencies at all levels – federal, state, and local. MPH graduates with a PHMP concentration are also employed in research and policy institutes, foundations, professional organizations, and the healthcare industry.
Faculty in the Department of Health Services Research, Management, and Policy teach courses and advise students in the public health management and policy concentration. The curriculum is designed to enable students to develop competence in very specific PHMP skills. In addition to the 16 credits of public health core courses, PHMP students are required to take 15 hours of core courses covering health care organization and management, fiscal responsibility, policy analysis, and evidence-based management of public health programs. In addition, students may select 6 credits of coursework from approved lists of options in public health management, public policy, or pharmaceutical use and policy. The program of study is completed with up to 6 credits of public health electives and a special project, which is usually an internship in a public health agency or organization, but may also be a research project.
Click below to view full criteria for the 48-credit and accelerated 42-credit MPH programs.
- Standard 48-credit MPH Curriculum, PHMP Curriculum
- Accelerated 42-credit MPH Curriculum, PHMP Curriculum
Click below for descriptions of the PHMP concentration core courses.
- PHC 6104 Evidence-Based Management of Public Health Programs
- HSA 5177 Fundamentals of Health Care Finance
- HSA 6114 Introduction to the US Health Care System
- HSA 6119 Introduction to Management of Health Service Organizations
- HSA 6152 Overview of US Health Policy
View the matrix of PHMP concentration
competencies and courses designed to achieve them.
PHC 6104—Evidence-Based
Management of Public Health Programs (3)
The course provides practical guidance on how to choose, administer, and
evaluate evidence-based programs and policies in public health settings.
We begin with a review of the structure and functions of the public health
system, followed by the rationale and tools for evidence-based approaches
to decision making in public health. The course then presents a sequential
framework for managing public health programs that includes developing an
initial statement of the issue, quantifying the issue, searching the scientific
literature and organizing information, identifying and prioritizing program
options, developing an action plan, implementing interventions, and evaluating
the program or policy. The course covers not only finding and using scientific
evidence, but also developing interventions that produce new evidence on
effectiveness. Click
here for a full syllabus
HSA 5177—Fundamentals
of Health Care Finance (3)
Introduction to basic theory and principles of finance as applied to health
care industry. Financial statements, cost measurement, budgeting, and capital
investment decisions are covered in this course. Click
here for a full syllabus
HSA 6114—Introduction
to the U.S. Health Care System (3)
This course is designed to familiarize students with some of the basic concepts
and ideas concerning the distribution of health and illness, the organization
of the health care system, and the relationship of one to the other. Definitions
of health and illness, as well as the historical context for developments
of our health care system are discussed and debated. The course concludes
with a discussion on trends that could impact the health care system in
the future. Students should come to class ready to discuss and debate the
major themes related to health and distribution of disease, the ability
of the US health care system to meet the needs of the population, as well
as the policy environment that influences access to health care services.
Click here for
a full syllabus
HSA 6119—Introduction
to Management of Health Services Organizations (3)
Organizational principles and practices as applied to management. This course
covers organizational theory, managerial role, managing groups, work design,
and organization design. Click
here for a full syllabus
HSA 6152 —Overview of
U.S. Health Policy (3)
This course will review major issues affecting health policy in the United
States. We will overview themes that have affected the historic development
of health policy and factors that will affect future health policy initiatives.
In addition, we will examine how policy affects the development of health
care legislation, and the process of political compromise and real world
limitations upon the implementation of legislation. Click
here for a full syllabus
