Health Services Policy and Management, Ph.D.
The Ph.D. program prepares students to conduct health services research and to teach in a university setting. The program is individualized for each student, taking into account the individual’s interests, academic training, and professional experience. The emphasis is on research methods, statistics, and advanced concepts in health policy and management. Students must complete a doctoral dissertation and demonstrate the ability to conduct original research.
Learning Outcomes
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Students will understand health care policy development and implementation and its relationship to management of health care organizations.
Students will demonstrate skills in analysis and interpretation of health services research data.
Students will demonstrate the ability to conduct health services research and communicate the findings through professional written communications and oral presentations.
Degree Requirements (60 Post-Baccalaureate Hours)
Doctoral Seminar (4 Hours)
Public Health Core Courses (6 Hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PUBH 700 | Perspectives in Public Health | 3 |
| EPID 701 | Concepts and Methods of Epidemiology | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 6 | |
Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management (6 Hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HSPM 845 | Advanced Study in Health Policy Management I | 3 |
| HSPM 846 | Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management II | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 6 | |
Research Methods Cognate (9 Hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HSPM 717 | Health Services Research Methods I | 3 |
| HSPM 719 | Health Services Research Methods II | 3 |
| HSPM 791 | Selected Topics | 1-6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 7-12 | |
Note: All doctoral students are expected to complete courses on statistical software packages like STATA and SAS by the end of first year if not proficient in the use of the softwares. These hours can be counted towards electives.
Health Services Policy and Management Concentration (9 Hours)
Approved Electives (14 Hours)
Dissertation (12 Hours)
Examinations
The qualifying examination must be taken following the completion of course requirements listed under Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management and Research Method Cognate. Qualifying examination is a cumulative exam that tests students on the content areas of five departmental courses in these two core areas. The examination will be given as two separate sections: (i) Research method and data and (ii) Health policy and management. The qualifying examination is offered twice per year, in late early spring (January) and early fall (August prior to start of classes).
A comprehensive examination is arranged in consultation with the major professor of the concentration area, Doctoral Program Director and the Graduate Director of the Department. Students must pass qualifying examination, complete all doctoral seminar and concentration area courses prior to taking the comprehensive examination. This examination has two components: a written component and an oral presentation component. The written component is a take-home examination in which the student is required to write an NIH R03 type proposal on a specific research topic.
Proposal and Dissertation defense:
Each student must prepare and defend a dissertation proposal consisting of minimum of three chapters describing importance of research topic chosen, literature review and methodology to be used.
Each student must prepare and defend a dissertation that contributes significantly to knowledge regarding the organization, financing, or delivery of health services.
Degree Requirements (Minimum of 46 hours Post-Masters)
Doctoral Seminar (4 Hours)
Public Health Core Requirements (6 Hours)
If the graduate degree is not in public health
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PUBH 700 | Perspectives in Public Health | 3 |
| EPID 701 | Concepts and Methods of Epidemiology ((or equivalent)) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 6 | |
Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management (6 Hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HSPM 845 | Advanced Study in Health Policy Management I | 3 |
| HSPM 846 | Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management II | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 6 | |
Research Methods Cognate (9 Hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HSPM 717 | Health Services Research Methods I | 3 |
| HSPM 719 | Health Services Research Methods II | 3 |
| HSPM 791 | Selected Topics | 1-6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 7-12 | |
Note: All doctoral students are expected to complete courses on statistical software packages like STATA and SAS by the end of first year if not proficient in the use of the softwares. These hours can be counted towards electives.
Health Services Policy and Management Concentration Area (9 Hours)
Dissertation (12 Hours)
Examinations
The qualifying examination must be taken following the completion of course requirements listed under Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management and Research Method Cognate. Qualifying examination is a cumulative exam that tests students on the content areas of five departmental courses in these two core areas. The examination will be given as two separate sections: (i) Research method and data and (ii) Health policy and management. The qualifying examination is offered twice per year, in late early spring (January) and early fall (August prior to start of classes).
A comprehensive examination is arranged in consultation with the major professor of the concentration area, Doctoral Program Director and the Graduate Director of the Department. Students must pass qualifying examination, complete all doctoral seminar and concentration area courses prior to taking the comprehensive examination. This examination has two components: a written component and an oral presentation component. The written component is a take-home examination in which the student is required to write an NIH R03 type proposal on a specific research topic.
Proposal and Dissertation defense:
Each student must prepare and defend a dissertation proposal consisting of minimum of three chapters describing importance of research topic chosen, literature review and methodology to be used.
Each student must prepare and defend a dissertation that contributes significantly to knowledge regarding the organization, financing, or delivery of health services.
Teaching Requirements
All doctoral students in the PhD program are required to participate in teaching activities of the department. The requirements must be completed between the time of matriculation and the dissertation proposal. The requirements can be fulfilled by completing the following items:
- Teaching Assistant training course offered by Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE),
- Presenting at least once in the doctoral student seminar series arranged by the department
Research experience requirement
As part of research experience, all PhD students are required to:
- complete the CITI training;
- give at least one poster or oral presentation as the lead author at a state, regional, national, or international conference; or publish an article in a reputable peer-reviewed journal.
These requirement must be completed prior to dissertation defense.