online phd health management

Doctorate in Healthcare Management Online

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Degree Options & Potential Careers

An online Ph.D. in healthcare management provides the advanced research and leadership skills healthcare professionals need to take on administrative and management roles in the public and private sectors. Doctoral candidates pursue a variety of career paths after graduation, becoming healthcare administrators, college and university professors, healthcare consultants, and health information managers. Graduates enjoy a generally positive employment outlook. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job growth rate for medical and health services managers is projected to  increase by 20%  by 2026 — much faster than all other occupations combined.

The following guide explores everything prospective students need to know about earning a doctorate in healthcare management online, including career options, salary information, degree requirements, and common course offerings.

Should I Earn an Online Doctorate in Healthcare Management?

There are many professional and personal reasons why individuals choose to earn a doctorate in healthcare management online. Some candidates want to pursue advanced healthcare roles that directly involve patient care and staff. Other students may seek a research-focused path that allows them to contribute to scientific progress, scholarship, and education. Below are just a few reasons why healthcare management professionals choose to pursue a doctorate.

What Can I Do With an Online Doctorate in Healthcare Management?

Many professionals who earn a doctorate in healthcare management online hold positions at hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities. Serving in leadership roles, they work directly with patients and staff, making crucial decisions that affect facility employees, daily operations, and the quality of patient care.

Some graduates seek careers outside of healthcare facilities, working in healthcare consulting and private industry management after they earn a doctorate in healthcare management online. Using specialized knowledge, they help private companies, individuals, and other entities make informed business decisions.

A doctoral degree also prepares graduates for public sector jobs with local, state, and federal government or nonprofit groups. These healthcare professionals work closely with communities and governing officials to develop and fund public programs, social services, and community organizations.

Most doctoral programs center heavily on research, allowing candidates to build a strong analytical skill set as they contribute original scholarship to the field. Doctoral students who are interested in research careers often take positions in academia and research facilities. Most universities and colleges prefer to hire professors with advanced degrees.

Career Profiles

Health information management manager.

These  managers  ensure that hospitals and private practices uphold ethical, medical, and legal standards. They maintain complex databases that contain patient information and legal records, prioritize patient safety, and comply with legal stipulations. Most oversee a team of information technicians and office workers.

Healthcare Consultant

Consultants  typically work for private healthcare organizations, where they study and evaluate hospital management systems and facility efficiency. Many professionals in this area hold additional work experience outside of healthcare; usually in marketing or business. They must be able to synthesize large amounts of data, work independently, and effectively communicate statistical findings.

Healthcare Administrator

Administrators  work in a wide variety of facilities, including primary care medical practices, nursing homes, hospitals, and specialty clinics. They handle staff training, conduct performance reviews, and ensure their facilities receive attention from accrediting agencies. Many healthcare administrators hold registered nurse licensure.

Social and Community Service Managers

Working on behalf of human services or social organizations, these  managers  collaborate with community members to develop and implement health-related programs and services. They oversee administrative duties, plan outreach activities, and write funding proposals. Some work with large agencies to address issues such as mental health needs, chronic hunger, and substance abuse.

Finance and Healthcare Managers

Finance and healthcare managers  ensure that healthcare facilities adhere to budget restrictions, reduce spending, and increase revenue. These managers must thoroughly understand the costs associated with healthcare facility operations.

Healthcare Management Doctoral Degree Overview

Applying to graduate school is a daunting task for many prospective healthcare management students. Differences between programs are often subtle and difficult to identify, making it challenging to find a degree that best serves your academic and professional needs. The following section covers some important factors to look for as you research healthcare management and administration programs, including application and admission requirements, common course offerings, and desired program outcomes.

Types of Doctoral Degrees in Healthcare Management

Distance learners  interested in pursuing a doctorate  in healthcare management can choose from two degree options: a doctoral degree in healthcare management (Ph.D.) or a doctor of healthcare administration (DHA). Both degrees offer similar training and emphasize research; however, the Ph.D. best serves students interested in developing original research projects and contributing to existing scholarship. Students interested in using research to improve applied healthcare practices and patient care may prefer a DHA program.

Required courses for each degree vary between programs. While the Ph.D. and DHA require similar introductory coursework, advanced courses and electives options can vary greatly between the two degrees. Although most Ph.D. and DHA programs require candidates to complete a dissertation, the intention behind this research-driven endeavor may differ based on degree type. A Ph.D. dissertation typically focuses on contributing new information to an existing body of work, while DHA dissertations use existing information to solve immediate problems in healthcare.

Application Requirements and Admission Criteria

While application requirements differ between schools, most institutions request similar materials. Contact an admissions advisor at your prospective schools to ensure you satisfy all application requirements. Admissions committees often discard incomplete applications.

Candidates applying to doctorate in healthcare management online programs must submit their official transcripts from all previously-attended undergraduate and graduate programs. Many schools require applicants to demonstrate a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher. Additionally, prospective students may need to demonstrate experience working in a healthcare administration setting or related area.

Some schools also request letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to your professional and academic abilities. These letters should come from your previous professors or job supervisors. Other common application materials include a resume, professional statement, writing sample or an example of original research, and GRE scores. In addition, candidates are typically required to pay a handling fee when they submit their application.

Every doctoral program features a slightly different curriculum, and curricula can vary considerably between departments and schools. Candidates who wish to earn a doctorate in healthcare management online should consider any prospective department’s faculty members, as course offerings often depend largely on faculty specialties.

Most Ph.D. and DHM curricula include a series of core courses. These classes typically address general topics in healthcare management and administration such as human resources, research ethics, policy compliance, and quality management. Core classes typically take up over half of a degree’s required credits. Most students who earn a doctorate in healthcare management online complete 60-75 credits.

In addition to classroom study, candidates usually complete multiple supervised residencies at approved healthcare facilities. Distance learners may also complete capstone courses, comprehensive exams, and a dissertation before graduating. These components allow doctoral students to demonstrate their applied knowledge and skills. Doctoral students often take one or more of the following classes:

Program Outcomes

Students who earn a doctorate in healthcare management online master a spectrum of desirable competencies. In addition to possessing top-notch research and writing skills, graduates are excellent leaders, managers, and communicators. In-depth study of national and global healthcare organization and practices helps graduates understand and serve diverse populations.

Individuals with a doctoral degree find success in a variety of healthcare careers and related jobs in both the public and private sectors. Both Ph.D. and DHA degrees require students to absorb information in specialized subject areas, develop strong decision-making skills, master budget analysis and financial planning, and synthesize large amounts of information for research projects. These valuable skills help graduates find lucrative and fulfilling positions in today’s competitive job market.

Accreditation for Doctorate in Healthcare Management Online Programs

It is important to select an accredited college or university if you wish to earn a doctorate in healthcare management online. During the accreditation process, organizations known as accrediting bodies evaluate and ensure that an institution upholds quality standards. Accrediting bodies, in turn, are monitored by the U.S. Department of Education or Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

While colleges and universities hold regional or national accreditation, some healthcare management programs possess programmatic accreditation. The field’s top programmatic accrediting body is the  Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education  (CAHME). CAHME ensures that a program meets academic standards specific to healthcare management.

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25 Best Online PhD in Healthcare Management [2024 Doctorate Guide]

Quality, affordable healthcare is a hot topic these days, and not only can an online PhD in Healthcare Management make you part of the conversation, but it may give you the education and tools you need to become part of the solution.

A doctoral degree can help you stand out from other applicants for a variety of jobs in healthcare leadership.

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It may show employers that you understand the wide variety of skills—from business and communication to human resources and research—that a healthcare manager needs today.

Universities Offering Online PhD in Healthcare Management Degree Programs

Methodology: The following school list is in alphabetical order. To be included, a college or university must be regionally accredited and offer degree programs online or in a hybrid format.

1. A.T. Still University

AT Still University’s Doctor of Healthcare Management is an online PhD program accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

This degree prepares its students to become leaders in the healthcare field, pairing advanced business knowledge with contemporary health policy. This interdisciplinary program is taught by a diverse, experienced faculty.

A.T. Still University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

2. Arizona State University

Arizona State University’s Doctorate in Behavioral Health Management focuses on career development and healthcare policy knowledge. Business entrepreneurship is emphasized alongside concentrations in the field of health care, such as community health and sustainability. A dedicated, full-time faculty teach courses in this online degree program.

Arizona State University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.

3. Capella University

Capella University’s Doctor of Health Administration is an online program accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and recognized by the National Center for Healthcare Leadership. Graduates obtain the highest degree in healthcare education, becoming experts on contemporary healthcare issues in a range of concentration topics.

Capella University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

4. Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University presents an online PhD in Health Administration. This 63 credit hour degree program emphasizes up-to-date policy alongside interpersonal leadership.

Graduates’ knowledge furthers their career development into ethical administrators dedicated to patient care. The program is capped by a dissertation to round out the degree.

CMU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

5. Colorado Technical University

Colorado Technical University’s Doctorate in Management with a concentration in Healthcare Management and Leadership is an online program that includes a residency.

With completion in 3 years, ending in a dissertation, CTU’s program gives healthcare professionals the leadership training, knowledge, and experience they need to take the next step in their careers.

Colorado Technical University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

6. Drexel University

At Drexel University, students who enroll in the Doctor of Health Science receive the quality instruction necessary for a variety of healthcare careers. Academic research is conducted alongside learning and hands-on care in the community to round out this higher education online instruction in management, administration, and health service.

Drexel University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

7. Franklin University

Franklin University’s Doctor of Healthcare Administration is a leader in training the next generation of healthcare professionals.

With a focus on career development and leadership, Franklin graduates influence and expand the healthcare field to better patient care. Contemporary policy, healthcare ethics, and community support are all topics covered in this degree program.

Franklin University  is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

8. Grand Canyon University

Grand Canyon University’s Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Healthcare Administration provides students with the skills and knowledge to manage and organize healthcare teams and facilities.

With a strong curriculum taught by industry professionals, students conduct qualitative research ending in a dissertation to complete their online degree.

Grand Canyon University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

9. Indiana Wesleyan University

Indiana Wesleyan University’s Doctor of Business Administration offers a specialization in Healthcare Administration that prepares students for educational and professional development. Students gain organizational, management, and leadership skills to head a healthcare business or nonprofit. This 3 year degree program is flexible and fully online.

Indiana Wesleyan University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

10. Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University offers a PhD in Health Policy and Management that helps provide students with the knowledge and skills to become the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Leadership skills are taught alongside contemporary ethics and policy to prepare students for their future career goals. This online program includes practicum and dissertation components.

The Johns Hopkins University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

11. Keiser University

Keiser University’s online Doctor in Health Science gives current healthcare professionals the education and tools they need to further their career aspirations.

Students are presented with a rigorous curriculum to prepare them for leadership in the modern healthcare field. The program’s courses cover topics such as cost effective care, diversity, accessibility, and leadership.

Keiser University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

12. Liberty University

At Liberty University, the Doctor of Business Management in Healthcare Management is an online degree program whose graduates go on to top-level positions in nonprofit and healthcare businesses alike.

This 60 credit hour, 3 year program includes research, career development, and a flexible schedule to suit students’ busy lives. A tuition discount is available for former military personnel.

Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

13. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences offers a Doctor of Health Sciences in a part-time, online format that is flexible for students’ busy lives. This 54 credit hour program covers contemporary healthcare issues alongside academic study, leadership training, and a capstone project to round out the degree.

MCPHS University  is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

14. Medical University of South Carolina

The Medical University of South Carolina’s Doctor of Health Administration is a 3 year online course that’s training the next generation of healthcare leaders.

With a small cohort size, students are guaranteed face time with industry professional faculty to ensure their academic and industry success. Several curriculum tracks are offered for students to personalize their degree.

The  Medical University of South Carolina  is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

15. National University

National University offers an advanced, up-to-date Doctor of Health Administration program that aims to train graduates for career success. The curriculum covers topics like community care, organizational structures, and policy ethics to ensure quality patient care from the administration level.

The program requires the completion of 60 credit hours and offers year-round enrollment.

National University  is regionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.

16. Nebraska Methodist College

Nebraska Methodist College’s Doctorate in Education and Leadership in Healthcare is an online program focused on career development and student success. With flexible class schedules and a degree available in just 2 years, this program gives students knowledge and experience in the healthcare topics they need to excel.

Nebraska Methodist College  is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

17. Nova Southeastern University

Nova Southeastern University’s Doctor of Philosophy in Health Science is a program for healthcare administrators and practitioners alike to advance their academic knowledge.

Students study contemporary healthcare ethics, policy, and research design to contribute to academic literature, enhancing the theories of patient care. This online degree includes a dissertation.

NSU  is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

18. Regent University

Regent University’s Doctor of Strategic Leadership in Healthcare Leadership is a 51 credit hour program that includes 2 residency components. As the first online doctorate of strategic leadership, Regent offers flexible scheduling and provides the tools and knowledge for career advancement.

Regent University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

19. Trident University

Trident University’s online Doctor of Health Administration provides current healthcare professionals with experience and knowledge to further their career goals.

Policy, political and social trends, and technological advancements are all covered in this program’s curriculum, ensuring an up-to-date education that prepares students for their future careers as healthcare leaders.

Trident University is accredited by WASCUC—Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior Colleges and University Commission.

20. University of Alabama – Birmingham

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Executive Doctor of Science in Healthcare Leadership trains healthcare professionals to secure future positions in senior leadership.

Management skills are taught alongside community care, policy changes, and technology advancement so students have a contemporary understanding of healthcare administration and leadership. This 3 year program includes a 1 year dissertation.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

21. University of Denver

At the University of Denver, students of the Doctor in Healthcare Management program receive an up-to-date education in the policy, leadership, and organizational training that prepares healthcare administrators to best provide patient care. This program provides flexible scheduling with evening or online classes.

The  University of Denver  is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

22. University of Mississippi

The University of Mississippi’s Doctor of Health Administration is an online degree program with a varied curriculum.

Topics of epidemiology, policy, and administration ensure students are prepared for their future careers in leadership of nonprofit or healthcare business organizations. A dissertation and dissertation defense cap off the degree.

The  University of Mississippi  is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

23. University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill offers an Executive Doctoral Program in Health Leadership for current healthcare professionals to take the next step in their career goals.

Whether in the private or public sector, at the local, national or even international levels, UNC’s online degree program gives students the leadership capabilities and knowledge they need for success. This 3 year program includes a dissertation.

UNC-Chapel Hill is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

24. University of Phoenix

The University of Phoenix’s online, 54 credit hour Doctor of Health Administration is taught by experienced industry professionals. Students take classes with flexible scheduling to master contemporary healthcare policy, leadership skills, and administration management. This degree program finishes with a dissertation.

University of Phoenix is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

25. Walden University

Walden University’s online Doctor of Healthcare Administration trains the next generation of healthcare professionals. With a focus on student career development, this program offers two tracks for students to personalize their academic goals. A tuition reduction is available for current military service members and their spouses.

Walden is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.

Online Doctorate in Healthcare Management Programs

A doctorate in healthcare management is ideal for working professionals who want to advance their careers. Online programs are more flexible, and professors often understand the demands on your life.

Like all doctoral programs, those in healthcare management emphasize original research and are popular with students who wish to teach, write, or use research to enhance their leadership abilities, whether in medical, academic, clinical, nonprofit, or corporate settings.

Your studies will include classes in business management from a healthcare perspective. Your courses will normally combine a core of basic classes with those in a specialty that matches your particular interest. Basic courses will include management theory and ethics, strategic thinking and organizing, and research methods and design.

If your career goal is in healthcare administration, you will also study leadership, interpersonal skills, and business administration, which generally includes finance and healthcare management.

Doctorate degrees in healthcare management are flexible and valuable. Career opportunities in hospitals, clinical settings, specialty healthcare facilities, academia, and industry are all possible. A research career may even lead to teaching or investigating ongoing, current problems.

Healthcare Management Careers & Salaries

There are almost limitless possibilities for careers in healthcare administration. The ever-expanding field and America’s aging “baby boomer” population have greatly increased the demand for qualified healthcare leaders. Hospital administrators, for example, supervise every aspect of their institutions.

While jobs in hospital administration are among the most popular for those with a PhD in Healthcare Management, they are, by far, not the only career paths available. For example, you may oversee an organization’s health information, which includes all patient records and their privacy requirements.

Other healthcare facilities, such as nursing homes, dialysis centers, and rehabilitation centers, need qualified administrators as well. The following information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics will give you an idea of some possible careers and salaries:

Another career option includes being a manager in clinical settings. As a manager you would assure that reports are written according to professional standards, budgets are created and followed, and policies reflect both patient and institutional needs.

You would also make sure that the staff is properly trained and all healthcare laws, policies, and protocols are followed.

Salaries for healthcare managers with doctoral degrees will widely vary depending on several factors, including your years of experience, the size of the healthcare facility where you work, the number of physicians and other staff you supervise, and the state where you are working.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average salary for healthcare administrators in the United States is $104,280. There are also opportunities in industries such as medical or pharmaceutical manufacturing that can pay well. These statistics alone explain why online degrees in healthcare are a popular choice among college students.

As you can see, an online healthcare management degree can open many career paths, so think about which career opportunities interest you most, and do a bit of additional research to narrow it down. The classes you take may even lead you toward an unexpected path.

PhD in Healthcare Management Curriculum and Courses

A doctoral program in healthcare management will likely include basics in business, administration, and specialty areas, all culminating in a dissertation. Some will require time spent on campus while others will require seminars and practicums that can be tailored to overlap with your current work.

Courses may include:

• Research Design and Data Analysis : Prior to starting dissertation research, students must learn qualitative and quantitative research and data collection methods.
• Healthcare Leadership : This course studies current leadership strategies and research to familiarize you with existing systems.
• Healthcare Law and Policy : This course covers state, national, and possibly local government laws and policies that must be understood.
• Strategic Planning : All healthcare leaders are responsible for learning about existing structures and policies so they can implement positive institutional change.
• Communications Skills : This course teaches how to communicate with populations with whom you will interact, from funders to physicians and support staff.
• Organizational Theories : You would study organizational behaviors and attributes of different management styles in this course.
• Epidemiology : This course covers current research and practices in how disease is spread and controlled in various populations and environments.
• Public Health : Here you would learn the healthcare behaviors of groups within populations, especially those that are currently underserved.
• Healthcare Financing : The complex healthcare market offers numerous ways to pay for treatment, so this course focuses on what institutions can do to create affordable options.
• Dissertation : This course prepares you for the capstone degree requirement and covers how to develop a proposal, select research methodology, and defend findings to a faculty panel.

With the completion of core courses, such as those listed here, you would then normally work with an advisor to plan to take additional courses that focus more on your individual, academic goals.

Admissions Requirements

Admissions requirements will differ from institution to institution, but most require that you have:

• Master’s degree . A graduate degree in a health-related field and a resume that demonstrates familiarity with management
• Work Experience & Recommendations . Professional experience in a healthcare environment ranging from three to six years along with letters of recommendation
• GPA & Transcripts . Transcripts of all courses taken and a minimum GPA that is generally around 3.0
• Exams Scores . GRE or GMAT scores, if required, should be submitted with the application and should show high scores in science, math, and critical thinking sections

Be sure to read all application requirements carefully, and pay close attention to deadlines.

Accreditation

In your search for a quality doctoral program in healthcare management, it is vital that you narrow your search to accredited institutions that are among those recognized by the Council on Higher Education Administration .

An institution that is accredited has received recognition for meeting national quality standards in areas such as faculty, curriculum, facilities, and student services. Employers will usually require job applicants to be graduates from an accredited institution.

In addition, eligibility for financial aid is usually dependent on attending an accredited institution that has met all the standards for quality education.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Tuition for graduate school can put a strain on any budget, but Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) exists to help students pay for higher education. Their website is user friendly and is a great place to begin your search for funds to help pay for your doctoral program.

Universities know how complex and important your search for funds will be. A good first step in your search is to contact the financial aid offices at the universities you are considering. They are trained to locate public, private, or employer scholarships that can offset high tuition cost.

You can also look into organizations in the health field or in your own community that may offer help with tuition.

What Can You Do with a PhD in Healthcare Management?

Jobs in healthcare management are in great demand, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the average job growth in healthcare will be 15% for the next ten years.

Your doctoral degree may be the key to professional fulfillment in a field you already love. Career opportunities abound and may include leadership roles in hospitals, clinical settings, corporations, and academia.

Most of these positions allow you to continue your research into areas of interest while also giving you a chance to implement your research findings to bring about positive change.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Doctorate in Healthcare Management Online?

The length of time it will take you to receive your PhD in Healthcare Management will depend on the number of units required for your specific program and the number of units you take each semester.

Generally, universities require between 50-80 classroom units. So, for example, if you take 8 units per semester, and your program requires 65 units, it will take you about 8 semesters to complete.

Taking courses year-round, including summer school, will let you finish in about 3 to 5 years. After the class curriculum is complete, a dissertation will be required. Completing your research, writing, and thesis defense normally takes from 2 to 6 years.

What is the Difference Between Healthcare Management vs. Healthcare Administration?

Healthcare management is a holistic discipline that is concerned with the needs and quality of an entire medical or clinical organization.

Healthcare administration, on the other hand, focuses more on the day-to-day operations of these institutions or their individual departments. Healthcare managers are concerned with policies and procedures while healthcare administrators take care of specific units within larger organizations.

They may be called directors or managers and may work in clinics, medical offices, or specialty medical organizations. Both roles need to be familiar with medical terminology, procedures, and medical environments. Requirements for each will depend on specific job requirements.

Is a PhD in Healthcare Management Worth It?

Yes, a PhD in Healthcare Management is worth it for many students. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare jobs are set to grow at 15% over the next 10 years, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Common careers in this field include leadership positions in hospitals, clinics, academia, or industries related to medical care. Caring for our nation’s aging population will require research-based solutions. Needed developments in technology must also be integrated into the healthcare system. Opportunities abound!

Getting Your Healthcare Management Doctorate Online

The next step for those working in medical professions who already hold masters degrees in health-related fields is an online doctorate in healthcare management. This online healthcare leadership degree from an accredited institution can lead to esteemed positions that are not available to others.

Whether you see your future in research, healthcare administration, academia, industry, or government, this degree sets you apart. It proves you have the education and skills that organizations need.

Employers recognize the value of online doctoral programs from accredited institutions, and universities understand the unique needs of online students, working with them to ensure success. Why not start your journey today?

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At YSPH you can really explore your horizons, and that allowed me to branch out and develop expertise in multiple areas. Being able to now combine that expertise and have it coalesce has already served me well, and I expect it will continue moving forward.

PhD in Health Policy and Management

The doctoral program in Health Policy and Management (HPM) is designed to develop scholars that are able to apply theoretical frameworks from the social sciences (such as economics, political science, organizational theory and management, sociology) to address pressing health policy and management research questions. The program is purposefully interdisciplinary and seeks to prepare students for research careers in academics as well as in public and private sector agencies and organizations. Students complete courses in a broad set of health policy and management areas, biostatistics and econometrics, and a selected area of depth (i.e., economic theory and application, political and policy analysis, and organizational theory and management). Students in the department of HPM take qualifying examinations in:

• health policy and management
• quantitative methods
• their chosen area of depth.

In addition, students work directly with a specific faculty member on an individualized readings course on which they will also take a qualifying examination. The program typically requires 4-5 years to complete, including 2 years of coursework followed by 2-3 years to complete and defend the doctoral dissertation. Individuals applying to this program usually have a master’s degree and/or relevant research experience, however the minimum requirement is a bachelor’s degree.

This program requires General GRE test scores. Please send them to institution code 3987 (there is no department code).

Degree Requirements - PhD in Health Policy and Management

2023-24 matriculation.

All courses are 1 unit unless otherwise noted.

The Ph.D. degree in Health Policy and Management requires a total of 16 course units with the option of obtaining credits for previous courses. With the approval of the academic adviser and DGS, course substitutions that better suit the needs of the student may satisfy the course work requirement.

PhD Required Courses (5 course units)

• EPH 508 Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health
• EPH 600 Research Ethics and Responsibilities (0 units)
• EPH 608 Frontiers of Public Health*
• HPM 610 Applied Area Readings
• HPM 617 Colloquium in Health Services Research (0 units)
• HPM 618 Colloquium in Health Services Research (0 units)
• HPM XXX Additional course TBD

PhD Required Methods and Statistics Courses (minimum 4 course units)

• BIS 623 Advanced Regression Models
• BIS 628 Longitudinal and Multilevel Data Analysis
• ECON 556 Topics in Empirical Economics and Public Policy
• ECON 558 Econometrics
• HPM 583 Methods in Health Services Research
• MGMT 737 Applied Empirical Methods
• PLSC 500 Foundations of Statistical Inference
• PLSC 503 Theory and Practice of Quantitative Methods
• SBS 580 Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health
• SOCY 580 Introduction to Methods in Quantitative Sociology
• SOCY 581 Intermediate Methods in Quantitative Sociology
• SOCY 582 Statistics III; Advanced Quantitative Analysis for Social Scientists
• S&DS 563 Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences
• S&DS 565 Introductory Machine Learning

PhD Required Health Policy and Management Courses (minimum 2 course units, all with PhD Readings)

• EPH 510 Health Policy and Health Care Systems
• HPM 514 Health Politics, Governance, and Policy
• HPM 570 Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Decision Making
• HPM 573 Advanced Topics in Modeling Health Care Decisions
• HPM 587 Advanced Health Economics

Additional Elective(s)

Minimum of 1 additional elective. Must be approved by advisor.

Specializations

Economics Specialization Required Courses (minimum 4 course units)

• ECON 545 Microeconomics May substitute for an alternative with permission of advisor and GSEC representative
• ECON 558 Econometrics Must take substitution course if taken as Methods course.

Students take two field courses in at least one concentration to develop expertise. Sets of courses across topics can be selected to meet research interests with advisor permission:

• MGMT 758 Foundations of Behavioral Economics
• PSYC 553 Behavioral Decision Making I: Choice
• ECON 600 Industrial Organization I
• ECON 601 Industrial Organization II
• ECON 630 Labor Economics
• ECON 631 Labor Economics
• ECON 680 Public Finance I
• ECON 681 Public Finance II

Organizational Theory and Management Specialization Required Courses (4 course units)

Courses are selected in consultation with the student’s advisor.

Political and Policy Analysis Specialization Required Courses (4 course units)

Suggested courses:

• PLSC 800 Introduction to American Politics
• PLSC 801 Political Preferences and American Political Behavior
• PLSC 803 American Politics III: Institutions

Course offerings subject to change.

rev. 07.10.2023

Recent Dissertation Projects

Research in HPM applies the conceptual frameworks and research methods from economics, health policy, and organizational theory and management. Examples of ongoing faculty research include the following:

• The Role of Pharmacists in Primary Care: Analyzing Predictors and Outcomes of Pharmacist Integration in Connecticut
• The Determinants and Consequences of Cognitive Aging: Evidence and Implications for Public Policy
• Essays on Quality Improvement: Three Active Approaches to Improving Care for Nursing Home Users
• Efficiency and Equity in Private Markets for Public Health Care Services
• The Role of the Physician-Patient Relationship in Chronic Disease Patients
• The Effects of Hospital Network Entry and Exit on Organizational Performance

Learn more about the Department of Health Policy and Management

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Doctor of Philosophy in Health Policy and Management

UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

The PhD in Health Policy and Management is an academic degree emphasizing the in-depth expertise necessary for a research career. It emphasizes the integration of theory and research in a focused substantive area (cognate). This includes classroom instruction; non-credit seminars; independent study; research projects; academic apprenticeships; and interaction with faculty, fellow students, and other professionals within and outside the UCLA campus.

Because each student has unique and specific interests, doctoral training is individualized to the needs and interests of the particular student.

The doctoral program encompasses the following major elements and stages:

• Course work in the major and cognate/minor fields
• Written qualifying examination
• Proposal for the dissertation
• Oral qualifying examination on the proposal for the dissertation (advancement to candidacy)

Dissertation

• Oral defense of the dissertation

Course Work

Students must have a minimum of 17 courses (70 units). All students are required to specialize in a particular area of study, a cognate, which requires additional coursework. Of these, 11-12 courses (46-50 units) are required, five courses (20 units) are electives, and remaining units may be fulfilled with additional electives or from the cognate coursework.

Required Courses (11-12 courses/44-50 units)

• HLT POL 200A: Health Systems Organization and Financing, I
• HLT POL 226A: Readings in Health Service Research (2 Units)
• HLT POL 226B: Readings in Health Service Research (2 Units)
• HLT POL 227B: Special Topics in Health Services
• HLT POL 225A: Health Services Research Design (6 Units)
• HLT POL 225B: Health Services Research Design (6 Units)
• HLT POL 423 Practices of Evaluation in Health Services
• HLT POL 237C: Health Services Research Methodology (6 Units)
• BIOSTATS 201A: Applied Regression
• BIOSTATS 201B: Applied Regression
• EPIDEM 100 or an equivalent introductory survey course or show proof of an equivalent graduate-level introductory epidemiology course that meets the requirements for an MPH, MS, PhD, or MD program
• One (or more) additional statistics course (200-level or above) ONLY this additional statistics course may be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis. All other courses MUST be graded.

Elective Courses (5 courses/20 units)

• Students select four or more elective courses

Cognate Requirements

Cognate studies give students a depth of knowledge in a field that is complementary to health policy and management. Students are required to take PhD level coursework that satisfies the requirements of at least one cognate. Students choose a cognate from areas such as economics, epidemiology, health care outcomes research, organizational behavior, and public policy studies, or may design their own cognate with a faculty member.

Qualifying Exam

Students generally take the qualifying exam after the completion of all course work, usually in the beginning of their third year of doctoral studies. The purpose of the written qualifying exam is to prepare and evaluate students’ knowledge and application of a number of areas, and to assess students’ readiness to undertake independent research.

Dissertation Proposal

The dissertation proposal describes the student’s desired area of research, the methods that will be used to examine relevant data and how it will support the dissertation findings, and explain the dissertation’s contribution to the field.

Dissertation Proposal Defense (Oral Qualifying Examination)

The purpose of the dissertation proposal defense (also known as the oral qualifying examination) is twofold: 1) to evaluate the research being proposed for the dissertation and 2) to assess the student’s ability to conduct this research. The defense focuses on the proposal for the dissertation.

The dissertation reports the results of the research conducted based on the proposal. The dissertation should demonstrate the scientific merit of the work itself and the student’s mastery over its substance and methods. It must demonstrate that the student is qualified to conduct independent research.

Dissertation Defense

The final oral examination is a defense of the dissertation. The purpose of this examination is twofold: 1) to evaluate the research conducted for the dissertation 2) to assess the student’s ability to conduct independent research. The exam focuses on the dissertation.

The PhD is generally obtained in four or five years.

View a list of faculty in the Department of Health Policy and Management.

Many graduates of the program pursue research and teaching careers in health care management and health policy analysis.

Examples of position held by graduates include:

• Tenure-Track Faculty
• Research Director

For the most up to date fees and more information on fee breakdown, visit the  registrar's office .

Please see the cost and aid section of our website for information on awards, scholarships, training opportunities, employment, summer internship funding, and need-based aid. Please note that opportunities listed under 'Summer Internship Funding' are only applicable to MPH students.

Desired Qualifications

In addition to meeting the University’s minimum requirements , the Department of Health Policy and Management recommends a master’s degree in public health or other appropriate graduate degree in a related field with a grade-point average of at least 3.5 for graduate studies. In addition, although not required for admission, research experience in the field is viewed favorably when competing applications are judged. Students do not need to identify a faculty mentor in order to apply for the program.

Admissions Process

Visit the application guide to learn about our admissions process.

Please note:

This information is intended as an overview, and should be used as a guide only. Requirements, course offerings and other elements may change, and this overview may not list all details of the program. 

Admission requirements listed are departmental requirements, and are in addition to the University's minimum requirements. Many programs receive more applicants than can be admitted, so meeting the minimum requirements for admission does not ensure admission. Every effort is made to ensure minimum admissions requirements are up to date - for the most up-to-date information on the University's minimum requirements, please visit the  UCLA Graduate Division .

Fees are subject to change and should be used as a guide only. For the most up to date fees and more information on fee breakdown, visit the  registrar's office.

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2024 Graduation information for all events and for graduates, friends, and families can be found here . 

PhD in Health Policy and Management

The program trains students for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Health Policy and Management (HPAM). It aims to develop researchers, educators, and policymakers who can contribute to improving the health of global populations. The program will equip students with a broad knowledge of theoretical underpinnings, a nuanced understanding of experimental design, and a detailed knowledge of rigorous empirical methods to advance research in management and policy. Students will also have applied experience communicating and interpreting findings based on these techniques to appropriate policy and management audiences. Students' area specializations will likely reflect the major strengths of the HPAM faculty, which include healthcare cost, access, and quality focused on health disparities.

PhD Alumni Initial Job Placements

Applicants must meet the school's  admission and application requirements  for entrance into doctoral programs at SPHTM. The HPM faculty conducts interviews with applications and match the applicant with a faculty with similar research interests who is able to mentor a doctoral student.

Please visit the university course catalog for:

• degree program requirements
• degree program competencies

Educational teaching assistant experience

All PhD students at SPHTM are required to serve as a teaching assistant (TA) for two SPHTM courses while enrolled in the PhD program. Students should register for Teaching Assistantship Educational Experience (0 credits) during the terms they complete each TA requirement. 

All other program requirements (e.g. research ethics, comprehensive exam, prospectus, and dissertation) remain the same across the old and revised programs, as outlined in the SPHTM PhD Handbook .

Please visit the 2022 university course catalog for:

The PhD program requires a minimum of 72 post baccalaureate degree credits, with at least 30 credits of advanced courses work taken at SPHTM.

Prerequisite Coursework

• SPHL 6020 Foundations in Public Health (3)
• SPHL 6060 Epidemiology for Public Health (3)
• SPHL 6050 Biostatistics for Public Health (3)
• SPHL 6070 Health Systems Policy and Management (3)

Total : 12 credit hours

PhD Doctoral Study

• HPAM 8310 Organizational Theory and Assessment (3)
• HPAM 8350 Policy Analysis and Natural Experiments (3)
• HPAM 8410 Cost Benefit/Cost Effectiveness Analysis (3)
• HPAM 8770 Health Services Research Methods (3)
• EPID 7120 Epidemiologic Methods II (3)
• IHSD 8250 Advanced Research Methods in Global Health (3)

Total: 18 credit hours

PhD Elective Courses

Electives are selected from relevant advanced level courses offered within the department, school, or university in consultation with an academic advisor. 12 credits minimum; Additional credits as needed to reach 72 credit graduation requirement and fulfill PhD Foundation Course requirements.

Total:12 credit hours

Department Chair:  Arthur Mora, PhD

Program Director:  Charles Stoecker, PhD

Department Administrator:  Alison Rinehart

Email:   [email protected]

Phone:  (504) 988-5428

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The Best Health Degrees

Your go-to source for information about healthcare degrees and programs

15 Online Health Management PhD Degrees

Healthcare in America is a complex industry. Beyond the medical advances, there have been advances in the overall industry structure which requires expertise in administrative and operational support. One avenue to participating in the management and policy creation in healthcare, is to earn an online health management PhD.

It can be daunting to consider earning a terminal degree such as a doctorate, but it’s easier than you may think, thanks to the availability of online doctoral programs. These programs allow you to continue to work while advancing your education. Additionally, many of these accredited, online programs can be completed in less time than you may imagine.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the average salary at $100,980 annually. Compensation ranges from $58,820 to the highest at $189,000.

Our Method: Ranking the 15 Online Health Management and Policy PhD Degrees

To rank the 15 Online Health Management and Policy PhDs Degrees, Best Degrees editors researched accredited, trusted programs of all kinds. From our initial pool, we ranked programs according to price, accreditation, reputation, and salary potential, using data from IPEDS and Niche, U.S. News and World Report, and other higher education rating publications.

1. Rutgers University

The School of Public Health at New Jersey’s flagship university has a hybrid PhD in Public Health with a Health Systems & Policy concentration.

This degree requires a minimum of 72 credit hours and you’re expected to enroll full time. The program requires you take prerequisites (in addition to the 72 credits) epidemiology, biostatistics, and health systems and policy. Additionally, you’ll take credit hours in ethics and public health theories. Major coursework will include data analysis, private and public health insurance, epidemiology, research methods, research and evaluation design.

Admission is processed through SOPHAS and you’ll need to provide GRE scores, official academic transcripts, work experience, goals statement, letters of recommendation, etc. Tuition is $903-$1,353, per credit hour, depending on residency status.

Fast Fact: Niche names Rutgers as one of the Best Colleges for Public Health in America

Learn more about the online health management doctorate here!

2. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Here’s an online Doctor of Health Sciences (DHS) degree, designed for current health professionals, which can be taken part-time and can be completed in nine semesters.

The 54 credit hour curriculum offers a Health Systems Administration focus and provides concentration coursework in Health Policy and Reform, Financial and Human Resource Management, and Transformative Leadership. You’ll also study healthcare trends, population health, and quality improvement. There are doctoral core courses which will expose you to research methods, evidence appraisal, and dissemination of your findings in the form of capstone projects.

Online tuition for this program is calculated at $990 per credit hour. A master’s degree is necessary for admission as is evidence of health professional experience or credentials.

Fast Fact: MCPHS was founded in 1823 and considered one of the Most Transformative Colleges in the U.S. by Money Magazine (2018)

3. Johns Hopkins University

You can earn this hybrid DrPh in Health Policy and Management from the venerable Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The curriculum was developed with the Malcolm Baldridge Health Care Criteria for Performance and is perfect for those currently employed in a range of healthcare organizations. Courses include studies in Performance Measurement in Healthcare, Fundamentals of Budgeting and Financial Management, Strategic Planning, Patient Safety and Medical Errors, Quality of Medical Care, and more. Other courses include healthcare economics and finance, research methods, as well as outcomes research.

You can expect to pay an estimated $57,456 per traditional academic year in tuition. Johns Hopkins University uses the SOPHAS application service for admission.

Fast Fact: U.S. News and World Report considers this public health school #1 in the U.S.

4. University of Alabama Birmingham

You may want to explore the Executive Doctor of Science (DSc) in Healthcare Leadership at UAB, if you’re looking for a blended program to solidify your management skills.

This is a three-year program and will require you to attend three eight-day campus visits during the first two years. The third year will involve international travel to study healthcare organizations and delivery abroad. A dissertation is required. Among the courses you’ll take over the years include Strategic Management Theory and Research, Comparative Health Systems, Health Policy, Process and Issues, Healthcare Quality Improvement, Strategic Planning and Management in Health Care Organizations, and others.

Admission to this program requests a current cv/resume, personal essay, academic transcripts, as well as an organizational chart of your administrative role. You must have five years of mid-to-senior level healthcare administrative experience. Tuition cost for this program is $36,600 per year.

Fast Fact: UAB is rated one of Niche’s Top Public Universities in America

5. Texas Woman’s University

Don’t let the name fool you, Texas Woman’s University has been admitting men since 1972, and has an online/hybrid PhD in Health Studies degree (currently awaiting Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approval.)

The hybrid classes will require you to attend two weekend sessions and requires 96 credit hours (39 hours can be transferred from your master’s program). Studies for this PhD will include health care health leadership and advocacy, program development, epidemiology, health science foundation, statistics, research methods, and more. A qualifying exam and dissertation are also necessary to complete this degree.

General admission standards require a bachelor’s degree, have a minimum 3.0 GPA, standardized test scores, academic transcripts, and letters of reference. Tuition ranges from $281-$690 per credit hour, dependent on state of residence.

Fast Fact: TWU is ranked as a Top Public Universities in America and Best Value Colleges in America by Niche

6. George Washington University

The GW Milken Institute School of Public Health provides a PhD in Health Policy which will prepare you to assess and apply solutions to various influences on health care such as social, economic, political, etc.

Multidisciplinary in design, this PhD 48 credit hour program requires core coursework in areas such as economics and finance, payment and delivery models, public health leadership, and U.S. policies affecting healthcare. You’ll also study research methods, systems and policy research, as well as approved electives. Dissertation seminars in proposal development and dissertation research are included in the curriculum. An 8-hour Professional Enhancement experience in seminars, symposia, or lectures is also required; as is, a Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative. Of course, the program culminates with a dissertation.

A master’s degree (preferably in public policy, public health, etc) is required for admission consideration, along with GRE scores, prior economic and statistics coursework, etc. Tuition runs about $16,425 per term. You can also explore financial aid options offered through the school.

Fast Fact: This is one of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Public Health Graduate Schools

7. East Carolina University

Here’s a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) that is available online or on-campus and offers a Health Policy, Policy, and Administration (HPAL) concentration.

This terminal degree is practice and evidence-based and has a focus on underserved, rural, and varied cultural communities. You’ll be trained to identify and create evidence-based community public health programs. Some of the academic studies involve health information systems, strategic planning, gerontology and public health, cost-effectiveness, and quality improvement.

You’ll need a MPH or equivalent degree, prerequisite courses, GRE scores (waiver is possible) as well as a minimum of 2 years public health experience. North Carolina residents are assessed $249 each credit hour and non-residents are charged $894 per hour.

Fast Fact: ECU is on Niche’s Best Colleges for Public Health in America list

8. Virginia Commonwealth University

You can complete this PhD in Health Services Organization and Research degree in two-three years, depending on your enrollment status.

This program concentrates on four areas of study in health services organization and research, health services research methods, organizational theory, and elective courses. Courses in support of those concentrations include Health Economics, Research in Health Care Financing and Delivery Systems, Foundations of Health Organization Theory, Organizational Behavior for Health Services Research, Applied Health Services Research, and more. Comprehensive exams and a dissertation complete the program including the requisite oral defense.

You’ll need to provide proof of a master’s degree, GRE scores, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and participate in a personal interview with the Admissions Committee. Some prerequisite studies are also required.

Fast Fact: VCU is considered a Top Public School by U.S. News and World Report

9. Samford University

Samford University describes the mission of this online Doctor of Public Health (DPH) to “prepare public health professionals to be catalysts for change.”

The Health Management and Policy concentration teaches the use of statistical methods, assessment of health problems, health policies evaluation, integration of program management, policies, organizations, financial, etc. to address public health. This curriculum includes studies in Visual Analytics & Predictive Modeling, Healthcare Policy & Law, Healthcare Management, Policy Analysis & Advocacy, and more.

You need a MPH, MHA, MSPH, or another relevant graduate degree for admission. Additionally, you’ll provide 3 letters of recommendation, a two page paper on a public health issue (using APA style guidelines), GRE scores, etc. Tuition for this 45-46 credit hour degree is estimated at $888 per credit hour.

Fast Fact: Located in Birmingham, Alabama, Samford University is considered one of Niche’s Top Private Universities in America

10. Grand Canyon University

GCU has a long history of online education and offers a Doctorate of Healthcare Administration.

Requiring 60 credit hours, this program will give you the evidence-based strategies necessary in today’s healthcare environment. You’ll take courses in strategic planning, health care organizations viability, regulations and ethics, developing a community culture in health care, research methodology and analysis, leadership, etc. You’ll develop your dissertation proposal and complete a dissertation.

Doctoral students pay $695 per credit hour (active and active reserve military receive a $618 tuition rate). A doctoral or masters degree, with a minimum GPA of 3.4 is required for admission. Those with a lower GPA may be admitted with specifications.

Fast Fact: Grand Canyon University was founded in 1949 as a Baptist educational institution

11. Colorado Technical University

This hybrid Doctorate in Healthcare Management and Leadership degree requires 100 total credit hours.

You’ll study management theory, ethics, organizational development, qualitative and quantitative research methods, strategic thinking, doctoral research principles, writing, literature review, health policy, healthcare informatics, etc. There’s also a Doctoral Symposium which will require you to attend a two-day, residential symposium in Denver. You’re given three years to complete the program.

There are multiple start dates throughout the year for this doctorate. Admission requires you to connect with an admission advisor as well as a doctoral interview, complete an application, and submit materials such as an official academic transcript, undergraduate degree, and more. Tuition is estimated at $59,800 for the program.

Fast Fact: CTU is a for-profit institution owned by Perdoceo Education Corporation

12. Liberty University

This Doctor of Business Administration degree from Liberty University is offered 100% online.

While an online health management PhD will help prepare you to teach in academia, a DBA will be better suited if you want to work in the business of healthcare. This program will examine supply chain management, research methods, legal and ethical considerations, healthcare finances and economics, healthcare marketing, and others. You’ll also take classes in Healthcare Administration, Managing Human Capital in Healthcare, as well as Case Study Research Methods & Consulting Techniques, etc. Doctoral research projects are required.

The program’s tuition estimate is $39,970 for the 60 credit hours. Liberty University offers discounts for military personnel and First Responders. Additionally, scholarships are available to help with your costs. Academic transcripts of your undergraduate degree, statement of purpose, letters of references, and the like.

Fast Fact: Liberty University was founded in 1971 and offers over 700 programs to 100,000 students

13. Thomas Jefferson University

The online health management PhD in Population Health Science at Thomas Jefferson University is designed to earn the skills to improve health and quality of care in communities. This is a hybrid program.

You’ll complete 62 credit hours (including dissertation and competency exam) and you can choose from five specialities, one of which is Health Policy. The curriculum is created for students with a MPH, healthcare professionals working in a variety of settings, as well as those working in other health areas such as pharmaceuticals. There are core courses in Population Health, Research Methods, along with Health Policy specific studies (Medicare & Medicaid, Health Law & Regulatory Issues, Comparative Health Systems, and more.)

Tuition is $1,310 per academic credit. Admission to this program is fairly straightforward.

Fast Fact: Thomas Jefferson University was established in 1824

14. Walden University

You can receive an online health management PhD in Health Services, with a Public Health Policy specialization, from Walden University within 106-108 quarter hours.

The curriculum includes coursework in quantitative and qualitative reasoning, research theory and design, financial management and economics, population health principles, analysis of public policy, health policy and politics, program implementation and analysis, and a dissertation. The degree requires 4 residencies (equaling a minimum of 16 days.) Two of the residencies may be virtual. You’ll study the implication of public financing on policy decisions, macroeconomics and microeconomics, and learn to analyze the influence of social programs.

You can expect to pay approximately $590 per credit hour in tuition costs with additional fees for the residencies, dissertation, etc.

Fast Fact: Niche ranks Walden University as one of its Best Value Colleges in America

15. Northcentral University

Northcentral University also offers a Doctor of Business Administration designed for those in senior leadership in health services.

This online health management PhD program takes approximately 39 months to complete and has a concentration in Health Sciences. As part of this degree, you’ll study ethics, health law and policy, healthcare economics and finance, healthcare quality management, statistics, quantitative and qualitative research design, literature review, and dissertation proposal, components, Institutional Review Board (IRB) along with data collection. You’ll develop a dissertation proposal for approval, and of course, write and defend your manuscript.

The Admission process takes approximately 30 days to complete. Northcentral University estimates the program costs $56,066 total. Be sure to talk with your admission advisor about possible financial assistance that may be available.

Fast Fact: NCU was founded in 1996 and is a private, online school with an emphasis on graduate education

Why Should I Get My PhD in Health Management Online?

Earning a health management doctorate can seem impossible, requiring multiple years of study, research, and writing. True, it takes approximately eight years to obtain a doctorate, between coursework, research, and writing a dissertation. However, online doctoral programs have condensed that time, depending on your ability to devote yourself to studies. For some, an alternative degree is an affordable online MHA .

A PhD degree in Health Management can be earned in three to four years. Typically, coursework requires around two years with an additional one to two years involving research and a dissertation. That time may be extended if your program requires an internship or immersion study.

Having 24-hour access to classes, research material, literature reviews, etc. offered online, can help you reduce the time required for you to complete your degree requirements of a comprehensive exam, dissertation proposal, research, and writing.

You’re also able to communicate with your professors easier than ever before. Faculty are readily available via instant messages, video conferencing, email, etc.

Online doctoral programs allow you to schedule your time around work and family. Geography is also no issue with online programs being able to cross state lines. Distance education students frequently pay the same tuition and costs as in-state students.

Is a PhD in Health Management and Policy Good for My Career?

Healthcare is one field where the more education you have, the better it is for your career. Advanced degrees provide you the skills to apply theories (i.e., organizational development, strategic plans, etc.) to real-world situations.

Having a PhD does a couple of beneficial things. One, it demonstrates your commitment to your health profession and that you’ve developed the leadership skills necessary to head a health system, hospital, physician group, etc.

Secondly, the contacts you gain while in a PhD program, and the ability to conduct research, will be invaluable in an administrative role. It also provides you with a collaborative environment as you develop policies and approaches to healthcare issues.

Third, the more education you have, the higher you can climb in your organization which frequently equates to a higher salary.

Related Rankings:

25 Best Health Management and Policy PhD

10 Fastest Online Health Management and Policy PhD

• PhD in Health Policy

In This Section

• PhD in Public Policy
• PhD in Political Economy & Government
• PhD in Social Policy
• Job Market Candidates

The PhD in Health Policy is a highly interdisciplinary program that will develop the specialized skills you need for a research and teaching career in health policy.

The program is collaborative at its core, with its curriculum drawing from six Harvard schools:

• Harvard Business School
• Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
• Harvard Kennedy School
• Harvard Law School
• Harvard Medical School
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

With more than 100 Harvard faculty members from these schools integrated in the program, you have access to the insights of leading experts across the full academic and professional spectrum.

Balance broad and specialized knowledge.

As a PhD in Health Policy student, you take courses throughout Harvard’s specialized schools. This allows you to become familiar with the conceptual frameworks, vernacular and perspectives of researchers from other disciplines.

At the same time, developing specialized skills in a discipline is a hallmark of the program, which is why you specialize in one of five concentrations:

• Decision Sciences
• Methods for Policy Research
• Political Analysis

The PhD in Health Policy degree is awarded by the  Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS). Our graduates leave the program well equipped to make an impact in academia, government agencies, research institutes, think tanks, foundations, and multinational corporations. 

Health Policy and Management, PhD

Bloomberg school of public health, phd program overview.

The Department of Health Policy and Management offers a full-time PhD program with students choosing one of four areas of concentration in which to focus their study. The program trains its students to conduct original investigator-initiated research through a combination of coursework and research mentoring. The curriculum includes core courses that are common across the four HPM PhD concentrations, including courses in health policy, epidemiology, economics, and biostatistics, along with courses specific to each individual concentration. Students enrolled in the PhD program meet the Introductory Public Health knowledge learning objectives through the required curriculum.

• The  Bioethics and Health Policy   concentration addresses the ethical issues relevant to public health policy, practice and research.
• The  Health Economics and Policy  concentration addresses the concepts and methods of economic analysis to study how clinical and public health resources are and should be allocated.
• The Health Services Research and Policy concentration addresses the organization, financing and delivery of both curative and preventive services, and their impact on access, quality, outcomes and cost, particularly for the most vulnerable.
• The Health and Public Policy concentration addresses the development, implementation, analysis, and evaluation of public policies to prevent disease and injury, reduce inequalities, and promote the health and quality of life of populations.

Concentration in Bioethics and Health Policy

Director: stephanie morain, phd.

The PhD concentration in Bioethics and Health Policy differs from most other bioethics doctoral programs in two important ways: first, it focuses on bioethics as it relates to moral questions in public health and health policy (rather than, for example, in clinical decision-making or bedside dilemmas); and, second, it provides rigorous training in quantitative and qualitative empirical research methods and expects the analysis of data to be part of the dissertation. Students and faculty in the concentration study and conduct independent empirical and normative research on ethical issues in public health practice, research, and policy such as ethics and emergency preparedness, domestic and international research ethics, genetic screening policy, ethics and obesity prevention, ethics and infectious diseases, HIV screening, social justice and resource allocation.

Original doctoral research conducted by students in the bioethics program involves analyzing primary or secondary empirical data about specific areas of public health, health policy, or health research and examining the ethical implications of the issue or study results. By the end of their PhD training, students are prepared to provide not only normative recommendations regarding ethics and public health policy but also are equipped to function as independent researchers, conducting empirical research related to bioethics, public health, and health policy.

Concentration in Health Economics and Policy

Director: matthew eisenberg, phd, mphil.

Health economics is a field of study that applies the theoretical concepts and empirical methods of economic analysis to various issues throughout the health sector, such as understanding underlying patient, provider, and insurer behaviors and evaluating healthcare interventions and policies. The PhD concentration in Health Economics and Policy prepares doctoral students for conducting innovative research on the economics of health and healthcare.

The curriculum stresses a solid grounding in applied modern microeconomic theory, economic evaluation, quantitative methods, and econometrics applications, including PhD-level courses from the Department of Economics in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS). Incoming students must have prior training in linear algebra, multivariable calculus, and real analysis in preparation for the economics courses at KSAS. 

Concentration in Health and Public Policy

Director: johnathon p. ehsani, phd.

Finding solutions to public health problems through the development, analysis, implementation, and evaluation of health policies is the focus of the PhD concentration in Health and Public Policy. Faculty and students consider a broad array of public health policies that affect health and safety. These include policies pertaining to food, alcohol, tobacco, firearms, inequality, housing, injury, transportation, and the environment. Students examine challenging public health problems and learn how political, social, economic, ethical, and legal factors affect health and how health policy can address these problems. Students acquire skills that enable them to conduct rigorous research to inform policy solutions, effectively translate their scholarly work to policy and practice, and emerge as leaders in public health policy.

Concentration in Health Services Research & Policy

Director: jennifer l. wolff, phd, mhs.

The PhD concentration in Health Services Research and Policy prepares students for innovative and rigorous quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation in health services delivery. The curriculum includes exposure to a wide variety of research methods, content areas, and datasets. It also offers the opportunity for in-depth study in areas such as public health informatics, organizational theory, quality of care and patient-centered outcomes research, hospital and physician payment incentives, managed care, pharmacoeconomics and economic evaluation, gerontology, and health care disparities.

The program at the Bloomberg School is one of the oldest and most respected of its type in the nation. There are many research opportunities within the Department and elsewhere within the University and Health System. The Baltimore-Washington area is the home to the largest concentration of public and private health services research and health care policy analysis organizations in the world. Formal and informal relationships with these agencies, including research practicums, thesis collaborations, and internships are encouraged and facilitated.

Program Requirements

Course location and modality is found on the BSPH website .

Concentration in Bioethics and Health Policy Curriculum

Students in the Bioethics concentration complete the departmental core requirements, including courses in health policy, epidemiology, economics, and biostatistics. In addition, students in Bioethics also complete coursework in moral philosophy, applied bioethics, and public health law. These requirements are satisfied, in part, through the Department of Philosophy of the Johns Hopkins University and Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. Generally, coursework is completed in the first two years of the program. Students are required by the concentration to have a normative ethics chapter in their thesis in addition to the other chapters traditionally required. Students completing the manuscript option for the PhD will have one of their manuscripts focus on the normative aspects of their selected issue or results.

Note, the timing and choice of some courses will be determined based on availability and individual needs.

Course meets one or more CEPH learning objectives .

Note , all HPM PhD students are required to complete one of the following courses in Economics, based on their individual interests.

Once students have completed all of the required and elective coursework, they must maintain a full-time registration (12+ credits per term) for the duration of their program. Students who have not yet passed the School-wide oral exam should register for 12 credits of PH.300.840 Special Studies and Research in HPM  with their advisor to work on their thesis proposal. Once a student has passed the School-wide oral exam, they should register for PH.301.820 Thesis Research in Health Policy and Management .

Graduate Seminar in Bioethics

Students in their first two years will participate in PH.306.861 Graduate Doctoral Seminar in Bioethics , a joint graduate student and postdoctoral fellows bioethics seminar at the Berman Institute of Bioethics.

Bioethics Course Requirements

All students in the bioethics concentration are required to take a total of 15 course credits in the field of bioethics. This must include at least one class in moral/political philosophy and at least two classes that are considered advanced bioethics classes. The 15 credits, as a whole, can be satisfied through a combination of JHSPH (including Masters in Bioethics) term-length bioethics courses (2-3 credits each) and/or semester-length courses either at the JHU Homewood campus or through the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown (5 credits each). Generally, these requirements are completed during the second year of the program. Students are encouraged to enroll in at least one semester-length course as part of their course combination, but the specific course plan is to be determined by each student in consultation with the concentration director and advisor.

Special Thesis Requirements

Students in the bioethics concentration are welcome to write either a traditional thesis or a manuscript thesis. Additional guidelines for the thesis for students enrolled in the Bioethics and Health Policy concentration can be obtained from the Bioethics concentration director.

Concentration in Health Economics and Policy Curriculum

The curriculum offers a broad exposure to the health economics literature and public health disciplines and stresses the policy implications of these fields of research. Student research generally focuses on econometric analyses of hypotheses generated by economic theory or quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of various interventions. Note, the timing and choice of some courses will be determined based on availability and individual needs.

Core Mathematics for Economics meets for 2 weeks in Summer Term and once weekly in Term 1.

KSAS courses follow a semester schedule, and overlap multiple SPH terms. Please see JHU policy on multi-term courses for more information.

Note , all HPM PhD students are required to complete one of the following courses in Economics. The Advanced Health Economics sequence is required for students in the Health Economics concentration. 

Students should choose electives in consultation with the Concentration Director and their academic advisor to ensure adequate preparation for departmental exams. Names and availability of Homewood classes are subject to change. Electives must include at least one PhD-level KSAS economics course.

All students are encouraged to choose from the following courses for their elective options, including at least one of the KSAS Applied Economics courses:

Once students have completed all of the required and elective coursework, they must maintain a full-time registration (12+ credits per term) for the duration of their program. Students who have not yet passed the School-wide oral exam should register for 12 credits of PH.300.840 Special Studies and Research in HPM  with their advisor to work on their thesis proposal; once a student has passed the School-wide oral exam, they should register for PH.301.820 Thesis Research in Health Policy and Management .

Health Economics and Policy Oral Exam Committee Composition

Dissertations in health economics and policy require specialized expertise in econometrics and economic theory. To ensure that students will have access to appropriate advising, the list of proposed committee members for the department and School-wide oral exams must be approved by the Health Economics Concentration Director. Students wishing to change primary advisors after the department or School-wide preliminary oral exam must obtain permission from the Health Economics Concentration Director and the Department chair.

Concentration in Health and Public Policy Curriculum

Through coursework, research, and practice, students in Health and Public Policy gain an understanding of the relationship between health and policy. Within this concentration, students may focus their elective and dissertation studies in one of the following areas: environmental and occupational health policy, injury prevention and control, social policy and health, and the practice of prevention; other specialty areas may be developed in consultation with each student's advisor and concentration director.

Course meets one or more  CEPH learning objectives .

Note, all HPP PhD students must complete one of the following courses: 

Note , all HPM PhD students are required to complete one of the following courses in Economics, based on their individual interests:

All HPP students should choose electives in consultation with their academic advisor; students are encouraged to choose from the following courses for their elective options:

Once students have completed all of the required and elective coursework, they must maintain a full-time registration (12+ credits) for the duration of the program. Students who have not yet passed the School-wide oral exam should register for 12 credits of PH.300.840 Special Studies and Research in HPM  with their advisor to work on their thesis proposal. Once a student has passed the School-wide oral exam, they should register for PH.301.820 Thesis Research in Health Policy and Management . Students are also encouraged to engage in a field-based practicum as part of their doctoral education.

Graduate Seminar in Health and Public Policy

Students are expected to participate in the graduate seminar during their first three years of the program and are strongly encouraged to participate as much as their schedule allows in subsequent years of the program.

Distributional Methods Course Requirements

During the second year, students complete at least two of the methods courses below (equaling at least 6 credits) in one of the following domains. The intent of the distributional methods requirement is to allow the student to develop a special area of methods expertise. Alternative methods courses require approval from the concentration director and the student's advisor. Note that, unless they are listed below, prerequisites for methods courses do not count toward the distributional methods requirement.

Specialty Areas

Students in Health and Public Policy may choose specialized areas identified to help students focus their electives in such a way as to best provide the background needed for their dissertation work. Those interested in taking additional graduate-level coursework in policy or research methods for the social sciences as part of their electives requirement should consider courses offered at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) and at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Environmental and Occupational Health Policy

Factors in the human environment that affect health require a multidisciplinary approach for evaluation. Courses from the Departments of Epidemiology, Environmental Health and Engineering, and Health Policy and Management are integrated to provide a foundation for the application of science to occupational and environmental policy. Evaluation, development and refinement of policies at local, state, federal and international levels are emphasized.

Injury Prevention and Control

In conjunction with the Center for Injury Research and Policy, students focus on injuries of all types, including road traffic injuries, falls, burns, drowning, and violence. The epidemiology of these injuries is assessed, and strategies to prevent injuries are formulated, implemented, and evaluated. Students who focus their electives in this area may also decide to complete the Certificate in Injury and Violence Prevention.

Social Policy and Health

Social policy and health examines how social policies influence public health and/or the relationship between healthcare policy and other social policies.

Practice of Prevention

The practice of prevention examines specific public health problems such as AIDS, tobacco, obesity, and violence and develops strategies for addressing problems through traditional and innovative policies.

Concentration in Health Services Research & Policy Curriculum

The curriculum stresses the development of skills in research and analysis methods, as well as content knowledge. In addition to careers in academia, this concentration prepares students for leadership careers as health services researchers and health care policy analysts working in public or private agencies or organizations. Issues of relevance to the U.S. are emphasized. All students in the concentration are exposed to a broad array of methods and content. It is expected that all students will select at least one methods sub-area (e.g., econometrics, advanced statistical methods, informatics, or qualitative analysis) and develop expertise in one or more content areas.

Course meets one or more  CEPH-defined learning objectives .

Also available 2nd and 4th terms

Once students have completed all of the required and elective coursework, they must maintain a full-time registration (12+ credits each term) for the duration of their program. Students who have not yet passed the School-wide oral exam should register for 12 credits of  PH.300.840 Special Studies and Research in HPM  with their advisor to work on their thesis proposal. Once a student has passed the School-wide oral exam, they should register for  PH.301.820 Thesis Research in Health Policy and Management .

Graduate Seminar in Health Services Research and Policy

Students are expected to participate in the graduate seminar for the first three years of the program and as much as their schedule allows in subsequent years. 

Elective Options

All HSR&P students should choose electives in consultation with their academic advisor; students are encouraged to choose from the following courses for their elective options: 

Distributional Methods

During the second year, students will complete at least two of the methods courses below (equaling at least 6 credits) in one of the following domains. The intent of the distributional methods requirement is to allow the student to develop a special area of methods expertise. Approval for alternative methods courses will require approval from the program director and the student's advisor. Students are also encouraged to familiarize themselves with the School's certificate programs , which can be combined with the PhD degree (and which, in the case of methods-oriented certificates, would in most cases meet the distributional requirements), particularly the Quality, Gerontology and Pharmacoepidemiology certificates.

HPM PhD PROGRAM Requirements

Phd program milestones and timeline.

The following is an estimated timeline for PhD students based on the average length of the program. This timeline may change based on individual circumstances.

Department PhD Core Curriculum

All PhD students must complete the Departmental core courses. These courses are incorporated into the concentration requirements. Students are also expected to take methods courses relevant to the field of their thesis research (e.g., courses in ethics, history, political science, economics, epidemiology, and/or advanced courses in biostatistics).

Residency & Course Distribution Requirements

The total number of course credits to be earned depends upon individual concentration requirements. But, to meet the Residency requirement, students must complete a minimum of 64 credits of didactic courses in four consecutive terms. When general and program-specific requirements total less than 64, the difference may be made up in electives. Thesis Research (820 series) may not be included in the count, but special studies earning credit that is part of a concentration's requirements only (840 series) are admissible.

The School's Policy and Procedure Memorandum (PPM) overseeing all PhD programs require that  at least 18 credits  of formal coursework must be completed  outside  the student's primary department. Among these 18 credit units, no fewer than three courses must be completed in two or more departments of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. The remaining outside credit units may be earned in any department or division of the University.

PhD students who have completed a master's program at the Bloomberg School of Public Health may apply 12 credits from that program toward this School requirement provided the student matriculates into the PhD within one academic year of completing their master's degree. Students must request this application of credits in a formal letter. Contact the HPM Office of Academic Affairs for further information.

Full-time PhD Registration

The Department is firmly committed to full-time PhD doctoral education. The Department's policy requires full-time registration for the duration of the student's program. Students should register for a minimum of 16 credits per term during the first year of the program. This will fulfill the School's residency requirement of four consecutive terms of 16 credits each. The Department discourages PhD students from registering for more than 18 credits in any one academic term unless required by their concentration. Any decision to register for more than 18 credits should be carefully considered and discussed with the student's advisor prior to registering.

Once a student has completed all of their required or formal coursework, they must maintain a full-time 12 credit per term registration. Students who have not yet successfully passed the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam should register for special studies credits with their advisor while working on their thesis proposal. Once the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam has been successfully passed, students should register for thesis research credits.

Qualifying Exam

PhD students are eligible for the departmental qualifying exam upon successful completion of the first year required courses while maintaining the minimum GPA requirement. All students matriculating in September are expected to sit for the exam at the end of the first year. The exam is offered every June. The Academic Policy and Admissions Committee (APAC), and the PhD Exam Committee will consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis. The HPM PhD Qualifying Exam Guidelines can be found on the HPM doctoral portal page (portal login required).

Research Hours

PhD students are required to engage in at least two research projects to understand different research approaches. While students are encouraged to work within the department, students are free to pursue opportunities of interest throughout the School, University, or off-campus.     The research hours can involve participation in any of the following aspects of research, including, but not limited to elements of research design (literature review and development of the conceptual framework of a study); community development and liaison activities; community needs assessment and its related social, epidemiological, behavioral, or political diagnosis; development and piloting of health interventions or materials; quantitative or qualitative data collection; data analysis and interpretation; policy analysis; literature reviews; manuscript preparation; grant preparation; and any other form of research approved by the advisor.     Students are expected to engage in at least two different research tasks, which may be related to a single study or two separate studies. Up to 50% of the required hours can be accomplished through off-campus work, as long as the advisor has approved the work. A minimum of 300 hours total split over both projects should be used as a guideline.     The research hours must be met prior to scheduling the Departmental Preliminary Oral Exam. The Department, through submission of the Research Hours Form to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs, will monitor completion of this requirement. The form is available on the HPM doctoral portal page (portal login required).

TA Educational Experience

All PhD students are required to serve as full-time teaching assistants (TA) for four  (4) Health Policy and Management courses while enrolled in the PhD program. The department strongly values this educational experience and believes that these skills are critical components of a PhD education.

The following restrictions apply to the experience:

• Only courses offered by the Department of Health Policy and Management can be used to meet the requirement.
• Courses must be for two or more credits offered during the traditional 8-week term or as part of the summer MPH curriculum.

Courses offered in the MAS program or Institutes (summer, fall, or winter) may not be used to fulfill the requirement.    Online paperwork to confirm completion of this requirement must be submitted and approved by the course instructor prior to the start of the term in which the course is offered. The link to the online form will be forwarded to identified students by the HPM Office of Academic Affairs. Once the four course requirement has been met, PhD students serving as TAs in HPM course(s) will receive payment for their efforts.

Individual Development Plan (IDP)

The Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a mechanism for self-reflection as well as a communication and planning tool for the student and their faculty advisor and mentor(s).  The goal of the IDP is to support the student's successful performance in the program and in attaining readiness for their intended future career.  To this end, the IDP creates a structure for the student to: 

• assess current skills, interests, and strengths;
• make a plan for developing skills to meet academic and professional goals; and
• communicate and collaborate with supervisors, advisors, potential employers, and mentors about evolving goals and related skills. 

Rising HPM 2nd year PhD students will receive instructions on preparing the IDP after successful completion of the 1st year qualifying exam. Students are required to complete the self assessment and the IDP and meet and discuss with their advisor prior to submission of their first progress report due in the fall of the 2nd year. Third and 4th year students will revisit their IDP and discuss with their advisor each year at the submission of their yearly progress report. 

Student Progress Report

The Department is committed to assisting students to make steady and timely progress through the PhD program. To facilitate this process, all PhD students are required to submit regular progress reports to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs. Students who have passed the written qualifying exam, but have not yet passed their School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam, must submit a progress report on December 1 and June 1 each year until they have passed their School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam. The report must be reviewed, discussed, and approved by the student’s advisor prior to submission. Once a student has passed their School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam, a yearly progress report is submitted to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs until the program is complete. The progress report is due each year on June 1st. The report must be reviewed and discussed with the student's advisor prior to submission.

Preliminary Oral Exams

Departmental.

The Departmental Preliminary Oral Exam takes place before the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam. The Departmental Exam may not take place until after the successful completion of the departmental qualifying exam. The format of the exam is similar to the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam and is intended to determine if the student is academically prepared to pass the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam and carry out independent research.

The exam requires the student to prepare a thesis proposal that will be examined by the faculty exam committee. The HPM Departmental Preliminary Oral Exam committee consists of a minimum of three faculty members; one must be the student's advisor. A fourth alternative committee member should be identified and may choose to participate in the exam. Guidelines for the Departmental Preliminary Oral Exam can be found on the Department's portal page (portal login required).

School-wide

The School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam takes place after the student has successfully completed the departmental qualifying exam and the Departmental Preliminary Oral Exam. The purpose of this examination is to determine whether the student has both the ability and knowledge to undertake significant research in their general area of interest.

The examiners will be concerned with the student's capacity for logical thinking, breadth of knowledge in relevant areas, and ability to develop and conduct research leading to a completed thesis. While the specific proposal serves as a vehicle for determining the student's general knowledge and research capacity, this examination is not intended to be a defense of a specific proposal. The student will be expected to defend the public health significance of the proposal as well as the methodologies used to evaluate the problem.

The exam should be taken at the earliest feasible time, before significant engagement in thesis research, and must not take place until after the Departmental Oral Exam has been successfully passed. If the student fails the Preliminary Oral Exam and is permitted reexamination, they must be reexamined within one year.

Extension Request to Sit for Oral Exams

The School's PPM governing the PhD program requires students to sit for the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam prior to the start of their 4th year in the program. Failure to meet this deadline necessitates the submission of an extension request by the student to both the Department and the School before they are permitted to continue in the program.

An initial request for an extension of time to sit for the oral exams must be submitted at least two months prior to the start of the 4th year in the program and may not exceed two terms.

The request is first submitted to the HPM APAC Student Matters Subcommittee for review, and if approved, is forwarded to the Student Matters Subcommittee of the School's Committee on Academic Standards (CAS). All requests must include the following information or will not be considered:

• A letter of request, initiated and signed by the student, stating the rationale for the request.
• A supporting letter signed by the advisor.
• Timetable and plan developed by the student in collaboration with the student's advisor and members of the thesis advisory committee that provide specific milestones from completion; agreement to this plan should be indicated in writing by member(s) of the thesis advisory committee.
• A (student) copy of the current transcript.
• If the HPM APAC Student Matters Subcommittee approves the request, a supporting letter from the Department will be included in the request that is forwarded to the school for final approval.

If the extension is granted, the student and advisor, in cooperation with the HPM Office of Academic Affairs, must provide evidence of progress at intervals determined by the applicable school subcommittee, not to exceed 90 days, toward satisfying the milestones specified in the plan for completion. Failure to meet the specified milestones according to the prescribed timetable for completion may result in further action. Requests for a second extension beyond that of the initial extension are taken very seriously by the Department and CAS and require extension documentation.

Thesis advisory Committee

Within three months of passing the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam, every doctoral student must identify a thesis advisory committee. This committee, consisting of the student's advisor and at least two other faculty members from either inside or outside the Department, will meet with the student at minimum once a year until the student has graduated to evaluate the student's work and progress.

Each student is required to submit a written summary report to the advisory committee prior to the committee's meeting. This approved summary report will be submitted to the Department each June with the annual progress report. A sample of the summary report can be found on the Department's portal page (portal login required). 

Thesis Guidelines

All PhD students must complete an original investigation presented in the form of a thesis. The thesis must be based on original research, worthy of publication, and acceptable to the Department and to a committee of faculty readers. During the student's application process, various research ideas may have been discussed with faculty members. However, each student's thesis proposal must be developed, reviewed, and found acceptable to Departmental faculty while enrolled as a doctoral student at the BSPH.

PhD students in HPM have two options for the format of the thesis:

• The traditional doctoral thesis consists of a statement of the problem and specific aims; a literature review; data and research methods; analyses and results; and a discussion of findings and their implications. The form these will take reflects the specific academic discipline or orientation guiding the student's research.
• The manuscript-oriented thesis is an alternative to the traditional thesis. The manuscript thesis consists of a total of three (or more) papers linked to the student's research topic.

The decision on which format to follow should be made at the time of the Departmental Preliminary Oral Exam. If, during the writing process, the student wishes to change formats, the student must seek approval for this change from their faculty advisor and thesis committee

The Department has developed the following guidelines to help a student determine which of these options is best for their particular research. Students should discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each option with their advisor before determining a strategy.

Traditional Thesis Guidelines

The traditional doctoral thesis generally consists of an abstract, five chapters, references, and any appendices.  The outline of chapters below is merely a guide. The page numbers are rough estimates, and the form of the chapters will vary, reflecting the academic discipline or orientation of the student's research.

• Abstract : The abstract is a short overall summary of the work. It lays out the purpose(s) and aims of the study, the methods, and the key results and implications. The abstract generally is 2-3 double-spaced pages.
• Chapter I: Introduction: Statement of the problem and specific aims . This chapter, which tends to be relatively short (5-6 double-spaced pages), provides an introduction to the thesis. It describes briefly why this work was undertaken, what background conditions or data suggested it was an important problem, and what, then, this project was intended to accomplish.
• Chapter 2: Literature Review . The literature review summarizes existing literature that informed the thesis research. It generally is organized topically. The literature review tends to be a fairly detailed review, particularly for those topics most directly related to the content and methods of the thesis. The literature review tends to be 30-60 pages in length. 
• Chapter 3: Methods . The content of the methods chapter varies tremendously with the methodological approach taken by the student for the thesis research. With traditional empirical studies, it will generally include the specific aims, research questions, and/or hypothesis; a description of the source of study data, a description of the study instrument and its development, if relevant; a description of secondary data obtained, if relevant; analytic methods, including data cleaning, creation of a data set, creation of variables and/or qualitative codes, types of analyses done; and human subjects issues. The methods chapter ranges from 20-40 pages. 
• Chapter 4: Results . The results chapter reports the main findings of the thesis. It often is organized by research questions or specific aims or hypotheses but need not necessarily follow this format. The results chapter ranges from 25-50 pages. 
• Chapter 5: Discussion of results and policy implications . The discussion chapter both summarizes key findings and discusses findings in light of existing literature and in light of their policy implications.  Also included generally is a description of the study's limitations and implications for future research. The discussion chapter is generally 25-50 pages. 
• References . A listing of all citations used for the thesis must be provided. The Department allows any standard format for references. 
• Appendices . Appendices can be used for many purposes. They can include study instruments, if relevant; they can include additional tables not included in the main body of the thesis; also to be included must be a copy of the student's CV. The traditional thesis should be able to 'stand alone' without appendices; however, such results should never be put in appendices that are key to the study's main findings. 

Manuscript-Oriented Thesis Guidelines

The manuscript thesis consists of the following:

• A total of three (or more) papers, linked to the student's thesis topic. One of these papers may be a literature review, providing a comprehensive critical review, if it is suitable for publication.
• A chapter that integrates and discusses the findings reported in the manuscripts. It should include a discussion of the conclusions of the research and should make recommendations for further studies.
• An appendix outlining in detail the study methods and any accompanying data tables necessary to understand the data. 

A manuscript-oriented thesis must also meet the following criteria:

• The PhD student must be the first author on the three manuscripts used to satisfy this requirement;
• No manuscript will be accepted as part of the thesis if it was submitted for publication before the student passes the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam; and,
• Co-authors should be determined based on the criteria for authorship developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)

Role of Faculty advisor with the manuscript thesis

The advisor's role is to facilitate successful completion of the doctoral thesis. Students should refer to the HPM policy for advising for general guidelines about the frequency of meetings between advisors and students during the thesis research and writing period. The thesis must reflect the student's independent and original work. The advisor can and should provide ongoing and critical feedback, but the research must be that of the student. 

Even if the advisor (or another committee member) serves as a co-author on a manuscript, the manuscripts must be viewed first and foremost as fulfilling the student's needs in the thesis process, with publication as a secondary goal. advisors or other committee members who are co-authors may not undertake the first draft of any portions of the manuscripts nor substantial rewrites. Whether an advisor will be a co-author on any manuscript should be decided early in the thesis writing process. 

Thesis Approval

PhD advisors must provide official approval of the final draft of a student's thesis prior to dissemination to the other members of the Final Oral Examination Committee. A signed Thesis Approval Form  (portal login required) must accompany each copy of the thesis distributed. Students should provide the final copy of the thesis to the readers at least five weeks prior to the Final Oral Examination.

Thesis Readers and Final Examination Committee

Paperwork  (portal login required) to establish the formal final examination committee is submitted by the Department to the Office of Records and Registration at least six weeks in advance of the final defense.  

Final Public Seminar and Closed Oral Defense of Thesis

A formal, public seminar and closed oral defense of the thesis before a committee of the faculty is one of the final steps for a PhD candidate. The public seminar and oral thesis defense are typically held on the same day with the seminar being conducted first, followed immediately by the closed defense before the approved final exam committee.

The public seminar generally lasts approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, and the closed defense generally lasts approximately 60-90 minutes. Members of the Final Oral Examination Committee are required to attend both the seminar and the closed defense. The Office of Records and Registration will post the final defense date and location in the Public Health calendar. Students are strongly encouraged to attend the public seminars of their fellow students whenever feasible.

The Final Oral Examination Committee judges all components of the thesis to be either: Acceptable, Acceptable with Revisions, or Unacceptable. This is the case for both a traditional thesis and a manuscript-oriented thesis. Students, with guidance from their advisor, will rework their thesis until all components are judged Acceptable.

Taking the Final Oral Examination and receiving an unconditional pass does not release the student from further responsibilities to complete the degree requirements. All students must stay continually registered until the degree requirements have been completed, including receipt of the thesis acceptance letters and electronic submission of the thesis to the Sheridan Library. Once everything has been submitted, the student will be reported to the Committee on Academic Standards and be considered complete.

Online Submission of Thesis to Sheridan Library

• ETD Electronic Submission
• Formatting Instructions
• Sheridan Library contact: [email protected]
• Publication Embargo: Students are allowed to choose an embargo period of 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 years during the ETD submission. This means that the Sheridan Library will withhold publication of the thesis for the period of time chosen. The Sheridan Library does make some details of the thesis public (student name, degree, thesis title, abstract) during the embargo period, but the actual thesis is hidden from view. 
• The Department of Health Policy and Management does not require submission of an electronic or paper copy of the final thesis document to the department. However, students must forward the thesis acceptance confirmation from the Sheridan Library to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs to certify completion of all program requirements. 

Extension Request for Completion of Degree Requirements

The School's PPM governing the PhD program requires students to defend their thesis within seven years of matriculation. Failure to meet this deadline necessitates the submission of an extension request by the student to both the Department and the School before they are permitted to continue in the program.

A request for an extension of time to complete the degree must be submitted at least two months prior to the conclusion of the 7th year in the program and may not exceed four terms.

The request is first submitted to the HPM APAC Student Matters Subcommittee for review and if approved, is forwarded to the Student Matters Subcommittee of the School's Committee on Academic Standards (CAS). All requests must include the following information or will not be considered:

• Timetable and plan developed by the student in collaboration with the student's advisor and members of the thesis advisory committee that provide specific milestones from completion; agreement to this plan should be indicated in writing by member(s) of the thesis advisory committee.

HPM PhD Program Policies

For general HPM Departmental Academic Policies, please view this catalogue page . The policies below apply specifically to PhD students.

HPM PhD Student Work Space

The Department provides shared student office space for full-time PhD students. Each full-time PhD student in the Department will have access to a workstation and a locked drawer file cabinet in one of the identified shared office spaces. The workstation is not dedicated to an individual student; those using the office will select a station that is available when they use the space (similar to a parking lot). Any materials that the student wishes to leave in the office must be locked in their assigned file cabinet.

The HPM Office of Academic Affairs will evaluate student workspace yearly. Incoming students will be assigned keys at orientation. Upon graduation, students must return the key to the Academic Office in order to be certified for graduation. Students are responsible for both the room and file cabinet keys. Lost keys should be reported to the Academic Office immediately; replacement keys are subject to a replacement fee.

Note: Students working as Research Assistants on a funded grant that requires analyses of restricted/confidential data may be eligible for other office space arrangements. Faculty responsible for projects in this category must submit formal requests to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs stating the need for individual space.

HPM Grant Proposal Submission Process

Most sources outside the Department or School funding for PhD education require the submission of a formal grant proposal. HPM works closely with students in submitting these proposals and managing the award if and when it is awarded.

If a student is considering submitting a grant proposal, they must contact the Department's Grants and Contracts Manager who will work with them on the application process. All applications/proposals that are submitted to external funding agencies must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Research Administration (ORA). The department requires that all application materials be submitted a minimum of 8 business days before the grant due date. Students should seek guidance from the Grants and Contracts Analyst for specific due dates.

Once a grant has been submitted, the student must be available by email or phone at least 72 hours after submission in case any questions arise.

IRB Approval

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) supports students in applying ethical principles in their research interactions with humans and/or their data, regardless of whether IRB review is required. 

All HPM PhD research must undergo IRB review and students must receive approval or an approved exemption within three months of passing the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam. Students should consult the IRB website and specifically review the Student Primer and FAQ that are posted on that page.

PhD students are required to submit the "Thesis Research Documentation Form"  within three months  of passing the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam. This form requires the signature of the HPM Academic Office in addition to the student and advisor prior to submission. Forms should be submitted to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs which will forward the completed form to the appropriate school office. Forms submitted directly to the school office without a departmental signature will not be accepted.

PhD Program Learning Outcomes

Hpm phd departmental competencies.

Upon successful completion of the PhD program in Health Policy and Management, students in each of the four concentrations will have mastered the following core competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

• Analyze the nature, scope and determinants of major health policy problems by applying conceptual frameworks from key academic disciplines, formulating testable hypotheses, and identifying appropriate interventions based on an understanding of the existing evidence base.
• Critique the policymaking process, including the underlying roles of legislation, regulation, litigation, and advocacy; the differences between federal, state, and local policies; and the influence of academic research in the policy formulation and evaluation processes.
• Assess the organization and financing of public health and/or medical services and critique their impact on access and use, quality of care, costs, and outcomes.
• Apply appropriate rigorous empirical methods to the evaluation of health policy, including a well-rounded foundation of the methods and tools of public health.
• Communicate scientific findings effectively through written and oral methods to technical and lay audiences, demonstrating an ability to interpret study limitations and prior research.
• Conduct research in accordance with the highest ethical standards, scientific integrity, and interpersonal collegiality.

Concentration in Bioethics and Health Policy Competencies

Upon successful completion of the PhD concentration in Bioethics and Health Policy, students will have mastered the following core competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

• Recognize ethical dimensions of problems in public health practice, research, and health policy, and identify which ethical principles or foundational ethical theories are at stake and potentially in tension.
• Analyze ethical problems in public health practice, research, and health policy, identify and communicate morally compelling lines of argument that may include: building on existing ethical frameworks, further specification of an existing framework or ethical principle; further specification of an ethical norm or formulating a novel ethical norm.
• Critically review and synthesize relevant literature from moral and political philosophy and public health ethics in analyzing moral problems in public health practice, research, and health policy.
• Identify when, why, and how empirical scholarship can make a contribution to bioethics and how data can be relevant to normative analysis.
• Construct ethical arguments for or against different kinds of public health programs and policies.

Concentration in Health Economics and Policy Competencies

Upon successful completion of the PhD concentration in Health Economics and Policy, students will have mastered the following core competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

• Apply key concepts in microeconomic theory, including how the behavior of individual households and firms affects the market supply and demand of goods and services and how market failures arise under certain circumstances.
• Analyze key theoretical concepts in health economics, including the underlying determinants of health, patient demand for healthcare services, and the organization and financing of healthcare services, with an emphasis on critiquing the effects of alternative forms of financing and organizing healthcare services on cost, quality, access, and overall public health.
• Apply key concepts in applied econometrics, including sophisticated empirical models for healthcare utilization, expenditures, and health outcomes.
• Apply key concepts in applied econometrics, including various rigorous empirical approaches that emphasize causal inferences for policy analysis.
• Conduct original research in the field of health economics, ranging from conception of innovative ideas through study design, selection and application of appropriate analytic methods and data; interpretation of results; and both written and oral dissemination of findings.

Concentration in Health and Public Policy Competencies

Upon successful completion of the PhD concentration in Health and Public Policy, students will have mastered the following core competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

• Identify, describe, and analyze a public health problem, and recommend an appropriate policy solution to address it (e.g., legislative, regulatory, judicial, organizational).
• Examine and explain the steps of the policymaking process, including problem setting, formulation, implementation, analysis, and evaluation.
• Critically compare and apply theories of the policy process to the study of public health problems.
• Characterize the major institutions, sectors, and stakeholders involved in the policymaking processes at the global, federal, state, and local levels.
• Effectively translate and communicate public health policy research, in both oral and written forms, to policymakers, key stakeholders, and the public.

Concentration in Health Services Research & Policy Competencies

Upon successful completion of the PhD concentration in Health Services Research and Policy, students will have mastered the following core competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

• Characterize and illustrate key concepts and developments in the field of health services research, including issues relating to care quality and safety, access, cost, and the role and effects of alternative forms of organizing and financing services. 
• Integrate and critique theoretical and empirical literature in the formulation of an original and significant health services research and policy research question with a clear and testable hypothesis.
• Evaluate the strengths and weakness of experimental, quasi-experimental and observational study designs and formulate the most appropriate design for a specified research question.
• Identify, evaluate, and determine the most suitable data source for a specified research question (data sources may include existing data sources or the development of a primary data collection protocol utilizing quantitative or qualitative methods). 
• Select and implement appropriate analytic techniques from advanced epidemiological, statistical, economic, and qualitative or survey methods to examine a specified research question. 

CEPH-Defined Introductory Public Health Learning Objectives

According to the requirements of the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), all BSPH degree students must be grounded in foundational public health knowledge. Please view the  list of specific CEPH requirements by degree type .

PhD in Organization and Management – Leadership Drive Success and Inspire Change

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100% online, 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Be the Catalyst for Organizational Change with a PhD in Organization and Management – Leadership

Change is constant. In the business world, a successful leader is one who can take new technologies and trends and guide their company through change to come out on top. Are you a business professional who wants to teach the next generation how to effectively lead their companies? Through Liberty University’s PhD in Organization and Management – Leadership online degree, you can develop effective methods for research and contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of organization and management. You can learn to evaluate current theoretical research and contribute your findings through your dissertation.

The leadership specialization focuses on how to be the catalyst for organizational change and how to use various leadership theories to create high-functioning teams that can excel in the modern workforce. Your organizational leadership education will be integrated with a Christian worldview that focuses on sound, ethical business practices.

Partner with us and see how far your experience and a PhD in management and leadership from Liberty University can take you in your professional and personal life!

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• What Sets Us Apart?
• Private Nonprofit University
• 600+ Online Degrees
• No Standardized Testing for Admission
• Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
• Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

Why Choose Liberty’s Online PhD in Organizational Leadership and Management?

At Liberty, we’ve designed our online doctorate in organizational leadership with your success in mind. Our professors seek to equip qualified professionals with the knowledge, skills, and values essential for impacting the world and contributing to the greater good of society.

Here are some of the benefits of choosing Liberty’s organizational leadership program:

• Flexibility  | Our PhD in Organization and Management – Leadership program is offered 100% online, and the classes have no set login times. You can earn your degree from the comfort of home and easily access your course materials whenever you need them. Most importantly, you can stay invested in the things that matter most — like your family, job, and community — while pursuing your academic goals.
• Integrity  | At Liberty, our mission is to  Train Champions for Christ . That’s why our online leadership PhD is designed to integrate biblical principles with professional knowledge. In addition to honing your research skills and enhancing your business acumen, you can prepare to stand out as an ethical, value-driven professional.
• Career Preparation  | Our PhD in management and leadership program can help you use theory and research methods to address practical business challenges. You can build upon your previous knowledge and experience while preparing future generations of business professionals to excel. Whether you are looking for a future as an educator or top-level executive, the skills and knowledge you gain from this degree can help you succeed.

What Will You Study in Our Online Doctorate in Organizational Leadership?

This PhD in organizational leadership and management offers a blend of business classes focused on organizational change with additional courses covering successful leadership theories and styles. Utilizing your own experience in the business world, you can contribute to the current body of knowledge in organization and management through your dissertation.

Your core courses will explore a variety of pertinent topics, including risk management, managing the contemporary organization, strategy formulation, and human resource management. You can also develop your own leadership skills as you gain an overview of leading organizational change that blends theory and research with practical application.

Our organizational PhD degree also provides an in-depth look at research methods as well as a course that will help you develop the concept for your PhD dissertation. Completing your dissertation will help you contribute to the current body of knowledge in your field and may even set the foundation for future business leaders through your research.

The leadership specialization further explores the concept of leading organizations and covers 3 key areas. First, your courses will cover current and past leadership theories and methods for choosing the best course of action with influence and synergy. Second, you can learn how to lead and manage highly effective teams in today’s organizations. The modern organization has increased reliance on teams and understanding how to develop them and keep them running at optimal performance is crucial to success. Finally, you will explore ethics, reasoning, and methods for guiding organizations using sound morals from a Christian worldview.

Potential Career Opportunities

• Chief executive officer
• Human resources manager
• Management analyst
• Training and development manager
• University professor/postsecondary teacher

Featured Courses

• BMAL 702 – Leading Theory
• BMAL 704 – Leading Organizational Change
• BMAL 727 – Leading Effective Teams
• BMAL 770 – Ethical Leadership

Degree Information

• The PhD in Organization and Management program falls under our  School of Business .
• View the  Graduate Business Course Guides   (login required) .
• View the  PhD in Organization and Management Handbook  for additional program information. 

Degree Completion Plan (PDF)

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• Tuition & Aid

Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for the majority of our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.

Eligible current and former military service members and their spouses may qualify for a special rate of $300/credit hour ( learn more ) .

All Tuition & Fees

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Financial Aid Forms & Eligibility

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• Admission Information

Admission Requirements

• A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required) .
• Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited master’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing.
• Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy .

Preliminary Acceptance

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

• Be in your final term and planning to start your doctoral degree after the last day of class for your master’s degree.
• Complete a Master’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
• Submit an official transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show that you are within 6 credit hours of completion for a 30-48 credit hour master’s degree or within 9 credit hours of completion for a 49+ credit hour master’s degree.
• Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new doctoral degree.

Transcript Policies

Official college transcript policy.

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to [email protected] .

Admissions Office Contact Information

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(888) 301-3577

Email for Questions

[email protected]

Email for Documents

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Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.

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• Veterans/Retirees
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• Current Department of Defense Employees

Available Benefits:

• Discounted divinity block rate – $2,700 per semester *
• Additional discount for veterans who service in a civilian capacity as a First Responder
• 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

*Credits taken below 7 and above 15 credit hours per semester are charged at the part-time rate of $395/credit hour.

Eligible current and former service members and their spouses may qualify for a special rate of $300/credit hour ( learn more ), but the $300/credit hour doctoral military rate cannot be combined with the First Responder Discount .

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5 Public Health Courses Premeds Should Take

Epidemiology and health policy are among courses that can help help aspiring medical students become physician leaders.

Premeds Take 5 Public Health Courses

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Studying health policy helps future doctors understand policies at local, national, and international levels, and teaches them to advocate for their patients.

As a premedical student, you can take public health courses that will allow you to better understand health at a population level. An understanding of public health can help you become a physician leader in the community.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the importance of public health . While not perfect, our local and national public health infrastructure allowed the public to understand the severity of the COVID-19 disease as well as create measures to protect the health of our communities.

While the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of public health, there are other diseases where doctors are called upon to promote population-level changes while taking care of patients.

Doctors serve as leaders in their communities by providing medical expertise and advocating for public health initiatives. They can translate their insights from patient care to create hospitalwide and communitywide policies to protect other individuals, and doctors who are trained in epidemiology and community health can study the transmission of the diseases. They can also spearhead community public health initiatives, including health education campaigns and community clinics, to expand access to medical care.

Dr. Rishi Mediratta graduated from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland with a bachelor’s in public health studies. That degree gave him a foundational understanding of global health issues, public health theories and statistics that enabled him to conduct research and create community health programs in Ethiopia focused on combatting child mortality.

"Throughout college and during my first gap year before medical school, I founded the Ethiopian Orphan Health Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provided community-based health care and education to 91 orphans near Gondar, Ethiopia," he says.

"I integrated lessons that I learned from my classes in epidemiology and public health to partner with community members to help orphaned children. For instance, I saw how Ethiopians bonded during traditional coffee ceremonies. I used coffee ceremonies to create a dialogue with the community about stigmatized child health topics.”

Mediratta then pursued a master’s of science in public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine as a British Marshall Scholar.

“Further public health studies showed me the various stakeholders involved in creating global health policies for newborns and children. I learned how health policies were created based on synergies from multiple perspectives. These insights were instrumental when I worked with policymakers at the World Bank and World Health Organization.”

Mediratta received his medical degree at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, where he continued to spearhead initiatives to improve population health, primary care and global health. Now he is a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at Stanford medical school and a faculty fellow at the Center for Innovation in Global Health.

These public health classes and topics will be helpful for premedic students :

• Biostatistics • Epidemiology • Health equity • Health policy • Community health and community-based classes

Biostatistics

Biostatistics is the application of statistics to life sciences, including public health. In a biostatics class, premeds learn quantitative and qualitative data collection methods as well as when to use different types of statistical analyses.

Premed students who take biostatistics will be able to better understand the role of evidence in public health research, policy and clinical practice, critically evaluate medical literature and tailor their treatment plans for patients based on rigorous scientific evidence, Mediratta says.

Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the study of diseases or disorders within groups of people and ways to prevent or control them. Premed students who take an epidemiology course will be able to understand the causes, prevalence and distribution of a disease in the community. Doctors who understand the epidemiology of a disease can help make informed decisions about prevention and treatment for their patients.

“Knowing epidemiology allows me to appreciate nuances in the distribution of clinical symptoms, risk factors, and diseases in populations," Mediratta says. "For example, I learned how newborns in low- and middle-income countries die from prematurity, complications from birth and sepsis. I developed and validated a Neonatal Mortality Score that predicts which newborns are likely to die when they are admitted to neonatal intensive care units in Ethiopia. I hope that one day, health care providers can use our research to more quickly identify newborns who are at risk of dying and provide them with monitoring and interventions that save their lives.”

Health Equity

Health equity courses teach premedical students about health care disparities – which vary by income, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability status – and inequities within populations. These courses also give students ways to advocate for disadvantaged individuals and populations.

Premedical students can take a general health equity class or seminars focused on specific populations or health systems that incorporate health equity. “Doctors who are knowledgeable about health care disparities can advocate for equitable access to health care services," Mediratta says. "Through research, advocacy and community involvement, physicians can address the social determinants of health that contribute to health inequities.”

Health Policy

In a health policy class, premeds will learn about health care systems and the stakeholders influencing health care policies. Studying health policy helps future doctors understand policies at local, national, and international levels, and teaches them to advocate for their patients by supporting policies that promote better access to quality health care and decrease health care disparities.

Reflecting on his clinical practice, Mediratta says, “understanding the factors that influence health policies has allowed me to help my patients navigate our complex health care system, such as connecting patients to services covered by their medical insurance or accessing transportation services to and from hospitals.”

Community Health and Community-Based Classes

A community health course explores the multifaceted factors influencing health outcomes, including social determinants of health and environmental factors, and also examines public health interventions. Some courses include an experiential learning component so students can conduct projects that address community health needs.

Mediratta, for instance, taught an elective at Stanford University that allowed students to collaborate with community partners to creatively implement projects that address COVID-19-related challenges.

"One student produced a children’s book that combatted vaccine hesitancy and created read-aloud videos of the book. Even after the class ended, the student organized workshops in elementary schools to educate children about vaccine. Our class serves as a model for how universities can implement medical service-learning courses to empower students while simultaneously addressing the community’s needs.”

Taking public health courses during your premedical career will give you strong foundational knowledge to be a health care leader. As a doctor, you will be able to help your patients navigate through the challenges of health care systems, participate in policymaking that affects millions of individuals, and direct research projects that advance the health of our communities.

Medical School Application Mistakes

Tags: medical school , public health , graduate schools , education , students

About Medical School Admissions Doctor

Need a guide through the murky medical school admissions process? Medical School Admissions Doctor offers a roundup of expert and student voices in the field to guide prospective students in their pursuit of a medical education. The blog is currently authored by Dr. Ali Loftizadeh, Dr. Azadeh Salek and Zach Grimmett at Admissions Helpers , a provider of medical school application services; Dr. Renee Marinelli at MedSchoolCoach , a premed and med school admissions consultancy; Dr. Rachel Rizal, co-founder and CEO of the Cracking Med School Admissions consultancy; Dr. Cassie Kosarec at Varsity Tutors , an advertiser with U.S. News & World Report; Dr. Kathleen Franco, a med school emeritus professor and psychiatrist; and Liana Meffert, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine and a writer for Admissions Helpers. Got a question? Email [email protected] .

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Director of Executive Education

Mariya Thompson, [email protected]

The Executive Master of Health Administration program consists of 36.5 credits over 18 months, delivered through online and residential experiences. The curriculum covers fundamental health care management competencies and theories, and offers electives in leadership, strategy, design, and the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors among others. The curriculum includes two intensive session’s on-campus in Ithaca and a biennial health care innovation trek to Boston that brings together two Executive Master of Health Administration cohorts and the Sloan Master of Health Administration residential students. A capstone project, where students work with executive mentors to apply their coursework to a work project deemed strategically important by their organization, completes the program’s academic requirements. All courses have been developed by Cornell faculty and are supported by Executives-in-Residence who mentor students in their capstone projects. 

The Executive Master of Health Administration program is delivered as a cohort model designed for working professionals. Students learn 80% online, with two week-long sessions on Cornell University’s campus in Ithaca, NY and one weekend session in Boston. 

Executive Master of Health Administration students are required to have at least five years of experience. Typical experience in a cohort ranges from five to thirty-five years with an average of approximately fourteen years. U.S.-based and international students represent a broad array of healthcare organizations and functions including hospitals and health systems, health insurers, senior living and post-acute care organizations, private practices, consultancies, and the government, among others.

Students are supported in their professional development by their Executives-In-Residence, through hosted sessions throughout the program, by a Sloan Assistant Director with a focus on career services and by an engaged Sloan alumni network.

Program Details and Policies

• Part-time, 18-month program accredited by the Committee on Accreditation for Health Management education (CAHME)
• 36.5 credits required to graduate
• 30.5 core credits and 6 elective credits
• Students take 6 or more credits each semester, qualifying for financial aid
• Students need a 2.5 GPA for graduation and cannot received any grade below a C- in a required course-students who receive below a C- in two or more courses in a semester may be asked to take a leave of absence

Core Courses (30.5 credits)

• PUBPOL 5353 - Health Care Organizations and Behavior    
• PUBPOL 5473 - Microeconomics for Managers    
• PUBPOL 5543 - Health Law for Managers    
• PUBPOL 5563 - Managerial Finance    
• PUBPOL 5583 - Managing Operations    
• PUBPOL 5633 - Health Care Finance for Managers    
• PUBPOL 5663 - Health Care Strategy    
• PUBPOL 5673 - Health Policy for Managers     
• PUBPOL 5693 - Business Statistics    
• PUBPOL 5703 - Financial Accounting    
• PUBPOL 5713 - Leadership, Innovation and Change Management    
• PUBPOL 5773 - Health Marketing for Managers    
• PUBPOL 5783 - Comparative Health Care Systems    
• PUBPOL 5813 - Disruptive Innovation in Health Care I    
• PUBPOL 5933 - Introduction to Driving High Reliability in Healthcare    
• PUBPOL 5943 - Negotiation Essentials     
• PUBPOL 5953 - Health Managers Practicum    
• PUBPOL 5954 - Health Managers Practicum, Part II     

Ithaca, NY Courses      

• PUBPOL 5283 - Population Health for Executives    
• PUBPOL 5903 - Quality Improvement for Managers     

Field Course

• PUBPOL 5643 - Health Care Innovation     

Elective Areas of Study (7 credits)

Students may select from approved elective courses, some possible areas of study include:

• Advanced Leadership
• Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management
• Danish Health Care System (study abroad)
• Design Thinking
• Digital Transformation
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Disruptive Innovation in Health Care: Incumbent Response
• Process Thinking
• Senior Living
• Service Excellence
• Startup Funding

Online & Special Programs

Online Degree Programs

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The University of Houston System Online Program offers accredited degree and certificate programs with the flexibility to help students complete an undergraduate degree, seek a graduate degree, or earn a certification for career development. The students, classes, and faculty in our online program are the same exceptional quality as our traditional on-campus degree program.

Browse online programs offered by a specific institution within the University of Houston System, or survey an alphabetical listing of all online programs. Choose a university to search for specific programs.

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All universities within The University of Houston System (UHS) follow the same admission procedure as the traditional classroom degree program. For detailed information on the application process, please visit one of the university sites below.

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UHS offers 182 online degree and certificate programs. To see a complete list, view All Online Programs at the UH System .

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About Online Programs at the Universities

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SPHHS to Launch Online Master of Health Administration Degree Program in Fall 2025

The University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences has recently been approved by the UMass Board of Trustees and the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education to offer a new Master of Health Administration program that will be available to students in fall 2025.

In their April 2024 meeting, the trustees approved a Master of Health Administration (MHA), an online degree program in the Department of Health Promotion and Policy. The part-time, online MHA program will be one of the few of its kind offered by a Massachusetts public university.

The curriculum is comprised of 40 credits including core courses in public health (health policy and management), management, strategic management, leadership, graduate seminars and a capstone experience that involves a service-learning case study with the student’s current or prospective place of employment.

Lawrence Pellegrini , director of the Online MPH in Public Health Practice Program and senior lecturer in health policy and management, says the program is designed to be completed in three years for individuals who want to further their education part-time while continuing to work.

“The degree is designed for working professionals looking to acquire needed skillsets to gain leadership positions within the healthcare field,” Pellegrini says.  “The program is fully online and asynchronous which offers a great deal of flexibility for students to complete the degree while balancing other responsibilities.” 

The program differs from a business school master’s program in health care administration or master’s in business administration because it is within the SPHHS and is public health focused. 

“We’re a school of public health,” Pellegrini says. “A lot of the values that we're going to be installing in the context of our program are going to be very much public health-oriented, so there would be a lot of population-based approaches to healthcare innovation.”

Graduates would be prepared for roles as healthcare administrators across industry sectors in businesses, educational institutions, government agencies, non-profit groups, community wellness programs, residential healthcare facilities, hospitals and clinical settings.

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Master of Health Administration (MHA)

Offered By: Department of Health Policy and Management

Onsite | Full-Time | 2 years

• MAS Application Fee Waiver Requirements
• Master of Arts (MA) in Geography and Environmental Engineering
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About the Master of Health Administration Program

Master of health administration program highlights.

health administration programs in the country (#7) as ranked by peers in U.S. News and World Report. 

month paid, full-time administrative residency working with senior leaders and developing the skills to thrive as executives.

graduation rate with 97% of graduates employed within three months.

average starting salary for MHA program graduates.

CAHME Accredited

Our MHA program is accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education. This accreditation assures you are receiving the highest quality educational experience and preparation for the future.

What Can You Do With a Graduate Degree In Health Administration?

According to the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growth in healthcare employment, especially medical and health services managers, is expected to increase by 20% between 2016 and 2026. Visit the  Graduate Employment Outcomes Dashboard to learn about Bloomberg School graduates' employment status, sector, and salaries.

MHA graduates pursue career paths in many different settings including :

• Hospitals/Health Systems
• Consulting firms
• Non-profit organizations
• Physician practice management

Possible job titles after residency include :

• Administrator
• Assistant Director
• Project Manager
• Practice Manager

Curriculum for the Master of Health Administration

Browse an overview of the requirements for this master's program in the JHU  Academic Catalogue  and explore all course offerings in the Bloomberg School  Course Directory .

Admissions Requirements

For general admissions requirements, please visit the How to Apply page. This specific program also requires:

Prior Coursework

Prior to matriculation, an undergraduate-level microeconomics course

Minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA

Administrative Residency Requirement

The full-time residential program has a required administrative residency component during the second year of the program. The program has partnerships with local and national organizations providing the full-time paid residency positions, many exclusive to JHU students. However, because many of the residency sites have rules prohibiting placement of non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents, the program cannot guarantee placement of international students and thus the ability to successfully complete the degree program requirements for graduation. Therefore, non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. permanent residents should carefully consider these possibilities before applying to or accepting an offer of admission from the full-time residential program.

Standardized Test Scores

Standardized test scores are  not required and not reviewed  for this program. If you have taken a standardized test such as the GRE, GMAT, or MCAT and want to submit your scores, please note that they will not be used as a metric during the application review.  Applications will be reviewed holistically based on all required application components.

Program Faculty Spotlights

Mark J. Bittle

Mark Bittle, DrPH ’06, MBA, FACHE, focuses on the organizational and management factors that influence physician alignment and managing change in complex organizations.

Conan Q. Dickson

Conan Dickson, PhD ’04, MPH, leverages his experience in health system management to enhance education in health care strategy, finance, and quantitative tools.

David Chin, MD, MBA focuses on transforming health systems and academic medical centers for success under value-based health care models.

Karen R. Charron

Karen Charron, MPH ‘91, is an experienced course instructor and graduate cohort director who teaches and mentors students in the Master of Health Administration program.

The Master’s Tuition Scholarship is available to students in good academic standing in the two-year, full-time residential master’s program. The MTS is a 75% reduction in tuition for year two of an eight-term program. Students have the option of distributing the scholarship entirely in their second year of study or receive a 25% reduction in tuition their first year and 50% in their second year.

Questions about the program? We're happy to help.

Keasha Wormley [email protected]

Certificates & Licensures

Certificates provides credentialed expertise in a field of study, demonstrating to employers that you have in-demand skills.

Program director: Terra Hamblin | [email protected]   Application deadlines: Rolling; For Fall 2021, apply by August 1 Credits: 18 Program info:   Addiction Treatment website

Additional program-specific admission requirements:

• Undergraduate degree in a Social Science

Associate Dean for graduate programs:   Stephanie DeBoor |  [email protected] Application deadlines: March 1 (Fall) | Oct 1 (Spring) Credits: 30 Program info:   Adult Gerontology Acute Care website

• Overall GPA 3.0 or better
• Must have graduated from a CCNE, NLN, or ACEN accredited MSN program
• Possess an unencumbered RN License and/or eligibility for licensure in Nevada
• 3 Ps (Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Physical/Health Assessment). The 3Ps will be reviewed by the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and/or the specialty Track Leader. Students may have to repeat any or all of the 3Ps pending review.
• Letter of intent
• Curriculum Vitae/resume
• Three letters of recommendation

Associate Dean for graduate programs: Stephanie DeBoor | [email protected] Application deadlines: March 1 (Fall) | Oct 1 (Spring) Credits: 15 Program info: Clinical Nurse Leader website

• Must have graduated from a CCNE or NLN accredited MSN program
• Possess an unencumbered RN License and eligible for licensure in Nevada

Program Director: Weston Morrow | [email protected] Application deadlines: July 15 (Fall) | Dec 15 (Spring) Credits: 18 Program info: Criminal Justice catalog listing

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited university with an overall GPA of 3.0

Program Contact: Shamik Sengupta | [email protected] Application deadlines: July 31 (Fall) | Dec 10 (Spring) Credits: 12 Program info: Cybersecurity website | Cybersecurity faculty

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited academic institution
• Transcripts (separate from the official transcripts required by the Graduate School)
• Curriculum Vitae
• Statement of purpose is recommended

Program Contact: Jennifer Mortensen | [email protected] Application deadlines: May 15 (Fall) Credits: 29 (21 if practical experience is applicable) Program info: Early Childhood Education Teacher Licensure website

• Undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Science (or related field)
• Undergraduate pre-requisites: EDES 300, EDU 205, EDU 207, HDFS 201, HDFS 250, HDFS 431b, HDFS 435
• Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better

Additional program-specific admission recommendations:

• Candidate Professional Behaviors and Dispositions Form
• Personal essay
• At least one letter of recommendation
• Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators (CORE) Reading (score > 155), Writing (score > 161), and Mathematics (score > 149) score sheet (or California Basic Educational Skills score sheet).

Program director: Julie Pennington | [email protected] Application deadlines:  March 15 (Fall) | Oct 15 (Spring) Program info: College of Education  | COEHD Graduate Assistantships

• Education Disposition Statement
• Two letters of recommendation
• A one-page statement of purpose addressing the following question: How will the Reading Specialist Certificate enhance your ability to support the literacy development of K-12 students

To align with state requirements for Reading Specialist Endorsement, our Certificate Program also requires:

• A master’s degree completed, or in process
• Three years of verified teaching experience in state-approved schools
• A valid elementary or secondary teaching license

Program contact:  Jess Gallo | [email protected] Application deadlines: Aug 1 (Fall) | Oct 15 (Spring) Credits: 28-31 Program info: Secondary Education Licensure website

• Earned bachelor’s degree with and overall GPA of 2.75 or better
• Signed disposition sheet (NCATE set of beliefs in place in the College of Education)
• An essay of three to five pages
• Resume or curriculum vitae
• The candidates needs to meet pre-professional Praxis I testing requirements.

Program Contact: David Rondel | [email protected] Application deadlines: Rolling; For this coming Fall, apply by August 1 Credits: 12 Program info: Ethics, Law and Politics website

• Writing sample

Associate Dean for graduate programs: Stephanie DeBoor | [email protected] Application deadlines: March 1 (Fall) | Oct 1 (Spring) Credits: 17-33 Program info: Family Nurse Practitioner website

• Possess an unencumbered RN license and be eligible for licensure in Nevada

Program Director:  Deborah Boehm |  [email protected] Application deadlines: May 1 (Fall) | Nov 1 (Spring) Credits: 12 Program info: Gender, Race and Identity Certificate website | GRI faculty

• Statement of purpose

A Certificate in Geographic Information Systems and Science (GIS) is offered through the Department of Geography. Students obtaining the GIS Certificate will learn the tools, methods, and software necessary to manage and analyze spatial data and information and conduct appropriate analysis. This certificate is recommended for students interested in employment in either the public or private sector as a GIS or Remote Sensing Analyst, Cartographer, Planner, or students interested in pursuing graduate studies in Geography or a related field where use of geospatial science and technologies are included.

• Undergraduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems and Science (GIS), Course Catalog

Program Contact: Miles Greiner | [email protected] Application deadlines: Fall: Aug 16 | Spring: Jan 11 Credits: 9 Program info: Nuclear Packaging website

• An earned baccalaureate degree in mechanical, materials, nuclear or a closely-related engineering field, or a baccalaureate degree and background in project management related to packaging of nuclear and other radioactive materials.

Associate Dean for graduate programs: Stephanie DeBoor | [email protected] Application deadlines: March 1 (Fall and Summer) | Oct 1 (Spring) Credits: 17 Program info: Nursing Education website

• Must have graduated from a CCNE or NLN accredited MSN program with a 3.0 or better

Associate Dean for graduate programs: Stephanie DeBoor | [email protected] Application deadlines: March 1 (Fall and Summer) Credits: 15 Program info: Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

• Successful completion of a Master’s of Science in Nursing from a CCNE or NLN academic institution with a GPA of 3.0 or better
• Current unrestricted/unencumbered licensure as an RN in Nevada and be eligible for licensure in Nevada

Associate Dean for graduate programs: Stephanie DeBoor | [email protected] Application deadlines: March 1 (Fall) Credits: 23-38 Program info: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner website

• Must have graduated from a CCNE or NLN accredited BSN program with a GPA of 3.0 or better
• APRN Track only: Must have graduated from an accredited MSN program and hold national certification and licensure as an APRN
• Possess an unencumbered RN License and be eligible for licensure in Nevada
• An interview may be required

Program Contact:  Praveen Kumar Durgampudi|  [email protected] Application deadlines: Rolling Credits: 10 Program info: Public Health Management and Analysis catalog listing | Online public health certificates website

• A bachelor's degree

Program Contact:  Praveen Kumar Durgampudi | [email protected] Application deadlines: Rolling Credits: 10 Program info:   Public Health Management catalog listing | Online public health certificates website

Program Contact: Praveen Kumar Durgampudi |  [email protected] Application deadlines: Rolling Credits: 10 Program info: Public Health Program Development catalog listing | Online public health certificates website

Program Contact: Victor Vasquez | [email protected] Application deadlines: Aug 16 (Fall) | Jan 10 (Spring) Credits: 12 Program info: Renewable Energy website

• Undergraduate degree in engineering, business management, liberal arts or a related field
• Personal Statement

Program Contact: Jennifer Lanterman | [email protected] Application deadlines: March 1 (Fall) | Nov 1 (Spring) Credits: 12 Program info: Social Justice website

• Undergraduate degree

Program Director: Cary Groth  |  [email protected] Application deadlines: June 1 (Fall only) Program info: Sports Management Executive Certificate Website

• Undergraduate degree from an accredited institution (an official copy of the transcripts should be submitted to the Graduate School)
• Recommended Minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75
• A copy of your current resume
• A letter of recommendation

Request more information about sports management

Program Contact: Edward (Ned) Schoolman | [email protected] Application deadlines: Rolling Credits: 12 Program info: Study of History website

• A Bachelor's degree in a humanities or social science; a bachelor's degree in Education; or Teaching Credential
• Students pursuing the graduate certificate of Studies in History must satisfy all of the graduate school requirements for admission as a Graduate Special
• Read the History department bulletin

Program Contact: Rod Case | [email protected] Application deadlines: Rolling Program info: TESOL website Credits: 15

• An overall undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or better on a 4-point scale
• Letters of recommendation from one professional qualified to judge your aptitude for teaching
• A statement of your personal goals related to TESOL
• Transcripts of previous college work
• Students already admitted to a graduate program at the University must also submit approval for admission to the GC-TESOL from the Chair of their Advisory/Examining Committee in lieu of the letter of recommendation.
• Candidates who graduated from a non-US university and whose native language is not English must have a TOEFL score of at least 550 or 79 on the Internet Based TOEFL
• International students must have a J-1 visa or be concurrently enrolled in another graduate degree program in order to participate in the GC-TESOL

Program Contact: Miles Greiner | [email protected] Application deadlines: Fall: Aug 16 | Spring: Jan 11 Credits: 9 Program info: Transportation Security and Safeguard website

• An earned baccalaureate degree in mechanical, materials, nuclear or a closely-related engineering field, or a baccalaureate degree and background in project management related to packaging of nuclear and other radioactive materials