PhD in Health Policy and Management

Please note that the Health Policy and Management PhD program is pausing admissions for fall 2026 and will resume admissions in September 2026 for the fall 2027 cycle.

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:

1. health policy and management
2. quantitative methods
3. 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).

All courses are 1 unit unless otherwise noted.

The PhD degree in Health Policy and Management requires a total of 12 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 (2 course units)

• PUBH 508 Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health
  
• PUBH 600 Research Ethics and Responsibilities (0 units)
  
• Public Health Primer – 0 units
  
• HPM 610 Applied Area Readings*
  
• HPM 617 Colloquium in Health Services Research (0 units)
  
• HPM 618 Colloquium in Health Services Research (0 units)

* Students should plan to work with a faculty member on a specific topic.

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

• BIS 623 Advanced Regression Models
  
• BIS 628 Longitudinal and Multilevel Data Analysis
  
• ECON 5556 Topics in Empirical Economics and Public Policy
  
• ECON 5558 Econometrics
  
• MGMT 7202 Applied Empirical Methods
  
• PLSC 5000 Foundations of Statistical Inference
  
• PLSC 5030 Causal Inference
  
• PLSC 5120 The Design and Analysis of Randomized Field Experiments in Political Science
  
• PLSC 5270 From Concept to Measure: Empirical Inquiry in Social Science
  
• SOCY 5610 Introduction to Methods in Quantitative Sociology
  
• SOCY 5620 Intermediate Methods in Quantitative Sociology
  
• SOCY 5670 AI in Social Science Methods
  
• SOCY 5900 Mixed Methods
  
• S&DS 5630 Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences
  
• S&DS 5650 Introductory Machine Learning

PhD Required Health Policy and Management Courses (minimum 1 course unit, all with PhD Readings)

• HPM 514 Health Politics, Governance, and Policy

Additional Elective(s)

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

Specializations

Economics Specialization Required Courses (minimum 4 course units)

• ECON 5545 Microeconomics
  May substitute for an alternative with permission of adviser and GSEC representative
• ECON 5558 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 adviser permission:

• Behavioral Economics:
  • MGMT 7304 Foundations of Behavioral Economics
  • PSYC 5530 Behavioral Decision Making I: Choice
• Industrial Organization:
  • ECON 6600 Industrial Organization I
  • ECON 6601 Industrial Organization II
• Labor Economics:
  • ECON 6630 Labor Economics
  • ECON 6631 Labor Economics
• Public Finance:
  • ECON 5556 Topics in Empirical Economics and Public Policy
  • ECON 5680 Public Finance I
  • ECON 5681 Public Finance II

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

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

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

Suggested courses:

• PLSC 8000 Introduction to American Politics
• PLSC 8100 Political Preferences and American Political Behavior
• PLSC 8030 American Politics III: Institutions
• PLSC 8240 American Political Thought
• PLSC 8410 Democracy and Bureaucracy
• PLSC 8540 The American Political Economy
• PLSC 8650 Policy Making under Separation of Powers
• PLSC 8690 Current Topics in American Politics.

Course offerings subject to change.

• Analyze the health policy and management challenges that affect the delivery, quality, and costs of care for individuals and populations.
• Critically evaluate past and current research in health policy and management.
• Apply economic or political science theory and statistical methods to the analysis of relevant research questions in health policy and management.

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:

• Incentivizing Evidence-Based Care: Policy Levers and Delivery-System Response
• The Racial, Political and Criminal-Legal Implications of Drug-Induced Homicide Laws
• Sanctions, Threats, and Spillover Effects: The Impact of Public Policy on Nursing Home Quality
• The Impacts of Team-Based Care on Primary Care Quality: Evaluating Evidence From the State Innovation Model (SIM) Program in Connecticut
• Older and Growing Wiser? Evaluating How Public Insurance Programs Have Restructured the Delivery of Care to Older Adults
• The Impacts of Economic Incentives on the Health Care Safety Net
• The Determinants and Consequences of Cognitive Aging: Evidence and Implications for Public Policy
• Policy Approaches to Address Supply of Mental Health Treatment in the US