Information for Future Students
The Department of Health Services Policy and Management at the Arnold School of Public Health offers numerous opportunities for professional growth, whether you are seeking a full-time graduate degree, interested in distance education, or specifically interested in health management in Korea or Taiwan.
MASTER PROGRAMS
MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (MPH)
This 48-semester-hour program emphasizes the management of public health agencies and public sector health services. Full-time students who start in the Fall graduate in December of the following year.
MASTER OF HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (MHA)
The MHA curriculum is multidisciplinary, covering management, organizational behavior and leadership, in-depth understanding of health care delivery, reimbursement and financing systems including managed care, financial management, and applied research. The objective is to help up build your knowledge and skill-sets needed to formulate, implement, and evaluate managerial decisions in health care settings. Areas of focus include management of integrated health systems, management information systems, health economics, managed care, financial management, strategic planning, quantitative data analysis, law, epidemiology, and biostatistics.
Distance Education
Most courses leading to our Masters degrees are offered via video stream to accommodate distance students. Courses required for an MPH degree in Public Health Administration are being given via one or more of these media: live television to institutional sites in South Carolina, videotape, CDs or DVDs, streaming video over the web, Web-based instruction.
DUAL DEGREES
Master of Social Work & Master of Public Health (MSW/MPH)
The Arnold School of Public Health and the College of Social Work offer the Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health (MSW/MPH) dual degree program to educate graduates in two complementary professions. With the rapidly changing needs and expectations for service provision in health care, the demands being placed on social work practitioners are growing. The gap between public health and social work has narrowed, and both disciplines are recognizing the immense value in preparing future public health and social work professionals to meet the increasingly complicated service development and provision needs of communities. The MSW/MPH dual degree meets these needs by providing individuals with knowledge and expertise in both public health and social work.
Master of Nursing & Master of Public Health (MSN/MPH)
The College of Nursing and the Arnold School of Public Health dual degree leads to the MSN/MPH degree for nursing and health administration majors. The program requires from the nursing and public health curricula a combined total of 51 credit hours for the non-thesis option or 54 credit hours for the thesis option.
Juris Doctor Master of Health Administration (JD/MHA)
The dual degree in health administration and law is designed for students who wish to pursue study in law as applied to issues in health care settings. The dual degree leads to a Juris Doctorate and a Master of Health Administration through an innovative and integrated curriculum to be completed over a four-year period. The completion of this dual degree will allow graduates to compete successfully for positions in the complex and exciting health care field.
DOCTORAL PROGRAM
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD)
The PhD in Health Services Policy and Management is structured to prepare students to conduct health services research and/or teach at the university level. The program of study is designed around the interests of the individual, taking previous academic training and professional experience into account. Emphasis in the program is in research methods, statistics, and advanced concepts in health policy and management. The program is 61 credit hours post-masters and requires a dissertation based on original research.
DOCTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH (DrPH)
The DrPH in Health Services Policy and Management is structured to prepare individuals for advancement to senior policy and management positions in public health agencies and other health care settings. Plans of study are designed to meet individual requirements in achieving a sound academic, yet professionally oriented education. This program is 58 credit hours post-masters and requires a major project or dissertation.
KOREAN DrPH
The Department of Health Services Policy and Management (HSPM) offers the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree in Seoul, South Korea. This degree program is in partnership with Medical and Dental Educational Institute (MDEI) in Seoul, Korea. The program attracts health care professionals, who wish to further their knowledge in the areas of health services management, health policy, health care reimbursement, clinical outcomes and quality improvement. The program started its first cohort in Spring 2006.
TAIWAN PhD
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Taiwan (Republic of China) program is run on a cohort basis with a new cohort starting approximately every two years. The program attracts health care professionals, who wish to further their knowledge in the areas of health policy, health care reimbursement, quality control and clinical outcomes, and health services research methods. The PhD program in Taiwan started in 1996.
CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
GERONTOLOGY CERTIFICATE
An Option for Masters or Doctoral Students in Health Services Administration or Public Health Administration. The Certificate of Graduate Study in Gerontology is designed to address the needs of professionals who are currently engaged or will be engaged in activities that include planning, administration, and the provision of services for older citizens. The program provides knowledge about biological, health, psychological, social, and economic as well as public policy issues related to program delivery.
