Curriculum & Program Requirements
To be officially accepted in the GPHAP, all students must be enrolled and pursuing a masters degree or medical degree from one of the participating professional schools at the University.
The Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy allows students to choose a course of study in health service administration that closely matches their interests and career plans to developments in this expanding field. Like many of the graduate programs at the University of Chicago, the GPHAP, is an interdisciplinary program that draws faculty and students from four professional schools on campus--the Graduate School of Business, the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies, and the School of Social Service Administration. Students who successfully complete the program will be awarded a Certificate in Health Administration and Policy in addition to the two-year M.A., M.P.P., or M.B.A., or the M.D./M.B.A. awarded by their respective graduate schools.
Building upon the core training provided by the participating schools, the GPHAP prepares leaders in health administration by developing students' analytical skills and then giving them the opportunity to applying their training to real problems in healthcare delivery. All students must fulfill the core requirements of their respective schools. These requirements ensure that students have backgrounds in economics, organizational behavior, statistics, and financial management. Through field placements or internships, students begin to apply the theoretical and analytical tools in a practical setting. Students benefit greatly from the alternative perspectives on health care presented by professors and students from different programs. While training in the different schools overlaps, the business school emphasizes business administration of healthcare organizations and healthcare consulting, the public policy school stresses health policy analysis and economics, and the social services administration school emphasizes management of services, especially to vulnerable populations.
Students also complete five health courses as part of their two-year curriculum. Health Services System is taken during the spring quarter of the first year and provides an overview of the field, including studies in epidemiology, health services organization, reimbursement, the determinants of health services use, and the roles and behavior of various health services providers. During the second year, there are several courses that can be used to satisfy the Policy requirement, please refer to the list below. The final required course, Special Problems in Health Care Management is taken during the spring quarter of the second year of study. This course builds specialized knowledge in managed care and other current topics in the field. Students must also take an approved finance or financial management course plus at least one elective from a university-wide list of health care courses, including courses in health economics, marketing, medical sociology, policy analysis for health care, quality improvement, program evaluation, strategic analysis, health care for the poor, and epidemiology.
Program Requirements
Academic
All GPHAP students must complete five courses consisting of three required courses, a health elective and a financial elective. Students must maintain a grade of "B" or higher in the introductory SSA 475 course. All of the courses taken to fulfill the GPHAP requirements must be taken for a grade and not taken on a pass/fail basis.
The Required Course Sequence:
1. Health Services System (SSA 47500)
taken during the Spring Quarter of 1st year
2. Special Problems in Health Care Management (SSA 46600, PPHA 46200)
taken during Spring Quarter of 2nd year
3. One approved health policy course
including: Health Policy (SSA 44700), Policy Analysis: Meths/Apps (SSA 45600), Health Economics and Public Policy (PPHA 38300), Health Law and Policy (LAWS 78801, PPHA 37300), Health Law (LAWS 46201), Aging and Public Policy (SSA 49012), Aging and Health Policy (HSTD 35301) or Topics in U.S. Health Economics, Sociology, and Policy (HSTD 35401, PPHA 35400, LAWS 97002, SOCI 50038)
4. One health elective
from a campus wide list of approved electives
5. One financial management or budget course
from approved listAn Adobe PDF of approved health electives may be viewed HERE
An Adobe PDF of approved financial electives may be viewed HERE
Practical
GPHAP students must complete a supervised practicum as part of their training, providing the opportunity for students to apply theoretical knowledge to real life administrative and policy challenges. The practicum requirement can be fulfilled in a number of ways:
- Summer Internships
- Field Placements (1 academic year)
- Research Assistantships (1 academic year)
- Professional Experience (with approval from the program Director)
Co-curricular
Students are expected to attend three health related workshops, seminars, lectures or GPHAP special events offered on campus each quarter and must provide a short synopsis of each event attended.
Please see the summary addressing some Frequently Asked Questions.