Health Services Research, Policy & Administration Major—Ph.D.
This is an ideal major for students interested in affecting policy or having an impact on the delivery of health services.
Students work with an internationally acclaimed faculty actively engaged in research. Faculty members work closely with
state and national policymakers to link their research results to policy initiatives. Students have opportunities to become
involved in these projects during their educational programs. The Ph.D. program is designed for students interested in
academic careers or senior research positions in government or the private sector.
Program Curriculum
Required Core Courses 47–57
Course Credits
○ Fundamentals of Biostatistical
Methods (PubH 7400, 4 credits)
○ Biostatistical Modeling and Methods
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(PubH 7400, 4 credits) –or–
Econometric Analysis (ApEC
8211/8212, 8 credits)
Research Studies in Health Care
(PubH 8810, 3 credits)
Research Studies in Health Care
(PubH 8811, 3 credits)
Writing for Research (PubH 8830, 2
credits)
Writing for Research (PubH 8831, 2
credits)
Epidemiology I (PubH 6341, 3
credits) –or– Advanced
Epidemiological Methods (PubH
8341, 3 credits)
Economics of the Health Care
System (PubH 6832, 3 credits)
Health Services Policy Analysis
Theory (PubH 8801, 3 credits) –or–
Principles of Health Policy (PubH
6835, 2 credits)
Medical Sociology (PubH 6855, 3
credits)
Ethics in Public Health: Research
and Policy (PubH 6742, 1 credit)
Area of Emphasis Options
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Multidisciplinary Social Sciences
Sociology of Health and Illness
Health Decision Science
Health Organization and
Management Science –
○ Clinical Outcomes Research
○ Health Policy
○ Health Economics
The courses for each “area” are too
numerous to include here. See our
Web site at www.hpm.umn.edu for
a complete list of courses for each
area of emphasis. Students work
closely with their advisor and area
of emphasis faculty to develop a
program tailored to their needs.
Supporting Program or Minor
Students also complete a minimum
of 12 additional credits in a
supporting program or minor in their
area of emphasis.
Thesis Credits
Following the completion of all
coursework, Ph.D. students register
for 24 thesis credits during which
time the dissertation thesis is written.
Areas of Emphasis - Brief
Descriptions
Multidisciplinary Social
Sciences
The Multidisciplinary Social
Sciences area of emphasis is
designed for doctoral students who
want a broad introduction to analytic
perspectives from economics,
sociology and political science.
Contact Information
Major Coordinator
Maureen Andrew
Andre031@umn.edu
Phone: (612) 624-9432
Fax: (612) 626-8328
www.sph.umn.edu/programs/hsrphd
Student Services Center
sph-ssc@umn.edu
Phone: (612) 626-3500
Toll Free: (800) 774-8636
Fax: (612) 624-4498
sph.umn.edu/students/prospective
Sociology of Health and Illness
Sociology of Health and Illness
emphasizes fundamental issues in
medical sociology; social
stratification, the social construction
of health and illness, population
dynamics and demographic forces.
A supporting program in this field
prepares students for research
focused on how social structures,
organizations and relationships
shape the experience of health and
illness.
Health Decision Science
Health Decision Science consists of
a collection of quantitative methods
used to evaluate decision making
under uncertainty, which include
decision analysis, meta-analysis,
predictive modeling, disease
simulation modeling, cognitive
psychology, shared decision making,
quality-of-life assessment, utility
elicitation, health outcomes
assessment, cost-effectiveness
analysis, health economics,
pharmacoeconomics, technology
assessment, evidence-based
medicine, medical informatics, and
discrete event simulation.
Health Organization and
Management Science
The HOMS core provides a
theoretical foundation in
organizational theory, organizational
behavior, decision-making, and
operations management, and
assists in developing
methodological skills in social
networks and/or qualitative research.
Clinical Outcomes Research
Clinical Outcomes Research
focuses on clinical care, costs and
outcomes. Research may be
conducted using observational
(quasi-experimental) studies,
randomized clinical trials or
analyses of secondary data sets,
including administrative data to
expand understanding of how to
measure outcomes of health care.
Health Policy and Analysis
Health Policy and Analysis is
designed to prepare students for
careers in research, teaching, and
public service in academic,
governmental and public policy
settings. The focus of this area
includes multidisciplinary training in
the social sciences; application of
quantitative research methods;
rigorous writing and communication
skill-based training. Students will
receive the core doctoral-level
training in health services research
with an emphasis on U.S. health
policy and applied policy analysis.
Health Economics
The goal of the Health Economics
area of emphasis is to train health
economists who will out-compete
Ph.D.s from the top economics
departments for all jobs except
those in economics departments.
The curriculum includes a broad
menu of health economics related
courses in addition to the
multidisciplinary core courses.
Dual/Joint Degrees
The School of Public Health offers
numerous joint and dual degree
options in collaboration with schools
and colleges across the University,
including business, law, journalism,
medicine, public policy, social work,
and veterinary medicine.
Admission Preferences and
Prerequisites
Admission requires a baccalaureate
degree or higher from an accredited
college or university. Admissions
committees in each major review
applicants according to their
personal statements, background
and experience, record of academic
achievement, demonstrated
academic potential, letters of
recommendation, compatibility of
interests with program faculty, and
other factors.
Test scores and GPAs provide
competitive points of reference for
admission but are not alone
decisive in the admissions review.
Preferred Performance Levels
○ A cumulative undergraduate GPA of
3.00.
○ A GRE score of 1200 combined
verbal and quantitative, and 5.0
analytic writing assessment.
○ TOEFL scores of 600 on the paper
test or 250 on the computer-based
test or 100 on the internet-based
(iBT) test for applicants whose native
language is not English.
○ Prerequisites include calculus and
statistics.
Application Deadlines for Fall
Admission
Priority: Preceding December 1
Final: March 15
Admission Decisions
Complete applications are reviewed
on a rolling basis beginning in midJanuary by an admissions
committee. Applicants are notified in
writing by mail of the admissions
decision.