PhD Competencies

Upon completion of the PhD in Health Policy and Management, each student should be able to demonstrate:

• A working knowledge of the U.S. health care system, its historical development, organizational structures and financing mechanisms
• An understanding of the process and evolution of health care policies in the U.S. and their relationship to policies of other advanced economy nations
• An understanding of basic principles of economics as applied to health care systems
• An understanding of the role of culture and the behavioral dynamics of differentiation and stratification in health and medicine, the health professions, and in hospitals and other health care organizations
• Working knowledge of the principles of management as applied to health care settings
• Working knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative research paradigms, including research design, measurement, epidemiology, survey research, evaluation of health and health care systems and interventions, as well as participant observation, intensive interviewing and content analysis.
• Working knowledge of descriptive and inferential statistical analysis as applied to basic research strategies employed in health services research
• Advanced content (theoretical and conceptual as well as familiarity with the research literature) in a defined area of either health policy or health care management. [Each student’s specialization plan must be recommended by the student’s doctoral committee and approved by the director of doctoral studies.]
• Application of content specialization to the critical analysis of research literature and the development of independent research questions
• The ability to translate research questions into research designs
• Advanced specialization in at least one area of research methods, such as epidemiology, survey design, evaluation, qualitative or econometrics
• Familiarity with large data sets and the ability to prepare and statistically analyze them
• Acquired expertise and experience in developing curriculum and effective classroom and on-line teaching within a health services administration program