Health Services Policy and Management

Professor
Carleen H. Stoskopf, Sc.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1989

Associate Professors
Samuel L. Baker, Ph.D., Harvard University, 1977
Saundra H. Glover, Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 1991
Sarah B. Laditka, Ph.D., Syracuse University, 1995
Janice C. Probst, Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 1990

Assistant Professors
Keith Elder, Ph.D., University of Maryland, 2002
Judy Shinogle, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1999

Overview

The Department of Health Services Policy and Management promotes individual and community health through improvements in the organization and management of public health and health care delivery. The department offers the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), the Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.), and three dual degrees: the Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Public Health (M.S.N./M.P.H.), the Master of Social Work/Master of Public Health (M.S.W./M.P.H.), and the Juris Doctor/Master of Health Administration (J.D./M.H.A.). Two doctoral programs are offered: the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.).

Master's programs prepare students to assume leadership positions in public, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations in public health, health services, health policy, and related fields. The M.P.H. emphasizes preparation for a career in the public health sector. The program includes full public health foundation courses in biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, administration, and health promotion, education, and behavior. The M.H.A. emphasizes preparation for a career in management in the private health care sector. The program has a substantial emphasis on accounting and finance. All programs may be taken part-time. The M.H.A. is available in a distance format via video-streaming for mid-career health service professionals, managers, and supervisors. The M.P.H. may be taken by distance education via live satellite broadcast in the state of South Carolina. A Certificate of Graduate Study in Gerontology may be combined with any degree program (see bulletin section for the College of Social Work).

The Ph.D. program prepares students to be health services researchers and to teach in university settings. The Dr.P.H. program takes experienced health care managers and physicians and prepares them for senior policy and management positions in public and private organizations.

Admission

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) and Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.)

Applicants for a master's degree must submit the following:

• a completed USC Graduate School application
• transcripts of all college-level academic work
• two letters of recommendation
• scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT)
• a statement of professional goals
• a personal resume
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam scores, if the applicant's native language is not English.

An interview with departmental faculty is highly recommended.

Dual Degree Master's with Nursing, Social Work, or Law (M.S.N./M.P.H., M.S.W./M.P.H., and J.D./M.H.A.)

Students seeking admission to dual degree programs must meet the admissions requirements of both programs. Our requirements are listed above. The School of Nursing, College of Social Work, and School of Law specify the admissions requirements to their programs.

Profiles of Admitted Master's Students

M.P.H.: For fall 2003, there were 40 applicants. Nineteen were accepted. Their mean GRE scores were 466 (verbal) and 522 (quantitative). Their mean undergraduate GPA was 2.66 (on a 4.00 scale).

M.H.A.: For fall 2003, there were 57 applicants. Thirty-two were accepted. Their mean GRE scores were 462 (verbal) and 574 (quantitative). Their mean GMAT score total was 480. Their mean undergraduate GPA was 3.20.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Admission criteria for the Doctor of Philosophy program include:

• Applicants should have a master's degree in health administration, business administration, public health, or public administration. Exceptions will be considered by petition to the faculty. A promising student may be admitted with only a bachelor's degree but will be required to complete our M.P.H. program before starting the Ph.D.
• Previous graduate-level course work should include health care finance, statistics, organizational behavior, health economics, and epidemiology. Students lacking one or more of these will be required to make up the deficiency. Courses taken to make up deficiencies do not count toward the Ph.D. program.
• A grade point average of at least 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) is required on previous graduate course work.

Applicants must submit:

• transcripts of prior undergraduate and graduate work
• scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT)
• three letters of recommendation
• a statement of professional goals
• a personal resume
• copies of publications, if any
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam scores, if the applicant's native language is not English.

An interview with departmental faculty is highly recommended.

Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.)

Admission criteria for the Doctor of Public Health program include:

• Applicants should have a master's degree in health administration, business administration, public health, or public health administration. Exceptions will be considered by petition to the faculty.
• Applicants must have worked in a health-related midlevel management or policy position for at least four years.
• Previous graduate-level course work should include health care finance, statistics, organizational behavior, health economics, and epidemiology. Students lacking one or more of these will be required to make up the deficiency. Courses taken to make up deficiencies do not count toward the Dr.P.H. program. Students with three deficiencies will have a conditional admission contingent on successful completion of make-up courses.
• A grade point average of at least 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) is required on previous graduate course work.

Applicants must submit:

• transcripts of prior undergraduate and graduate work
• scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT), except for applicants with a doctoral-level degree (such as M.D., D.D.S., or Ph.D.), by petition to the faculty
• three letters of recommendation from persons who can reflect upon the applicant's prior academic and professional performance
• a statement of career goals
• a personal resume
• copies of publications, if any
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam scores, if the applicant's native language is not English (may be waived, by petition to the faculty, if academic experience in the U.S. demonstrates English proficiency).

An interview with the departmental faculty is highly recommended.

Profile of Admitted Doctoral Students

Ph.D. and Dr.P.H.: For fall 2003, there were 18 applicants. Five were accepted: four to the Ph.D. program and one to the Dr.P.H. program. Their mean GRE scores were 565 (verbal) and 565 (quantitative). Their mean graduate GPA was 3.52 (on a 4.00 scale).

Program Requirements

Master’s Degrees

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) in Public Health Administration

The M.P.H. program prepares students for management in the public health sector, such as federal, state, and local health agencies. Some M.P.H. graduates work in the private sector.

The M.P.H. is a 48-semester-hour program. The curriculum is:

Public Health Core (biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, administration, and health promotion, education, and behavior), 15 hours
Management, 18 hours

Planning, Organizational Behavior, or Policy, 3 hours
Community Assessment/Delivery of Health Care Services, 3 hours
Approved Elective, 3 hours
Public Health Residency, 6 hours

Final Examination: M.P.H. candidates must complete and submit an acceptable written report on the residency. Approval of the report must be by the faculty advisor, a second reader, and the preceptor at the residency site. An oral presentation of the report is required after the approval of the document. The student must also complete and submit departmental and school evaluations.

Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.)

The M.H.A. program prepares students for a career in the management of the full range of programs, organizations, and facilities in health services and medical care: acute, post-acute, long-term, and managed care, in the public and private sectors. The M.H.A. is offered in a full-time format for regular students and in a distance-based format for working professionals.

The M.H.A. is a 58-semester-hour program. The curriculum is:

Management, 28 hours
Accounting and Finance, 9 hours
Biostatistics and Quantitative Methods, 6 hours
Epidemiology, 3 hours
Health Planning, 3 hours
Approved Elective, 3 hours

Management Residency, 6 hours

Final Examination: M.H.A. candidates must complete and submit an acceptable written report on the residency. Approval of the report must be by the faculty advisor, a second reader, and the preceptor at the residency site. An oral presentation of the report is required after the approval of the document. The student must also complete and submit departmental and school evaluations.

Graduate Assistantship

Beginning fall 2004, all full-time M.H.A. and M.P.H. students (except M.H.A. professional format students) are expected to work as graduate assistants in health service organizations in the community to acquire work experience and enrich the learning process through on-the-job application of concepts and techniques learned in the classroom. To qualify for assistantship, a student must be fully admitted to a degree program, be enrolled as a full-time student, and maintain a 3.00 GPA.

Dual Degrees (M.S.N./M.P.H., M.S.W./M.P.H., and J.D./M.H.A.)

The Department of Health Services Policy and Management and the School of Nursing, College of Social Work, and School of Law offer coordinated programs that lead to a dual degree. The requirements for the M.P.H. or M.H.A. portion of each dual degree program is the same as shown above. The M.S.N., M.S.W., and J.D. portions of the dual degree programs are determined by the respective schools and college. Some courses do fulfill requirements for both portions of the dual degree. A dual degree program thus typically requires fewer semester hours in total than if the two programs were taken separately.

Doctoral Programs

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Health Administration

The Ph.D. program prepares students to conduct health services research and to teach in a university setting. The program is individualized for each student, taking into account the individual's interests, academic training, and professional experience. The emphasis is on research methods, statistics, and advanced concepts in health policy and management. Students must complete a doctoral dissertation and demonstrate the ability to conduct original research.

The Ph.D. is a 61-hour program. The curriculum is:

Doctoral Seminar, 4 hours
Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management, 6 hours
History of Public Health and Health Politics, 6 hours
Statistics and Research Methods Cognate, 18 hours
Approved Electives, 15 hours
Dissertation, 12 hours

Examinations: A written qualifying examination is taken after the completion of course work and before starting the dissertation proposal. An oral and/or written comprehensive examination is taken at the time of the defense of the dissertation proposal.

Each student must prepare and defend a dissertation that contributes significantly to knowledge regarding the organization, financing, or delivery of health services.

Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.)

The Dr.P.H. program prepares students to advance to senior policy or management positions in public health agencies and health care organizations. The program is individualized for each student, taking into account the individual's interests, academic training, and professional experience to achieve a sound academic and professionally oriented education. Students must complete a doctoral dissertation and demonstrate the ability to conduct original research.

The Dr.P.H. is a 58-hour program. The curriculum is:

Doctoral Seminar, 4 hours
Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management, 6 hours
History of Public Health and Health Politics, 6 hours

Statistics and Research Methods Cognate, 12 hours
Approved Electives, 18 hours
Dissertation, 12 hours

Examinations: A written qualifying examination is taken after the completion of course work and before starting the dissertation proposal. An oral and/or written comprehensive examination is taken at the time of the defense of the dissertation proposal.

Each student must prepare and defend a dissertation that contributes significantly to knowledge regarding the organization, financing, or delivery of health services.

Course Descriptions (HSPM)

Note: Many syllabi may be found through the department's Web page: hspm.sph.sc.edu.

• 500 -- Introduction to Health Care Management and Organization. (3) Provide students with overview of health services management, management techniques and the different roles and functions of the different health care services. Use of field trips and guest speakers from different health care providers.
  
• 514 -- Introduction to Health Services Delivery and Policy. (3) Overview of health services delivery in the United States, including organization and financing of health care, health insurance practices, primary and long-term care among other topics.
  
• 530 -- Finance in Health Administration. (3) (Prereq: BADM 225) Introduction to health care finance. Course will teach reimbursement structures, regulatory mechanisms, cost control, and related factors unique to healthcare organizations.
  
• 700 -- Approaches and Concepts for Health Administration. (3) An interdisciplinary perspective on the field of health administration. Philosophy concepts, and skills of implementation, management, and evaluation are presented and discussed. Principles in the practice of health administration are applied to identified problems and situations.
  
• 707 -- Ethical Issues in Health Care and Research. {=EPID 707} (3) The ethical dimensions of decision-making in health care delivery, administration and epidemiologic research. Provides ethical foundations for discussion of topics in health-related research and practice.
  
• 708 -- Cost-Benefit Analysis in Health. (3) (Prereq: HSPM 712) Economic analysis of health projects. Involves the theory of cost benefit analysis and the application of cost benefit analysis to the health sector.
  
• 709 -- Perspectives in Rural Health. (3) Analysis of issues and demographic, economic, and political forces affecting health care delivery systems in rural America. Examines structure of federal and state public health programs that impact rural health.
  
• 710 -- History of Public Health. (3) Public health from ancient civilizations to the present.
  
• 711 -- Health Politics. {=NURS 779 and POLI 757} (3) Analysis of issues and forces affecting health delivery through the public sector; major models of political decision-making; and current health legislation.
  
• 712 -- Health Economics. {=ECON 784} (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) A critical introduction to the application of economic analysis to problems in the health care field. Related scientific literature.
  
• 713 -- Information Systems m Health Administration. (3) (Prereq: BIOS 700) The role and development of information systems in administration of health programs; development of process and outcome measures from program objectives; information acquisition, processing, and reporting; decision-making.
  
• 714 -- Perspectives in Community Health Organizations. (3) (Prereq: HSPM 700 or consent of instructor) Origins/functions of public health and the U.S. health-care system; special attention to public health perspectives, social/behavioral determinants of health and environmental health issues.
  
• 715 -- Community Assessment and the Delivery of Health Care Services. (3) An introduction to the concepts of community assessment and managerial epidemiology, and their use in the population-based planning and management of integrated health systems.
  
• 716 -- Quantitative Methods for Health Administration. (3) (Prereq: BIOS 700) An introduction to quantitative methods and analytical techniques with application to health administration. The course includes the use of models and simulation for decision making and control in health administration.
  
• 717 -- Health Services Research Methods I. (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of health programs. Different research designs will be discussed in terms of their relevance to specific evaluation problems.
  
• 718 -- Health Planning. (3) (Prereq: BIOS 700) Strategy and tactics of state, regional, institutional health services planning. Special attention to the role of marketing.
  
• 719 -- Health Services Research Methods II. (3) (Prereq: BIOS 700) The role and methods of sample surveys in health administration; development of survey designs; survey procedures; questionnaire design; interviewing procedures; codebook design; utilization of computer program packages in data analysis.
  
• 720 -- Health Services Research Methods III. (3) The solution of management problems in health care settings through the use of software applications.
  
• 722 -- Sociology of Health for Health Services Managers I. (1) Sociological approaches to the study of health and the decision to seek health care.
  
• 723 -- Sociology of Health for Health Services Managers II. (1) Sociological approaches to the study of health care institutions.
  
• 724 -- Health Law. (3) (Prereq: permission of instructor) Legal basis for health activities; enforcement of regulations concerning communicable disease, food quality, and waste disposal.
  
• 725 -- Human Resources Issues in Health Care Sector. (3) A study of the current problems, theories, models, and strategics associated with managing human resources in the health care sector.
  
• 730 -- Financing of Health Care. {=FINA 763 and NURS 738} (3) (Prereq: BADM 660 or equivalent) Application of the principles of financial management to the systems involved in the delivery of health care.
  
• 764 -- Long-Term Care Administration. (3) (Prereq: permission of instructor) An overview of management and policy concepts and issues pertaining to long-term care facilities and programs.
  
• 765 -- Leadership in Health Care Organizations. (1) (Prereq: Completion of first-year M.H.A. course requirements) Seminar on theory of and practice of leadership as a manager in the health care industry. (Pass-Fail grading)
  
• 766 -- Health Services Administration I. (3) (Prereq: permission of instructor) A consideration of hospitals as a locus for the delivery of personal health services.
  
• 768 -- Health Services Administration II. (3) Analysis of current and prospective issues in health administration. Includes student exploration of unsolved problems and opportunities in the field of health administration.
  
• 770 -- Decision Making For Health Care Executives. (3) Case study format where students identify problems, evaluate alternatives and make decisions using health care leaders in the community to prepare cases. Integration of principles learned in other health care theory and management courses.
  
• 778 -- Health Care Marketing. {=NURS 778} (3) The principles of marketing applied to the health care setting.
  
• 790 -- Independent Study. (1-6)
  
• 791 -- Selected Topics. (1-6)
  
• 797 -- Management Residency. (3 or 6) (Prereq: permission of instructor) On-site management project in a health care setting. (Pass-Fail grading)
  
• 798 -- Public Health Residency. {=NURS 720} (3 or 6) (Prereq: EPID 700, BIOS 700 and three additional hours in the major) Practicum in approved health care setting emphasizing evaluation and service delivery planning or a project such as resolution of a management problem or evaluation of a program component.
  
• 800 -- Doctoral Seminar. (1) Format for presentation of faculty research, doctoral student dissertation proposals and guest lecturers on timely issues in health care policy and management. (Pass-Fail grading)
  
• 845 -- Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management I. (3) (Prereq: permission of instructor) Readings and discussion of topics relevant to research in health administration/health sciences.
  
• 846 -- Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management II. (3) (Prereq: HSPM 845 or permission of instructor) Readings and discussion of' major topics, including institutionally based issues, in research in health administration/health sciences.
  
• 890 -- Independent Study. (1-3) Directed research on a topic to be developed by doctoral student and instructor. May be repeated for credit.
  
• 899 -- Dissertation Preparation. (1-12) (Prereq: one full year [18 hrs.] of graduate study beyond the master's level)
  

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