Health Services Policy and Management (HSPM) is an interdisciplinary field concerned with the promotion of personal and public health through planning, organizing, directing, controlling, coordinating and evaluating health services.
Career opportunities exist in hospitals and clinics, state and federal health care agencies, physician practices, long-term care facilities, professional organizations, consulting firms, insurance companies, health departments, and hospital and medical associations. Individuals from a wide range of undergraduate majors can expect to succeed in health administration, given the many career opportunities the field offers.
The MPH program emphasizes the management of public health agencies and public sector health services. Graduates from the MHA program find jobs in finance and business development, operations management, information technology management, human resources, patient and community relations and other fields. The Ph.D. prepares students to conduct health services research and/or teach at a university level.
The Department of Health Services Policy and Management’s mission is to be actively involved in improving quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of health services and health systems locally and globally. (Adopted Fall 2021).
We offer seven advanced degrees related to health services policy and management. Each graduate degree has specific application deadlines and requirements.
Ten of the 41 2025-2026 Support to Promote Advancement of Research and Creativity (SPARC) Graduate Research Grants from the USC Office of the Vice President for Research have been awarded to Arnold School graduate students.
Rebecca McNair never imagined she would pursue a master's degree more than 20 years after completing her Doctor of Medicine at USC. But two decades as a physician made her want to better understand major health care systems.
USC features the work of health services policy and management associate professor and Rural Health Research Center co-director Peiyin Hung, who strives to improve rural health disparities.
Supported by NIH funding, Arnold School researchers have been examining the role of telehealth in providing care to at-risk – and often intersecting – populations.
Published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, one of the Rural Health Research Center's recent studies analyzed the prevalence of PCEs among children with special health care needs.
Samuel Soltis (Ph.D. in HSPM, '12) spent his career serving SC. The American College of Healthcare Executive recently recognized him for this work and his contributions to the profession with their Lifetime Service and Achievement Award.