Doctor of Philosophy

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For more information about applying to the PhD program, kindly visit the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences website.

The doctoral program in Health Policy and Management (HPM) is designed to develop scholars that are able to apply theoretical frameworks from the social sciences (such as economics, political science, organizational theory and management, sociology) to address pressing health policy and management research questions. The program is purposefully interdisciplinary and seeks to prepare students for research careers in academics as well as in public and private sector agencies and organizations. Students complete courses in a broad set of health policy and management areas, biostatistics and econometrics, and a selected area of depth (i.e., economic theory and application, political and policy analysis, and organizational theory and management). Students in the department of HPM take qualifying examinations in 1) health policy and management, 2) biostatistics, and 3) their chosen area of depth. In addition, students work directly with a specific faculty member on an individualized readings course on which they will also take a qualifying examination. The program typically requires 4-5 years to complete, including 2 years of coursework followed by 2-3 years to complete and defend the doctoral dissertation.

Competencies

Upon receiving a PhD degree, students in HPM will be able to:
  • Develop and test hypotheses and conceptual frameworks related to health policy, health economics, and management issues
  • Evaluate research literature and evidence from a diversity of disciplinary perspectives
  • Frame novel research questions related to health policy, health economics, and management
  • Design and conduct advanced, original research in health policy, health economics, and management .
  • Apply advanced research methods to design, conduct, and interpret independent research projects.
  • Present research findings orally and in writing to colleagues and professionals on national and international levels.
  • Teach master’s level courses in health policy and management.
  • Employ principles of research ethics to specific research projects.
  • Generate data to create publishable manuscripts that represent important contributions to the literature in health policy, health economics, and management.

Degree Requirements

PDF Version

Download the PDF version of the PhD curriculum.

The Ph.D. degree with a concentration in Health Policy & Management generally requires 18 courses; 16 of these 18 courses must be completed prior to qualifying exams (typically given after 4 semesters of study). Students with a master’s degree in a related field and with the approval of their academic advisor may waive up to 2 courses, so that a total of 16 course units are required. All distributional requirements must be met prior to taking qualifying exams. Neither HPM 617a, b (the HPM colloquium) nor EPH 600b (research ethics) count toward the total course number. Due to the nature of the HPM PhD curriculum no students will be granted advanced standing. Students should meet with their academic advisor each semester to select the courses that fit with their research interests and needs. All “a” courses are offered in the fall term, “b” courses are offered in the spring term.

Degree Requirements

Biostatistics/Statistics and Methods (minimum 4 courses)
Suggested courses:

  • BIS 623a, Applied Regression Analysis 
  • BIS 625a, Categorical Data Analysis 
  • BIS 628b, Longitudinal Data Analysis 
  • PLSC 500a, Statistics
  • PLSC 503b, Quantitative Methods 
  • PLSC 504a, Advanced Quantitative Methods 
  • ECON 558a, Econometrics
  • SOCY 580a, Statistics I
  • SOCY 581b, Statistics II
  • SOCY 582a, Statistics III
  • HPM 594a, Qualitative and Mixed Methods
  • HPM 583b, Methods in Health Services Research

Health Services Research (minimum 4 courses)
Suggested courses:

  • HPM  510a, Health Policy and Health Systems 
  • HPM  514b, Health Politics and Policy 
  • HPM 560b, Health Finance and Policy Analysis
  • HPM  587b, Health Economics 
  • HPM  570a, Cost-effectiveness Analysis 
  • HPM  597b, Capstone in Health Policy 
  • HPM  561b, Managing Health Care Organizations

Colloquium in Health Services Research
(required all years for HPM doctoral students)

  • HPM  617a and b, Colloquium in Health Services Research 

Health Services Research Readings:
(required for all second-year students in the spring semester)

  • HPM 640b, Directed Readings for Qualifying Exams 
Other Requirements:
  • EPH 600b, Research Ethics and Responsibilities (this course does not count towards the 20-course requirement) 

In addition, it is expected that students take a minimum of four courses in their area of depth: Political and Policy Analysis, Economic Theory and Application, or Organizational Theory and Management. Four Topic Area Courses (must differ from courses listed above). 

All students supported by NIDA must take 1-2 courses in substance abuse, behavioral economics, or psychiatric mental health issues. See PDF list of degree requirements for more details.)

rev. 12/11/2012

PhD Forms for Current Students

Guidelines for Prospectus and Dissertation

Submission of Dissertation Prospectus

Dissertation Checklist

Submission of Dissertation

Conference Travel Funds

Teaching Fellow

Qualifying Examinations


The department of HPM requires four areas of qualifying examinations: 1) health policy, health economics, and management; 2) biostatistics; and 3) area of depth examination; and 4) an individualized exam on the student’s directed readings.

Research Requirements

All students are expected to develop their research skills through interaction with HPA faculty around ongoing faculty research. Advanced doctoral students (post qualifying exam) are encouraged to assume regular teaching assignments during their third year.

The Dissertation

Students in HPA participate in interdisciplinary courses and research projects. Dissertation research is developed and conducted as the student’s independent research, with support from faculty as needed. The dissertation should focus on the student’s area of depth and make an original and important contribution to the field.

Research

Research in HPM applies the conceptual frameworks and research methods from economics, health policy, and organizational theory and management. Examples of ongoing faculty research include the following Current Divisional Research Projects

  • Examining School Policy Effects and Consequences of Childhood Obesity
  • Understanding Social Network Effects on Health Behaviors
  • The Long-Run and Intergenerational Effects on Early Life Experiences: Evidence from Developing Countries
  • Economic and Policy Analysis of Adolescent Mental Health Behaviors
  • Organizational learning and quality improvement
  • Health systems strengthening in low-income settings
  • Impact of work life and habits of health
  • Economic and policy analysis of substance abuse (drugs, alcohol, and smoking) including treatment effectiveness, cost effectiveness and outcomes.
  • Examining the impact of health care spending on the economic well being of households
  • End-of-life care such as use and impact of hospice care
  • Impact of health insurance design on cost, quality and access to health services
  • Variation in quality of hospital care and mortality rates

Funding Opportunities and Training Grants

Many faculty have grants that can provide training-related expenses and stipends. The HPM faculty have two training grants that can support pre-doctoral and post-doctoral students and trainees.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Training Program in Health Services Research

National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) Training Program in Addiction, Economics and Policy