Health Policy, Certificate

Program Description

The certificate in Health Care Policy helps prepare students for policy positions in the field of health care. Health Care Policy certificate students will develop the skills and knowledge needed to understand the challenges of providing access to quality health care at reasonable cost. The five course certificate will provide a students with opportunities to examine the social, political, historic, and scientific factors in the development and organization of health services; frameworks for health policy analysis; policy decisions related to social and private health insurance; how data are presented and used for decision-making in health care administration; how to use financial and economic information to make decisions in health care organizations; and fundamental theories, concepts, issues, and strategies related to a population health.

This certificate also offers short term stackable credentials that align with health industry entry level position needs. Students can "stack" the HPA administration micro-credentials over time toward the completion of the certificate or use them as a stand-alone credential. Each micro-credential cluster combines three core HPA courses and mastery of these courses will be demonstrated through a comprehensive exam.

What is Health Policy?

The five-course certificate is designed to augment current students who are majoring in political science, economics, sociology, or the health sciences or who are current health care professionals and who are interested in working in the following health care organizations:

• Health care consulting firms;
• Health services research and policy organizations (health policy research groups, industry trade groups, etc.);
• Local, state, and federal health agencies and public health organizations (local public health departments, state Department of Health, federal Department of Health and Human Services, etc.).

You Might Like This Program If...

• You are interested in influencing health policy and public health by working in government at the state or federal level or nonprofit organizations.
• You are interested in improving access to health care for underserved populations.
• You are interested in reducing health care costs or improving health care quality through policy reform.
• You are interested in addressing social inequity in the form of health disparities.

Program Requirements

To earn an undergraduate certificate in Health Policy, a minimum of 15 credits is required.

Academic Advising

The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.

Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.

READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY

University Park

Caroline Condon-Lewis
Academic Adviser
604 Ford Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-1192
cxc29@psu.edu

Career Paths

The Health Policy Certificate curriculum prepares students to work as health policy analysts. Analysts help organizations and policy makers understand the current trends in the health care system and to make well-informed business and policy decisions.

Contact

University Park

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION
604 Ford Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-2900
pennstatehpa@psu.edu

https://hhd.psu.edu/hpa