Academic Program

Competencies are achieved through three components of the curriculum: university general education/discovery requirements, HMP collateral courses, and the HMP core courses including a field practicum. Students work closely with their assigned faculty advisers to develop a plan of study to achieve completion of each of these components.

University Discovery Requirements:
Advisers assist students in selecting courses that satisfy certain program expectations and simultaneously meet University discovery requirements.

HMP-Required Collateral Courses:
A basic understanding is expected in each of the following area related to health management and policy:  (1) statistics (2) finite mathematics.  HMP faculty advisors work with students to select the appropriate courses to fulfill these requirements. Students are expected to complete their collateral requirements prior to their junior year in the major. 

HMP Courses:
All departmental students take a core of courses, in addition to advanced courses in areas related to either health management or public health.  Students electing the public health option must make the selection no later than the beginning of the junior year in the major.

Core Courses
All students complete core courses: HMP 401 U.S. Health Care Systems, HMP 403 Introduction to Public Health and HMP 501 Epidemiology and Community Medicine.  These courses must be completed prior to the beginning of the junior year in the major. 

Core courses taken during the junior and seniors year include:  HMP 631 Health Issues Seminar, HMP 642 Health Economics, HMP 711 and 712 Health Research I and II, HMP 721 Management of Health Care Organizations, HMP 723 Health Planning, HMP 735 Social Marketing, HMP 740 Health Care Financial Management, HMP 744 Ethics and Law and HMP 746 Health Policy.

Health Management and Policy Upper level courses required of health management and policy students not in the public health option include HMP 722 Management of Health Care Organizations II, 741 Health Care Financial Management II and HMP 742 Strategic Management for Health Care Organizations.  HMP 742 is the capstone course.

Public Health Option  Students completing the public health option are requird to complete the following courses in addition to the core courses: HMP 569 Human Behavior and Public Health, HMP 715 Environmental Health and HMP 748 Health Policy Analysis.  HMP 748 is the capstone course. 

Field Practicum  A full-time practicum that integrates class work with a supervised work experience constitutes an essential part of the academic program.  It allows students to explore an area of special interest and contribute to the management of a health care organization or specific program. 

The opportunity to complete a Field Practicum is earned based on academic performance of 2.75 GPA overall before the end of HMP junior year and demonstrated readiness to contribute to the mission of the hosting organization.  Formal permission is required.

Courses comprising this component of the major include:  HMP 621 Pre-practicum Seminar, HMP 622 Field Practicum and HMP 624 Post Practicum Seminar.  The Field Practicum occurs during the summer between the student’s junior and senior year and requires 400 on-site work hours usually spaced over ten weeks. Students recruit and secure their practicum site with assistance provided by faculty and all field practicum sites are approved by the faculty.  At anytime during the Field Practicum, based upon cause, the HMP faculty can withdraw their approval of the practicum.