The Master of Science (MS) degree program offered by the Department of Health Policy & Management equips graduates with an expansive breadth of knowledge and advanced technical research skills. The MS degree distinguishes an individual in both the professional world and academia, functioning as a distinct degree or serving as preparation for a doctoral program. Graduates pursue careers as clinical principal investigators, health care consultants, project and research managers, and analysts for insurance entities or provider-based organizations.

The MS in Health Services Research program consists of a minimum of 31 graduate credits of coursework (23–24 core and 8 elective) and a thesis. Students may complete the MS degree in 18 months and are required to complete the degree within five years.

Core MS Courses:

• PM 814 Contemporary Theoretical and Empirical Issues in Health Services
• EP 712 Epidemiological Methods
• BS 703 Biostatistics
• PM 811 Health Services Research Methods
• PM 821 Advanced Health Services Research Methods
• PM 826 Health, Illness, and the Use of Health Services or
• PM 842 Health Economics for Health Services Research or
• PM 833 Health Economics

The program has a list of recommended elective courses. Choice of electives must be approved by the Program Director.

Students who have completed the MS coursework must register for PM 980 Continuing Study Fee for each fall and spring semester until the thesis is defended and accepted. PM 980, which is ungraded and zero credits, certifies a student as full time and carries the equivalent of a 2-credit tuition charge plus the fee for student health insurance (unless waived).

For more information, contact Program Director Jim Burgess at jfburges@bu.edu.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Health Services Research (PhD) degree program offered by the Department of Health Policy & Management is designed to provide individuals with excellent research skills for use in academic, industry, or government settings. Students have the opportunity to collaborate with senior faculty in innovative research crucial to the improvement of health care delivery, treatment outcomes, and government policies. Graduates are known for their excellent methodological skills and substantive knowledge of health care settings and policies, skills that enable students to translate research findings into practical applications.

The doctoral program offers students two fields of specialization:

• Health Outcomes and Quality
• Health Economics

The doctoral program includes 69 credits of coursework: 36 credits of core courses and the remainder in field courses and electives. Students who have appropriate master’s degrees, with preparation in epidemiology, biostatistics, health services, and health law, are required to complete a minimum of 36 credits of coursework in the PhD program. Students without such preparation will be required to take additional coursework in those areas.

Core PhD Courses

• PM 814 Contemporary Theoretical and Empirical Issues in Health Services
• EP 712 Epidemiological Methods or
• EP 813 Intermediate Epidemiology
• BS 703 Biostatistics
• PM 811 Health Services Research Methods
• PM 821 Advanced Health Services Research Methods
• PM 824 Theory and Research on Organizations
• PM 826 Health, Illness, and the Use of Health Services
• PM 842 Health Economics for Health Services Research or
• CAS EC 501 Microeconomic Theory or
• GRS EC 701 Microeconomic  Theory (a one-semester first-year course required for PhD students in the Health Economics field, offered in the Boston University Economics Department on the Charles River Campus)
• LW 751 Public Health Law

PhD Field Courses

Required field courses for PhD students in the Health Outcomes & Quality field are:

• PM 837 Evaluating Health Care Quality
• PM 855 Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Decision Analysis
• PM 830 Developing Patient-Based Health Status and Outcomes Measures
• Required field courses for PhD students in the Health Economics field include:
• 1-credit Health Economics Research Seminar (register as PM 932)
• PM 855 Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Decision Analysis
• plus two 4-credit courses from the Boston University Economics Department chosen with approval by the PhD Program Director.

The program has a list of recommended elective courses. Choice of elective courses must be approved by the PhD Program Director.

Students are required to complete all the requirements for graduation within eight years of matriculation. PhD students are required to complete and pass an admission to candidacy exam, a field exam in the field of specialization, a qualifying paper, a doctoral dissertation, and dissertation defense.

Students who have completed the PhD coursework must register for PM 980 Continuing Study each fall and spring semester until the dissertation is defended and accepted. PM 980 is ungraded and zero credits; it certifies a student as full time, and carries the equivalent of a 2-credit tuition charge plus the fee for student health insurance (unless waived). Students must adhere to dissertation submission deadlines and requirements.

For more information contact Program Director Jim Burgess at jfburges@bu.edu.