MPH Degree Overview

The HPAP Track of the MPH Program in Health Services seeks to train students who will hold analytic and leadership positions in a variety of settings related to health policy. Graduates will be well grounded in analytic methods, including statistics, epidemiology, policy analysis and economics. They will also have a deep understanding of how and where public policy is developed, what forms it takes, who the relevant actors and institutions are, the economic and legal forces that affect and are affected by public policy, and the history of public policy as it has shaped population health and health care markets.

As a result of successfully completing the core courses and other teaching-learning experiences in the HPAP Track, students will have acquired public health sciences skills and perspectives, analytical skills, policy and organizational skills, communication skills, and cultural skills.

Curriculum Overview

The competencies are addressed through a variety of mechanisms, alone and in combination, including subject-based courses (e.g., law, economics), skills within courses alongside other topics (e.g. oral and writing communications skills), through the seminar series (e.g., legislation writing and interpreting, budgeting), and through non-classroom experiences such as the practicum and the second year major project (e.g. networking, writing, and methods). The second year major project can take the form of either a capstone project or, it the student elects, a masters thesis. The capstone project is described below; a description of the masters thesis can be found at http://depts.washington.edu/hserv/handbook-research.

Policy Capstone

During the second year in the program, HPAP students expand and apply their analytical and policy skills by exploring a question of policy importance. The Policy Capstone might take the form of an evaluation of the implementation of a piece of legislation or public program, the synthesis of existing data to inform the development of a policy, the collection of new information relevant to a policy problem, or an analysis of the options available to address a specific policy question.

The project's broad goals are to contribute to solving a policy problem, to develop advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, to gain experience with the policy process and the role of various stakeholders in that process, and to develop comprehensive knowledge in an area or areas of special interest. Planning for the Capstone Project may begin in the first year of the program, with the work beginning no later than autumn quarter of the second year. Over the course of the 9 credits of the Capstone, students should expect to invest about 180-240 hours in the project. Guidance will be provided by both faculty and community partners.