Graduate Certificate Program in Health Policy

The Graduate Certificate Program in Health Policy (CHP) is available for students already enrolled in University of Washington graduate degree programs. Priority is given to students enrolled in programs within the School of Public Health.

Applications are accepted throughout the year and reviewed quarterly.  Students will qualify for the certificate upon completion of three required courses, elective courses, and a capstone project

Note:  Since the core course requirements of a degree program may not be counted toward the certificate, students are strongly encouraged to work with the coordinator of their degree program to develop a specific course plan that will meet the requirements of both degree and certificate.
Course Requirements:
HSERV 552,   Health Policy Development  (3 credits)

HSERV 587,   Health Policy Economics  (3 credits)

. . . and one course from the list of Health Law offerings below:

HSERV 551,   Health Law  (2 credits)
HSMGMT 590,   Health Administration Law  (4 credits) 
LAW H 580,   Advanced Health Law  (3 credits) 
LAW H 520,   Genetics and the Law  (2 credits) 
LAW H 501,   Fundamentals of Health Law  (4 credits) 

Note:  MHA students must choose either LAW H 580 or LAW H 520 as their certificate Health Law requirement.

Required certificate courses must be taken for a grade.

Students choose certificate electives from a list of approved courses below, for a total of 15 credits (8-10 from required courses and 5-7 elective credits).  

In addition, during the quarter in which the student finishes the CHP course work, s/he will write a comprehensive case study of a health policy issue of the student's choice.  The case study must include a definition of the issue, a description of the context of the issue (including relevant political and historical factors, laws, regulations, and major court cases), the economic markets affected by the issue, the stakeholders involved in the issue and their priorities/interests, 2-3 options for addressing the issue (including the relevant decision-maker to implement the option) and the advantages and disadvantages of each option, and a final recommendation as to the appropriate course of action.  The case study is expected to be 5-10 pages in length, not including the bibliography. 

The student will select 2 faculty members to review and comment on the capstone project, one of which must come from the student's home department or school, and one of which must come from the Department of Health Services.  Students who wish to receive credits for an extensive case study can do so through the independent study mechanism.

Completion of the Health Policy certificate program will be acknowledged on the student's official UW transcript.  The student must be a matriculated UW graduate student during the quarter the graduate certificate is awarded.  Certificates cannot be awarded retroactively.

Application Process

Students may apply at any time during their graduate school tenure.  

Note:  All required courses counting toward the certificate must be taken for grades.  This should be considered if the student decides to take required courses prior to entering the program.

To apply, send the following items to:

Professor Carolyn Watts,
Department of Health Services,
University of Washington,
Box 357660,
Seattle, WA 98195.
  1. The completed application form:
    Application Form
  2. Current UW graduate school transcripts. 
    (See:   www.washington.edu/students/reg/transcripts.html )

For additional information contact Prof. Watts at watts@u.washington.edu

Forms

Approved Electives