Department of Health Policy and Management
Which Master's Degree is Right for You?
| MPH with concentration in Health Policy | Residential MHA | Executive (online) MHA | MSPH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who should apply? | Students interested in affecting policy change, working for governmental organizations, advocacy groups, or contract research organizations that focus on policy analyses. | Early to mid-career students wishing to pursue management careers in health systems, hospitals, consulting firms, managed care organizations, insurance firms, non-governmental organizations, medical group practices, government agencies and other settings. | Clinicians and mid-career health administrators (3+ years of healthcare experience) wishing to advance their careers in health systems, hospitals, consulting firms, managed care organizations, insurance firms, non-governmental organizations, medical group practices, government agencies and other settings. | Students who aspire to careers in health systems & services research, analysis, and evaluation in the public and private sector. |
| What is the broad focus of the program? | Students learn the skills to design, implement and evaluate health care and public health policies in a variety of settings, and to advocate for and lead changes in a policy setting. | The Residential MHA degree is designed to provide strong preparation in the management disciplines, a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare sector, experiential elements, and an opportunity to pursue an area of concentration. | The Executive MHA degree is designed to further develop skills in leadership and analytic skills to support increasing level of responsibilities. | The MSPH program is designed to improve research and analytical skills of early and midcareer professionals. Students obtain a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare system, research and analytic methods. |
| What kind of coursework will students be taking? | Students will gain a broad understanding of public health disciplines, and take courses focused on the U.S. health system, policy analyses and advocacy skills, leadership, and financial management. | Students will gain a broad understanding of public health and health policy. MHA specific courses will focus on leadership, financial management, strategy, statistics, operations research, and quality improvement. | Students will gain a deep understanding of public health and health policy. MHA specific courses will focus on leadership, financial management, strategy, statistics, operations research, and quality improvement. | Students will gain a broad understanding of public health disciplines. Additional courses will be focused on research methods, statistics, health economics, decision science and economic evaluation methods. |
| Is work experience required? | Preferred but not required | Preferred but not required | Yes | Yes |
| Are prerequisites required for admission? | No | We recommend basic knowledge in statistics, microeconomics and accounting. | We recommend basic knowledge in statistics, microeconomics and accounting. | We recommend basic knowledge in statistics, microeconomics and accounting. |
| What are my career opportunities? | Top companies, universities, health care systems, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies | Administrative fellowships and Residencies, hospitals and health systems, insurance, and consulting firms. Placement stats. | Mid-level leadership roles (Department, Unit leader) and clinical leaderships roles in hospitals and health systems | Consulting firms, contract research organizations, federal and state government entities, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, health insurers, and international health organizations. Placement stats. |
| Can I work full time while enrolled in this program? | No. HPM has an executive MHA program and executive doctorate in health leadership for those who want to remain working full time. | No. HPM has an executive MHA program and executive doctorate in health leadership for those who want to remain working full time. | Yes, The Executive MHA program is designed for full time working professionals. | No. HPM has an executive MHA program and executive doctorate in health leadership for those who want to remain working full time. |
| Required Credit Hours to Graduate | 42 credits | 60 credits | 49 credits | 60 credits |
| Where can I find more information? | Health Policy Concentration MPH New Student Checklist | Residential MHA MHA Student Guide | Executive MHA Executive MHA Student Guide | MSPH MSPH Student Guide |
| Who can I contact with more questions? | Adia Ware, Lead Academic Coordinator, aware@unc.edu | Office of Student Affairs sph-osa@unc.edu | Kim Sieler, Academic Coordinator, HPM Executive MHA Degree Program, krsieler@email.unc.edu | Office of Student Affairs sph-osa@unc.edu |