It is offered to men and women who wish to pursue careers in research, teaching, and policy analysis in the broad field of health services. Curriculum Graduates integrate a thorough knowledge of health services, mastery of advanced research, and a sound understanding of a theoretical discipline. The first two elements are achieved through a year-long course sequence in health and health services as well as through didactic and applied courses in methods, statistics, and quantitative techniques. Courses offered in the Program are based in the Department of Health Management and Policy, the mwider School of Public Health, and in other departments and divisions of the University, including the Institute for Social Research and the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. The philosophy of the HSOP Program is that health services research graduates with doctoral degrees should have a firm grounding in a cognate discipline, including its theoretical underpinnings and particular methodological and quantitative approaches.
Some students apply and receive their masters in the discipline.
Applicants to the HSOP Program should give careful thought to the selection of a cognate field. Normally, an applicant will have had undergraduate training in the cognate of choice, and many have undertaken graduate studies in a cognate area. A masters degree in a cognate field, or in health services research or public health, is not a requirement for admission. However, applicants should have sufficient background in statistics to be able to take doctoral-level courses in statistics. Qualified applicants who are admitted without adequate preparation in either the selected cognate field or in statistics may be asked to elect additional course work.