Health Management and Policy Major (B.S.)

Program Overview

The Health Management and Policy program at the University of New Hampshire prepares students for leadership roles in healthcare through a comprehensive curriculum covering healthcare systems, finance, management, data, and policy. The program emphasizes experiential learning through internships and research opportunities, and graduates are equipped for careers in various healthcare sectors, including consulting, administration, analysis, and marketing.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

• Overview: The Health Management and Policy (HMP) curriculum at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) is designed to prepare students for leadership roles in the healthcare industry.
The program provides a comprehensive understanding of healthcare systems, finance, management, data, and policy.
• Objectives: Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:
• Analyze complex management situations and apply health management concepts to develop recommendations.
• Describe and discuss the role of human resources functions and the laws governing healthcare organizations.
• Identify and prioritize organizational needs and market imperatives to design business plans for healthcare programs and services.
• Use computer analysis tools to calculate, aggregate, present, and discuss data related to managerial problems.
• Understand the importance of mission and vision statements and stakeholder involvement, recognizing political and legal implications of decisions.
• Describe and generally assess key concepts and elements of health information systems selection and implementation in healthcare systems.
• Apply economic theory and financial knowledge to decision making and strategic thinking, targeting market segments and evaluating capital projects.
• Communicate information and ideas effectively in written and oral formats.

Outline:

• Program Content: The HMP curriculum includes the following core courses:
• United States Health Care Systems
• Introduction to Public Health
• Epidemiology and Community Medicine
• Professional and Technical Writing
• Finite Mathematics
• Statistics (one of the following: Statistics for Health and Human Service Professionals, Statistical Discovery for Everyone, Statistics in Psychology, Statistics, Business Statistics, Statistical Methods and Applications)
• Survey of Health Information Systems
• Pre-practicum Seminar
• Field Practicum in Organizational and Project Analysis, and Management Skills Development
• Post Practicum Seminar
• Health Issues Seminar
• Healthcare Marketing
• Health Economics
• Translation of Health Data
• Introduction to Healthcare Operations Analytics
• Healthcare Operations Management
• Managing Health Care Organizations
• Health Planning
• Health Care Financial Management
• Strategic Management for Health Care Organizations
• Law and Ethics in Healthcare
• Health Policy
• Program Structure: The HMP program is a four-year, 128-credit program.
Students complete a core of introductory courses in their first two years, followed by a two-year sequence of upper-division HMP courses. The program also includes a 400-hour summer internship.
• Course Schedule: The following is a suggested course sequence for HMP majors:
• *First Year**
• Fall or Spring: United States Health Care Systems, Introduction to Public Health, Finite Mathematics
• *Second Year**
• Fall or Spring: Professional and Technical Writing, Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Statistics
• *Third Year**
• Fall: Pre-practicum Seminar, Health Economics, Managing Health Care Organizations, Health Care Financial Management, Law and Ethics in Healthcare
• Spring: Pre-practicum Seminar, Survey of Health Information Systems, Healthcare Marketing, Introduction to Healthcare Operations Analytics, Health Policy, Health Care Financial Management II or Human Behavior and the Public Health
• Summer: Field Practicum in Organizational and Project Analysis, and Management Skills Development
• *Fourth Year**

Assessment:

• The HMP program uses a variety of assessment methods to evaluate student learning, including:
• Exams
• Quizzes
• Papers
• Presentations
• Projects
• Participation
• Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.00 in HMP courses to remain in the major.

Teaching:

• The HMP program is taught by a team of experienced faculty members who are actively involved in research and practice.
The program uses a variety of teaching methods, including:
• Lectures
• Discussions
• Case studies
• Role-playing
• Simulations
• The program also emphasizes experiential learning through internships and research opportunities.

Careers:

• Graduates of the HMP program are prepared for a variety of careers in the healthcare industry, including:
• Consultant
• Epidemiologist
• Healthcare administrator
• Healthcare analyst
• Human resources
• Healthcare sales
• Lawyer
• Marketer
• Practice manager
• Researcher