Program Overview

Master of Applied Science in Population Health Management

The Master of Applied Science (MAS) in Population Health Management is a fully online, part-time degree designed for working professionals. The program focuses on emergent industry sectors in public health and healthcare that have a need for highly skilled professionals.

Program Overview

The MAS program in Population Health Management prepares students to examine and respond to both challenges and opportunities to improve health within and across populations. The program is structured to guide healthcare professionals seeking to transform systems into sustainable models of value-driven accountable care.

Curriculum

The curriculum's health equity and interdisciplinary focus builds competencies in evaluation, analysis, planning, and execution. By integrating healthcare management and public health skills, students leave the program capable of interpreting the impact of social drivers of health and designing programs that can create sustainable improvements in community health across a broad range of culturally-diverse settings.

Program Requirements

Students will complete 50 credits to graduate. The program is designed to be completed in eight academic terms - two academic years (Sept-May). In addition to the coursework, students must complete an Integrative Activity, where newly acquired knowledge and skills are used to create an applicable activity.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

The Bloomberg School of Public Health requires students to maintain satisfactory academic progress for the duration of the degree program. For the MAS program, satisfactory academic progress is defined as maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 and grades of C or better in all required courses.

Program Plan of Study

Students should follow the plan outlined below if they wish to complete the MAS program in two years. This plan will also allow students to maintain minimum credits needed for financial aid eligibility each term and to follow any prerequisite sequencing.

• First Term:
  • PH.550.860: Academic & Research Ethics at BSPH
  • PH.602.631: Essentials of Population Health Management
  • PH.602.651: Principles and Applications of Advanced Payment Models in Population Health Management
• Second Term:
  • PH.602.671: Collective Impact: Developing and Leading Community Partnerships to Improve Population Health
  • PH.602.681: Applications in Accountable Care: Assessing Quality and Effectiveness of Population Health initiatives
• Third Term:
  • PH.602.731: Population and Consumer Health Informatics
  • PH.600.701: Introduction to Epidemiology
• Fourth Term:
  • PH.600.709: Statistical Concepts in Public Health 1
  • PH.602.691: Managing Health Across the Continuum: Contemporary Models and Applications of Care Coordination and Management
• Second Year:
  • First Term:
    • PH.602.701: Applied Concepts and Foundations of High Performance for Population Health
    • PH.602.711: Health Behavior: Improving Health Through Health Education/Promotion
  • Second Term:
    • PH.602.721: Organizing for Public Health: A Systems Approach
    • PH.602.741: Behavioral Economics and Risk: Value-Based Payment Methods and incentives
  • Third Term:
    • PH.602.751: The Built Environment: Influences and Challenges to Improving Population Health
    • PH.602.761: Value-Based Concepts of Socially-Responsible Leadership
  • Fourth Term:
    • PH.604.771: Social & Cultural Basis for Community and Primary Health Programs
    • PH.602.880: Population Health Management integrative Activity

Integrative Activity

The Integrative Activity is a culminating experience that provides Master of Applied Science students with the opportunity to synthesize lessons learned via the application of concepts and techniques.

Program Policies

For a full list of program policies, please visit the MAS in Population Health Management Curriculum page.

Program Competencies

The Master of Applied Science in Population Health Management is an interdisciplinary program that provides students with the opportunity to learn from experts and develop advanced skills in population health leadership and management, informatics, community health assessment, improvement of health equity among diverse groups, and social and behavioral techniques to engage communities, reduce health disparities, and improve health on a large scale.

Core competencies and learning objectives central to the program include:

1. Leadership in Population Health Management: Develop the ability to lead and navigate complex population health initiatives, demonstrating effective decision-making, strategic planning, and organizational management skills.
2. Communication Strategies in Population Health: Enhance communication skills to convey complex population health concepts and strategies to diverse stakeholders.
3. Data Analysis and Synthesis for Population Health: Acquire advanced analytical skills to assess and interpret population health data, employing quantitative and qualitative methodologies to derive actionable insights.
4. Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health: Explore the social determinants of health and disparities that impact population health outcomes and develop strategies to address health inequities within diverse communities.
5. Collaborative Leadership and Interdisciplinary Teamwork: Foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders to create synergies and optimize resources for effective population health management.
6. Policy Development and Advocacy: Gain expertise in policy development and advocacy strategies to influence public health policies, regulations, and initiatives that positively impact population health.
7. Implementation Science in Population Health Management: Apply principles of implementation science to effectively translate evidence-based population health interventions into practice.
8. Evaluation and Continuous Improvement in Population Health Programs: Develop skills in designing and conducting evaluations of population health programs, using performance metrics and feedback to continuously improve program effectiveness and efficiency.