Department of Health Policy and Management

Introduction

Health policy and management students are motivated to improve individual and population health, advance health equity, and strengthen access to the resources needed to be healthy through effective policy and management of health-related organizations and programs. Our B.S.P.H. program prepares students with a strong public health foundation, in-depth knowledge of the U.S. health system, and essential analytical, teamwork, and management skills, who pursue careers as health leaders, managers, policymakers, practitioners, clinicians, and researchers. 

Advising and Mentoring

All students receive support from a designated academic coordinator, an assigned faculty mentor, and a full-time career services coordinator in the department.

Graduate School and Career Opportunities

Graduates of the B.S.P.H. program in health policy and management are very successful upon graduation. Nearly all are placed within a few months of graduation, with approximately 80 percent entering the workforce and about 20 percent going directly to graduate or professional school. Top employers include consulting firms, hospitals, and health systems, private non-profit organizations, private research organizations, and health information technology companies. Within 2–5 years of graduation, most of our graduates have pursued an additional degree, with the majority pursuing a medical degree or graduate degree in public health. Over 90 percent of recent graduates report doing work they consider public health and/or health-related.

Professors

Antonia Bennett, George Mark Holmes, Valerie Lewis, Benjamin Meier, Jonathan Oberlander, Kristin Reiter, Chris Shea, Justin Trogdon, Karen Volmar, Lynne Wagner, Stephanie Wheeler.

Associate Professors

Leah Frerichs, Bill Gentry, Kristen Hassmiller Lich, Susan Helm-Murtagh, Lindsey Haynes-Maslow, Erin Kent, Angela Stover, Sean Sylvia, Kat Tumlinson, Karl Umble.

Assistant Professors

Samuel Baxter, Arrianna Planey, Mya Roberson, Jeffrey Simms, Melanie Studer, Tara Templin, Elizabeth Tomlinson, Lauren Wallace, Ciara Zachary.

Professors of the Practice

Sandra Greene, John Wiesman.

Adjunct Instructor

Franklin Farmer.

Professors Emeriti

Edward Brooks, Laurel Files, Sagar Jain, Arnold Kaluzny, Joe Morrissey, John Paul, Morris Weinberger, William Zelman.

HPM–Health Policy and Management

Undergraduate-level

HPM 101.  Exploring Health Policy and Health Systems.  1 Credits.  

This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to explore health policy issues, learn about health systems, and introduce them to the field of health policy and management.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 300.  The U.S. Health System.  3 Credits.  

This course provides an overview of the U.S. health care system, including how the system is structured and financed and the delivery of health care services. Students will explore the performance of the system in terms of population health, quality, access, cost and equity, and approaches to strengthening health system performance.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 301.  HPM BSPH Professional Development Seminar.  1 Credits.  

This course exposes students to different career paths in the field of Health Policy and Management and helps students develop knowledge and skills needed to effectively compete for internships and post-graduation jobs. HPM BSPH majors only.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Pre- or corequisite, HPM 350.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoHPM 310.  Introduction to Health Law and Ethics.  3 Credits.  

An introduction to law and ethics in public health and healthcare organizations. HPM BSPH Majors Only.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-VALUES.
Requisites: Prerequisite, HPM 350.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 320.  Introduction to Strategic Planning and Marketing in Health Care.  3 Credits.  

An introduction to the development and implementation of strategic planning and marketing processes in health care organizations.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HPM 350.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 330.  Introduction to Health Organization Leadership, Management, and Behavior.  3 Credits.  

Students develop skills in leadership and management and apply these skills to public health and health care cases and a team-based community project.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HPM 350.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 340.  Foundations of Health Care Financial Management.  3 Credits.  

Basic methods and techniques in financial management of health care programs, including financial statement analysis, cost determination and allocation, pricing of services, and budgeting.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HPM 350.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 341.  Information Systems, Technology, and Tools in Health Care.  3 Credits.  

This course examines information systems and technology in health care. Students also learn how to use MS Excel and MS Access.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Corequisite, HPM 350.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 350.  Introduction to the U.S. Health System I.  3 Credits.  

HPM 350 and 352 provide an overview of the United States health system. HPM 350 examines the performance, organization, management, and financing of the U.S. health system and the resources required to provide health services.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: US.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 351.  Politics, Public Health, and Health Policy.  3 Credits.  

This course explores the politics of public health and health care policy in the United States, with a focus on current issues and controversies.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HPM 350.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoHPM 352.  Introduction to the U.S. Health System II.  3 Credits.  

HPM 352, in conjunction with HPM 350, provides an overview of the United States health system. HPM 352 examines the delivery of health services and approaches to strengthening the performance of the U.S. health system. HPM BSPH Majors Only.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: COMMBEYOND.
Requisites: Prerequisite, HPM 350.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 390.  Special Topics in HPM.  1-3 Credits.  

Special topics course for health policy and management undergraduate students.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 3 total credits. 3 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoHPM 393.  Internship in Health Policy and Management.  2 Credits.  

A 320-hour internship in a health-related organization. The internship provides students an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they are learning in the classroom, gain valuable experience and explore career interests. Restricted to HPM B.S.P.H. students.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-INTERN.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Academic Internship.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HPM 350.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level

HPM 420.  Community and Public Health Security: Disasters, Terrorism, and Emergency Management.  3 Credits.  

This course examines systems for emergency management at federal, state, and local levels. The roles of emergency management, health services, and public health in disaster management are also reviewed. Every other week, evening online sessions required with instructors.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 422.  Emergency Management I: Analytic Methods.  3 Credits.  

Introduction of analytical tools to assess, evaluate, map, and investigate disasters (including biological outbreaks). These tools will be used to improve planning and evaluation of disaster management programs. Every other week, evening online sessions required with instructors.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 423.  Emergency Management II: Disaster Management.  3 Credits.  

Explores issues of preparedness, response, recovery, mitigation, and research in disaster management. Students will participate in evacuation decision making, volunteer management, and the development of a disaster exercise. Every other week, evening online sessions required with instructors.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 472.  Program Evaluation.  3 Credits.  

Concepts and methods of the program evaluation paradigm as applied in health administration.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 496.  Readings in Health Policy and Management.  0.5-3 Credits.  

Directed readings or research. Written reports are required.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 565.  Global Health Law & Policy.  3 Credits.  

Coursework will focus on public policy approaches to global health, employing interdisciplinary methodologies to understand selected public health policies, programs, and interventions. For students who have a basic understanding of public health.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLCY 565.  
HPM 571.  Global Health and Human Rights.  3 Credits.  

Course focuses on rights-based approaches to health, applying a human rights perspective to selected public health policies, programs, and interventions. Students will apply a formalistic human rights framework to critical public health issues, exploring human rights as both a safeguard against harm and a catalyst for health promotion.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: PH, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLCY 570.  
HPM 600.  Introduction to Health Policy and Management.  3 Credits.  

This course provides an overview of the United States health care system. Students will explore the system's organization, financing, management, resources, and performance. For each topic, they will analyze relevant legislation and discuss current issues. Students will develop skills in policy research and analysis, health care system evaluation, and basic financial literacy.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 601.  Issues in Health Care.  1 Credits.  

Lectures on current topics in health care.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 602.  Concurrent Practice.  1-3 Credits.  

Permission of the program director. Supervised activities in an approved health organization, to include one or more specific projects, approved by HPM faculty member and directed by an approved preceptor/mentor in the organization.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 605.  Practice Application Journaling I.  0.5 Credits.  

This course is the first of six field-based Journal Practica in which students monitor their learning processes, identify where knowledge and skills learned in courses are helpful and relevant to areas of their professional responsibility, and apply that knowledge and those skills to actual work situations.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 1 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 606.  Practice Application Journaling II.  0.5 Credits.  

This course is the second of six field-based journal practica in which students monitor their learning processes, identify where knowledge and skills learned in courses are helpful and relevant to areas of their professional responsibility, and apply that knowledge and those skills to actual work situations.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HPM 605.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 1 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 607.  Practice Application Journaling III.  0.5 Credits.  

This course is the third of six field-based journal practica in which students monitor their learning processes, identify where knowledge and skills learned in courses are helpful and relevant to areas of their professional responsibility, and apply that knowledge and those skills to actual work situations.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 1 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 608.  Practice Application Journaling IV.  0.5 Credits.  

This course is the fourth of six field-based journal practica in which students monitor their learning processes, identify where knowledge and skills learned in courses are helpful and relevant to areas of their professional responsibility, and apply that knowledge and those skills to actual work situations.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 1 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 609.  Practice Application Journaling V.  0.5 Credits.  

This course is the fifth of six field-based journal practica in which students monitor their learning processes, identify where knowledge and skills learned in courses are helpful and relevant to areas of their professional responsibility, and apply that knowledge and those skills to actual work situations.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 1 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 610.  Practice Application Journaling VI.  0.5 Credits.  

This course is the sixth and final of six field-based journal practica in which students monitor their learning processes, identify where knowledge and skills learned in courses are helpful and relevant to areas of their professional responsibility, and apply that knowledge and those skills to actual work situations.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 1 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 620.  Implementing Health Informatics Initiatives.  3 Credits.  

Focuses on implementing informatics programs and projects in health organizations. Informatics initiatives aim to facilitate effective information use for the purpose of improving the quality of health services and/or efficiency of processes. Therefore, these initiatives have implications for various stakeholder groups, including consumers, practitioners, administrators, and policy makers.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 630.  IHI Course in Healthcare Quality Improvement.  1.5 Credits.  

The IHI Certificate demonstrates an investment in further education and a strong knowledge base in quality improvement. Upon completion of this course, students will have met the requirements for the IHI Open School Certificate and participated in two in-person sessions.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 660.  International and Comparative Health Systems.  3 Credits.  

Methods of comparing health systems, examinations of related national health systems, and analysis of related high prevalence health issues.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 664.  Globalization and Health.  3 Credits.  

Globalization--its economic, environmental, political, technological, institutional, and sociocultural dimensions--historically and currently contributes to beneficial and adverse effects on population, community, and family and individual health.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: MHCH 664.  
HPM 671.  Statistical Methods for Health Policy and Management.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to statistical analysis for healthcare settings using an Excel framework. Topics include variable types, sampling, probability distributions, descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, categorical data analysis, ANOVA, and introduction to regression methods. Previously offered as HPM 470.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 690.  Special Topics in Health Policy and Management.  0.5-3 Credits.  

Special topics course for health policy and management undergraduate students.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 3 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoHPM 691H.  Honors Research I.  3 Credits.  

Students design a research project, known as the Honors Thesis. Students write a research proposal and complete an IRB application toward partial completion of the thesis. Requires a UNC-approved cumulative GPA by the end of the junior year and permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, HPM 350.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoHPM 692H.  Honors Research II.  3 Credits.  

Students complete, write up and present the Honors Thesis research project that they designed in HPM 691H. Requires having maintained the UNC-approved cumulative GPA by the end of the senior fall semester and permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Requisites: Prerequisites, HPM 691H and 350.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
HPM 696.  Research in Health Policy and Management.  1-3 Credits.  

This course is for health policy and management undergraduate or graduate students who wish to pursue applied research or practice opportunities with healthcare organizations under the supervision of a faculty member in the Department of Health Policy and Management.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 6 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoHPM 697.  Health Policy and Management BSPH Capstone.  3 Credits.  

The capstone course serves as a culminating experience for students in the BSPH program in Health Policy and Management. Students integrate and apply the knowledge and skills they have learned across the program. Students work in teams to complete a major project with a local organization -- such as a hospital, health system, governmental health department, non-profit, or global health organization. Restricted to HPM B.S.P.H. students.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Requisites: Prerequisites, HPM 330 and HPM 350.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

Department of Health Policy and Management

Visit Program Website

1101 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB# 7411

(919) 966-7350

Department Chair

Kristin Reiter

reiter@email.unc.edu

Associate Chair

Erin Kent

Erin.Kent@unc.edu

Associate Chair

Karen Volmar

kmvolmar@email.unc.edu

Associate Chair

Jeffrey Simms

jsimms@email.unc.edu

Program Director

Melanie Studer

Melanie_Studer@unc.edu

Academic Coordinator

Yolonda Childs

childsyo@unc.edu

Academic Program Support Coordinator

Danielle Lehner

lehner@unc.edu