MPH Functional Certificate: Health Policy and Law

Improving health depends on thoughtful policies and effective laws based on sound science. Major challenges include implementing the Affordable Care Act, designing and financing innovative health systems, forestalling climate change, addressing mental health and substance use, distributing scarce resources, reducing health disparities, and allocating the roles of the public and private sectors. This certificate equips students to develop, implement, and evaluate policies and laws in the US or globally.

Upon graduation, students will be able to:

  • Analyze current health policy issues faced by countries, states, and local communities, including political, social, economic, and organizational factors.
  • Evaluate policies in terms of their effectiveness, efficiency, and equity.
  • Develop policy proposals that recognize legal and political constraints.
  • Determine the factors influencing successful policy implementation.
  • Effectively communicate policy and legal analysis through multiple channels to diverse audiences.

Course Requirements

  • PM 760 Health Law, Policy, and Policymaking (4 cr)
  • Integrative Courses
    • 8 credits from the following:
      • LW 850 Legal Strategies to Reduce Health Risk (4 cr)
      • PM 735 Health Care Finance (4 cr)
      • PM 740 Comparative Health Systems (4 cr)
      • PM 833 Health Economics (4 cr)
      • PM 834 Health Regulation & Planning (4 cr)
      • PM 840 Analysis of Current Health Policy Issues (4 cr)
  • Issue Areas
    • 4 credits from the following:
      • LW 830 Health Insurance and the Affordable Care Act (4 cr)
      • LW 854 Mental Health Law (4 cr)
      • EH 805 Environmental Health Science, Policy & Law (4 cr)
      • PM 802 Pharmaceutical Management & Policy Cases (2 cr)
      • PM 838 Health Politics (2 cr)
      • PM 850 Consumer Organizing & Advocacy for Health System Change (2 cr)
      • GH 888 Seminar on Global Health Policy Issues (2 cr)
      • MC 763 Maternal and Child Health Policymaking (2 cr)

Integrative Learning Experience

Students will participate in a mock legislative hearing. The topic and stakeholder perspective will be selected by the certificate director and other faculty members to reflect a debate on an issue currently before the federal or state governments.