{"id":88084,"date":"2016-08-09T11:58:23","date_gmt":"2016-08-09T15:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?page_id=88084"},"modified":"2025-08-07T14:40:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T18:40:03","slug":"health-policy-and-law","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/education\/degrees-and-programs\/master-of-public-health-programs\/certificates\/mph-functional-certificates\/health-policy-and-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Health Policy and Law"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>As part of Boston University\u2019s on-campus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/education\/degrees-and-programs\/master-of-public-health-programs\/\">Master of Public Health (MPH) degree<\/a>, you will choose at least one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/education\/degrees-and-programs\/master-of-public-health-programs\/certificates\/mph-functional-certificates\/\">Functional Certificate<\/a> as your area of concentration, building upon your interests, strengths and career goals.<\/h4>\n<h3>Health Policy and Law Functional Certificate<\/h3>\n<aside class=\"callout alignright\"><div class=\"callout-content\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">HPL Career Stats<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><div class=\"bu-infographics\"><div class=\"row bu-infographic-row has-infographic-donut-chart\">\n<div id=\"bu-infographic-46d1ae\" class=\"bu-infographic-donut-chart col-md-6\">\n\t<div class=\"donut-chart\" data-percent=\"0\" data-percent-final=\"92\">\n\t\t<span class=\"donut-chart-text\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"donut-chart-value\">0<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"donut-chart-accent\">%<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<p>HPL placement rate at 12 months<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">See our HPL alumni&#8217;s median salary, industry breakdown, and example roles.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/careers\/graduate-employment-data\/mph-functional-certificate-data\/#health-policy-law\" class=\"button\" >Graduate Employment Data<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/div><\/aside>Improving healthcare requires smart policies that rest on sound evidence. Major challenges include assuring affordable healthcare for all; containing costs and cutting waste; assuring availability of the right caregivers in the right places; and relying on governments, professionals, and markets to take on jobs they are competent to perform. This certificate equips students to analyze, design, and improve policies and laws in the US or other nations.<\/p>\n<p>Upon graduation, students in the 16-credit certificate will be able to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Critically evaluate health policies, both domestically and globally, with special attention to political power, money, and equity.<\/li>\n<li>Appraise and defend the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of health policies.<\/li>\n<li>Develop policy proposals that recognize financial, political, and legal constraints.<\/li>\n<li>Determine the factors influencing successful policy implementation.<\/li>\n<li>Articulate and support policy and legal analyses to different audiences in writing and orally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t<div class=\"editorial-featured\">\n\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"featured-image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"600\" height=\"362\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2025\/05\/Aaron-Pinkett-headshot-600x362-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-sph_thumb size-sph_thumb\" alt=\"Headshot of Aaron Pinkett\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"featured-text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h6>Featured Story<\/h6>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2025\/where-passion-meets-purpose-alum-bridges-civil-rights-and-health-equity\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"hed\">Where Passion Meets Purpose: Alum Bridges Civil Rights and Health Equity<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n<h3>Sample Course Titles<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Health Law, Policy, and Policymaking<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Health Care Finance<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Health Economics<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Health Regulation &amp; Planning<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Analysis of Current Health Policy Issues<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Health Insurance and the Affordable Care Act<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/sph\/programs\/mph\/health-policy-and-law\/\" class=\"button btn-arrow\" target=\"_blank\" >View the BU Bulletin for Course Requirements<\/a>\n<h3>Sample Practicum<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\">Intern, Public Finance, Partners Healthcare<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Intern, Massachusetts State<i> <\/i>legislature&#8217;s<i> <\/i>Joint Committee<i> <\/i>on<i> <\/i>Health Care Financing<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Intern, Community Catalyst-Health Reform Advocacy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/careers\/graduate-employment-data\/mph-functional-certificate-data\/\" class=\"button btn-arrow\" >View Career Data<\/a>\n<h3>Integrative Learning Experience<\/h3>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\">Certificate Director<\/h3>\n<div class=\"row\"><\/p>\n<p><div class=\"col-sm-6\">\n\n\t<div class=\"profile-listing-container single-profile-format\">\n\t\t<ul class=\"profile-listing profile-format-single\">\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"sph-profile-basic-card\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/kiersten-strombotne\/\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sph-profile-basic-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sph-profile-basic-image\"><figure class=\"profile-photo profile-single-photo\"><img width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2019\/01\/Kiersten-Strombotne.png\" alt=\"Kiersten Strombotne\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sph-profile-basic-content\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"sph-profile-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"sph-profile-name\" data-name=\"Kiersten  Strombotne\"><span class=\"sph-profile-name-full\">Kiersten Strombotne<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h6 class=\"sph-profile-main-position\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"sph-profile-main-position\"><span class=\"sph-profile-position-title\"> Assistant Professor<\/span><span class=\"sph-profile-position-department\"><span>, <\/span>Health Law, Policy &amp; Management<\/span> <span class=\"sph-profile-position-institution\"> <span>- <\/span>Boston University School of Public Health<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h6>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/div><!--\/.profile-listing-->\n\n<\/div><div class=\"col-sm-6\">&#8220;This is an incredibly exciting time to study health policy and law, as health reform is one of the most important issues in elections and legislative agendas. Health policy and law is at the heart of everything public health aspires to do, how the structural forces that have created inequities are changed.&#8221;<\/div><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<h3>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h3>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h2 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Are you a current student in need of advising?<\/h2><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\">\n<p><a href=\"\/sph\/files\/2025\/07\/HPL-Certificate-Roadmap-_06.23.25.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Health Policy and Law Certificate Roadmap 2025-2026<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>Academic Program Administrator<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:aford12@bu.edu\"><span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Abigail Ford<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/students\/advising-and-registration\/registrar-contact\/\" class=\"button btn-arrow\" >Registrar<\/a>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/students\/student-services\/graduate-student-life-team\/\" class=\"button btn-arrow\" >Graduate Student Life<\/a><span>\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h6 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Which course bulletin should I use if I matriculated several years prior?<\/h6><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\">Find any previous academic year&#8217;s bulletin in the BU <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/bulletin\/archive\/\">archive<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h2 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">What resources does the program use?<\/h2><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<h3>Resources<em><\/em><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"\/sph\/files\/2025\/08\/HPL-Certificate-FAQs_06.23.25.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HPL Certificate FAQs<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/sph\/files\/2025\/08\/HPL-Career-Document-updated-6.27.25-2025-06-27-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Health Policy and Law Career Updates<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h4>For more information about MPH degree requirements and admissions, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/admissions\/request-information\/\">request information to learn more<\/a>.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As part of Boston University\u2019s on-campus Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, you will choose at least one Functional Certificate as your area of concentration, building upon your interests, strengths and career goals. Health Policy and Law Functional Certificate Improving healthcare requires smart policies that rest on sound evidence. Major challenges include assuring affordable healthcare [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11091,"featured_media":0,"parent":239257,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"bu-publication":[],"profile_tax":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/88084"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11091"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88084"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/88084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":256668,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/88084\/revisions\/256668"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/239257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=88084"},{"taxonomy":"profile_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile_tax?post=88084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}