Elia Salazar
The Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health Policy and Management provides students with the skills to contribute to advancing the health of populations by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of personal and other health services in private and public health organizations. This two-year program integrates a strong foundation of health care management and policy analysis with a set of social values rooted in the discipline of public health. The program offers a broad, general health care management and policy curriculum that addresses critical issues facing the U.S. health care system through coursework, as well as a field training component.
Within the MPH in Health Policy and Management, students choose either the health management track or the policy track. The health policy track curriculum allows students to learn the core competencies required to understand health care delivery and health policymaking, while also focusing on a specific content area or analysis skills based on their own career goals.
A total of 74 quarter-credit units are needed to complete the program.
To supplement the classroom experience, students must complete a summer internship (10 weeks) with a health care organization. During the summer internship and in the fall quarter following, students prepare a written consulting report including a proposal, literature review, and policy implications. The consulting report will focus on an operational problem or decision identified during the summer placement. This might be any organizational issue, process management initiative, policy white paper, research project, strategic, business plan, or any of a number of analyses. Health care settings may include hospitals, managed care organizations, medical groups, government agencies or departments, consulting firms, community organizations, advocacy agencies, or related health settings. After completing their summer internship, students often work part-time at their summer placement site. Students enroll in HLT POL 400 in the fall quarter to successfully complete the summer internship requirement and consulting report.
The curriculum consists of a three-term sequence of academic coursework, followed by a summer field work placement of at least 10 weeks, followed by a final three terms of further academic coursework. To view a typical sequence of classes for the MPH in Health Policy and Management, Policy Track, please consult the "MPH in HPM Policy Track" document below.
The MPH degree is normally obtained after 2 academic years (six quarters of full-time study), including a required 400-hour internship, usually completed in the summer between the first and second years.
In addition to meeting the University’s minimum requirements, prior work experience in a hospital or clinical setting is strongly considered in the evaluation of applicants for admission.
Applicants are only admitted in the Fall. Applicants who wish to be considered for all financial aid considerations should have their applications, letters, transcripts and official GRE scores here at the School of Public Health by December 1 of the year preceding the desired entrance year.
The application process has three steps. You must:
For complete application instructions and the list of required materials, review the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Admission Application Check List and Submission Instructions.
As we receive many more qualified applicants for the program than there are available spaces, meeting the minimum requirements for admission does not ensure admission to the program.
For the most up to date fees and more information on fee breakdown, visit the registrar's office.
Please see FSPH Financial Opportunities page for information on awards, scholarships, training opportunities, employment, summer internship funding, and need-based aid. Please note that opportunities listed under 'Summer Internship Funding' are only applicable to MPH students.
Our students graduate with a comprehensive knowledge base to understand the implications of the field as well as a set of skills and competencies to apply in furtherance of moving us toward a more efficient, equitable and quality health care system.
Upon graduation, students in the health policy track may find positions in:
Faculty in the Department of Health Policy and Management have expertise in health policy, organizational theory and behavior, management, economics and pharmacoeconomics, medicine, law, sociology, political science and statistics.
For a list of faculty in this department, please click here.
To search all School of Public Health faculty members by name, department or area of expertise, click here.
For more information or questions, please contact Anna Lim at apark@ph.ucla.edu or 310.825.7863.
*This information is intended as an overview, and should be used as a guide only. Requirements, course offerings and other elements may change, and this overview may not list all details of the program. For the most up-to-date information, please consult the registrar’s office.
* Admission requirements listed are Departmental requirements, and are in addition to the University's minimum requirements. Many programs receive more applicants than can be admitted, so meeting the minimum requirements for admission does not ensure admission. Every effort is made to ensure minimum admissions requirements are up to date - for the most up-to-date information on the University's minimum requirements, please visit the UCLA Graduate Division.
** Fees are subject to change and should be used as a guide only. For the most up to date fees and more information on fee breakdown, visit the registrar's office.
MPH in Health Policy and Management (Health Policy Track) in Action
