Students in the health management and policy program at UNH develop the professional and analytical skills to manage the complex and continuously evolving systems within healthcare. Course content includes analytics, data translation, economics, epidemiology, finance, law and ethics, management, marketing and planning, policy and public health.
The health management and policy program at UNH prepares healthcare administrative professionals for the multifaceted healthcare industry. Employment opportunities include positions in government agencies, consulting, data science, hospitals, insurance, long-term care, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, operations, practice management, rehabilitation centers, and surgical centers. In addition to a rich classroom experience, students have opportunities to participate in research and community outreach, including the completion of a 400-hour internship to gain real-time fieldwork experience in their area of interest.Students are encouraged to join and network with professional organizations such as the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the New Hampshire Public Health Association (NHPHA). The program has full certification by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration.
The Health Management and Policy (HMP) curriculum includes a variety of healthcare organizational and policy courses. Students work closely with their advisor and faculty to develop an academic and career plan. Students are required to complete a core of introductory courses prior to their junior year of the HMP major. Upper-division (junior and senior) HMP courses are planned in a two-year sequence, (see course sequence) and includes a 400-hour three-credit internship. Along with completing major courses, students will be guided to complete the University requirements for writing intensive courses and Discovery courses to obtain the minimally required 128 credits to graduate. It is important to note that internal transfer students may require an extra year in the major due to the prescribed course sequence. This degree prepares students to be healthcare leaders in areas, including, but not limited to: analyst, consultant, epidemiologist, healthcare administrator, healthcare analyst, human resources, healthcare sales, lawyer, marketer, practice manager, and researcher.
Suggested course sequence for major courses.
| First Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Fall or Spring | ||
| HMP 401 | United States Health Care Systems | 4 |
| HMP 403 | Introduction to Public Health | 4 |
| MATH 420 | Finite Mathematics | 0-4 |
| Credits | 8-12 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall or Spring | ||
| HMP 501 | Epidemiology and Community Medicine | 4 |
| Statistics Course | 4 | |
| HMP Core Courses | ||
| Credits | 8 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| HMP 621 | Pre-practicum Seminar | 2 |
| HMP 721 | Managing Health Care Organizations | 4 |
| HMP 740 | Health Care Financial Management | 4 |
| HMP 744 | Health Ethics and Law | 4 |
| HMP 796 | Independent Study | 1-4 |
| Credits | 15-18 | |
| Spring | ||
| HMP 621 | Pre-practicum Seminar | 2 |
| HMP 610 | Survey of Health Information Systems | 2 |
| HMP 635 | Social Marketing Fundamentals | 2 |
| HMP 642 | Health Economics | 4 |
| HMP 711 | Health Systems Research I | 4 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Summer | ||
| HMP 622 | Field Practicum in Organizational and Project Analysis, and Management Skills Development | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| HMP 624 | Post Practicum Seminar | 2 |
| HMP 703 | Translation of Health Data | 4 |
| HMP 712 | Health Analytics | 4 |
| HMP 723 | Health Planning | 4 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| HMP 631 | Health Issues Seminar | 2 |
| HMP 742 | Strategic Management for Health Care Organizations | 4 |
| Public Health Track or Health Service Management Track Courses | 8 | |
| Honors in Major Courses | ||
| Credits | 14 | |
| Total Credits | 76-83 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Health Management and Policy Required Courses | ||
| HMP 401 | United States Health Care Systems 1 | 4 |
| HMP 403 | Introduction to Public Health | 4 |
| MATH 420 | Finite Mathematics | 4 |
| HMP 501 | Epidemiology and Community Medicine | 4 |
| HMP 610 | Survey of Health Information Systems | 2 |
| HMP 621 | Pre-practicum Seminar | 2 |
| HMP 622 | Field Practicum in Organizational and Project Analysis, and Management Skills Development | 3 |
| HMP 624 | Post Practicum Seminar | 2 |
| HMP 631 | Health Issues Seminar | 2 |
| HMP 635 | Social Marketing Fundamentals | 2 |
| HMP 642 | Health Economics | 4 |
| HMP 703 | Translation of Health Data | 4 |
| HMP 711 | Health Systems Research I | 4 |
| HMP 712 | Health Analytics | 4 |
| HMP 721 | Managing Health Care Organizations | 4 |
| HMP 723 | Health Planning | 4 |
| HMP 740 | Health Care Financial Management | 4 |
| HMP 742 | Strategic Management for Health Care Organizations (HMP Track Course) | 4 |
| HMP 744 | Health Ethics and Law | 4 |
| HMP 746 | Health Policy | 4 |
| Statistics: choose one from the following 2 | 4 | |
HHS 540 | Statistics for Health and Human Service Professionals | |
or MATH 439 | Statistical Discovery for Everyone | |
or PSYC 402 | Statistics in Psychology | |
or SOC 402 | Statistics | |
or ADMN 510 | Business Statistics | |
or EREC 525 | Statistical Methods and Applications | |
| Select Track | 8 | |
Public Health Track | ||
HMP 669 | Human Behavior and the Public Health | |
HMP 715 | Environmental Health | |
OR | ||
Health Services Management | ||
HMP 722 | Health Care Management II (Health Services Management Track) | |
HMP 741 | Health Care Financial Management II | |
| Honors in Major | ||
HMP 798H | Honors Project/Research Design 3 | |
HMP 799H | Honors Project/Research 4 | |
| Total Credits | 81 | |
| 1 | For HMP majors only: HMP 401 United States Health Care Systems will not meet the social sciences requirement. |
| 2 | AP Statistics does not meet the statistics requirement. |
| 3 | HMP 798H is taken for two credits Fall of senior year, if selected for Honors in Major. |
| 4 | HMP 799H is taken for four credits Spring of senior year, if completing the Honors in Major thesis. |
HMP 622 Field Practicum in Organizational and Project Analysis, and Management Skills Development is the required 400 hour 10-week field practicum, (or administrative internship), which constitutes an essential part of the HMP academic program. The field practicum occurs during the summer between junior and senior year, typically beginning in late May and ending in late August, requiring a full-time commitment of the student. Students must be an HMP major, in good academic standing in the major, and must retain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher to be granted permission to enroll in the course.
This experience allows students to explore an area of special interest in depth that integrates class work with a supervised field experience. Given sufficient timing of student requests, efforts will be made to arrange practica at distant sites based on special needs. Field practicum sites are selected with student involvement. Typical sites are often concentrated in central and Northern New England, but the experience could also be elsewhere, including abroad.
HMP majors must obtain a minimum of a B- in all HMP required courses and prerequisite courses. Majors must have an overall grade-point average of 3.00 to remain in the major. Students not continuing to make progress in the major, as evidenced by a low grades (below B-), incomplete courses, and/or administrative failures resulting in a cumulative GPA lower than 3.0 may, upon determination by the Health Management and Policy faculty, be excluded from the major and participation in the Field Practicum. An exclusion from the major may also be necessary to resolve questions concerning major departmental requirements or University academic standards.
The academic action of exclusion could be a temporary action if a petition is completed by the student detailing the extenuating circumstances and providing supportive documentation. After the petition has been reviewed, a determination of denial or approval will be made by the Health Management and Policy faculty. Should a petition be granted approval to remain in the major due to extenuating circumstances, the student must demonstrate academic progress (B- in HMP courses and 3.0 GPA) the following semester or they will be excluded from the major without the option to return.
Students interested in additional information or in applying for admission to the health management and policy major should attend an HMP information session, and/or contact the academic department coordinator. Efforts should be made to complete this process during the freshman year or early in the sophomore year to ensure sufficient time to complete the required courses (HMP 401, HMP 403, HMP 501, MATH 420, and Statistics). Admitted UNH students can apply to the major once the student meets the application requirements, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 and at least two of the required courses completed with a B- or higher; however all HMP required courses must be completed with a B- or better to progress in the major.
The department offers an honors-in-major program. Students must meet the department's requirement of having an overall 3.7 grade-point average at UNH and a 3.7 grade-point average for required HMP courses taken by the end of the spring semester sophomore year to be invited to Honors-in-Major. Honors-in-major students take a total of three honors designated major courses during the junior year and senior year, as well as completing an honors thesis project during the senior year, HMP 798H and HMP 799H. Students work on the honors thesis with a faculty member within the HMP department who has knowledge in the specific topic. Students should contact the academic department coordinator for further information.
The Health Management and Policy department welcomes applications for admission from current UNH students who wish to transfer from other degree programs at UNH, however, HMP is not accepting applications from other institutions. There are several Discovery, University, and Health Management and Policy introduction courses that are appropriate for students who are interested in, but not yet committed to the major.
