HRP-PHD - Health Policy (PhD)
Download as PDF
Program Overview
Health Policy investigates how social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviors affect the accessibility, quality, and cost of health care and, ultimately, our health and well-being. Stanford Health Policy offers a PhD program that promises to educate students who will be scholarly leaders in the field of health policy and will be highly knowledgeable about the theoretical and empirical approaches that can be applied in the development of improvements in health policy and the health care system. The curriculum offers courses across a wide range of health policy areas, including health economics, health insurance and government program operation, health financing, international health policy and economic development, cost-effectiveness analysis and the evaluation of new technologies, health law and ethics, health systems operations, relevant statistical and methodological approaches, and health policy issues related to public health concerns like obesity and chronic disease.
See the program’s website for additional program information, including (but not limited to) program and course requirements, faculty lists, admissions information, requirements, and deadlines. Address inquiries to the Health Policy Admissions Team at hrpadmissions@stanford.edu.
Applications to the program must be submitted through the Stanford Graduate Admissions website by clicking Apply Now.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
For detailed lists of requirements and additional information on program structure, advising, and program milestones, refer to the program’s website.
The minimum number of units required for a PhD at Stanford (satisfied through coursework and research units) is 135.
In addition to taking a set of core courses, students are expected to complete coursework in one of three tracks:
Health Economics: including the economic behavior of individuals, providers, insurers, and governments and how their actions affect health and medical care.
Decision Sciences: with quantitative techniques to assess the effectiveness and value of medical treatments and for decision-making about medical care at the individual and/or collective level.
Evaluative Methods: encompassing advanced statistical, computational, and other quantitative methodologies appropriate for application in areas of interest to students, such as organizational behavior, law, ethics, and data science.
Requirements
The minimum number of units required for a PhD at Stanford (satisfied through coursework and research units) is 135. Students must complete their coursework with minimum grades of B- and an overall/average GPA of B (3.0).
Completion of coursework (see below) with minimum grades of B- and an overall/average GPA of B (3.0).
Individual development plan (IDP) meeting with a primary advisor within the first quarter of each year.
Meeting with an advisor(s) regularly.
Completion of progress assessment/milestone meeting with a primary advisor each year (during Spring quarters).
Completion of coursework in the responsible conduct of research.
Completion of a First Year Research Proposal, to be presented by the end of the Spring Quarter.
Completion & presentation of a Second Year Paper, approved by the primary advisor.
Taking and passing both Written Qualifying Exams (General and Track Specific Exams).
Taking and passing the Oral Exam.
Students must develop, write, and present a PhD dissertation that results from the independent investigation and contributes to health services and health policy research knowledge. The student’s dissertation (or “reading”) committee members must review and approve this.
A final presentation is required for graduation - the final presentation summarizes the work accomplished on the PhD research. It should occur while the student matriculates during the regular academic quarter.
In addition to taking a set of core courses, students are expected to complete coursework in one of three tracks:
Health Economics: including the economic behavior of individuals, providers, insurers, and governments and how their actions affect health and medical care.
Decision Sciences: with quantitative techniques to assess the effectiveness and value of medical treatments and for decision-making about medical care at the individual and/or collective level.
Evaluative Methods: encompassing advanced statistical, computational, and other quantitative methodologies appropriate for application in areas of interest to students, such as organizational behavior, law, ethics, and data science.
Students must also develop, write and present a PhD dissertation that results from the independent investigation and contributes to health services and health policy research knowledge.
- 2171671
- 2174671
- 2174681
- 2245041
- 2092281
- 2092191
- 2263491
- 2186281
- 1277951
HRP 200: PhD Research Seminar (Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters) - enrollment required for first & second year students. All students expected to attend.
- 1133732
- 1133741
- 1133752
- 1012911
- 1012931
- 1012951
Pass/Fail grading allowed for courses in this sequence.
- 2146862
Development Economics
Public Finance
Labor Economics
Industrial Organization
3 quarters (Aut, Win & Spr)
Stanford Health Policy Seminar
Health Economics Seminar
Health Economics Problem Solving Group
- 1133732
- 1133741
- 1012911
- 1012931
- 1012951
Pass/Fail grading allowed for courses in this sequence.
At least one quarter-long course :
- 1134001
- 2022701
- 1134021
- 2173071
- 1012811
- 1012851
Pass/Fail grading allowed for courses in this sequence.
At least one quarter-long course :
- 1133752
- 2025182
Pass/Fail grading is allowed for ECON 272 but not for HRP 252.
HRP 252 must be taken for a letter grade.
- 2105162
Choose any of the courses listed below. Other decision science methods courses may also be counted with approval of the student's advisor.
- 2193642
- 1045431
- 1045441
- 2162041
- 2147071
- 2170961
Choose 1 course (must be at least 3 units) that covers topics or methods relevant to the student's research & interests. Course to be chosen and approved in conversation with the student's advisor.
Three quarters (Aut, Win, & Spr)
Stanford Health Policy Seminar
Decision Sciences Problem Solving Group
Required: at least two quarters of one of the four following sequences:
- 1133732
- 1133741
- 1012911
- 1012931
- 1012951
- 1228881
- 1233621
- 1233631
- 1014961
- 1017301
- 2049161
Pass/Fail grading allowed for courses in this sequence.
At least one quarter-long course from among the following options:
- 1134001
- 2022701
- 1134021
- 2173071
- 1012811
- 1012851
Pass/Fail grading allowed for courses in this sequence.
At least one quarter-long course :
- 1133752
- 2025182
Pass/Fail grading is allowed for ECON 272 but not for HRP 252.
HRP 252 must be taken for a letter grade.
Choose 4 advanced methods courses with advisor approval to create a defined cluster in a methodological area relevant to the student’s program and related to their content area of specialization.
A range of methodology courses are available in areas including qualitative research, survey/interview/ethnography methods, legal research methods, data sciences, epidemiological methods, and related areas.
AND
Choose 4 advanced courses with advisor approval to create a defined cluster in a content area relevant to the student’s program and related to their methodological area of specialization.
The program emphasizes potential content cluster areas in law, ethics, organizations, machine learning, and data science. Additional areas may be possible in consultation with the program.
Three quarters (Aut, Win, & Spr)
Stanford Health Policy Seminar
Graduate Degrees summarizes university requirements for the PhD degree.
Approval by the advisor(s)
Satisfactory completion of coursework (maintaining GPA of B (3.0) or better and course grades B- or better).
Students must have completed all required courses, or approved substitutions, as described in the set of program core requirements and the requirements for their track
Satisfactory completion of program requirements (such as Individual Development Plans, Responsible Conduct of Research coursework, etc.)
Passing both Written Qualifying Exams (General and Track Specific Exams)
Submission and approval by the advisor of the Second-Year Paper
In accordance with university policy (see: http://gap.stanford.edu), students must take and pass an Oral Examination as part of the PhD degree requirements.
The Oral Examination (colloquially known as “the proposal defense”) will be focused mainly on the student’s dissertation proposal. As well as examining the feasibility and understanding of the dissertation proposal, it assesses the candidate’s command of the field of study.
Students must take the Oral Exam after passing their Written Qualifying Exam and when the advisor believes the student is ready.
The Oral Exam must be taken and passed no later than the end of spring quarter of the student’s third year.
Students must develop, write, and present a PhD dissertation that results from the independent investigation and contributes to health services and health policy research knowledge. The student’s dissertation (or “reading”) committee members must review and approve this.