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Healthcare Policy and Management

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An online bachelor's degree completion program

Prepare to make healthcare more equitable for individuals and communities. In our online healthcare policy and management degree program, you will learn how healthcare systems and delivery structures work. You’ll examine inequities in the US healthcare system and learn how to apply business best practices and your own innovative vision to change healthcare organizations for the better. 

Join a community committed to advancing women and gender equity. In live, online classes with expert Simmons faculty, you will explore the intersection of public health and business. You'll develop key leadership skills needed to become a healthcare manager or administrator. Our curriculum covers topics such as cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion and the social determinants of health.

The online healthcare policy and management curriculum is truly cross-disciplinary, created by faculty collaborating across the departments of public health and business. You will develop skills in analytics, assessment, policy development, program planning, communication, and cultural competency. You will also build a strong foundation in basic public health practice and science, business, finance planning, management, and effective leadership. 

Our curriculum combines immersive classes and interactive coursework. The program culminates in a public health capstone project to help you gain confidence and competency for healthcare management and policy careers.

Elective Courses

Students also must complete two additional courses from this list:
BUS234CD Organizational Communication & Behavior 4
BUS270CD Business Analytics 4
PH261CD Plagues, Epidemics, and Society 4
SOCI239CD Introduction to Social Research I 4
SOCI245CD Global Health 4
SW200CD Social Welfare Policy 4

Requirements List

There are nine courses required for this major, as follows:
BUS100CD Introduction to Business and Management 4
BUS239CD Health Care Finance 4
COMM312CD Health Communications 4
PH101CD Introduction to Public Health 4
PH201CD Introduction to Epidemiology 4
PH345CD Health Systems & Policy 4
SOCI241CD Health, Illness & Society 4
STAT118CD Introductory Statistics 4

Capstone

Health Care Policy and Management seniors will complete their capstone requirement by taking the Public Health Internship Senior Seminar (PH 370). They will undertake a minimum one semester senior internship, though a two semester senior internship in the Fall and/or Spring semester is possible. All students will make a poster presentation and submit an internship paper as the final products of their capstone experience. Arrangements for satisfying the capstone requirement must be made with the student’s Health Care Policy and Management advisor before the end of their Junior year.

PH370CD Internship 0

Program Learning Objectives

Upon completing the Healthcare Policy and Management program, students will be able to: 

  1. Analyze and Apply Core Organizational and Financial Principles within Healthcare Organizations: Students will be able to analyze and apply data, organizational and financial management concepts, including management, leadership, human resources, marketing, reimbursement models, revenue cycle processes, and financial reporting, within the specific context of healthcare organizations and systems.
  2. Communicate Effectively Across Diverse Healthcare Contexts and Audiences: Students will be able to develop and implement effective communication strategies, considering interpersonal, intercultural, mass media, and public health perspectives, to address various healthcare challenges and promote health literacy.
  3. Analyze Public Health Challenges and Determinants of Health at a Population Level: Students will be able to identify and critically evaluate significant public health issues and data, including communicable diseases, environmental factors, and social inequalities, and apply basic epidemiological principles to understand their distribution and impact on population health outcomes.
  4. Assess the Social, Cultural and Policy Factors Influencing Health, Illness, and Healthcare Delivery: Students will be able to analyze the social determinants of health, examine cross-cultural perspectives on illness, critically evaluate the social organization and policy implications of healthcare systems, including issues of health disparities and unequal access to care.