Founded in 1978, our mission is to improve health administration practice and policy through the generation and conduct of research in the management of health service organizations. This mission is accomplished through the education of individuals for academic positions and for high-level research positions in non-academic organizations.

Interdisciplinary Approach

The program offers an interdisciplinary approach that provides advanced studies in the conceptual and applied aspects of health administration and health services. The program’s interdisciplinary foundation is based on the active involvement of faculty members who are nationally recognized scholars in their field from a variety of departments across campus, including the School of Health Professions, Collat School of Business, School of Public Health, Heersink School of Medicine, and School of Nursing. The program also draws on the resources of campus-wide centers, such as the Lister Hill Center for Health Policy, Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education, and Center for Aging.

Student Life and Expectations

The educational experience in the Ph.D. Program includes didactic coursework with experts from a wide-range of disciplines relevant to health administration and policy from across the university. Additionally, students are expected to work closely with selected faculty in one-on-one mentorship relationships both prior to and during the writing of the doctoral dissertation. Upon completion of the program, students are expected to be highly skilled researchers capable of:

1. Conducting and managing empirical and conceptual research.
2. Demonstrating high levels of expertise in a specialization.
3. Meeting the requirements for a faculty position in a department of health services administration or policy.
4. Performing well in a high-level research or policy-making role in a non-academic organization, such as a corporation, non-profit institution, or a government agency.
5. Effectively communicating their ideas orally and in writing.

In addition, recognizing that many of our graduates will find employment in academic settings, we offer students opportunities to develop their teaching skills. Doctoral students are often invited to provide guest lectures for master’s level courses, to serve as teaching assistants or graders for master’s level courses, and to serve as primary instructors for undergraduate courses.