Health Policy

Understand the trends that impact healthcare

U.S. News BadgeWith a concentration in Health Policy, you'll explore the ways in which legislative, executive, and judicial government actions at the federal, state, and local levels affect health and healthcare. You'll gain vital knowledge in health insurance regulation, international healthcare systems, the connection between the labor market and health insurance, political influence on health policy, and the determinants of health.

By gaining an understanding of health trends and data, you'll be able to elevate the debate surrounding human health. This comprehensive curriculum is just part of why we’re ranked #6 in health policy and management by U.S. News & World Report.

How to apply

5Health Policy MPA students (Spring 2021)

1:1Faculty: student ratio (2021)

89%All O’Neill MPA placement rate (2020)

  • Health Policy (H549)
  • Data Analysis and Modeling for Public Affairs (P507)
  • Public Program Evaluation (P562)

The remainder of your course work (9 credit hours) will come in a wide range of elective course. These will allow you to tailor your Health Policy program to your own specific interests. At least two of these electives must be taken within O'Neill.

  • Health Industry Regulation (H524)
  • Health Economics (H525)
  • Healthcare Finance (H526)
  • International Healthcare Systems (H527)
  • Proposal Development and Grant Management (N557)
  • Public Health Policy and Politics in the U.S. (SPH-P685)
  • Business of Life Sciences I: Trends (BUS-X518)
  • Business of Life Sciences: Value Chain (BUS-X519)

Combining your Health Policy concentration with another MPA concentration—such as Policy Analysis, Public Financial Administration, or Nonprofit Management—can offer you unique advantages in pursuing a particular career. As they help you design your program, our faculty will work to accommodate your specialized professional interests.

The above are examples of your course options. For a complete listing, see the official Indiana University Graduate Bulletin and work with your advisor as you make your schedule.

See course descriptions in the Graduate Bulletin

Experiential learning

Our MPA offers far more than traditional lectures and lessons. You’ll also get the benefit of experiential learning—typically through an approved internship. What’s more, your concentration’s course work will culminate in a project-oriented course—a Capstone—that lets you apply the knowledge you gained throughout the program.

  • Cover Monroe
  • Grant Thornton
  • Heartland Alliance International
  • Human Rights Campaign
  • Indiana Office of Medicaid Policy & Planning
  • Medical University of Silesia (Katowice, Poland)
  • Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
  • Peace Corps

Learn from faculty with expertise and experience in health policy

S F

Associate Professor

Phone:
(812) 855-5054
Email:
freedmas@indiana.edu
K S

Distinguished Professor; Herman B Wells Endowed Professor; Paul O’Neill Chair; Associate Vice Provost for Health Sciences; Elected member, National Academy of Medicine; Editor, Journal of Health Economics

Phone:
(812) 856-3850
Email:
simonkos@indiana.edu
Headshot

Emily Hogg, MPA’17

Advisory Associate, Grant Thornton LLP

“Health policy is one of the fastest growing areas within public policy analysis, especially as health care grows and changes. The Health Policy concentration prepares you well to become a thoughtful, well-rounded analyst dealing with the tough questions that surround health policy.”

Headshot

Gilbert Bongmba, MPA’17

Serving People With HIV/AIDS Inc., Co-Founder and CEO, Houston

“Moving from Houston to study at O’Neill was one of the best decisions I  made in my academic career. The health policy concentration gave me the background to understand how are our everyday decisions and actions affect health and healthcare.”

Headshot

Cassady Palmer, MPA’16

Research Analyst II for the Missouri Bureau of Vital Statistics

“The Health Policy concentration really gave me a leg up in my job as a research analyst. Nearly every day I come across some new aspect of my job that I can relate back to things I learned in my classes. Even my TA assignment has played an important role in my career!”

50 years at O'Neill