Health Management & Policy 
Why choose the University of Michigan for your graduate education?
The simple answer to this important question is: The Michigan Advantage.
Obtaining your degree from the UM Department of Health Management and Policy offers an extraordinary set of advantages. The Michigan Advantage includes excellence in research and teaching, excellence in theory and practice, integration of management and policy, a focus on leadership, and assistance in establishing life-long relationships.
Excellence in Research and Teaching
Our faculty are nationally recognized for their cutting-edge, policy-relevant research on the major issues affecting health management and policy. Whether it’s developing payment systems for long-term care, designing new health insurance products, examining and improving the value of public health services, or designing more effective health systems in both the U.S. and abroad, you will find our faculty at the forefront of exciting research that is used by policymakers and practitioners.
We recognize that high-quality research enhances effective teaching, and that high-quality teaching enhances research ideas and agendas. Thus, we view teaching and research as synergistic. All HMP faculty teach courses, and serve as academic advisors to students. Our faculty bring their research expertise to the classroom, and also hire students to work as research assistants on their projects.
Excellence in Theory and Practice
For many years, HMP has set the standard in the field for innovation in graduate health management and policy education. To prepare students to be successful professionals and leaders in the field, our curriculum combines theory and practice. The essence of our curriculum is its focus on both theoretical foundations and the skills/competencies needed to meet the demands of a rapidly-changing field.
Summer internships are a key practice component of the educational experience. We work closely with each student to secure a summer internship in a high-quality organization that involves meaningful assignments with real value to the organization, mentored by an experienced practitioner with an interest in developing professionals at an early career stage. Throughout the school year, students also have opportunities to work on research or practice projects with faculty members, or to obtain part-time jobs with organizations in the Southeast Michigan community.
Integration of Management and Policy
All Masters degree students in the Department of Health Management and Policy receive training in both health management and health policy. Successful leaders in the field will attest to the fact that one cannot be successful as a health care executive without a savvy understanding of legislative, regulatory and organizational policy realms and of health politics. In turn, one cannot achieve success as a policy analyst, policy advisor or organizational advocate without developing the skills needed to manage financial, human and other resources and to lead organizations. Our core curriculum emphasizes the synergies between health management and health policy, and requires that all students develop the analytical, communication and leadership skills to be successful in this broad field.
Focus on Leadership
We prepare all students for career success and leadership, and expect that our graduates will become the leaders of the various health fields they enter. We emphasize leadership and professional development in the core curriculum, in student organizations and extracurricular activities, and through the Griffith Leadership Center. This has been our aspiration and our tradition for several decades. The outstanding achievements of our alumni demonstrate that the tradition remains as strong and vibrant as ever.
Establishing Long-Term Relationships
Beyond providing students with the highest-quality educational experience available, we take great pride in maintaining a student-friendly environment that encourages long-term relationships. We are investing in your career, not just in your graduate education. Students are represented on all governing committees and provide feedback on all courses and department activities at the end of each academic year. In addition, student cohorts are supportive and collegial, with life-long friendships and professional relationships emerging from the time together in the program.
HMP actively promotes a loyal and effective alumni network. We've been training health services executives and policy makers for more than 50 years, and have alumni in top administrative and policy positions in every sector of American health care and health policy and throughout the world. HMP alumni are currently working in all 50 states, in Washington, DC, and in over 30 countries. Our alumni have a long-standing record of helping and supporting new graduates. HMP has established a mentoring program called H-Net to link current students with alumni who act as mentors throughout the graduate program and beyond.
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