Courses offered

Three views of courses offered by faculty in Health Policy and Management (HPM):  Course offerings for Fall 2008 University Registrar listing (a list with enrollment, the instructor, etc.) University Registrar seach engine (a searchable database)   Course Catalog List of all courses taught by HPM faculty These are the official descriptions taken from the University catalog and the Graduate Record. Additional courses may be added on a semester basis at the discretion of the department. Highlighted course numbers link to the syllabus for that course. Please note that some of the linked syllabi are for past semesters of the course, and the dates contained therein will not apply to future semesters.   HPAA 220 Writing for Health Administrators (3). Teaches clarity, conciseness, and effectiveness of statement. Memoranda, reports, proposals, letters. Spring. HPAA 230 Management of Human Resources (3). General introduction to the broad field of human resource management in health organizations in the U.S. Spring. HPAA 249 Clinical Informatics for Outcomes Management (3). Explores the practical role of clinical informatics skills and tools in healthcare organizational performance improvement and how this role is currently evolving in hospitals, group practices, and provider organizations. Spring. HPAA 301 Field Training in Health Policy and Management I (3). The first six weeks of a supervised twelve-week administrative internship in a healthcare organization. Required of all B.S.P.H. students in HPM. Summer. HPAA 302 Field Training in Health Policy and Management II (3). Supervised field experience in approved health agencies. There is a field training fee. Summer. HPAA 310 Introduction to Law and Ethics in Health Administration (3). An introduction to health law and ethics for health administration undergraduate seniors. Fall. HPAA 320 Introduction to Strategic Planning and Marketing (3). An introduction to the philosophy, methods, and models of strategic planning in healthcare systems. Related disciplines include marketing, management, organizations, and systems and decision analyses. Spring. HPAA 330 Introduction to Health Organization Leadership, Management, and Behavior (3). Fundamental concepts, issues, and skills relevant to leadership, management, and organizational behavior as applied to health and human services organizations. Fall. HPAA 340 Foundations of Healthcare Financial Management (3). Basic methods and techniques in financial management of healthcare programs including financial statement analysis, cost determination and allocation, pricing of services, and budgeting. Spring. HPAA 341 Computers in Health Administration (3). The purpose of this course is to provide the students with a general introduction to computers with a primary emphasis on microcomputers. The course combines the development of basic computer skills along with an understanding of general concepts and terminology. Fall. HPAA 350 Introduction to Health Services Systems (3). An introduction to the current status, trends, practices, and issues in the delivery of health services. Fall. HPAA 351 Policy Issues in Health Services Delivery (2). Prerequisite: Senior standing or permission of instructor. This seminar addresses current health services delivery concerns from policy perspectives. Guest speakers, debates, and development of issue papers are used to explore implications for access and quality of healthcare. Fall. HPAA 380 Database Design for Healthcare Applications (3). Hands on introduction to the design and implementation of relational databases for managing and analyzing healthcare data. Spring. HPAA 396 Readings in Health Policy and Management (3-6). Directed readings or research. Written reports are required. Fall, spring, summer. HPAA 404 Management Principles and Practices (3). Provides an overview of knowledge and skills required for effective health services management. Aimed primarily at individuals who plan on assuming management roles in health services and related fields. Fall. HPAA 405 Organization and Administration of Multihospital Systems (3). Legal, financial, and organizational issues of multihospital systems development and management. Spring. HPAA 420 Community and Public Health Security - Disasters, Terrorism and Emergency Management (3). Permission of the instructor required. This course examines systems for emergency management at federal, state, and local levels. The roles of emergency management, health services, and public health in disaster management are examined. Spring. HPAA 421 Community and Public Health Disasters - Agents of Action and Public Health Hazards (3). Permission of the instructor required. This course covers biological, chemical, nuclear, and environmental agents that threaten public health. Spring. HPAA 422 Emergency Management (3). Permission of the instructor required. Introduction of analytical tools to assess, evaluate, map, and investigate disasters (including biological outbreaks). These tools will be used to improve planning for disaster management. Fall. HPAA 423 Emergency Management II (3). Permission of the instructor required. Explores issues of preparedness, response, recovery, mitigation, and research in disaster management. Students will participate in the development of a plan and a simulation to evaluate the plan. Fall.  HPAA 435 Marketing for Not-For-Profit Organizations (3). Application of basic principles of marketing and marketing decision models. Spring. HPAA 440 Introduction to Management Information Systems in Healthcare (3). Conceptual and practical aspects in the analysis, development, and utilization of computer-based information and control systems. Spring, Fall.  HPAA 465 Managed Care, Market Reform and the Impact on Vulnerable Populations (3). Students will gain an understanding of how changes in the healthcare market affect care for underserved populations and develop strategies to ensure that the needs of these populations are met. Fall, Spring. HPAA 466 Competition, Regulation, and Insurance (3). Examines alternative approaches to containing healthcare costs adapted by public and private payers. Spring. HPAA 470 Statistical Methods for Health Policy Administration (3). Introduction of linear model approach to analysis of data in healthcare settings. Topics include probability distributions, estimation tests of hypotheses, methods in multiple regression, and analysis of variance and covariance. Fall. HPAA 471 Introduction to Health Services Research (3). Systematic introduction to selected methods for health services research, health services research literature, and research writing. Fall, spring. HPAA 472 Program Evaluation (3). Concepts and methods of the program evaluation paradigm as applied in health administration. Spring. HPAA 480 Database Design for Healthcare Applications (3). Hands on introduction to the design and implementation of relational databases for managing and analyzing healthcare data (using Microsoft Access). Spring. HPAA 496 Readings in Health Policy and Management (1-6). Directed readings or research. Written reports are required. See current course offerings for selection of topics. Fall, spring, summer. HPAA 510 Global Perspectives on Ethical Issues in Health Policy and Management (3). This course will address the ethical issues of health policy and management, with particular attention to the global perspectives on these issues. These global perspectives are both comparative and trans-national. Thus, we will compare the ethical approaches to health system issues in various countries, such as the different perspectives on informed consent, refusal of treatment, physician-assisted suicide, and reproductive health. The course will address global perspectives on the ethical issues in rationing of care, allocation of resources, and cost-containment; ethical issues of corruption, kickbacks, and conflicts of interest; and ethical aspects of research with human subjects in both developing and developed countries. We will also consider the cross-border issues that arise from movement of patients and providers across national boundaries, such as treatment of undocumented aliens, medical tourism, and the “brain drain” of health care personnel from developing countries. Finally, the course will deal with organizational ethics and compliance, including ethical issues for U.S. health care professionals and organizations providing services in other countries. Spring. HPAA 522 Aging, Family, and Long-Term Care: Cultural, Ethnic and Racial Issues (3). Current issues pertaining to the health and well being of older Americans, and how such issues influence family dynamics and choices about long-term care. Critical topics on chronic illness, family and community caregiving, ethnicity/culture and socioeconomic status will be covered in the course. Spring. HPAA 531 Physician Practice Management (3). Course targets students interested in a health care career. Topics include: structure of group practices, governance/ownership, risk management, malpractice, physician compensation, operations and financial management. Spring.  HPAA 532 Healthcare Consulting (3). Open to graduate students and Seniors. This course will provide students with a working knowledge of the various forms of healthcare consulting, including internal consulting. Students will enhance their analytical, presentation, teamwork and project management skills. Fall.  HPAA 550 Medical Journalism (3). Prepares students to work as medical journalists for a variety of media, including print, broadcast and the Internet. The course emphasizes writing skills and interpreting medical information for consumers. Fall. HPAA 551 Reporting for the Electronic Media (3). Conceiving, scripting, reporting, producing and editing medical stories for the electronic media, especially television. Students work in teams to produce projects for professional media outlets. Fall. HPAA 552 Science Documentary Television (3). Students learn skills needed to produce a science documentary for broadcast on television, including research and script writing. Spring. HPAA 560 Media and Health Policy (3). Introduces students to news media organizations and their role in health policy development. Students will learn how to evaluate media content and strategies and to effectively communicate via mass media. Fall. HPAA 561 Advanced Policy Analysis for the Public's Health (3). The purpose of the course is to develop an understanding of the values and beliefs that drive formal public policies in health. The readings will cover philosophies of justice, the role of government and individuals, and ways to reconcile the plurality of values that exists in the American policy as citizens seek or provide healthcare or manage the public's health. Spring. HPAA 564 Health Care in the United States: Administrative and Policy Issues (3). HPM majors only. An overview of key health services issues including quality, access, financing, insurance, ethics, and delivery systems plus an introduction to health care policy and politics. Fall. Note: In an effort to integrate courses in the HPM Masters curriculum, we have arranged HPAA 564 and 755 to better complement each other. There will be several class sessions throughout the semester where students from both courses will be invited to join together for back-to-back sessions covering health care topics from 564 and considering political aspects from 755. Each course will remain separate entities, and students who cannot attend the other class will still be able to understand course content and excel in course exercises. HPAA 600 Introduction to Health Policy and Management (2). Provides an overview of the U.S. health system, emphasizing role of policy development and administrative decision making through case examples. Online course syllabus Residential syllabus HPAA 601 Issues in Healthcare (1). Lectures on current topics in the area of health care by practitioners in the field. Permission required for undergraduate students. Fall, Spring. HPAA 602 Concurrent Practice (1-3). Prerequisite: Permission of Program Director. Supervised activities in an approved health organization, to include one or more specific projects, approved by HPM faculty member, and directed by an approved preceptor/mentor in the organization. Fall, Spring. HPAA 634 Public Health Issues in Community Preparedness and Disaster Management (3). Examines conventional public health constructs of community preparedness and disaster management. Includes a review of traditional and emerging literature. Emphasizes conceptual development and application of adaptive leadership strategies within local, federal, and state public health organizations responsible for disaster planning, mitigation, response and recovery. Fall. HPAA 650 Pharmaceutical Research, Development, and Marketing (3). Acquaints future regulators, policy analysts, and corporate managers with the internal and external environments influencing decision making and management in the discovery, development, and marketing of pharmaceuticals. Fall. HPAA 652 Economic Evaluation of Healthcare Technology (3). Focus is on determination of costs and benefits associated with alternative resource allocation schemes. Crucial economic concepts (e.g., utility valuation of health states and marginal analysis) are presented. Spring. HPAA 653 Economics and Behavior of the International Pharmaceutical Industry (3). Provides an economic perspective on such issues as industry structure, regulation, pricing, research and development, product innovation, patient policies, and profitability. Spring. HPAA 660 International and Comparative Health Systems (3). Methods of comparing health systems, examinations of related national health systems and analysis of related high prevalence health issues. Fall. HPAA 661 Management of Foreign Aid in Health and Population (3). Examines selected policy and management issues in foreign assistance from the point of view of both the donors and the recipients. Spring. HPAA 664 - Globalization and Health (3). Crosslisted as MHCH 664. The course examines multiple dimensions of globalization and explores their direct and indirect effects on determinants of health through presentations, case studies, class discussions, small group seminars, readings, weekly written assignments, a critical book review, and a final paper and poster session. Spring. HPAA 691H Honors Research (3). Prerequisites: 3.3 GPA by end of junior year in all UNC courses, permission of HPM BSPH Program Director. Readings and seminars for undergraduates who show potential and talent to do research. Fall. HPAA 692H Independent Honors Research (1-3). Prerequisite: Completion of HPAA 691H and permission of the BSPH Program Director. Students conduct a special project, prepare an honors thesis and present findings in presentation/poster format. Spring. HPAA 701 Professional Training I (Var.). Supervised professional training; $550.00 fee. Fall. HPAA 702 Professional Training II (Var.). Supervised professional training; $500.00 fee. Fall. HPAA 703 Professional Training III (Var.). Supervised professional training; $500.00 fee. Spring. HPAA 704 Field Work in Health Policy and Management (1-6). Supervised field experience in approved health agencies. There is a field fee. Fall, spring, summer. HPAA 710 Health Law (3). Permission of instructor required. This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to law and the legal system as it relates to the delivery and financing of health care. Fall. HPAA 711 Research Management and Ethics in Health Policy (1). A seminar course on managing research and dealing with the full range of ethical issues relevant to conducting research. Spring. HPAA 715 Health Economics for Policy and Administration (3). Provides training in the theory of health economics, and applies this theory to important issues in Health Policy and Management. Spring. HPAA 715L Microeconomics Laboratory (1). A brief summary of microeconomic theory used in HPAA 715. Co-requisite for HPAA 715. Spring. HPAA 720 Management of Human Resources in Health Organizations (3). Permission of instructor required. Emphasis on clarifying concepts of human resources management, identifying the importance of human resources in health organizations, establishing the need for relating strategic planning of organizations to their human resource planning, and on examining role of organizational culture in behavior and productivity. Selected topics from the field of personnel management and interpersonal skills will also be covered. Fall, spring. HPAA 725 Health Care Strategy and Marketing (3). Permission of instructor required. This course introduces students to strategic planning and marketing as they apply to health care organizations. During the course students will develop practical skills in strategic management, such as internal and external environmental assessment, competitor analysis, and methods for evaluating strategic alternatives that can be used in different types of health care settings. The class will explore the leadership roles of governing boards, health care managers and clinicians in strategic environments. Spring. HPAA 730 Leadership and Management of Health Care Organizations (3). Overview of organizational theory and empirical findings appropriate to the design and behavior of healthcare organizations. Fall. HPAA 732 Management of Organizational Change (3). To improve competence in analyzing health organizations and managing planned change. Summer. HPAA 735 Advanced Concepts and Applications in Health Policy and Management (3). Integrating and building upon the HPM master's core, this comprehensive course focuses on organization policy-making and administration from the perspective of the CEO and top management. Spring, Summer. HPAA 740 Introduction to Health Care Financial Management (3). A broad introduction to financial concepts, issues, tools, and vocabulary. Topics include: financial statement analysis, long-term financing, capital investment decisions, budgeting, cost finding and rate setting. Fall, spring, summer. HPAA 741 Management Accounting for Health Administrators (3). Selected topics in managerial accounting applied to healthcare. In-depth coverage of topics in HPAA 740. Spring. HPAA 742 Healthcare Finance I (2). Introduction to healthcare financial management; the third-party-payer system; time value analysis; financial risk and required return; debt financing; equity financing and investment banking; securities valuation, market efficiency, and debt refunding; lease financing; cost of capital, and; capital structure decisions. Fall. HPAA 743 Healthcare Finance II (2). The basics of capital budgeting; project risk analysis; financial statement and operating analyses; financial forecasting; working capital management; business valuation, mergers, and acquisitions; capitation, rate-setting, and risk sharing, and; financial risk management. Spring. Prerequisite: HPAA 742. HPAA 744 Managerial Topics in Healthcare Financial Management (3). Prerequisites: HPAA 740 and/or permission of the instructor. The course covers current topics in health care financial management. Past topics have included uniform accounting and reporting, cost containment, developing business plans and activity-based costing. Fall. HPAA 745 Topics in Healthcare Finance (3). Analysis of topics of current interest in financial management of healthcare organizations. May include project selection, endowment stewardship, access to capital. Spring. HPAA 750 Introduction to Dental Public Health (3). Permission of instructor required. Survey of the theory and practice of public health dentistry with an emphasis on basic knowledge and skills necessary for planning and evaluating dental public health programs; conducting oral epidemiological and experimental research, and understanding the organization, delivery, and financing of dental health care. Fall. HPAA 751 Dental Public Health Practice (3). Emphasis on knowledge of community measures for prevention and control of oral diseases, scientific basis for their use, and program design and evaluation for specific populations. Spring, summer. HPAA 752 Oral Epidemiology for Health Policy and Management (3). Focuses on the epidemiology of oral disease and the implications and uses of this knowledge for dental health policy making and administration of dental programs. Spring, summer. HPAA 755 Introduction to Health Policy and Politics (3). Addresses the major political institutions and policy processes that shape health policy, principally at the federal level. Fall. Note: In an effort to integrate courses in the HPM Masters curriculum, we have arranged HPAA 564 and 755 to better complement each other. There will be several class sessions throughout the semester where students from both courses will be invited to join together for back-to-back sessions covering health care topics from 564 and considering political aspects from 755. Each course will remain separate entities, and students who cannot attend the other class will still be able to understand course content and excel in course exercises. HPAA 756 Special Problems in HPM (3). Examination of special problems in Health Policy and Management studies. Fall, spring, summer. HPAA 757 Health Reform: Political Dynamics and Policy Dilemmas (3). This course focuses on the political and policy dynamics of health care reform. We will explore current trends in the health care system, the dilemmas confronting public and private insurance programs as health care costs increase, options for reform and covering the uninsured, the political history of health reform, and lessons from other countries’ experiences in financing and delivering medical care. HPAA 760 Healthcare Quality and Information Management (3). Integrates essential methods and principles in healthcare quality and information management. Emphasis on use of information to measure and improve quality. Will include presentations, individual/group projects, exercises, group discussion. Fall. HPAA 761 Quality and Utilization Management (3). Evolution and current status of healthcare quality management systems and programs for utilization control. Fall, spring. HPAA 762 Quality of Care (3). The quality of health care in the United States has garnered significant attention among health care professionals and the public alike. This course will review: (1) the current state of the quality of health care in the United States; (2) approaches to assess quality of health care, and (3) strategies that have been implemented or proposed to improve the quality of health care. Fall. HPAA 763 Policy Issues in Health Outcomes and Quality of Care (3). Systematic overview of the scope, history, evolution, measurement, and policy considerations of quality of care and health outcomes. This course requires the development of rigorous analytical essays on aspects of outcomes and quality. Fall. HPAA 765 Cancer Prevention and Control Seminar (3). An interdisciplinary overview of cancer prevention and control. Emphasis on projects and activities from perspectives of Epidemiology, Health Behavior and Health Education, and Health Policy and Management. Research issues and policy implications will be covered. Fall. HPAA 770 Operations Research for Healthcare Systems (3). Review of the systems analysis process in healthcare systems. Deterministic and random models, mathematical programming, queueing, simulation, forecasting and measurement. Emphasis on model formulation and computer solution of decision models. Spring. HPAA 772 Methods for Health Policy Analysis and Technology Assessment (3). Permission of instructor required. Concepts and methods of health policy analysis and planning. Course includes conceptual modeling, graphical data presentation, needs assessment, goals and objectives group decision methods, and economic evaluation. Fall. HPAA 789 Master's Paper Development (2). Second year MSPH or first year MPH students only. Permission of instructor required. Broad topics related to the development and management of a research project are covered. The major goal is the development and completion of a proposal to be submitted for independent master's paper. Fall. HPAA 810 Leadership in Health Law and Ethics (2). Course is designed to provide learners with an introduction and overview of critical issues relating to law, ethics, and public health. HPAA 815 Graduate Health Economics Seminar (1). Prerequisite: ECON 710 or equivalent and permission of instructor. Class will meet every other week. Recent papers in health economics will be rigorously discussed. Participants are expected to read the paper carefully. Students must have a solid knowledge of microeconomic theory and econometrics. Fall, spring. HPAA 820 Organizational Leadership Theory and Practice (2). Focus is on the behavioral, power-influence, trait, and situational approaches to leadership. Addresses core leadership principles plus leadership-followership theory, transformational and strategic leadership, and creating change. Fall. HPAA 821 Policy Development for Health Leaders (2). This course is the second in a series of executive DrPH leadership core courses. Guest discussants will introduce students to timely issues relating to health leadership in order to foster understanding and mastery of what successful top organizational leaders do to create change. Spring. HPAA 860 Population Perspectives for Health (1). A review of how the population perspective is used to create programs and social change for health in the United States. Fall. HPAA 870 Doctoral Seminar in Health Policy and Management I (3). Critical examination of the content and method of historical and current research relevant to Health Policy and Management with specific attention to selected topic areas including quality of care, health services as an instrumental good, patterns of service use, technology assessment and user outcomes and selected other topics; as well as selected methodological issues including model construction, experiments and quasi-experiments, complex variable construction, data analysis including cross-tabulation and aspects of regression analysis, and cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness. Fall. HPAA 871 Seminar in Teaching Health Policy and Management (1). Problems and processes of teaching health policy and administration, including supervised practicum experience. Fall. HPAA 872 Selected Topics in Health Policy and Management: Advanced Seminar (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Integrated study of selected theory and research as it relates to the organization and delivery of health services. Separate seminars are developed to correspond to the doctoral student's specific interests and needs. Spring. HPAA 873 Policy Seminar in Health Policy and Management (1). Seminar on policy issues in Health Policy and Management. Fall and spring. HPAA 874 - Advanced Research Seminar in Health Policy and Administration (1) This seminar will develop core competencies through a: (1) journal club to develop competencies in research design and expose students to diverse content and methodologies; and (2) a professional development series. Fall and spring.  HPAA 881 Linear Regression Models (3). Prerequisite: HPAA 496 (16) and HPAA 496 (28) or equivalent. Required for all doctoral students. This course is an introduction to linear regression models. Topics include linear algebra, least squares regression, multicollinearity, heteroscedasticity, autocorrelation, and hypothesis testing. Spring. HPAA 882 Adanced Methodology in Health Policy and Management Research (3). Prerequisite: HPAA 881, or permission of the instructor. Research methodology as applied to understanding problems in health care delivery. Topics include simultaneous equation models, factor analysis, limited dependent variables, and an introduction to event history analysis. Spring. HPAA 883 Analysis of Categorical Data (3). Prerequisite: HPAA 882 or equivalent. This course is an introduction to the analysis of categorical data using maximum likelihood and specification tests. Topic covered include econometric models in which the dependent variable is not continuous, including logit, probit, tobit, two-part, and duration models. Fall. HPAA 885 Methods in Health Services Research (3). The purpose of this course is to explore the nature and process of scientific inquiry in the field of health services research. The course will examine the methodological principles and practices for social science as they are applied to health services research. Spring. HPAA 886 Qualitative Methods in Health Services Research (3). This course introduces students to the purposes, approaches, and methods of qualitative research methods used in health services research. Students will gain experience with study design, data collection, and analysis. Fall. Prerequisite: HPAA 885. HPAA 930 Doctoral Seminar in Organizational Theory and Health Care Organizations (3). The objective of this course is to review and apply various theoretical perspectives to research on health care organizations. Special emphasis is placed on comparing alternative theoretical perspectives and research strategies, and on identifying issues for organizational research in the health care sector. After taking this course, students are expected (1) to gain an appreciation of the complexity and dynamics within and between organizations operating in the health care sector, (2) to acquire a basic understanding of major theoretical perspectives applicable to the study of health care organizations, (3) to become familiar with how theoretical frameworks are employed and operationalized in the conduct of empirical inquiry; (4) to be able to identify factors relevant to organizational operations and performance, and (5) to apply this understanding to relevant health services research activities and opportunities. Fall. HPAA 950 The Research Process (1). The course introduces doctoral students to the world of scientific and policy inquiry. It emphasizes the goal, structure, and content of the dissertation that will be written in the latter part of the program. HPAA 951 Literature Review and Appraisal (2). This course is the second in a sequence of courses in research design and methods in the executive DrPH. The purpose of this course is to explore the nature and process of scientific inquiry in the field of public health. Specifically, the course will establish a foundation for methodological exploration and focuses on the process of developing researchable questions. Spring.  HPAA 952 Community Involvement in Research (2). Relevant literature and guest speakers will highlight cases depicting different levels of community involvement in public health research. Spring. HPAA 961 Aging and Public Policy (DENT 607) (DPET 607I) (FMME 607) (HMSC 951I) (MEDI 607) (NURS 783I) (PSYC 907) (SOWO 607I) (3). HPAA 992 Master's Paper (Var.). HPAA 994 Doctoral Dissertation (Var.). (back to top)  Content for this page provided by the Department of Health Policy and Management. For specific course information, please contact the HPM Student Services Office. 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Last updated August 06, 2008