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Also see our Guidelines and Procedures Manual for more information.
General Information
The doctoral curriculum is designed to provide students with the competencies they need for a successful career in health services/health policy research. All students will take courses in research design, quantitative methods, health services research, and health policy. And, through their minors, students will develop expertise in a substantive area.
The PhD program is designed to be completed in four years. After spending their first two years in residence engaged in full-time coursework, PhD students must pass a written comprehensive examination. PhD students typically take another two years to complete their dissertations. All doctoral students must present and defend a dissertation proposal and final dissertation based on original research.
Minors
Students are expected to develop expertise in a substantive area (i.e., their minor). A student's minor may be either disciplinary (i.e., economics, epidemiology, financial management, sociology/organizational studies, health politics and policy) or interdisciplinary (decision sciences, quality and access). Information about requirements for each minor area can be found through the following links:
• Decision Sciences
• Economics
• Financial Management
• Health Politics and Policy
• Quality and Access
• Sociology and Organizational Studies
The Program offers a collaborative PhD program with the School of Pharmacy's Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy. This allows doctoral students to develop expertise in the field of pharmacoeconomics and pharmaceutical outcomes research and collaborate with the Pharmacy faculty. Applicants interested in this program should indicate interest in their personal statement.
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Faculty
HPM faculty are known nationally and internationally for their research. The faculty bring in many research grants, and publish widely. The faculty also are called upon frequently to serve on prestigious national and international commissions, and testify before Congress.
Faculty Awards
Several members of the Health Policy and Management Department faculty have won prestigious awards.
- Three members of our faculty won the prestigious John D. Thompson Prize for Young Investigators from the Association of University Programs in Health Administration - Bryan Weiner, Shoou-Yih Daniel Lee and Rebecca Wells.
- R. Gary Rozier won the Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Public Health Dentistry.
- Andrea K. Biddle won the Mark S. Ehrenreich Prize in Healthcare Ethics.
- In 2002, Morris Weinberger received the Vision Award for Groundbreaking Research in Chronic Illness Care from the Improving Chronic Illness Care Program.
- In 2003, Morris Weinberger received the Under Secretary's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health Services Research from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- In 2003 Edward Norton received the Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement by Young Faculty Award.
- In 2005 Morris Weinberger won the 2005 John M. Eisenberg Excellence in Mentorship Award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) the health services research arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Teaching
In addition to their dedication to scholarly research, all faculty members are committed to excellence in teaching. This commitment has been recognized by numerous teaching awards and other accolades from current students and alumni.
One of the strengths of the PhD program is the students themselves. Our students have widely diverse backgrounds, coming from all parts of the United States and many foreign countries. What they share is an interest in research, and a willingness to help each other get through graduate school. The student offices, with computers and Internet links, facilitate student interactions.
Students
One of the strengths of the PhD program is the students themselves. Our students have widely diverse backgrounds, coming from all parts of the United States and many foreign countries. What they share is an interest in research, and a willingness to help each other get through graduate school. The student offices, with computers and Internet links, facilitate student interactions.
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Publishing
Because HPM doctoral students work closely with faculty on research they also publish papers, which helps them on the job market. Over the years our students have published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including:
- Health Affairs
- Health Economics
- Health Services & Outcomes Research Methodology
- Health Services Research
- Inquiry
- Journal of the American Medical Association
- Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
- Journal of Health Economics
- Journal of Rural Health
- Medical Care
- Medicare Research and Review
- Milbank Quarterly
- Public Health Reports
- Social Science and Medicine
Student Awards
- In both 2000 and 2001, AcademyHealth awarded their prestigious Dissertation Award to one of our students. Glen Mays won in 2000, and Courtney Harold Van Houtven won in 2001.
- In 2003, the International Health Economics Association awarded both John Bian and Zhou Yang Honorable Mention in the student paper competition.
- Anu Krishman won the student paper competition for the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research in 2003.
- Rachael L. DiSantostefano received an honorable mention in 2005.
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Student Jobs
Our graduates are placed in top academic, research, and government positions. More than half of recent graduates of the PhD program have taken academic jobs at universities across the United States, including:
- Harvard University
- Stanford University
- Duke University
- The Virginia Commonwealth University
- The University of Minnesota
- Tulane University
- UNC
- Select foreign universities
Recent graduates are also employed by national and international organizations, such as:
- The Office of the Secretary of Defense, Health Affairs
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- The National Cancer Institute
- The World Health Organization
Graduates have also found employment with private and non-profit organizations, including:
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Searle Pharmaceuticals
- Pfizer
- Amgen
- Merck Research Labs
- The Bayer Corporation
- Mathematica
- Family Health International
- RTI International
See a list of students and their employers.
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Financial Support
Financial aid often determines where incoming students decide to pursue their studies. HPM typically grants doctoral students full financial support (including stipend, tuition, and health insurance) for at least the first two years of study through department research and teaching assistantships, federal traineeships, and Graduate School awards. (This support is contingent upon satisfactory academic progress and sufficient funds.) Our advanced students have been extremely successful winning pre-doctoral fellowships from UNC research centers and federally-funded dissertation awards. See HPM's Financial Aid Information.
In addition, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has one of the lowest tuition rates, and a reasonable cost-of-living. Information on federal financial aid and student loan programs is available from the University of North Carolina Office of Scholarships & Student Aid.
Research Environment
The Department's intellectual and scholarly breadth, as well as its strong interdisciplinary ties to other curricula and programs within and without the university, encourages doctoral students to take full advantage of the extensive research facilities at UNC-Chapel Hill and at other major universities in North Carolina's Research Triangle. Opportunities abound for research collaboration.
UNC Research Centers are interdisciplinary centers on campus that promote research through grant support, computer help, office space, and NIH pre-doctoral traineeships. HPM faculty and students have affiliations with the Sheps Center for Health Services Research, Carolina Population Center, Lineberger Cancer Center, and the Institute on Aging. Several campus centers focus on global health issues.
Duke University and the Veterans Administration (VA) in Durham are only 12 miles away, which facilitates joint research projects, and allows students to take courses at Duke via inter-institutional registration. In addition, free bus transporation allows for convenient access between locations.
In addition, the Research Triangle, including Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, is one of the leading health research areas in the nation. Faculty and students frequently collaborate with researchers at RTI International, Family Health International, GlaxoSmithKline, Quintiles, Medical Review of North Carolina, American Institutes for Research, US Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The Triangle Health Economics Seminar draws faculty and students from UNC, Duke, RTI, North Carolina State, and UNC-Greensboro.
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Graduation Requirements
The following courses and other program work must be successfully completed in order to graduate from the PhD program:
Prerequisites
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HPAA 564 - Health Care in the United States: Administration and Policy Issues (3 credits)
- EPID 600 - Principles of Epidemiology (3 credits)
HSR/HSR Methods
- HPAA 870 - Seminar on Health Services and Policy Research (3 credits)
- HPAA 885 - Methods in Health Services Research (3 credits)
- HPAA 886 - Qualitative Research Methods (3 credits)
Analytical Methods
- HPAA 882 - Linear Regression Models (3 credits)
- HPAA 883 - Analysis of Panel Data (3 credits)
- HPAA 881 - Analysis of Categorical Data (3 credits)
Minor Requirements (18 credits)
Decision Sciences and Quality of Care require 18 hours; other minor areas require 15 hours in the minor PLUS a policy elective. Specific courses vary with the students' interests.
Professional Development
HPAA 871 - Seminar in Teaching Health Policy and Management (Date served as Teaching Assistant) (1 credit)
HPAA 872 - Developing Proposal for Health Services and Policy Research (3 credits)
HPAA 873 - Research Seminar in Health Policy and Management (2 credits)
HPAA 874 - Advanced Research Seminar in Health Policy and Management (2 credits)
Dissertation Hours
HPAA 994 - Doctoral Dissertation Hours (Does not count towards 44 hours) (Variable)
Total Credit Hours - Minimum of 44 hours, not including Dissertation Hours
Comprehensive Exam - Doctoral Exam Report form Part I
Dissertation Proposal Defense - Doctoral Exam Report Part II
Final Dissertation Defense - Doctoral Exam Report Form Part III
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and Management. Please contact the webmaster with any questions or comments on content. For admission questions, please
contact the HPM Student Services Office. For questions or problems with the online admissions form, contact the Graduate School.
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