Columbia On the Job Masters in Public Health - Part-time

Overview

The Columbia On the Job (OTJ) part-time program permits people employed as entry-level managers and policy analysts to complete requirements for the MPH degree in 28 months. An interdisciplinary group of approximately 20 students employed in health care settings will go through the 28 month program as a distinct cohort. Students are exposed to concepts and practices of group processes to enhance peer interactions and to encourage the development of colleague support networks. The educational program is problem based and uses case studies and problem-solving exercises to enhance student participation and the exchange of ideas and insights.

Mission

The Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM) encompasses studies in the formulation and implementation of health care policy and the planning and management of the increasingly diverse range of institutions that provide medical care. The growth of the health services sector demands a better understanding of the production and distribution of care and how to gauge its effectiveness and quality in relation to costs. Just as policymakers should be trained to examine the feasibility of their goals in light of managers' capabilities and constraints, so too managers should be equipped to understand the policy projects that increasingly define the environment in which they work. The Department's programs provide students with analytical skills and methodological tools useful to policymakers and managers in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Learning Objectives

The part-time program is a 45-credit curriculum: 13 points in a public health core and 32 points in a health policy and management concentration. The public health core is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of the multiple factors influencing health and disease in populations including the structure and functioning of the health services system, the political environment, socioeconomic conditions, cultural beliefs and practices, health related behaviors, and the effects of environmental and occupational exposures. It also equips graduates with the basic analytic skills required for research, planning and evaluation,

Columbia on the Job is designed to provide participants with:

• Understanding of the roles of major institutions and the government in formulating and implementing health policy both in the United States and in the international arena
• Skills in quantitative methods, data management and analysis using theory and methods drawn from health economics and organizational behavior; knowledge of methods of assessing health care technologies, medical interventions and public health programs
• Practical competence in budgeting and financial management; skill in the selection and management of health information systems; ability to apply analytic frameworks in formulating and implementing organizational strategy; mastery of leadership, communication, negotiation and teamwork development skills
• Exposure to experimental learning to integrate previous knowledge, work experience and course work.
  
  

Suggested Course of Study

Summer Programs

During the spring and fall terms students attend class to evenings a week and on an occasional weekend. During each of the two summer sessions there is a two week Summer Institute that meets 9-5 Monday - Friday. Each Institute offers two three-credit courses. The schedule for each three-credit course provides a minimum of 36 faculty-student contact hours, plus three hours for scheduled group activities (project time) and three hours for exams or project presentations. Students are encouraged to take an additional elective each summer.

Contact

For more information, contact:

Dahlia E. Rivera
Department of Health Policy and Management
The Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health
Columbia University
600 West 168^th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10032
(212) 305-3924
der1@columbia.edu