This is the first version of the 2025–26 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the MS in health services and policy research, students will be able to:
- evaluate the organization, financing, and delivery of U.S. health services;
- evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity;
- analyze the behavior of health care market stakeholders using the principles of health economics;
- select the appropriate study design and statistical models for health services research questions and outcomes;
- use statistical computing programs to analyze quantitative data; and
- conduct a study using health services research methods.
The Master of Science in health services and policy research requires a minimum of 30 s.h. of graduate credit. Students must maintain a Graduate College program grade-point average of at least 3.00 to earn the degree.
Students are provided with content knowledge and methodological skills pertaining to the practice of health services research. Evaluating the organization, delivery, and outcomes of health services and the impacts of health policies on health services use and health outcomes is intrinsically interdisciplinary. As such, students will acquire theoretical knowledge of U.S. health policy, health economics, and the organization and delivery of health services as well as a range of analytic skills that will allow them to design and execute health services research studies.
The MS includes coursework in health services research design, statistical methods, health policy, health economics, and the organization and delivery of health care services. Additionally, students will be required to complete a final research project. Students have the opportunity to work with faculty mentors on research projects and participate in cocurricular learning opportunities that focus on health services research, such as seminars, journal clubs, and conferences. The MS is a pathway to the PhD in health services and policy.
The MS in health services and policy research requires the following coursework.
Core Courses
All core courses except CPH:6100 and CPH:7270 are required to be taken on an A–F graded basis.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| All of these: | ||
| HMP:4000 | Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System | 3 |
| or HMP:5005 | Introduction to Healthcare Organization and Policy | |
| HMP:5410 | Health Economics I | 3 |
| HMP:5610 | Health Policy | 3 |
| HMP:7950 | Design Issues in Health Service Research | 3 |
| BIOS:4120 | Introduction to Biostatistics | 3 |
| BIOS:5120 | Regression Modeling and ANOVA in the Health Sciences | 3 |
| CPH:6100 | Essentials of Public Health | 2 |
| CPH:7270 | Principles of Scholarly Integrity: Public Health (taken in the fall and spring semesters for 0 s.h. and 1 s.h., respectively) | 1 |
Electives
Students choose 6 s.h. of elective coursework in courses numbered 3000 and above. Faculty advisors must approve elective coursework. The following are possible elective choices.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HMP:5650 | Health Policy Analysis | 3 |
| HMP:6610 | Legal Aspects of Healthcare | 3 |
| HMP:6710 | Federalism and Health Policy | 3 |
| HMP:6750 | Seminar in Health Policy | 3 |
| HMP:7550 | Cost Effectiveness and Decision Analysis | 3 |
| HMP:7940 | Primary Data and Mixed Methods | 3 |
| HMP:7960 | Analytic Issues in Health Services Research I | 3 |
| EPID:4400 | Epidemiology I: Principles | 3 |
Independent Research
Students complete 3 s.h. of independent research work in HMP:6850 Independent Study and Research.
Applicants must apply through the Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS). All applicants must also submit the supplemental University of Iowa application fee. For detailed application information, visit HMP Degree Programs on the Department of Health Management and Policy website.
Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College; see the Manual of Rules and Regulations on the Graduate College website.
Students begin the program in the fall semester. Campus visits are encouraged.
The MS in health services and policy research prepares graduates for research careers in a variety of applied settings including academia, think tanks, government agencies, private sector organizations, and other settings where health services research skills are sought.
The program is designed to provide clinicians with the skills needed to work as health services researchers in a wide variety of settings. Given the program's strong emphasis on research design, evaluation, and quantitative methods, it is a pathway for students who desire to prepare themselves to be competitive applicants for doctoral studies in health services research, health policy, health economics, and other closely related fields at the University of Iowa or other leading institutions.
The program also is designed in a way that allows students in the department's PhD in health services and policy program to earn the MS degree as they complete coursework and exam requirements for the PhD program en passant.
Sample Plan of Study
Sample plans represent one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection and sequence will vary and should be discussed with an academic advisor. For additional sample plans, see MyUI.
Health Services and Policy Research, MS
This sample plan is currently being reviewed and will be added at a later date.