Our Master of Science track in Health Policy and Economics is not like your generic public health degree — in fact, far from it. We train students to become leading policy analysts and researchers working to identify the most effective ways to organize, manage, finance, and deliver high quality healthcare. Students learn to apply advanced research methods such as biostatistics, econometrics, and decision science to evaluate policies and programs while gaining valuable real-world experience under the guidance of a healthcare expert during the culminating capstone project.
This track provides a strong foundation in healthcare research methods with specialized training in health economics, health policy, data analytics, and implementation science. Each student acquires hands-on experience through a faculty-mentored research project that begins in the first term and culminates in a capstone/portfolio final project.
This track also has close ties to other departments within Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell University, Cornell Tech, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Full-time students can complete the program in 12 months, and part-time students in 18-24 months.
There are great differences between an M.P.H. and our M.S. track in Health Policy and Economics. M.P.H. programs tend to place greater emphasis on public health and epidemiology; contrastingly, we emphasize a broader policy perspective to include payment policy, health insurance coverage, and structural issues related to the healthcare delivery system. Additionally, our program is mostly practice-based while M.P.H. programs tend to be more theoretical. Our goal is to prepare professionals to work effectively in health-related policy positions and serve as well-trained healthcare researchers with strong analytic skills.
We keep our class size and student-to-faculty ratio low so that our students get the most personalized experience possible. Because of this, close mentorship with a faculty member throughout the entirety of the program is provided to all of our students. Many even continue their relationship well beyond becoming alumni and working in their careers.
Our alumni hold positions in data and policy analysis, healthcare consulting, project management, quality improvement, and more. Our alumni are also well-prepared to pursue doctoral studies.
Students learn to develop and evaluate innovative approaches to financing and delivering healthcare using cutting edge research methods, while gaining hands-on experience in data analysis.
Understanding how incentives present in the nation’s healthcare system – from ways that physicians and hospitals are reimbursed to the regulatory requirements for the development and approval of new drugs and medical devices – influence the cost and quality of care is essential to keep up with the changing healthcare landscape and to provide the best care possible. Utilizing cutting-edge statistical approaches, our students learn to conduct rigorous analyses with healthcare data using computing packages such as SAS, Stata, and R. The results of these analyses allow them to better comprehend how changes in health policy and new interventions in the delivery of care may improve the health of people across the country.
Our students have diverse backgrounds including social sciences, basic sciences, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and healthcare administration. Their diversity creates a unique, collaborative learning environment.
Being in New York City is a huge asset for our program. Local institutions collaborating with Weill Cornell Medicine include NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Hospital for Special Surgery, The Rockefeller University, the State Department of Health, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and more.
Our faculty are nationally recognized experts in health policy, economics, health services research, biostatistics, health informatics, cost-effectiveness, and comparative-effectiveness. Our NYC location allows for collaboration between experts and researchers at neighboring institutions such as NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Hospital for Special Surgery, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
The culminating capstone project allows students to gain valuable, real-world experience under the guidance of leading healthcare experts to address problems faced by our healthcare system.