Program description
The Bachelor of Science in Health Policy and Administration (HPA) program helps prepare students for management and policy positions or graduate study in the field of health care. Students in the major develop the skills and knowledge needed to understand the complex societal problem of providing access to quality health care at reasonable cost.
HPA students study a multidisciplinary curriculum that prepares them to work as health services managers or health analysts. Health services managers, also called health care executives or health care administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical, health, and/or long-term care services. They might manage an entire facility or specialize in managing a specific clinical area or department, administrate a program, or manage a practice for a group of providers.
Health analysts are employed throughout the health care industry gathering, compiling, modeling, validating, and analyzing data needed by different organizations of providers, payers, and policy makers. Analysts help these organizations understand the current trends in the health care system and to make well-informed decisions.
HPA students have also used the degree to prepare for graduate study in business, law, medicine or allied health fields, health administration, health services research or policy, and public health.
All HPA students complete an internship in a health-care-related setting, giving them valuable experience and contacts in the industry.
What is Health Policy and Administration?
Health Policy and Administration (HPA) is a multidisciplinary course of study with courses in the liberal arts, business administration, and health sciences. In general HPA students are prepared to work in six types of health care organizations:
- Health care providers (hospitals, physician practices, nursing facilities, home health agencies, etc.)
- Health insurers (nonprofit and commercial insurers, health maintenance organizations, etc.)
- Health care consulting firms
- Health care supply companies (pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, etc.)
- Health services research and policy organizations (health policy research groups, industry trade groups, etc.);
- Local, state, and federal health agencies (local health departments, state Department of Health, federal Department of Health and Human Services, etc.).
You might like this program if ...
- You are interested in business administration or management but want to focus primarily in the healthcare industry.
- You are interested in influencing health policy by working in government at the state or federal level.
- You are interested in improving access to health care for underserved populations.
- You are interested in reducing health care costs or improving health care quality through policy reform.
Course delivery
Penn State Beaver, Penn State Hazleton, Penn State Lehigh Valley, Penn State Mont Alto, and Penn State Shenango jointly deliver the bachelor of science in Health Policy and Administration. All required courses are offered at each campus, although students should expect to take some courses via interactive video and/or the web.
