MSc Health Policy, Planning & Financing

This course aims to develop critical analysis of issues within health policy, planning and financing and to enable students to devise appropriate health policy responses. Students come from a wide range of backgrounds. This is a joint programme provided by the School and the London School of Economics & Political Science. The course provides training relevant to countries at all levels of development, although participants are able to specialise.
Graduates enter careers in global health and national health policy and planning, research, advisory or advocacy roles in governments and international agencies.

Objectives

By the end of this course students should be able to: demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a diverse range of global and national health policies, including current and emerging trends and also of disciplines relevant to the study of health policy, planning and financing (epidemiology, health economics and other social sciences); apply their knowledge and skills using a multidisciplinary approach to formulate, implement and evaluate health policies and plans; show written and verbal competence in communicating empirical evidence and in consolidating and critically appraising debates relevant to issues of health policy and health financing, and demonstrate competence in key research and presentation skills, such as undertaking a literature search, a critical review of published literature or to evaluate research findings.

Programme specifications - showing which of the various elements of the Course support and achieve each of these specific Objectives.

Structure

Students must take courses to the value of eight modules, and complete a 10,000 word dissertation (20% of the overall MSc)

All participants take:

Term 1:

• Compulsory LSE module: Financing Health Care
• Compulsory LSHTM module: Health Services
• One additional module at LSE out of the following range: Health Economics, Pharmaceutical Economics, or Foundations of Health Policy.
• One additional module at LSHTM out of the following range: Health Policy, Process and Power, Basic Epidemiology or Issues in Public Health.

Term 2 and 3:

• In addition to the compulsory modules listed above, students will be able to take 4 further modules from either LSE or LSHTM.
• For modules to be taken at LSE, any restrictions will be included in the programme specification, and may be adjusted by LSE. At present it is proposed that any LSE graduate module may be taken, subject to approval by the Course Directors.
  

LSE Units 2007-08 session

• For modules to be taken at LSHTM, any restrictions will be included in the programme specification, and may be adjusted by LSHTM.
• Compulsory' modules - will not at present apply for terms 2 or 3.
• Recommended' modules (mainstream choices) - similar to the options available within compulsory term 1 elements.
• Optional' modules (peripheral choices) - students should consult the course handbook and, if necessary, their tutor or the Course Director before selecting any of these modules.
• Any LSHTM Linear or Study Modules , chosen from a list of approved modules.
  

LSHTM Term 1 Modules
LSHTM Term 2 Modules
LSHTM Term 3 Modules

It will not normally be possible to take other LSHTM modules except as a 'special case' choice requiring formal approval by the Course Director and Departmental Taught Course Director. Students may make a maximum of one such choice within the degree.

In all cases, each student's full set of module choices must be approved by the Course Directors at LSE and LSHTM in order to confirm that students' choices fit with their stated career aims and form a coherent set of modules for the MSc. Students must also meet the entrance requirements for each particular module. Guidance based on the programme specification will be provided in the course handbook, to outline the key differences between recommended modules and provide comments where relevant on optional modules - to help both students and tutors differentiate between these and make module choices most appropriately.

Course Duration

Full-time for one year or part-time over two years. Part-time students are expected to attend the School at least two and a half days each week and should discuss this with the Course Directors if offered a place.

Minimum Entrance Requirements

Candidates must hold either the equivalent of at least a Second-class Honours degree of the University of London in science, economics, social sciences or a related subject, or a degree in medicine. Applicants with an appropriate technical qualification and work experience, or equivalent qualifications are also welcomed. A minimum of one year's experience in health policy or public health related work is recommended