MPA / MPH in Health Services Policy and Management
Public health challenges rarely stop at the edge of the healthcare system. Solving them requires leaders who understand how public agencies operate, how policies are made, how resources are allocated and how those decisions affect the health of communities.
USC’s combinator degree Master of Public Administration / Master of Public Health in Health Services Policy and Management brings public administration and public health together to prepare leaders who can strengthen organizations, shape policy and improve the systems that support population health.
Offered jointly by the Arnold School of Public Health’s Department of Health Services Policy and Management (link) and the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, the program combines expertise in public management and administration with training in health policy, health systems and population health.
What You’ll Study
Learn how policy becomes action and how stronger public institutions can lead to healthier communities.
The public administration coursework develops your expertise in public management, policy, data analysis, human resources, financial administration, ethics and accountability. Public health coursework adds training in health policy, public health law, health economics, health services administration, research methods, planning and population health leadership.
Together, these disciplines prepare you to understand complex public challenges, manage organizations and resources and develop policies that improve health at the community and population levels.
Curriculum
The MPA/MPH combines the 39-credit Master of Public Administration curriculum with the 45-credit MPH in Health Services Policy and Management curriculum. Through shared coursework, students complete both degrees in 72 total credit hours.
The Graduate Bulletin provides a three-year plan of study for a full-time student who begins with the MPA. Individual plans may be adjusted in consultation with HSPM and Political Science advisors.
View the full curriculum in the Graduate Academic Bulletin.
Admissions
The MPA/MPH is a coordinated dual-degree program administered jointly by USC’s Department of Health Services Policy and Management in the Arnold School of Public Health and the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences.
MPA/MPH applicants apply through the USC Graduate School, rather than SOPHAS.
View application requirements for the MPH program.
Tuition
Tuition and fees are subject to change and may vary based on enrollment, residency and the courses taken through each academic program. Learn more from our Office of Graduate Student Services. Graduate students are also encouraged to explore available financial aid, assistantships and other funding opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Students complete 72 total credit hours to earn both degrees.
The MPA independently requires 39 credit hours and the MPH requires 45. Coordinated coursework allows students to fulfill requirements for both without completing the full 84 credits the two programs would require separately.
The Graduate Bulletin provides a three-year plan of study for a full-time student beginning the dual-degree program with the MPA.
Individual course sequences may vary depending on when a student enters the program and the plan developed with HSPM and Political Science advisors.
An MPA builds expertise in public-sector management, government, finance, human resources, policy and administration.
The MPH provides specialized preparation in population health, health policy, health systems, public health law, health economics and health services administration.
Together, the degrees prepare graduates to understand both how public institutions operate and how their decisions affect health.
Graduates may pursue opportunities in government agencies, health departments, nonprofit organizations, health and human services agencies, policy organizations, health systems, consulting organizations and other public-serving institutions.
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Build the skills to lead public organizations, shape policy and create systems that help communities thrive.
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