Health Services Policy and Management (HSPM) is an interdisciplinary field concerned with the promotion of personal and public health through planning, organizing, directing, controlling, coordinating and evaluating health services.
Career opportunities exist in hospitals and clinics, state and federal health care agencies, physician practices, long-term care facilities, professional organizations, consulting firms, insurance companies, health departments, and hospital and medical associations. Individuals from a wide range of undergraduate majors can expect to succeed in health administration, given the many career opportunities the field offers.
The MPH program emphasizes the management of public health agencies and public sector health services. Graduates from the MHA program find jobs in finance and business development, operations management, information technology management, human resources, patient and community relations and other fields. The Ph.D. prepares students to conduct health services research and/or teach at a university level.
The Department of Health Services Policy and Management’s mission is to be actively involved in improving quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of health services and health systems locally and globally. (Adopted Fall 2021).
We offer seven advanced degrees related to health services policy and management. Each graduate degree has specific application deadlines and requirements.
Ashley Umbriano is a three-time USC alumna, who uses her public health background everyday – even though she works in a different field. Learn all about the associate attorney with our latest 50 Careers for 50 Years profile.
USC features health services policy and management associate professor Christina Andrews, who is exploring the link between health care access and outcomes for people with substance abuse disorders.
Two-time HSPM alumnus and SC Office of Rural Health CEO Graham Adams has been a close collaborator of the Arnold School for more than 30 years. Follow his journey and impact with this 50 Careers For 50 Years profile.
Tiffany Sullivan, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Physician Services, shares how the Arnold School's MPH in Health Administration program and graduate assistantships at Prisma Health launched her career.
Arnold School alumni Adam Mayer (Exercise Science, '15) and Jamiko Cooper (Public Health, '11; MHA, '13) have been selected by the Young Alumni Council as part of Gamecock35 — a cohort of outstanding USC graduates under the age of 35.
Will Owings graduated in May with a 4.0 GPA and is the recipient of the Susie B. Yates Award for Excellence in Scholarship and the Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Contributions to Access and Collective Engagement in Research or Practice.