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Harvard PhD Program in Health Policy

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The Harvard PhD in Health Policy, awarded by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, is a collaborative program among six Harvard University faculties: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard School of Public Health.

While the program is interdisciplinary in nature, students specialize in one of six concentrations: decision sciences, economics, ethics, methods for policy research, management, or political analysis. Approximately 125 faculty members from schools within the University are involved with the program, and students are free to take classes throughout the University. A hallmark of the program is the accessibility of faculty members to students and the commitment of faculty to students enrolled in the program.

The program started in 1992. We now have over 200 graduates, with 65 students currently enrolled. 

Stanford University

Stanford Health Policy is a joint effort of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Stanford School of Medicine

PhD in Health Policy

To our prospective students and trainees:.

The Department of Health Policy recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision. 

The Department of Health Policy welcomes graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. The review process is holistic and individualized, considering each applicant’s academic record and accomplishments, letters of recommendation, prior research experience, and admissions essays to understand how an applicant’s life experiences have shaped their past and potential contributions to their field and how they might enrich the learning community at Stanford.

The Application for the 2025-2026 academic year is now OPEN. Deadline: Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 11:59pm (PST).  

Please note: Knight Hennessey applicants must submit their PhD application by Sunday, December 1, 2024 at 11:59pm (PST). The Knight Hennessey application is separate and has an earlier deadline. 

PhD Program Informational Video

Stanford Health Policy offers a PhD program which promises to educate students who will be scholarly leaders in the field of health policy, and will be highly knowledgeable about the theoretical and empirical approaches that can be applied in the development of improvements in health policy and the health care system. The curriculum offers courses across a wide range of health policy areas including health economics, health insurance and government program operation, health financing, international health policy and economic development, cost-effectiveness analysis and the evaluation of new technologies, health law and ethics, health systems operations, relevant statistical and methodological approaches, and health policy issues related to public health concerns like obesity and chronic disease. In addition to taking a set of core courses, students are expected to complete coursework in one of three tracks:

1. Health Economics  -  including the economic behavior of individuals, providers, insurers, and governments and the methodologic training to measure how their actions affect health and medical care,

2.  Decision Sciences  -  with quantitative techniques to assess the effectiveness and value of medical treatments and for decision making about medical care and health policies at the individual and/or collective level,

3. Evaluative Methods  –  encompassing advanced statistical, computational, and other quantitative methodologies appropriate for application in areas of interest to students such as organizational behavior, law, ethics, and data science.

Academic advising by our faculty is a critical component of our graduate students' education.

All matriculating students will be assigned a faculty advisor from the group of  CORE FACULTY  to help them design their academic program. Students will remain with this advisor until the time that they have developed other arrangements for advising.

Advisors will meet with students within the first quarter of each year to discuss students' Individual Development Plan(s) (IDPs).  Additionally, students will meet with their advisor(s) on a regular basis throughout each year to discuss course selection, progress through the program, development of research projects, and career plans.

Academic progress and student completion of program requirements and milestones are monitored by the program staff and directors and discussed at quarterly meetings of all PhD advisors. Students are expected to identify a group of normally 3 thesis advisors before or, at the latest, shortly after the time that they advance to candidacy for the degree. This group will consist of one primary and, at least, two secondary advisors, who may or may not be the same as the initially assigned faculty advisor. The Director of Graduate Studies and the Executive Committee will monitor advising arrangements to ensure that students receive adequate supervision.

For further information on advising in the program, please see the PhD Handbook.

Though circumstances may be different from one student to another, we anticipate being able to provide and/or help students obtain financial support for the first four years of the program. Individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of the US may apply. However, due to funding restrictions we are limited in our ability to admit applicants who are not citizens or permanent residents and who do not have funding through the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program or substantial funding from another non-Stanford source.  Students who are non-citizens or non-permanent residents are strongly encouraged to apply for such funding. 

For information about the Knight-Hennessy Program, please see:  https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/  ( please note the Knight-Hennessy Program has earlier deadlines than the PhD program )

PhD Application Process Explained

You can watch the recording of the PhD Pre-application Information Session.

The Stanford University School of Medicine and the Health Policy Program are committed to fostering a diverse community in which all individuals are welcomed, respected, and supported to achieve their full potential. While race and ethnicity are commonly cited in relation to diversity, we recognize that there are many different aspects to identity, including culture socioeconomic and educational background, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, life experiences, hobbies, and interests. We value diversity because we believe that interaction with people with unique backgrounds and life experiences allows us to reach a greater level of innovation in health policies, health policy research, education and clinical care.

Stanford Health Policy is committed to doing our part to contribute to a more equitable and just society. We hope prospective students from diverse backgrounds consider joining our program to help us continue to make important contributions in health policy to address these and many other problems of our day. Additionally, as a program linked with the Stanford Biosciences Programs, we support the  Biosciences Commitment to Justice and Action  and, where appropriate, will connect and participate in the activities offered in the statement.

The program works with multiple groups and offices across campus to facilitate student access, support, and connectivity. These include, but are not limited to:

Stanford Biosciences:  https://oge.stanford.edu/inclusion/  

Stanford Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education:  https://vpge.stanford.edu/diversity-initiatives/overview

Stanford Office of Accessible Education:  https://oae.stanford.edu

Stanford Graduate Life Office:  https://glo.stanford.edu

Stanford Student Affairs:  https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu