I have been especially thankful for how open, supportive, and encouraging both Georgetown faculty members and deans have been, and for how my mentors have always lifted up my various academic interests.
About the Program
The Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management & Policy is a four-year program that develops the foundation of a career in health services administration through a well-designed education. The program combines instruction in the classroom with hands-on experiential learning opportunities. Students have the opportunity to learn from faculty members who have backgrounds in academic and practice-oriented settings.
Why Choose This Program?
- A focus on the role of health care systems and policy in improving the health of individuals and their communities
- Examines the organization, delivery, and policy issues of the U.S. health care system
- Offers rigorous preparation in the structure and dynamics of health systems, the policy environment, the management of health service organizations, and other factors that influence population health
- Experiential internships in health management or health policy
- Pre-med and study abroad opportunities
Two Program Tracks Let Students Tailor the Major to Their Interests
Health Policy Analysis
Students within the health policy analysis track are motivated by a desire to make change. This track emphasizes public health, economics, policy analysis, statistics, and finance. Students are exposed to how the government operates and how policy is developed around the country’s health care system.
Health Management
Students seeking a broad understanding of complex health systems can choose the health management track. This track builds on core academic disciplines and deepens students’ knowledge of health systems. Students in the health management track are motivated by a desire to improve health and health care.
Senior Internship
Students in the Health Care Management & Policy Program are required to participate in an internship during their senior year. Students in the Health Management track intern with senior executives of the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, who introduce the practical aspects of working on issues and projects focused on achieving the highest possible quality of care. By working with a preceptor, their assignments include, but are not limited to, conducting service line market analyses, collecting and analyzing data for continuous quality improvement, as well as facilitating time studies to improve patient flow. Pursuing these types of activities at Verstandig Pavilion — a new state-of the-art facility — will uniquely distinguish students in the market and prepare them for the future of health care. The internship requires a minimum of 16 hours a week throughout the semester and the completion of a senior project that is presented to the class.
Student Experience
Health Care Management & Policy Program students have the opportunity to:
Study in the nation’s capital
Learn about health care and health policy in Washington, D.C., where national policies are created and debated.
Tap our alumni network
HCMP graduates span the nation and a broad range of career paths.
Learn from exceptional faculty
Our faculty members are leaders in their respective fields who are eager to share what they know with their students.
Live their values
Students participate in community-based opportunities to learn and give back. They have taught health literacy in Alaska, volunteered at nonprofits serving the Washington, D.C., and more.
Alumni Outcomes
Graduates of the Health Care Management & Policy Program have entered the workforce, earned prestigious administrative fellowships, or gone on to pursue graduate studies.
Some examples:
- Deloitte Consulting
- Capital One
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- CVS Health
- University of Pennsylvania
- Center for Health Information and Analysis
- University of Southern California School of Medicine
- Georgetown Law
‘Health systems’ is an analytical framework that can be applied to just about any issue in health care, so within the major, we each have remarkable latitude to specialize in what we care about.
Program Admissions
Application Deadlines
Early Action – November 1
Regular Decision – January 10
Transfer – March 1
Current Students
Schedule a meeting with your academic dean or visit our student resources page for academic calendars and other information.
HCMP Honors Program
The Health Care Management & Policy Honors Program is designed to recognize current students with a proven record of achievement and to give them the opportunity to deepen their analytical skills. Students in the Honors Program work under the guidance of a faculty member to analyze an issue of importance to contemporary health policy or management.
Writing in the Major
Critical thinking and effective communication are essential to succeed academically and to advance professionally in health policy and management. Students in the Department of Health Management & Policy are required to think critically and are provided opportunities to develop their critical thinking and communication skills in a variety of ways throughout their time in the program.
From the start, students are challenged with the complexities of health care and are required to synthesize these issues in writing. Subsequent semesters delve deeper into the organization, management, financing, delivery, and politics of health care. They also require written reviews of the literature, data analysis, the development of positions, and ultimately the ability to define central questions. For all students, a culminating experience in the major is either an internship with a significant writing project or a senior honors thesis.
Program Faculty
Our faculty members have backgrounds in academic and practice-oriented settings.