Graduate Certificate in Health Policy

Program Director: L. Cartwright-Smith

The mission of the health policy certificate is to train public health, health services, law, medical, public policy, and other students and professionals seeking careers in health policy. Graduates with this certificate understand the substance of health policy. Students develop in-depth policy analysis skills to use in various practice settings, including both federal and state levels of government, private-sector health policy consulting, and not-for-profit advocacy.

The health policy certificate is a chance for those students seeking a solid foundation in the substance of health policy and the skills of health policy analysis but who do not wish to undertake the full MPH. The health policy graduate certificate also includes elective course offerings to fit the student’s personal and professional goals. When deciding to undertake the certificate, the student will meet often with an advisor to craft a personalized course of study.

It is not just students who are already enrolled in the Milken School of Public Health (SPH) who choose to pursue a certificate in health policy. The certificate program is also available to GW law students (the JD/MPH and LLM/MPH programs), lawyers seeking to develop expertise in all facets of health policy and practice, and to GW medical students (the MD/MPH and PA/MPH programs) who wish to enhance their clinical training with a thorough understanding of health policy.

Graduates of this Health Policy certificate program will gain:

• a core understanding of the wide-ranging issues that dominate the modern health policy debate at all levels of government.
• basic skills in health policy analysis, and the ability to conduct original policy analysis and research.
• familiarity with the policy-making processes that control the development and implementation of health policy.
• strong data management skills including creating Stata datasets, reading various types of raw data, creating variables, and processing data.
• the ability to synthesize complex information for policymakers.
• the ability to apply the skills of health policy analysis in a workplace setting.
   

Visit the program webpage for additional information.

Adminssion Requirements

Article	Requirement
Admissions Deadlines:	Fall - March 15
	Spring – October 1
	Summer – December 15
	Individuals interested in applying to this program should submit their application and supporting documents through SOPHAS, a general online application for Schools of Public Health. A graduated fee is charged for this application, depending on the number of accredited schools to which you apply.
Standardized Test Scores:	GRE general test (institutional code 5268).
	Applicants may also submit the LSAT, MCAT, or GMAT instead of the GRE. Applicants who already have a conferred graduate degree (i.e. MA, MS, JD) are exempt.
Recommendations required:	Two (2) recommendations
Prior Academic Records:	Transcripts are required from all colleges and universities attended, whether or not credit was earned, the program was completed, or the credit appears as transfer credit on another transcript. Transcripts must be forwarded to SOPHAS in their original sealed envelopes directly from the institution.
	Official transcripts from institutions outside the United States must be accompanied by an official transcript evaluation from an accredited independent evaluating agency. Please be sure you request a detailed evaluation that includes all course titles, credit hours, grade-point average (GPA), United States degree equivalency, and date of degree conferral. Please see the list of acceptable foreign credential evaluation services.
Statement of Purpose:	In no more than 1500 words, state your purpose in undertaking graduate study in your chosen field. Include your academic objectives, research interests, and career plans. Also discuss your related qualifications, including collegiate, professional, and community activities, and any other substantial accomplishments not already mentioned in the application.
	The Committee reviews your Statement of Purpose to determine your motivation for pursuing a career in public health.
International Applicants:	Please review International Applicant Information carefully for details on required documents, earlier deadlines for applicants requiring an I-20 GW, and English language requirements. Detailed documentation needed for this program is available here.
	PLEASE NOTE that all programs in the Milken Institute School of Public Health require the following minimum English language test scores for admission:
	- Academic IELTS: an overall band score of 7.0 with no individual band score below 6.0.
	- TOEFL: 100 on Internet-based.

Supporting documents not submitted online should be mailed to:

Office of Admissions
Suite 200
Milken Institute School of Public Health
950 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20052

Contact for questions:
GWSPHadmit@gwu.edu ~ 202.994.2160 (phone)
http://publichealth.gwu.edu/admissions
9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday

The following requirements must be fulfilled: 18 credits, including 13 credits in required courses and 5 credits in elective courses.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required
PUBH 6002	Biostatistical Applications for Public Health
PUBH 6012	Fundamentals of Health Policy
PUBH 6310	Statistical Analysis in Health Policy
PUBH 6315	Introduction to Health Policy Analysis
PUBH 6320	Advanced Health Policy Analysis
Electives
5 credits in health policy elective courses.

Graduation Requirements

• Graduate credit requirement: 18 graduate credits are required.
• The program director/advisor must pre-approve all course selections and course sequencing by developing a “program of study” prior to the student’s initial registration. Graduate certificate students meet with their advisor each semester before registration. All changes in this program of study must be pre-approved by the program director/advisor.
• Successful completion of the required online CITI human subject research training modules.
• Successful completion of 8 Professional Enhancement hours.
• Grade point requirement: A 3.0 (B average) overall grade-point average or above is required.
• Time limit requirement: The certificate must be completed within two years.
• Transfer credit policy: The program director/advisor may approve up to 4 graduate credits that have not been applied to a previous graduate degree to be transferred to the graduate certificate. The course(s) must be relevant to the graduate certificate. Credits must have been earned in the last three years with a grade of 3.0 or above. 
• Transfer to Degree Program Policy: Students can transfer as many credits as meet program requirements to a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program from the Public Health Graduate Certificate. Students wishing to transfer to a degree program may apply to do so via the online change of concentration petition after completion of three or more courses and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. A grade of B or above is required for a course to be eligible for transfer. Students interested in applying to an MPH degree program should meet with departmental advisors regarding program-specific admission requirements. Transfer credits must have been completed within the past three years.