The mission of the B.S.P.H. program in Health Policy and Administration is to prepare undergraduate students for management positions in hospitals, public health departments, consultant firms and other health organizations in public and private sectors. Students are admitted into the program in their junior year.
During the junior year, students take courses that provide a background in health services and systems. A 12-week field internship provides hands-on experience in a health care organization. The experience allows students to apply their learning and anticipate additional training in their senior year. In the senior year, students take course work in health organization structure & function and in strategic planning. Both courses draw heavily on the field training experience and other real-world experiences.
The department has a Career Services Office which is responsible for career placement activities. The department hosts an annual Professional Development conference and invites preceptors and potential employers to interview students.
Students who graduated from the program in May 1999 received job offers from a impressive array of health organizations. Selected organizations include: Arthur Andersen LLP; Chapel Hill Internal Medicine; Deloitte Consulting; Ernst & Young; Tucker Alan Inc.; UNC Family Medicine; and UNC Hospitals. In addition, 4 students chose to continue their education immediately.
Evaluation of students'learning experiences is done through review of career marketability, professional growth and motivation to continue learning. Surveys to alumni provide longer-term feedback on the quality of the program as a foundation on which to build a career path in health administration or health services research.
Learning Objectives: 1. To describe the mission statement and objectives of the Bachelor's of Science Program (BSPH) in the Department of Health Policy and Administration at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health. 2. To present the strategies employed by the Department to prepare undergraduates for professional positions in the fields of health care administration and health policy. 3. To give examples of the career paths of several BSPH graduates in the context of employment and graduate education opportunities pursued by our graduates. 4. To describe, in brief, mechanisms in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of the program.
Keywords: College Students, Public Health Administration