In the College of Human Ecology
Course Offerings
Faculty
K. Musick, Chair (MVR 2301, 607-255-6067); D. Miller, Associate Chair; S. Sassler, Director of Undergraduate Studies; L. Tach, Director of Graduate Studies; S. Nicholson, Director of Sloan Program; J. Carmalt, Associate Director of Sloan Program; Faculty: R. Avery, N. Bottan, C. Carey, J. Cawley, J. Cunningham, R. Dunifon, M. Fitzpatrick, R. Geddes, M. Hall, D. Kenkel, P. Leung, M. Kapustin, S. Lindsay, M. Lovenheim, A. Mathios, D. Miller, K. Musick, S. Nicholson, Z. Pei, A. Reyes, P. Rich, N. Sanders, S. Sassler, L. Tach, S. Tennyson, M. Waller, N. Ziebarth. Emeritus faculty: J. Allen, R. Battistella, K. Bryant, R. Burkhauser, F. Firebaugh, J. Ford, J. Frances, M. Galenson, J. Green, C. Hoenk Shapiro, J. Kuder, D. Lichter, C. McClintock, J. Mueller, L. Noble, A. Parrot, E. Peters, W. Trochim, B. Yerka. Lecturers: J. Carmalt, T. Evans, B. Tripp.
Health Care Policy Major
The Health Care Policy (HCP) major is offered within the department of Policy Analysis and Management (PAM), and merges curriculum from both the social and natural sciences. HCP builds on the research strengths of the PAM department faculty, who use the theories and methods from economics, sociology, psychology, and demography to study the effects of government policies on individuals and families, public health, education, crime, product markets, financial markets, and a wide variety of other social impacts. The research tools learned and used—robust theory, rigorous empirical quantitative skills, and practical applications to real-world policy issues—are highly sought after by the best in the healthcare industry and government.
The HCP major prepares students for leadership roles in health policy, which require a strong foundation in the natural sciences. In addition, graduates will be prepared for careers that combine clinical health care with involvement in the broader health care system and public policy.
HCP will provide students in-depth training in the analysis of health care and public policies that affect health, access to medical care, and medical spending. Students will learn to integrate analytical thinking and data analysis skills. HCP majors employ theories and methods from economics and demography to analyze health care and policy. Students will learn to apply theories designed to explain the development of government policies addressing health care and how the private health care system interacts with the public sector to affect health, access, and costs. The HCP requirements provide all students with a strong foundation in natural sciences while allowing flexibility in course selection to pursue either: a non-premedical track; or a premedical track that meets the course requirements for admission to medical school and other health professional graduate programs.
In addition to the core college requirements, HCP majors are required to take the following core policy courses: PAM 2350 - The U.S. Health Care System , ECON 1110 - Introductory Microeconomics , PAM 2000 - Intermediate Microeconomics , PAM 2101 - Statistics for Policy Analysis and Management Majors , PAM 3100 - Multiple Regression Analysis .
HCP students also complete a core selection of lectures and laboratories within the natural sciences, including introductory biology and chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry. Students interested in the premedical track complete additional coursework covering human anatomy and physiology, and physics.
In their junior and senior years students are expected to apply the skills developed in the core policy courses and natural science courses by completing a selection of upper level social and health policy courses. The social policy course options cover advanced policy topics such as labor policy, applied demography in business and government, behavioral economics, and public policy. Other social policy electives, such as Demographic Techniques and Intermediate Policy Analysis, strengthen and advance the skills learned in the core policy courses. Upper-level health policy courses cover programs and issues such as health care access, the Medicare and Medicaid programs, pharmaceutical management, long-term care, managed care, public health issues such as obesity, opioid abuse, and substance abuse policies.
HCP Honors Program
The HCP honors program gives official recognition to students who have demonstrated excellence in their academic work and their capacity for independent research. In addition to fulfilling the requirements for the major, students in the honors program will participate in an honors seminar and prepare an empirically-based honors thesis. Honors students work with a research mentor in preparing for their thesis. Upon successful completion of the HCP honors program, students will receive a B.S. degree with honors in Health Care Policy. Interested students should obtain an Honors Program application form in the PAM Department Undergraduate Office (2301 MVR). For more information, students should refer to the PAM department honors website or contact the PAM department Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Health Policy Minor
The department offers a 15-credit minor in Health Policy for Cornell undergraduates outside of the PAM and HCP majors. Health policy minors apply concepts from sociology, demography, and economics to provide a focused analysis of policy issues in the healthcare industry. Health Policy minors complete an introductory course covering the U.S. Healthcare System, and apply the skills learned across a selection of upper level health policy electives. For further information and additional policies, see the PAM website or obtain information at the PAM Undergraduate Office (2301 MVR).
Demography Minor
The department offers a five-course minor in Demography, managed by the Cornell Population Center. The minor is a rigorous undergraduate course of study on population-related topics and approaches, providing students a broad understanding of global population dynamics and tools for analyzing demographic data. The Demography minor is open to all Cornell students, including PAM and HCP students. For further information, see the CPC website or obtain information at the PAM Undergraduate Office (2301 MVR).