In the Brooks School of Public Policy
Course Offerings
Faculty
S. Sassler, Director of Undergraduate Studies; Faculty: R. Avery, C. Barrett, C. Barry, D. Bateman, N. Bottan, C. Carey, J. Cawley, J. Cunningham, R. Dunifon, P. Eloundou-Enyyegue, P. Enns, M. Fitzpatrick, G. Flores-Macias, R. Geddes, S. Gleeson, M. Hall, M. Kapustin, D. Kenkel, C. Kling, S. Kreps, D. Kriner, P. Leung, S. Lindsay, M. Lovenheim, A. Mathios, J. Michener, D. Miller, K. Musick, S. Nicholson, J. Niederdeppe, A. Ortiz-Bobea, Z. Pei, T. Pepinsky, A. Reyes, P. Rich, R. Ridel, N. Sanders, S. Sanders, S. Sassler, D. Silbey, L. Tach, S. Tennyson, C. Thomas, M. Waller, J. Weiss, 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, B. Tripp.
Health Care Policy Major
The Health Care Policy (HCP) major is offered within the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, and merges curriculum from both the social and natural sciences. HCP builds on the research strengths of the Brooks faculty, who use the theories and methods from economics, sociology, political science 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.
Brooks Honors Program
Health Care Policy majors are eligible for the Brooks Honors Program, which 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 Brooks Undergraduate Office (2301 MVR). For questions, contact BrooksUGProgram@cornell.edu.
Eligibility:
- Students must maintain a 3.3 GPA to be admitted into and complete the honors program. Students whose GPA drops below 3.3 will be dropped from the Honors Program.
- To start the program, students may not have any outstanding incomplete (INC) grades on their record.
- PAM 3120 - Research Design, Practice, and Policy must be completed before starting the program.
Honors Program Requirements:
- Complete a minimum of 6 credits of PAM 4990 - Honors Program , under supervision of a Brooks School faculty mentor, with a grade of B or higher
- Complete PAM 4980 - Honors Seminar
- Complete a basic and advanced statistical software training series as approved by faculty mentor
- Attend four professional research seminars during senior year.
- Present a poster of research during final semester in honors program
- Defend thesis to a committee of faculty
Health Policy Minor
The program 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 PAM 2350 - The U.S. Health Care System (3 credits), 9 credits of upper level health policy coursework from the list below, and additional PAM course electives to reach a minimum of 15 credits of policy coursework.
Upper level Health Policy Coursework:
Minor Policies:
- There can be no substitution for any of the required courses.
- Students must enroll in the PAM section of the course. Cross-listed sections are NOT applicable.
- Students must earn a grade of B- or better in every course. S/U will not be accepted unless it is the only grade option available.
- PAM Special studies courses (PAM 4000, PAM 4010, PAM 4020, PAM 4030) do NOT count towards the Health Policy minor