Health Finance and Management, MHS

Master of Health Science in Health Finance and Management, MHS

Applications are not accepted for the MHS in Health Finance and Management program. The MHS in Health Finance and Management is a degree that can only be awarded to JHU-Tsinghua DrPH cohort students who cannot fulfill the doctoral requirements due to curtailed time available, unanticipated research difficulties, or late shifts in dissertation projects. 

MHS HFM Program Policies
 

Advising

All students are assigned a faculty adviser at the time of admission to the program. Advisers play an important role in the student's academic life. The adviser is expected to keep abreast of school and departmental degree requirements so that they can counsel advisees on courses and the proper progression towards the degree. Registration, add/drop, pass/fail agreements and many other School forms require the signature of the student's adviser. In addition, any special requests or petitions that a student submits to any of the administrative offices of the School will require the endorsement of the student's adviser as well as that of the Department chair. In an effort to eliminate unclear expectations for both faculty and students, the following guidelines have been developed.

Expectations, Rights, and Responsibilities
Students can expect their adviser to work with them in defining educational goals, coursework, and independent studies that will assist in achieving their goals. In addition, the adviser periodically will review academic progress with the student, including assessing the student's strengths and weaknesses. Advisers provide advice while students must make the final choices consistent with the guidelines and policies of the Department, School, and University.

Students are responsible for scheduling regular meetings with their advisers, in-person or by phone, to discuss goals, progress, problems, and next steps. If an adviser does not know the answer to specific questions or issues, the adviser will refer the student to knowledgeable sources. Advisers are expected to make a regular time available for student-adviser meetings or have a clearly stated process by which students can schedule a time to meet individually. Students have the right to change advisers and individual faculty members have the right to accept or not to accept any specific student as an advisee. The first step in the process of changing advisers is to consult the program director.

Advisers are expected to provide what guidance they can in helping a student meet the financial demands of tuition and living expenses. This may include assistance in completing applications for scholarships, dissertation grants, and training grants. The Department's Office of Academic Affairs and the School's Office of Financial Aid share responsibilities for advising students on financial aid and work opportunities.

Minimum Expectations for Student-Adviser Meetings
Students enrolled in the program should expect to meet with their faculty adviser once each term, either in-person or via Zoom. Meetings should be scheduled so students can prepare in advance, should be at least a half-hour or more in duration, and should be conducted in an appropriate location, desirably without interruptions.

Required Course Waivers/Substitution Policy

In rare cases, students may request a waiver or substitution of a required program course.  Any request must be submitted in writing according to the guidelines outlined below at least one week prior to the start of the academic term and be approved in writing by the student's Program Director.

Examples of when a substitution might be appropriate: 

• A student has successfully completed a graduate level course with a grade of "A" or "B" that covered the same content areas as the required course. (The completed graduate-level course syllabus must be submitted with the request.)
• A course or series of courses fulfills a general area of the required curriculum, such as biostatistics or epidemiology, but the student wishes to take a different course or series that is equally or more advanced than the normal requirement and that better aligns with their overall academic and career goals.

Course substitutions must abide by the following principles: 

• A strong rationale must be made for how the substitution will benefit the student's overall academic and career goals.
• The resulting curriculum meets the requirements of the learning competencies of the student's program. 

Procedure for making a substitution request: 

• The request for substitution must be submitted to the student's Program Director in writing at least one week before the substituted course is to be offered.
• A brief rationale for the substitution must be provided in writing.
• A completed course-by-course curriculum plan for the degree must accompany the request.
• Approval or denial will be provided by the Program Director within one week of being received. Decisions on course substitutions may not be appealed. As such, students should be prepared to complete the required curriculum if the request is denied.
• Waiver or substitution decisions are communicated to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs for documentation.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory academic progress is measured by the following as they relate to one another:

• To maintain satisfactory academic performance and good academic standing, all master's and certificate students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.75, and all doctoral students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00 and grades of A, B, or P (pass) in all courses required by the School or by the student’s department
• Written documentation of successful completion of all Bloomberg School and departmental degree requirements within the established time limitations
• Confirmation of satisfactory performance by the student’s department and/or adviser as required. Each term, the progress of students is reviewed, and those students not making satisfactory progress in terms of the cumulative grade point average and completion of requirements within established deadlines are identified for all academic departments. Students may not graduate unless in good academic standing. Additional policies regarding continuation in a program while not in good academic standing are left to individual programs. Whether a D is considered acceptable to serve as a prerequisite will be determined by the course’s sponsoring department

IMPORTANT: Students receiving federal loans and federal work-study funding must adhere to the Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy posted on the Financial Aid Office website.

MHS in HFM Learning Outcomes