Health Policy (PhD)

The program is designed to train intellectual leaders in the field who will make seminal contributions to policy understanding and practice. The curriculum provides theory and empirical methods for framing, investigating, and answering crucial questions about health policy. Graduates are equally well prepared for leadership positions in government, consulting, non-governmental organizations or private industry.

Areas of Research

• Determinants of health and health inequalities
• Equity of health systems
• Health care financing and funding
• Organization and delivery of care
• Health human resources and health professions
• Health technology assessment
• Knowledge transfer and exchange
• Public and community engagement
• Patient centered care and shared descision-making
• Values and ethics in health policy
• Global health policy
• Indigenous health policy
• Mental health
• Public health

• Master’s Degree
• B+ minimum average, based on previous graduate work
• Each program may set additional/higher requirements. Please review the program website for details.
• Admission to a graduate program is based on a judgement by the University that the applicant can successfully complete the graduate degree program
• Degrees and grades from foreign universities are evaluated for their equivalency to McMaster’s. Please contact the program for specific details.
• Departments or programs may establish additional requirements, such as scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
• Admission is competitive: meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission
• The admission decision is not subject to appeal
• Applicants who do not meet the above mentioned requirements, should consult the Graduate Calendar to determine the requirements for exceptional cases