Undergraduate Program

Wharton Undergraduate Health Care Management and Policy Concentration

The Health Care Management Department offers the “Health Care Management and Policy” concentration to Wharton undergraduates who wish to learn about health care markets and factors that significantly influence decision making both at the policy level and at the level of the firm or organization. Health care management is an exciting field, which to the undergraduate major, offers excellent career opportunities in private health care corporations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. Four courses are required for the concentration. With nine health care electives and the opportunity to take selected MBA-level health care management courses, students are able to integrate core general management skills with sophisticated understanding of the institutions of health care, a combination which health care leaders and executives value highly in new graduates. Additional information can be found at Health Care Management and Policy Concentration.

Elective Courses for Non-Wharton Students

Health care management is interdisciplinary in nature, requiring broad knowledge of institutions, organizational behavior, life sciences, economic incentives and the many factors that shape the supply and demand of health care services and therapies. Students from other schools on campus such as Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Nursing are eligible to enroll in any of the undergraduate health care management courses offered by the Health Care Management Department. Students contemplating careers in clinical medicine, nursing, dentistry, or biomedical sciences have found that knowledge and understanding of the organizational and economic context in which they will be working is fundamental to their effectiveness as a health professional. Many students who are not in pre-professional tracks but who have an interest in rounding out their liberal arts education or who may want to enter a health care career in a non-clinical role have also benefited from the offerings in health care management. Every health care management course draws students from programs across the University which reflects the complexity of the health care system itself and enhances the learning experience for all students.

University Minors and Dual Degree Programs

The Health Care Management Department co-sponsors one University Minor and participates in the University Minor in Nursing and Health Services Management and the Dual Degree Program jointly offered by the Wharton School and the School of Nursing. These options are geared toward pre-professional students who wish to have a formal designation as having completed the required coursework in two related fields.

University Minor in Biological Basis of Behavior (BBB) and Health Services Management

The BBB/Health Services Management University Minor is jointly sponsored by the Biological Basis of Behavior Program and the Health Care Management Department. The Minor consists of eight courses, four from Health Care Management Department and four from the BBB program. For additional information regarding the BBB minor, please see BBB and Health Services Management Minor

University Minor in Nursing and Health Services Management

The School of Nursing, The Wharton School and the College of Arts and Sciences jointly offer this minor. Students are required to take a total of eight courses, three of which can be selected from offerings of the Health Care Management Department. For additional information, please see Minor in Nursing and Health Services Management.

Dual Degree in Nursing and Wharton

This joint degree program combines a BSN degree from the School of Nursing with a BS degree in Economics from the Wharton School. Students in this program select the Health Care Management and Policy concentration in the Wharton half of their curriculum. Additional information can be found at Interdisciplinary Study at Wharton and Interdisciplinary Study at Penn.