Description and Structure
Master Program Description
There is no doubt that the health status of the population is one of the main indicators of a nation’s wellbeing. In terms of policy, it is hard to find a sector with a more intense regulatory activity and reform, and more so in the last two decades. Prompted by the ever rising costs of healthcare, governments are seeking to introduce incentives for cost containment while avoiding both limitations in the access to healthcare and reductions in its quality. Insurance and equity criteria contribute to making the tradeoff between quality and cost more complex than in other areas of our economy. All stakeholders, be health agencies in governments, healthcare suppliers, or taxpayers, are seeking professionals with a good command of analytic techniques and a deep knowledge of the institutional background. This is the training that this new master aims to give to its students.
We are joining forces with two other related master programs under the umbrella of the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, namely, the Competition and Market Regulation Program and the Economics of Science and Innovation Program. This gives our studies a comparative advantage over existing alternatives, which is expressed in a wider perspective of the healthcare sector. Another of our aims is to go beyond the present trends of pure economic and policy evaluation and provide students with a critical appraisal of current methods.
With this objective in mind, besides the core studies in heath technology assessment, we have included in the program courses providing a comparative vision of health systems, a view of the structure of the biosciences market, the tools of political and organizational analysis, and medical ethics. In a nutshell, we aim to endow students with the analytical capacity oriented towards decision-making in all aspects of the healthcare sector.
Master Degree
Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive a Master Degree in Specialized Economic Analysis awarded jointly by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
All Barcelona GSE master degrees have been recognized by the Catalan and Spanish Education authorithies within the framework of the Bologna Process (in Spanish, “Master Universitario o Master Oficial”).
Structure
This is a full-time nine-month master program structured in three terms: Fall term (from September to December), Winter term (from January to March) and Spring term (from April to June). For more information, please download the academic calendar.
Students are strongly advised to take the Math and Statistics review course offered in September.
Credits
The degree requires the successful completion of 60 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits of graduate courses (6 credits are equivalent to a 40 hour course).
Grades
The academic performance of each student is reviewed regularly. Attention is given to the maintenance of normal academic progress, through a combination of formal written examinations and coursework. All courses will award grades.
Campus
The Health Economics and Policy master is located on two campuses. The first and third terms are taught at the Ciutadella campus of Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona (UPF). The second term is taught at the Bellaterra Campus of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). Both are connected to the city center through public transportation (35 minutes from UAB station in Bellaterra Campus to the heart of the city at Plaza Catalunya, 12 minutes from Ciutadella campus to Plaza Catalunya). Students can take advantage of a wide array of services and activities offered by both the UPF and the UAB.
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