Health Policy and Law
La Jolla Village Professional Center
8950
Villa La Jolla Dr., Suite A-212
(858) 534-9162
E-mail: healthlaw@ucsd.edu
http://hlaw.ucsd.edu
http://cwsl.edu
All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice. Updates to curricular sections may be found on the Academic Senate website: http://senate.ucsd.edu/Curriculum/Updates.htm.
Program Description
The master of advanced studies (MAS) in Health Policy and Law is a joint-degree offering from UC San Diego and California Western School of Law (CWSL). The program was developed in response to the increasing need to equip professionals from the health-care and legal disciplines with a more complete understanding of the best scientific, ethical, regulatory, and management practices. The chief aim of the program since inception has been to build students’ competencies in the process of public policy, often as implemented via legal systems, as well as understanding frameworks for applying policy to health systems and health policy research and development. As medical decisions grow more complicated and far-reaching, the intersection of legal and medical/health care practices will be one of the most critical focal points of society for decades to come. Managed care, advances in medical treatment and biotechnology, issues of access, and bioethics all absorb the attention of our regulatory, legislative, and judicial systems. Health-care and legal professionals will need to have the specialized skills and training to be effective and influential in this complex environment.
Led by select faculty from the School of Medicine at UC San Diego and California Western School of Law, the rigorous and timely graduate-level curriculum is designed to orient professionals to the common activities, philosophy of practice, and challenges of the companion discipline in health care or law. The program focuses on acculturating practitioners in both fields to become leaders in providing integrated, sensitive solutions to everyday practice and policy issues.
Admission
New students are admitted in the fall quarter of each academic year. Prospective candidates should submit an official UC San Diego online graduate application for admission, the application fee, one set of official transcripts from each institution attended after high school, three letters of professional letters of recommendation, and a current résumé or c.v. The GRE/GMAT is not required; however, it is strongly recommended that candidates possess, or currently be pursuing, a graduate degree in a scientific or health care related field and also have some level of experience in scientific or clinical research. In some instances candidates without an advanced degree may be admitted to the joint-degree program if they have demonstrated substantial professional experience in the field at increasing levels of responsibility. The application deadline is April 5.
Program of Study
The part-time master’s degree program is designed to be completed in eighteen months to two or three years, depending upon a participant’s time to devote to the program. Responsibility for course offerings is shared between UC San Diego School of Medicine and California Western School of Law and students will be expected to enroll in courses at both institutions. Classes are typically held in the late afternoons or evenings, to allow flexibility for participants’ home and work life. The forty-five-unit degree comprises twenty-one units of required courses, which includes six units of independent study project, twelve units of prescribed electives, and twelve units of general electives as follows:
Core Courses—24 units required:
- Foundation in Law and Medical/Health-Care Practice, HLAW 211 (3)—fall/spring
- Principles in Health Law and Policy A, HLAW 207A ( 4.5)—fall
- Principles in Health Law and Policy B, HLAW 207B ( 4.5)—winter
- Current Topics in Health Policy and Law, HLAW 213 (3.0)—winter
- Applied Health Law & Policy, HLAW 210 (3)—spring
- Health Law Research Forum A-C, HLAW 298A-C, (1-1-1)—fall/winter/spring
- Independent Study Project in Health Law, HLAW 299 (3)—fall/winter/spring
Prescribed Electives—12 units required:
Students must take a minimum of four units from Group A, B and C for a total of twelve units.
A. Healthcare Organizations and Finance
- Modern Healthcare, LHCO 215 (2)
- Topics in Financial Decision Making, LHCO 206 (2)
- Topics in Health Law: Techniques for Analysis of Contemporary Legal/Policy Problems in Health Care, CWSL-PR/SW-644 (4.5)
B. Policy
- Health Law and Policy, CWSL-SW/OP-637 (4.5)
- Global Health Policy A, HLAW 209A (2.0)
- Global Health Policy B, HLAW 209B (2.0)
- Global Health Policy C, HLAW 209C (2.0)
C. Bioethics
- Bioethics Seminar: Legal Focus, CWSL-SEM-613 (4.5)
- Bioethics Seminar: Clinical Focus A and/or B, HLAW 205A-B (2.0)
General Elective Courses—12 units required:
Students enroll in twelve units of general electives chosen from the following list of courses preapproved by the department:
- Health Policy and Law Independent Study, HLAW 214 (1.0)
- Biostatistics I, CLRE 253 (2.0)
- Special Topics in Health Law, HLAW 212 (2.0)
- Influencing Public Policy, HLAW 208 (2.0)
- Directed Studies in Health Law, HLAW 298 (2.0)
- Financial Accounting and Analysis, LHCO 213 (2.0)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution, CWSL-PRAC-706 (4.5)
- Mediation Advocacy, CWSL-PRAC-771 (4.5)
- Medical Malpractice Litigation, CWSL-LAW-504 (3.0)
- Occupational/Environmental Health, FPM-246 (2.0)
- Problem Solving and Prevention in Health Care, CWSL-PRAC-687 (4.5)
- Representing Healthcare Organizations, CWSL-SEM-704 (4.5)
- Aging, Law, and Public Policy, CWSL-SW/OP-599-0 (4.5)
- Managing People and Teams, LHCO-204 (2.0)
- Mental Health Law, CWSL-SEM-671-0 (3.0)
- Patient Outcomes and Quality of Care, LHCO 209 (4.0)
- Using and Managing Information and Information Technologies, LHCO 203 (4.0)
- Product Liability Law, CWSL-LAW-528 (3.0)
- Child Welfare Law and Policy, CWSL-SEM-349 (3.0)
- Biotechnology Seminar, CWSL-SWR-612 (4.5)
- Practical Business Skills for Health-Care Professionals, LHCO 214 (2.0)
- Clinical Decision Analysis, CLRE-264 (2.0)
- Anthropology of Medicine, FPM-236 (4.0)
- FDA Law, CWSL-SWR-601(4.5)
- Issues and Dilemmas in Clinical Trials, FPM-285A (2.0)
- Women’s Health Issues, FPM-235 (2.0)
- Case Studies in Health Care Programs: Poor and Underserved Populations, FPM-260 (3.0)
- Child Abuse and Neglect, CWSL-Law-618 (4.5)
- Clinical Decision Analysis, CLRE-264 (2.0)
- Problems in Global Health, FPM-252 (1.0)
- Public Health Law, CWSL, SW/EO-673 (4.5)
- Selected Problems in Health Law, CWSL, SWR-640 (4.0)