Degrees & Certificates Offered | School of Health Policy & Management

Delivering high-quality, cost-effective health care and developing public policies that maintain health is increasingly challenging. The demand for highly skilled managers, digital health specialists, and policy makers has never been higher.

The School of Health Policy and Management offers a degree in health studies in a way that is one of a kind. Its unique team of researchers and educators explores health from interdisciplinary perspectives – including management, law, medicine, engineering, informatics, social sciences, history, and the arts – to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of current health care and health system challenges.

You can choose a Health Studies major or a Specialized Honours in Health Policy, Management & Digital Health. No matter what you choose, you will benefit from an integrated exploration of all three of these areas because the School offers a distinct approach to health and social systems education. The School focuses on themes that address the organization and management of Canadian and international health care and public policy systems, and the concerns of a variety of populations within them.

The program’s creative and strategic approach emphasizes a social determinants of health approach and broadens the current focus on the treatment of illness to emphasize prevention and equity. In addition, the program poses questions about how health policies, health management approaches, and digital health strategies can make the health care system more integrated.

Whether you choose a career on the front lines of health care or an administrative role, you will gain critical thinking, writing, reading and presentation skills to aid health organizations in shaping the future of health care. Visit the careers page for information about possible careers.

The School offers three degrees and two certificates:

Our health system is more integrated than ever before and digital technologies are reshaping the way health is delivered. Students in Health Policy, Management & Digital Health will examine interdependencies between policy, management, and digital health in an interdisciplinary way. Students will examine how governments and institutions develop and implement policies that shape the health of Canadians and the health care system. These policies concern the organization of the health care system as well as the distribution of economic and social resources amongst Canadians that promote health and cause illness. Students will acquire health management knowledge in organizational behaviour, healthcare quality and safety, health system performance, leadership and decision making that can be used to improve care delivery and the health of our workforce. Digital health technologies and big data are reshaping the way healthcare is delivered – students will explore challenges and opportunities of various technologies including: digital health, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning. This Specialized Honours degree does not require students to declare a focus in Policy, Management or Digital Health but it does allow for flexible and informal specialization in any of these areas (see how the course requirements are structured). It’s 9.0 credit experiential practicum is unique and is only open to students in this Specialized Honours degree.

The program is novel given the health equity focus that underlies the program, the skills in health data analysis students will obtain, and its coverage of three critical areas of health studies (management, policy & digital health). This specialized Honours degree will meet the growing demand for Health Studies graduates who have an interdisciplinary understanding of policy, management, and digital health and are therefore well versed in the growing interconnectedness and complexity that increasingly characterizes health systems.

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The general Honours BHS program offers a unique approach to health systems education. By incorporating a social determinants of health framework, the program emphasizes the organization of health care and other systems, the diversity of Canadians, the role of communities, and fairness and social justice as integral considerations in the development of effective health care models. These issues are examined through the study of the most recent developments in management practice, health planning, and use of information in health care.

This program allows students to complete pre-med and other pre-health professional course requirements (e.g. occupational therapy, physiotherapy, nursing, etc.) In addition, students can do a double major or major-minor in conjunction with many other York programs.

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The ordinary BHS program introduces students to the fundamentalsin health policy, health management and health informatics, with a ‘social determinants of health’ framework incorporated in the study plan. The program prepares student for the job market in management, informatics and policy.

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This Certificate will provide students with specific knowledge and insight into the growing field of health informatics. They will learn about the use of information management as it relates to all aspects of the health care sector, as well as how to develop and manage information systems. Building on courses that examine concepts, principles and processes of information management in health care, they will examine issues such as the societal implications of health informatics, applications and emerging issues for educators and practitioners. Through seminars, laboratory simulations and self-directed research, they will broaden their knowledge and expertise in this expanding area of health care.

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Accountability for decision-making in health service organizations has never been more important. Decision-makers at all levels in health care must be able to make financially sound, viable and defendable decisions. This certificate provides the skills and critical insight necessary to effectively manage health service organizations and contribute in a beneficial way to the health system.

The program is a collaboration between our School and the School of Administrative Studies in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, bringing together the core strengths from each area to provide an innovative, first-ever certificate that is available nowhere else. The certificate is designed for both those who wish to enter the health sector and those who wish to further themselves in their current industry roles.

To apply for the Certificate in Health Services Financial Management, please contact the School of Administrative Studies. Questions about Certificate courses offered by the School of Health Policy and Management (SHPM) should be directed to the SHPM office

Possible Careers

Health services executive/administrator
Health Information Manager
Health Services Project Administrator
Health Care Executive Director
Health Services Research Analyst
Health Sector or Government Employee/Executive
Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) Manager, Consultant

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Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries

Student Association of Health Management, Policy & Informatics

Calumet College