Health Care Policy & Management
Rolling Admissions
Both the Master's and the Advanced Certificate in Health Care Management
are accepting applications three times a year:

Spring matriculation - Apply by December 1
Summer matriculation - Apply by April 1
Fall matriculation - Apply by July 1

• Master of Science in Health Care Policy and Management
• Advanced Certificate in Health Care Management
• Advanced Certificate in Community Health

Admissions Requirements

We no longer have a specific application deadline for either the Master’s or the Advanced Certificate

Once you have submitted a complete application
we will review your file

Master of Science in Health Care Policy and Management (MS HCPM)

Applicants for admission into our Master of Science program must meet the following admissions criteria and submit completed applications by the application deadline for consideration:

1.     Successful completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, or its equivalent, prior to applying. 

• Strong record of academic achievement (preference given to a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale) at the undergraduate level.
• Graduate coursework and achievements will also be considered when available.
• Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions must be included with the application.
• Foreign degrees must be evaluated to ensure they meet the equivalency of an American bachelor’s or master’s degree. (Visit www.wes.org for directions.)  Official transcripts and an official evaluation from WES must be submitted.

2.     If appropriate, have and document appropriate professional status (if applicable), ie: registration, certification or licensure.

3.     A)  Have taken the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or equivalent examination within the last five years. 

• GREs must be taken and official GRE scores received in order for us to consider your application. 
• Applicants who receive a 3.0 or less on the writing section of the GREs will be required to complete an essay writing diagnostic during the summer/fall of the year they are accepted. 
• Completion of this assessment and training tool is required prior to registration for any other MSHCPM courses.

OR

      B)  Students who have successfully completed a United States accredited graduate program prior to applying for HCPM may be accepted without having taken the GRE's or equivalent test.

4.   A) Evidence of not less than one year of documentable, verifiable full-time paid work experience in a health-related field prior to the application deadline must be included with the application. 

• If, by the time you apply and your file is reviewed for admissions, the applicant is in a full-time job for less than a year but anticipates having a full year of health-related work experience by the time of matriculation (fall semester for the year you are applying), a letter of support from the employer must accompany the application.
• Volunteer work and/or summer employment obtained prior to completion of a baccalaureate degree does not meet this admissions requirement. 
• Work “off the books” cannot be considered, that is you must have been officially employed and be able to document this employment with official tax forms from the IRS (or the equivalent if the employment was not in the USA). 
• Some health care work experience must be within the past five years.

OR

      B) Be accepted into the University's dietetic internship program.

OR

     C) Have successfully compelted one year of post-baccalaureate full-time accredited clinical training (proof required).

All applicants to the MS HCPM program (especially if they are unsure if they meet admissions requirements for the master’s degree) are encouraged to apply to one of our advanced certificate programs.

Students may be permitted to transfer in six graduate credits from an accredited American university.  Transfer credits will not be evaluated until a student has been accepted into the Master's Program.  Any transfer credits must have been taken within the previous five years and must not have been used toward any other degrees/certificates.  Transfer credits is at the discretion of the department.  Transfer credits may never be used for core courses.

Advanced Certificate in Health Care Management

Applicants for admission into the Advanced Certificate in Health Care Management program must meet the following admissions criteria and submit completed applications by the application deadline for consideration:

1. Successful completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, or its equivalent, prior to applying.
   • Good record of academic achievement (preference given to a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.8 on a 4.0 scale) at the undergraduate level.
   • Graduate coursework and achievements will also be considered when available.  In particular, preference will be given to matriculated students in the Stony Brook University MBA program at the time of application who have completed the other Advanced Certificate eligibility requirements.
   • Foreign degrees must be evaluated to ensure they meet the equivalency of an American bachelor’s or master’s degree. (Visit www.wes.org for directions.)  Official transcripts and an official evaluation from WES must be submitted. (Foreign students must be enrolled in a graduate-level master's program in order to apply for the Advanced Certificate.)

Those applying to the Advanced Certificate who do not have work experience must have one year of full-time work experience in a health-related field before they can matriculate in the master’s program.  (See #4, above under Master of Science in Health Care Policy and Management.)

For a student who is matriculated in the Advanced Certificate or who has completed the Advanced Certificate, no more than 18 credits may be applied to the Master of Science in Health Care Policy and Management.   Students must apply to and be accepted into the Master's program in order to take any additional courses.  Once a student has taken the 18 credits needed to complete the Advanced Certificate, the student must be accepted into the Master's program in order to take any additional courses.

Students in the Advanced Certificate may not transfer any courses into the program.  All 18 credits must be taken at Stony  Brook University (12 credits are required in the Health Care Policy and Management Program; 6 credits may be taken in the College of Business).

Advanced Certificate in Community Health

We no longer offer an Advanced Certificate in Community Health. Applicants who are interested in Community Health should contact the Master’s in Public Health (631-444-2074).