The UCSF School of Medicine and the UC Hastings College of Law have proposed a new Masters of Science degree in Health Policy and Law (HPL). In 2012, UCSF and UC Hastings signed a formal Affiliation Agreement; the HPL program proposal has been developed in the context of that Agreement. The HPL seeks to advance health by preparing learners to develop evidence-based policy and law. Its interdisciplinary curriculum provides necessary skills to interpret health-related research and translate it into effective policies, regulation, and legislation.

The HPL will be a one-year, self-supporting degree jointly conferred by UCSF and UC Hastings. All learners will participate in a longitudinal core curriculum and then pursue one of two specialty tracks – in health policy research (concentrated at UCSF) or in health law (concentrated at UC Hastings).

Passage of the Affordable Care Act has sparked momentous shifts in health and healthcare. The HPL program will create a workforce with the competency to understand and leverage these shifts in ways that improve health. The degree aligns with the UCSF Chancellor’s support for online and interprofessional health education and will be offered both in-person and online to meet the needs of local and distance learners. Program development is being coordinated with related programs in other professional schools, the Graduate Division, CTSI, and with programs at UC Hastings.

View the full program proposal here.
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