PROGRAM OF STUDY
The program combines the convenience of having approximately half the course work provided in Taipei, and the experience of studying in the United States during the summer. Some students opt to spend the dissertation phase, following their coursework, at the Columbia, South Carolina campus for one to two years. Students take 49 credit hours in coursework and 12 credit hours of dissertation, for a total of 61 credit hours. Those who do their dissertation in Columbia are required to take additional dissertation hours in order to maintain their student visa status.
The program is identical to the Ph.D. offered in Columbia to full-time students, and generally the same faculty members who teach on the Columbia campus teach the courses for this program. Some courses are now being offered via the Internet by video-streaming live lectures being given on the Columbia campus. For all courses, there will be face-to-face contact time with the professor either in Taiwan or during the on-campus summer session. Students will take an 18-credit hour core in health policy, management, reimbursement, quality management and improvement, health services research methods, and biostatistics. Students take an additional 12 credit hours in statistics and research methods (e.g. demography, reliability and validity, clinical trials, qualitative methods, advanced regression models), 15 credit hours of management electives (e.g. information systems, decision analysis, human resources, planning, marketing), four credit of doctoral seminar, and 12 credit hours of dissertation. Applicants should view the Department of Health Services Policy and Management web site for more information on the program.