The Health Economics/Health Services Research program helps students understand how health services, systems, technologies and policies are designed to function in ways that are effective, efficient, and ethical. Through rigorous coursework, research opportunities, and experiential learning, students gain expertise in understanding the complexities of the healthcare industry. Core disciplines of the program include health economics, economic evaluation of public health, survey design, quantitative and statistical methods, big data management and analysis, health outcomes and quality of care studies, non-medical determinants of health, healthcare decision making, and healthcare policy. In addition to the major courses, students also choose a minor area of concentration from other fields of public health. Graduates are equipped to pursue careers in academia, government, policy institutes, private industry, and non-profit where they can further impact healthcare delivery and policy. 

See the Fall 2025 to Summer 2026 PhD Health Economics and Health Services Research Degree Planner.

All doctoral students have access to expertise, faculty, and research across all locations.

This degree program is managed by the Department of Management, Policy, and Community Health (MPACH).

The department chair is Aanand Naik, MD, and the academic and admissions advisor is Leticia Valles.

For more information about the Department of Management, Policy, and Community Health, visit their web page.

In addition to the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health’s general admission requirements, Health Economics and Health Services Research PhD candidate applications will also be evaluated against the following considerations:  

• An earned master’s degree or equivalent in one of the social sciences, policy, law, management or public health
• Successful completion of coursework covering quantitative methods, statistics and mathematics

The PhD program requires students to complete 48 credit hours* as detailed in the Health Economics and Health Services Research PhD degree planner. Most full-time students complete the PhD program in three to five years. For more information about academic requirements at UTHealth School of Public Health, reference the academic catalog.

*For students who do not hold a graduate degree in public health, additional coursework and time to bring you up to competence may be required.