Overview
There is an increasing need for individuals who understand health related issues and policies, particularly those affecting developing countries, and have the quantitative skills that enable them to analyze and present real-world data to support effective decision-making. The purpose of the Certificate in Health & Development Economics is to provide students with a strong foundation in economic concepts, data analysis, and policy issues pertaining to healthcare and economic development.
Students will learn how to use data to develop and evaluate programs and policies using modern statistical methods. The certificate gives students the applied skills and institutional knowledge increasing in demand in the health research sector, enhancing the student’s career and professional development. The certificate can also provide a springboard towards pursuing a graduate degree in Health Economics.
Certificate Requirements
The Certificate in Health & Development Economics requires the completion of 12 semester hours of coursework. All courses for the certificate must be taken at CU Denver.
Students are expected to meet all course prerequisites or have the director of graduate studies approval to enroll in a course. Students must earn a minimum grade of C- (1.7) in all courses that apply to the certificate and must achieve a minimum cumulative certificate GPA of 2.0. All graded attempts in required courses are calculated in the certificate GPA. Courses taken using pass/fail grading cannot apply to certificate requirements.
Required Courses
ECON 4030 – Data Analysis with SAS
ECON 4812 – Advanced Econometric Methods
ECON 4660 – Health Economics
ECON 4770 – Economic Development
Total: 12 Hours
Complete the Certificate Concurrently with Your Major/Minor Degree
CU Denver undergraduate students may complete the certificate concurrently with their major and/or minor degree program, counting the credits towards both the certificate and their B.A. or B.S. major/minor degrees. However, courses that have already been counted towards any degree already awarded may not be counted towards the certificate retroactively.
A Stepping Stone to a Graduate Degree
Undergraduate students are encouraged to use the certificate program as a bridge to a graduate degree. Qualified students in their senior year may substitute the graduate level ECON 5030 for ECON 4030, Health Economics I (ECON 7661) for Health Economics (ECON 4660), and/or Health Economics II (ECON 7662) for Economic Development (4770). Undergraduate students, non-degree seeking students, and graduate students outside the economics department must meet the prerequisite requirements or have the graduate advisor’s approval prior to taking any graduate level econ course.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completing the Undergraduate Certificate in Health & Development Economics, students will be able to:
- Use statistical software used to preform large scale data analysis.
- Understand the challenges in identifying causal relationships using economics data.
- Understand the fundamentals of the potential outcomes framework, randomized experiments, natural experiments, panel data models, matching, instrumental variables and regression discontinuity designs.
- Understand the economic approach to studying the healthcare sector, health behaviors, and health outcomes.
- Explain concepts and measurement of economic development and understand the factors and constraints influencing economic decision-making in the developing world.