M.S. in Health Economics Program Duration

The M.S. in Health Economic can be completed in as few as three semesters by students who begin the program in the fall, although students who are working full time typically take four or five semesters to complete the program.  All of our M.S. core courses, and most electives, are offered at 5:00 p.m. or later on either a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday schedule.

Financial Assistance for M.S. Students

Financial aid is handled through the University’s financial aid office. You can find more information here. The department of economics offers some financial assistance in form of teaching assistantships (TAs), research assistantships (RAs), and graders. These positions are typically awarded to students after their first semester in the program, but incoming students, including international students, are allowed to apply after they have been admitted to the program. In addition, the department offers a limited number of partial-tuition scholarships. Recipients of these scholarships are hired by the Department of Economics to work as a TAs, RAs, or graders. In addition to their regular pay, recipients will receive a tuition scholarship award that pays some of the tuition costs for graduate level economics courses taken at UC Denver. Students may apply for this award after being admitted to the M.S. program.

Requirements for the M.S. Degree

The M.S. degree requires the completion 30 credit hours, of which 21 hours are core requirements. This coursework provides a solid foundation in microeconomic theory, specializing in health economics, along with substantial exposure to applied econometrics and quantitative analysis.

Students are expected to meet all course prerequisites.  A grade of B- or better is required in all courses, with a cumulative grade point average of B (3.0) or above. No course may be taken more than twice.  The requirements for the degree (30 credit hours) are:

Core Requirements (21 credit hours)

•  Mathematical Economics (ECON 5803)
•  Microeconomics Theory I (ECON 5073)
•  Microeconomics Theory II (ECON 7073)
•  Econometrics I (ECON 5813)
•  Econometrics II (ECON 5823)
•  Health Economics I (ECON 7661)
•  Health Economic II (ECON 7662)

Electives (9 credit hours)

Three courses numbered 5000 or higher with an ECON or HSMP prefix. Courses numbered 6611 or higher with a BIOS prefix may be taken with the graduate advisor’s approval.  Electives include:

• Labor Economics (ECON)
• Public Finance (ECON)
• Data Analysis with SAS (ECON)
• Foundations in Health Service Research I and II (HSMP)
• Cost-Benefit and Effectiveness in Health (HSMP)
• Research Design & Proposal Preparation (HSMP)
• Health Policy (HSMP)
• Health Services Research Methods II (HSMP)
• Health Equity (HSMP)
• Economic Growth and Development (ECON)
• International Trade (ECON)
• Macroeconomic Theory (ECON)
• History of Economic Thought (ECON)
• Economic Forecasting (ECON)

Graduate Examination

Students must successfully complete a capstone project in which proficiency in the knowledge and skills comprising the M.S. degree in Health Economics is demonstrated.