LSE - Advice Please

Society Business and Career
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My background is in Public Policy & Administration but i’ve been accepted into LSE/LSHTM for a MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Finance. I’m debating if I should go.

I know it’s a decent place but what what are the job prospects like? Is the program recognized where you live?

Lucid, if you’re reading this, can you pls chime in? I’d appreciate if you shared your experience. I’d like to go to law school (or maybe maybe maybe b-school) and am debating whether its a good combination (public pol, admin, health policy, finance). Have you encountered any students with a health policy background? I’ve read of a chap that did his MBA before this and he seems to be doing fairly well.

Thanks.
-H

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Re: LSE - Advice Please

HSK, There’s no point in questioning the credibility and recognition of an LSE program – you won’t have to worry about it being acknowledged in employment circles as well as academia.

Also, as a program, Health Policy & Planning is certainly going to be in demand – with an over taxed medical system in the developed world, you’ll have ample opportunities working for government, nonprofits, or the healthcare industry – take your pick. Besides, healthcare reform has remained the one constant in all new administrations in Canada and the US and as such, it will remain a high priority both for the public and any new government.

So I don’t have any hesitation in recommending the program or the school.

That being said, my question to you is about your plans for law school or b-school? It almost sounds as if you’re thinking of the MSc in Health Policy as a stepping stone whereas you don’t really need it. You can get into law school or b-school directly… although for the latter, it’s preferred that you have some work experience and somewhat of an idea of what you want the MBA to do for you. So I'd like to ask you what you're thinking when you want to pursue these specific options?

Also, most Health Administration programs that I’m familiar with offer many courses similar to the MBA – just in the context of the healthcare sector, so I’m not even sure if there’s a point in getting an MHP and an MBA. If your intention is to be a healthcare policy practitioner, the MHP should be more than enough on it’s own.

Law school is a different ballgame altogether though… and since I don’t have direct experience in that area myself, I’ll let someone else add their bit. My question though is whether you see any synergies between the MHP and the type of legal practice you want to get into if you were to go that route?

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Thanks bhai,

I was thinking about doing the MSc and pairing it with a law or business degree because, to be honest, I dont know what a masters is worth. I recently finished a BA in Public Policy & Administration and have found it to be worth very little in the job market.

Looking to the future, the policy positions I've seen ask for a law degree and the administration positions I've seen ask for a business degree. I just assumed that somewhere down the line I'd have to pair a MPH with a law or business degree. I could be wrong.

Do you think a MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Finance is a good enough final degree? Do you think there's any value in getting a MSc and then tagging it along with a law degree or business degree? Or is it just too much? I'd like to think a masters isn't a stepping stone but rather an end point. I'm just not sure if that's how it is.

I still have a few more applications in public health, health admin and health policy that I'm waiting for. It's not easy picking a masters program and you've been really helpful. Can I PM you in the future with any other questions?

Once again, thank you for all you've done (for all of us).

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Re: LSE - Advice Please

I look forward to reading Lucid's views on this further....very nice Q&A here very useful and educational to me

Dil parhna
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HSK... if I were to suggest a path based on what I've see with students in Management of Health Services programs in two b-schools, as well as two other colleagues who work in Health Policy... I would say that the MSc itself should suffice.

You're right in that a BA on it's own isn't quite enough to land you with an opportunity with the same prospects of growth as it used to 7 or 10 years ago. At the bare minimum, over the last years, I've seen employers ask for a degree and a more hands-on or co-op based post-grad program from a community college.

With the two colleagues I know, one actually did an MBA with a concentration in Health Services Administration, while the other simply had an undergraduate degree in Commerce and paired that with diploma in Health Regulatory Affairs (or something similar sounding) from Humber College. The difference in their career paths was that the guy with the MBA started off at a Policy Advisor level while the guy with the undergrad and diploma started at the Analyst level. I should say though that both had different number of years of experience though - the latter one having almost negligible.

I can try to put you in touch with these folks to see if they can offer advice as well.

Again, I personally see little need for an additional degree unless you find yourself in a situation where you think it's a necessity to get into the type of role you want to see yourself in. Initially, I would suggest deciding whether you want to invest the time, money and effort into a graduate degree right out of school or may be a quick stint at a community college might help you land a reasonable opportunity where you can work for a couple of years and make a more informed decision based on what you see around you.

Yes I do... especially if it is an "MSc"... and not just a "Masters in Health Policy...". In the latter case, I'd need to look at the curriculum a little more. The difference between an MSc and a Masters is an academic issue really and the employers are rarely aware of the nuances, but on the outset, you can expect an MSc program to be more regulated with stricter guidelines for up-to-date curriculum with an industry voice.

I really think that a specialized Masters degree is self-sufficient - once you're in the workplace, you can always fill in any "gaps" with additional industry endorsed qualifications and professional training options.

My only advice in selecting a good program for public health is to seek a program where you have a mix of faculty from business and health sciences background - a partnership between b-school and a health sciences faculty is often a model I've seen work well in the past. Also, find out if there are any capstone projects or practicum components where you'd be able to work with people from the industry on real-world issues. I know a lot of MPH programs are based on the case method, but I've found the practicum approach to be a better fit with programs like MPH. That's one of the reasons why Alberta's program is quite well regarded in the industry. Where I teach, we have a similar residency program in place that tries to mimic the Alberta model.

no problem... you have my email address - I'd be glad to help in any way I can.

Say you have a Valentine
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Bhai, you’ve addressed my concerns plus some I never knew I had. Thanks! :smiley:

This program is a combined program between London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and London School of Econ and Poli Sci (LSE). So b-school and health policy together. Its what drew me to the program. If rankings mean anything, LSHTM has “an outstanding international reputation in public health” and LSE is.. well LSE. The program summary is here: MSc Health Policy, Planning and Financing - Taught programmes - Graduate Prospectus - Graduate Admissions - LSE and the program objectives are here: http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/tpd/qmt/HPPFCourseMap.pdf

One final question I have, and then I promise to stop bugging you, is what sort of reputation does LSE (or even London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) have in your business or consulting circles? In North America? I understand that finance is highly regarded (esp in Asia) but are other programs like policy just as respected?

From what I’ve seen and heard the field of health policy is still relatively new in Canada and has lots of room to grow. University after university is launching either a dedicated school of health policy or atleast a program. UofT recently got their Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Queens is getting ready to launch their own Masters of Public Health program.

Also, thanks for offering to ask your friends and I doubt they’ll be able to tell me as much, in as much depth, as you have already done.

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bump

anyone else have advice to offer?

Timepass - February
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HSK,

I've gone over the program objectives and the prospectus - it looks like pretty well-rounded. In terms of reputation and recognition, any and all social science discipline that are affiliated with LSE are considered competitive with the top-tier schools around the world... and the reputation is acknowledged in academic as well as practitioner circles. So yes, be it business, economics, policy, law, or public administration... all are well regarded.

I'm not too familiar with LSHTM though, so can't comment on that.

In terms of Health Policy as a discipline in Canada being in its infancy... I'd have to disagree somewhat. Many Universities have been offering health policy related programs for many years... although schools tend to specialize in sub-disciplines. McMaster has had a collaborative program in Health Policy at the graduate level for more than 20 years now... similarly, U of T has had a Health Informatics program for a few years now... and York's School of Health Policy & Management is by far the best in terms of an undergraduate program in Health Policy.

The new initiatives you've mentioned are perhaps "new" in the sense that some of the older programs will now have a new home and the b r a nding of the programs might be different. Also there may be dedicated faculty and specialized resources that won't have to be shared with other faculties. Again, depending on how these programs get implemented, this may be a good or a bad thing. I'd have to check them out before I can say more.

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Re: LSE - Advice Please

Thanks bhai,

I read your response a while back but have only got time to thank you now.

I was wrong to say the programs are in their infancy. They certainly have been around. What I meant to say was that these programs have a long way to go. The discipline is now being taken seriously and the financing will slowly but surely follow. This wasn't always the case.

Timepass - March 2013
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Re: LSE - Advice Please

Salaam Bhai,

I got an acceptance from UofT's Industrial Relations/Human Resources program. I'm torn between it and Health Policy, Planning and Finance at LSE. Both are good programs. Im a policy nut so both are things I'm interested in. I dont care wheter its labour policy or health policy... as long as its policy i'm game. Picking one program is difficult.

Can you please... on a personal level... without devoting too much time... shine some light on the prospects of each program? I need the help of a second pair of eyes (experienced eyes). Pls feel free to be frank with me if you think one (or both) program is useless. I'm lookig for tough love... the kind of advice you'd tell mini umoo when the time comes.

I swear the questions are about to stop. Promise.

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Re: LSE - Advice Please

Hey HSK - congrats o the U of T offer as well.

If I was asked to simply rate the MIRHR program @ Uof T, I'd rate it as a 10/10 without hesitation. I'm very familiar with the program by virtue of having offered seminars in HR there, as well as having worked with colleagues in the industry who graduated from the Master's program. One of those colleagues has gone on to further graduate study while the other two have progressed extremely well in the industry since their graduation - both working in middle management roles for global corporations.

The only question which you have to ask yourself is whether you're into the whole labor market / management / negotiation / unions / collective bargaining type issues or not. It's not everyone's cup of tea. My wife works in labor relations and having worked in HR myself, I know of the routine annoyances of HR operations related job roles.

So if I were to recommend an IR program in Canada, U of T would be my pick, but you need to make sure you have the aptitude for what the program entails.

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