The certificate in Health Policy offered through the La Follette School of Public Affairs prepares undergraduate students to navigate and shape health policy in Wisconsin and in the United States. Coursework covers key concepts and contemporary issues relevant to work within the complex world of U.S. health policy. Courses also build familiarity with analytic methods and approaches used to foster evidence-based health policy, focusing especially on policy levers that influence health equity.

UW–Madison graduates occupy a wide range of professional roles in the health sector, such as health care providers, accountants, IT professionals, small business owners, researchers, human resources specialists, engineers, and advocates. Across these roles, a foundational understanding of health policy has emerged as a key professional competency. Recognizing that leaders in this realm must engage diverse perspectives to successfully address complex issues, required courses are designed to foster interdisciplinary discussion and analysis, and a fieldwork experience will deepen learning in a professional setting.

How to Get in

To declare the Certificate in Health Policy through the La Follette School of Public Affairs, students must:

• Hold UW-Madison sophomore standing or above, and be in good academic standing, according to the rules of your school or college
• Have taken, are enrolled, or are registered for at least one class that meets certificate requirements

​Each year, the La Follette School invites students to declare the certificate in health policy. To declare the certificate:

• Review certificate requirements so that you are familiar with the program
• Declare the certificate 

Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of four courses, one from each area listed below, and a minimum of 12 total credits.

 Residence and Quality of Work

• At least 6 certificate credits must be completed in residence.
• Minimum 2.000 GPA on all certificate courses.

Certificate Completion Requirement

This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.

Learning Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate understanding of major underpinnings and challenges of contemporary U.S. health policy, and how to approach issues using a public policy lens.
2. Students will gain knowledge and demonstrate application of analytical and methodological tools used in the health sector (e.g., policy writing, analysis, familiarity with data used in health policy and clinical research, and quantitative and qualitative methods used in social policy).
3. Students will demonstrate understanding and application of knowledge regarding a substantive health policy interest of their choice, such as health care policy and innovation, social determinants of health, reproductive health policy, social policy, analysis of health behaviors, and others.
4. Students will gain applied experience in a setting relevant for navigating, interpreting, and contributing to effective health policy throughout their careers.

Advising and Careers

Declare or Cancel This Certificate

Please follow the process described on the La Follette School of Public Affairs website.

Please visit our undergraduate advising page to connect with our team.

Careers

Health policy issues affect every resident and community in the United States. Because of its complexity, people working in the health sector benefit from understanding specific terminology, issues, and systems involved in policymaking. Through the certificate in health policy, students will build the knowledge base for this work while also gaining skills in quantitative analysis, communication, writing, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More and more, employers across the health sector value this combination of skills and insights.

Students interested in health care, advocacy, business, or research will earn a credential highlighting highly sought-after skills that, through the fieldwork component of the certificate, they have applied in the context of real-world practice. Focused on evidence-based health policy and practice, courses help students hone skills to gather data and information from a variety of sources, analyze and synthesize the findings, and communicate key insights using clear, concise communication strategies.

Career development is an integral part of the La Follette School experience, with staff members and alumni eager to support and mentor students with diverse interests. Students benefit from networking opportunities, employer visits, professional development seminars, and other services.

SuccessWorks

SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps you turn the academic skills learned in your classes into a fulfilling life, guiding you every step of the way to securing jobs, internships, or admission to graduate school.

Through one-on-one career advising, events, and resources, you can explore career options, build valuable internship and research experience, and connect with supportive alumni and employers who open doors of opportunity.

• What you can do with your major  (Major Skills & Outcomes Sheets)
• Make a career advising appointment
• Learn about internships and internship funding
• Try “Jobs, Internships, & How to Get Them,” an interactive guide in Canvas for enrolled UW–Madison students

Wisconsin Experience

Empathy and humility. The effects of health policy reach into every corner of life, including access to health care and the rising costs of health benefits. To address complex issues, students in health policy learn to value and engage diverse perspectives and question their own biases and assumptions.

Relentless curiosity. Like peeling an onion, the study of health policy invites learners to uncover layers of data and history to explore root causes of poor health outcomes. Why does a person’s zip code predict so much about their health outcomes? Why is U.S. health insurance largely tied to a person’s employment status? What drives the high cost of health care, and what are options for reform? For those with an insatiable curiosity, health policy offers endless discoveries and an ever-changing landscape.

Intellectual confidence. In many cases, great leadership emerges when leaders themselves have the confidence to say “I don’t know.” Public policy studies include deep analysis of the stakeholders in systems, the relationships among those actors, and the incentives that drive behavior. Because of this, students learn to define problems in new ways, ask better questions, and use data to drive insight.

Purposeful action. Health policy has broad implications for the distribution of resources across the public and private sectors. As we learn more about addressing the “upstream” factors that influence health, students gain insights about how to build more prevention-oriented health policy.