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Health Policy Analysis

Types of Degrees Health Policy Analysis Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Health Policy Analysis may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	116
Master’s Degree	174
Doctor’s Degree	11

What Health Policy Analysis Majors Need to Know

Studies in Health Policy Analysis develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Health Policy Analysis graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Health Policy Analysis emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Health Policy Analysis program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Health Policy Analysis careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Health Policy Analysis graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Health Policy Analysis professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Health Policy Analysis graduates include:

• College Professor
• Neurology Teacher
• Podiatric Medicine Professor
• Clinical Assistant Professor
• Surgical Aides Teacher
• Pathology Laboratory Aides Teacher
• Opticianry Teacher
• Health Teacher
• Public Health Aides Teacher
• Osteopathic Medicine Teacher
• Neurological Surgery Teacher
• Anatomy Teacher
• Corrective Therapy Aide Teacher
• Orthopedics Teacher
• Speech Therapy Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Health Policy Analysis graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	33.1%
Bachelor’s degree	24.1%
Doctoral degree	16.9%
Post-doctoral training	13.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.5%
Postsecondary certificate	3.5%
Some college courses	1.5%
First professional degree	0.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Health Policy Analysis?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 78.4% of Health Policy Analysis degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	236	78.4%
Men	65	21.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Health Policy Analysis graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	142	47.2%
Asian	41	13.6%
Hispanic or Latino	32	10.6%
Black or African American	31	10.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	12	4.0%
Race Unknown	11	3.7%
International Students	30	10.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Health Policy Analysis Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Health Policy Analysis graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$60,429
4 years	$83,181
5 years	$95,174

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $95,174 — roughly 57% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Health Policy Analysis Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Health Policy Analysis. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	3	0
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Health Policy Analysis Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Health Policy Analysis graduates earn a median of $83,181 four years after completion — roughly 119% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Public Policy Analysis	44.05
Education Policy Analysis	44.0502
International Policy Analysis	44.0504
Public Policy Analysis, General	44.0501
Public Policy Analysis, Other	44.0599
Reserved	44.0580

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.