Program Overview

The MHCI brings together bright and ambitious change agents from across health care. By studying and interacting online as a cohort, they expand their perspective and develop a community of support and inspiration. Students apply their MHCI experience immediately in their work as clinicians, executives, directors, researchers, entrepreneurs, consultants, and more.  

Faculty—drawn from across Penn—are leading, active experts in the following areas:

  • Behavioral economics
  • Health equity
  • Health policy
  • Innovation methodologies and practice
  • Operations management

Electives offer flexibility to explore subjects such as connected strategy, data, digital health, health economics, law, and quality and value.

The MHCI is housed in the Perelman School of Medicine’s Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. The degree is designed to be earned online in 20 months, with a 3-year extended track option.

20
months to complete the program
11
courses
13
average years of work experience
50+%
alumni advanced in their careers

Benefits

Develop skills in three areas essential to transformative work in health care: thinking, innovating, and leading.

    • Expand your perspective of health care.
    • Develop multidisciplinary foundations for critical, analytic thinking about health care solutions.
    • Practice methods for investigating problems and creating, testing, and measuring solutions to improve health care.
    • Identify and develop collaborations with organizational and community partners to drive better outcomes.
    • Think and act past entrenched systems, structures, and barriers.
    • Sharpen leadership EQ skills.
    • Create a diverse network.

Network

Connect to professionals across disciplines.

  • Electives offer flexibility to explore subjects such as data, digital health, law, and quality improvement with a subset of your cohort.

    Within courses, online discussions generate a network of innovative thinkers and leaders. They are clinicians, entrepreneurs, researchers, business executives, health IT specialists, consultants, and others.

    Cohorts network during two brief seminars and through student-led social events. During the MHCI Seminar, about 80 students come together online or in person (public health permitting) as a thoughtful, inquisitive, and connected group inspired to improve health care.

Faculty

Learn from world-renowned faculty: health policy, behavioral economics, operations management, health care innovation, and health equity.

  • Faculty in the MHCI degree are leaders in designing, researching, and evaluating ways to increase access to health care, reduce costs, change behaviors, and improve efficiencies. They bring to the online classroom frontline experience and teaching expertise from the Perelman School of Medicine, Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation, the Wharton School, Penn Carey Law, Penn Nursing, Stuart Weitzman School of Design, Penn Engineering, and the School of Social Policy and Practice.

Degree Structure

Select the 20-month track or choose a 3-year option to spread out the workload and financial commitment over more time.

  • Instead of interrupting your career to go back to school, advance it while you learn online in a supportive, structured environment that builds community. Course activity is primarily asynchronous with weekly deadlines, so you can plan your study time around work and personal obligations.

    Most courses condense a traditional semester-long amount of learning into an intensive 6 weeks. Students typically spend 12 to 15 hours each week on coursework. The curriculum is structured so that you take one course at a time, focusing on the topic at hand.

    • 6 CORE COURSES: Build knowledge of foundational concepts.
    • 3 ELECTIVES*: Explore additional topics according to your interests.
    • 2 INTENSIVE LABS*: Apply and practice skills.
    • 2 SEMINARS: Prepare for the schoolyear ahead, immerse yourself in innovative thinking, and connect with your cohort, the program, and Penn during this annual gathering.

    * Note that a curriculum revision launched in Fall 2022. Students previously enrolled must have completed the curriculum they began, with 7 core courses, 2 electives, and 4 (0.5CU) labs.

    Tuition and fees for the MHCI are based upon course units (CUs). The total estimated cost for the full degree program for 2023-2024 is approximately $69,200. Please keep in mind that rates are subject to change.

Skills

With the help of our program, our students learn skills to innovate in their careers.

Build innovation and leadership skills to face urgent needs and long-term challenges.

Develop a diverse network of innovative thinkers.

Become a stronger contributor and problem solver at your workplace and beyond.