UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State will offer a new joint degree program that will offer students the opportunity to pursue degrees in law and health administration, preparing them for compliance, legal, policy and regulatory careers in the health care field.
Administered jointly between the College of Health and Human Development and Penn State Law, the new program allows students to earn a J.D. and a master of health administration degree in just four years.
“The increasing complexity of health care policy is creating a rapidly growing demand for legal professionals who have a firm understanding of the unique challenges presented by health care regulations, payment structures and liabilities,” said James W. Houck, interim dean of Penn State Law. “The joint J.D./M.H.A. program will allow Penn State Law students to take advantage of Penn State’s strength in health administration by conveniently pursuing a master’s degree just steps from the law school in University Park.”
Students interested in enrolling in the joint J.D./M.H.A. program must first be admitted to Penn State Law and spend year one completing the required first-year curriculum in the J.D. program before starting the M.H.A. component. In their second, third and fourth years, students will complete a mix of degree requirements in both programs.
“Health care is highly regulated and as provider organizations merge and new systems and organizational forms are created, the law, policy, and regulatory agencies struggle to keep pace. Students prepared in this dual career program will have a distinct advantage for understanding this new landscape and helping to shape it as it evolves,” said Christopher Calkins, executive director of the in-residence and online M.H.A. programs.
Capitalizing on the University’s strengths in law and health care administration, the joint degree program was born out of the desire of a current Penn State Law student to pursue both degrees. Second-year law student Theresa DeAngelis earned her bachelor’s degree in health policy and administration from Penn State in May 2014, and had her sights set on law school since her first year as an undergraduate. After completing an administrative internship at Mount Nittany Health, DeAngelis knew she wanted to work in the health care field and began exploring the M.H.A. program.
“My undergraduate career in the Health Policy and Administration program coincided with the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and my internship provided me with the opportunity to witness firsthand many aspects of health care affected by law and regulation,” DeAngelis said. “From new delivery models, to payment reform based on quality of care, health care reform catalyzed tremendous changes in care delivery affecting providers, payers and patients. I suddenly saw a huge opportunity in this area.”
Not willing to give up on her plans to earn a J.D., DeAngelis got in touch with Penn State Law professor Michele Vollmer, whom she met during the law school’s Explore Law program for undergraduates, and Jonathan Clark, former executive director of the M.H.A. program. They encouraged DeAngelis to apply to both programs. She was accepted to both schools and began her studies at Penn State Law in fall 2014, where she discussed her idea of completing both degrees with receptive administrators from Penn State Law and the Department of Health Policy and Administration.
With DeAngelis already enrolled at Penn State Law, the administrators had to move quickly to bring the joint degree program to fruition. Leadership from both schools worked together to develop a joint sequence of study and put a proposal before the University’s Graduate Council, which was approved in May.
“I am very appreciative that the faculty and administration in both schools were so receptive to my academic goals,” said DeAngelis, who will be the first student in the J.D./M.H.A. program. “I believe holding these two degrees will be a marketable skill set to employers around the country in the health care industry. I hope that this program will foster a vibrant community of students at Penn State who are interested in studying at the intersection of health care and law, and that Penn State will be seen as a hub for health care law scholarship.”
As for her own career ambitions, DeAngelis knows that she wants to work as a practicing attorney in health administration, and will be weighing her options as she completes the program. She is interested in all sides of the equation, including positions with the government, health care providers, and payers.
Students interested in enrolling in the joint J.D./M.H.A. program must be separately admitted to both Penn State Law and the Master of Health Administration program in the College of Health and Human Development. In most cases, formal admission to the M.H.A. program will take place during the applicant’s first year of law school; however, the College of Health and Human Development may extend provisional admission at the time the applicant applies to Penn State Law, particularly if the applicant’s enrollment decision hinges on admission to the joint degree program.
More information on the joint J.D./M.H.A. program can be found on the Penn State Law website.