Programme structure

The master's degree programme in Health Economics, Policy and Management is a full time programme. The programme is organised into mandatory and elective courses.

New programme structure starting autumn 2026

From autumn 2026 you will have a choice of selecting between four different specialisations. The first semester is aimed at acquiring fundamentals of economics, management, policy, medicine and research methods relevant to the healthcare sector and you will follow the same courses regardless of which specialisation you choose. All fundamental courses need to be passed in order to start the second semester courses. The second and third semesters are devoted to the development of advanced and specialised skills on current issues in the healthcare sector.

Management of healthcare institutions

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design Health System Coordination: Policy Analysis and Implementation Elective course
2nd semester HFIN4210 – Finance and Investment HMAN4210 – Leadership, Management and Organization Development Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics Introduction to Health Care System and Health Management Introduction to Research Methods Linear Regression Analysis
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

You must choose 10 credits in elective courses in the second semester and 15 credits in the third semester from this list:

Economics evaluation in healthcare

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design HEVAL5200 – Topics in economic evaluation HEVAL5130 – Modeling in economic evaluation II Elective course
2nd semester Economic Evaluation and Decision-Analytic Modeling in Healthcare HMET4220 – Applied Micro Econometrics Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics Introduction to Health Care System and Health Management Introduction to Research Methods Linear Regression Analysis

Credits

5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

You must choose 10 credits in elective courses in the second semester and 10 credits in the third semester from this list:

Health economics and policy

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design HEVAL5200 – Topics in economic evaluation Elective course
2nd semester Health Economics HFIN4210 – Finance and Investment HMET4220 – Applied Micro Econometrics
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics Introduction to Health Care System and Health Managment Introduction to Research Methods Linear Regression Analysis
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits
You must choose elective courses in the third semester with total 20 credits from this list:
  • Health System Coordination: Policy Analysis and Implementation

  • HMAN4230 – Internship

  • Courses from the other programs at the Institute of Health and Society (HELSAM)

General programme

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis (30 credits)
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design Elective course (25 credits)
2nd semester Elective course (30 credits)
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics Introduction to Health Care System and Health Management Introduction to Research Methods Linear Regression Analysis
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

30 credits second semester and 25 credits third semester.

  • At least 40 credits from the program Health Economics, Policy, and Management
  • Courses from the other programs at the Institute of Health and Society (HELSAM)

Programme structure until class 2025

If you started the programme in 2025 or earlier, you will find the programme structure that applies to you below.

Management of healthcare institutions

Programme structure from 2022 - 2025

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design HMAN5160 – Integrated Care Models HMAN5180 – Policy analysis and evaluation Elective course Elective course Elective course
2nd semester HFIN4210 – Finance and Investment HMAN4210 – Leadership, Management and Organization Development HMET5120 – Qualitative methods Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine HMET4101 – Fundamentals of statistics
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

Elective courses:

You must choose 5 credits in elective courses in the 2nd semester and 15 credits in the 3rd semester from this list:

HECON4210 – Demand for Health and Health Insurance
HECON4220 – Paying Providers of Health Care
HECON4250 – Cost and Efficiency Analyses of Health Care Providers
HEVAL4200 – Fundamentals of Economic Evaluation in Health Care
HEVAL5120 – Modeling in economic evaluation I
HEVAL5130 – Modeling in economic evaluation II
HEVAL5200 – Topics in economic evaluation
HMAN4230 – Internship
HMET4220 – Applied Micro Econometrics
HMET5140 – Non-Parametric Methods and regression alternatives

Programme structure from 2019 - 2021

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design* HMAN5160 – Integrated Care Models HMAN5180 – Policy analysis and evaluation Elective course Elective course Elective course
2nd semester HFIN4210 – Finance and Investment HMAN4210 – Leadership, Management and Organization Development Methods course Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HMET4100 – Fundamentals of statistics (discontinued) HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HLAW4100 – Fundamentals of Health Law (discontinued) HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

HMET4210 – Research Design *HMET4210 – Research Design *begins teaching at the end of 2nd semester, exam and credits is assigned to 3rd semester.

Methods course:

You must choose one of these methods courses:

Elective courses:

You must choose 5 credits in elective courses in the 2nd semester and 15 credits in the 3rd semester from this list:

Programme structure from 2017 - 2018

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design * Complementary course Complementary course Elective course Elective course Elective course
2nd semester HFIN4210 – Finance and Investment HMAN4210 – Leadership, Management and Organization Development Methods course Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HMET4100 – Fundamentals of statistics (discontinued) HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HLAW4100 – Fundamentals of Health Law (discontinued) HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

* begins teaching at the end of 2nd semester, exam and credits is assigned to 3rd semester.

Class of 2018 have two obligatory courses with 10 credits each in the 2nd semester:
Class of 2017 have four obligatory courses with 5 credits each in the 2nd semester:

Methods course:

You must choose one of these methods courses:

Complementary courses:

You must choose between 10 credits in complementary courses in the 3rd semester:

Complementary courses may be used as elective courses if not already chosen.

Elective courses:

You must choose 5 credits in elective courses in the 2nd semester and 15 credits in the 3rd semester (depending on credits taken as complementary courses):

Programme structure from 2013 - 2016

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design * Complementary course or elective course Complementary course or elective course Elective course Elective course Elective course
2nd semester HMAN4210 - Leadership and Management HMAN4220 – Health organization development and design (discontinued) HFIN4220 – Investments (discontinued) HFIN4230 – Cost accounting (discontinued) Methods course Complementary course or elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HMET4100 – Fundamentals of statistics (discontinued) HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HLAW4100 – Fundamentals of Health Law (discontinued) HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine**
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

* begins teaching at the end of 2nd semester, exam and credits is assigned to 3rd semester.

** if you have already taken HMED1101 – Helsefaglig grunnkunnskap og nomenklatur, you may replace the course with:

Specialisation

In order to specialise you must take 40 credits within the selected specialisation. You must also write your thesis within the field that you choose (30 credits). The obligatory courses in the specialisation Health Management are:

You must also choose 10 credits from this complementary course list:

and one of these methods courses:

Elective courses

The remainder of credits must be chosen from the courses available from the Institute of Health and Society's portfolio. To choose courses, use the list of courses available at master's level.

You may apply to get other relevant courses approved as elective courses. The application should include a course description or supplementary information. Applications are submitted to: postmottak@medisin.uio.no. If the Institute of Health and Society approve of the course, you may apply for the course through Studentweb. If the course is not available in Studentweb, you must contact the department which offers the course.

Economic Evaluation in Healthcare

Programme structure from 2022 - 2025

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design  HEVAL5130 – Modeling in economic evaluation II HEVAL5200 – Topics in economic evaluation Elective course Elective course
2nd semester HEVAL4200 – Fundamentals of Economic Evaluation in Health Care HEVAL5120 – Modeling in economic evaluation I HMET4220 – Applied Micro Econometrics Elective course Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine HMET4101 – Fundamentals of statistics
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

The pre-course HECON4000 – Basic Mathematics for Health Economists is highly recommended for students choosing this specialisation.

Elective courses:

You must choose 10 credits in elective courses in the 2nd semester and 10 credits in the 3rd semester from this list:

Programme structure from 2019 - 2021

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design * HEVAL5130 – Modeling in economic evaluation II HEVAL5140 – Methods for effectiveness evaluations in health care (discontinued) Elective course
2nd semester HEVAL4200 – Fundamentals of Economic Evaluation in Health Care HEVAL5120 – Modeling in economic evaluation I HMET5130 – Linear Regression Analyses (discontinued) Elective course Elective course Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HMET4100 – Fundamentals of statistics (discontinued) HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HLAW4100 – Fundamentals of Health Law (discontinued) HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

* begins teaching at the end of 2nd semester, exam and credits is assigned to 3rd semester.

The pre-course HECON4000 – Basic Mathematics for Health Economists is highly recommended for students choosing this specialisation.

Elective courses:

You must choose 15 credits in elective courses in the 2nd semester and 5 credits in the 3rd semester from this list:

Programme structure from 2017 - 2018

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design * HEVAL5130 – Modeling in economic evaluation II HEVAL5140 – Methods for effectiveness evaluations in health care (discontinued) Complementary course
2nd semester HEVAL4200 – Fundamentals of Economic Evaluation in Health Care HEVAL5120 – Modeling in economic evaluation I HMET5130 – Linear Regression Analyses (discontinued) Complementary course Elective course Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HMET4100 – Fundamentals of statistics (discontinued) HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HLAW4100 – Fundamentals of Health Law (discontinued) HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

* begins teaching at the end of 2nd semester, exam and credits is assigned to 3rd semester.

The pre-course HECON4000 – Basic Mathematics for Health Economists is highly recommended for students choosing this specialisation.

Complementary courses:

You must choose between 5 credits in complementary courses in the 2nd semester and 5 credits in the 3rd semester:

Complementary courses may be used as elective courses if not already chosen.

Elective courses:

You must choose 10 credits in elective courses in the 2nd semester:

Programme structure  from 2013 - 2016

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design * HEVAL5110 – Valuing Health (discontinued) HEVAL5130 – Modeling in economic evaluation II HEVAL5140 – Methods for effectiveness evaluations in health care (discontinued) or complementary course Complementary course or elective course Complementary course or elective course
2nd semester HEVAL4200 – Fundamentals of Economic Evaluation in Health Care HEVAL5120 – Modeling in economic evaluation I HMET5130 – Linear Regression Analyses (discontinued) Complementary course or elective course Complementary course or elective course Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HMET4100 – Fundamentals of statistics (discontinued) HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HLAW4100 – Fundamentals of Health Law (discontinued) HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine**
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

* begins teaching at the end of 2nd semester, exam and credits is assigned to 3rd semester.

** if you have already taken HMED1101 – Helsefaglig grunnkunnskap og nomenklatur, you may replace the course with:

The pre-course HECON4000 – Basic Mathematics for Health Economists is highly recommended for students choosing this specialisation.

Specialisation

In order to specialise you must take 40 credits within the selected specialisation. You must also write your thesis within the field that you choose (30 credits). The obligatory courses in the specialisation Economic Evaluation are:

You must also choose 10 credits from this complementary course list:

* HEVAL5140 – Methods for effectiveness evaluations in health care (discontinued) was obligatory for class of 2016. They must only choose 5 credits from the complementary course list above.

Elective courses

The remainder of credits must be chosen from the courses available for the master students at the Institute of Health and Society. To choose courses, use the list of courses available at master's level.

You may apply to get other relevant courses approved as elective courses. The application should include a course description or supplementary information. Applications are submitted to: postmottak@medisin.uio.no. If the Institute of Health and Society approve of the course, you may apply for the course through Studentweb. If the course is not available in Studentweb, you must contact the department which offers the course.

Health Economics and Policy

Programme structure from 2022 - 2025

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester Elective course Elective course HMET4210 – Research Design HEVAL5200 – Topics in economic evaluation Elective course Elective course
2nd semester HFIN4210 – Finance and Investment HECON4210 – Demand for Health and Health Insurance HECON4220 – Paying Providers of Health Care HMET4220 – Applied Micro Econometrics
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine HMET4101 – Fundamentals of statistics
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

The pre-course HECON4000 – Basic Mathematics for Health Economists is highly recommended for students choosing this specialisation.

Elective courses:

You must choose elective courses in the 3rd semester with total 20 credits from this list:

Programme structure from 2019 - 2021

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HEVAL5140 – Methods for effectiveness evaluations in health care (discontinued) HMET4210 – Research Design * Elective course Elective course Elective course
2nd semester HFIN4210 – Finance and Investment HECON4210 – Demand for Health and Health Insurance HECON4220 – Paying Providers of Health Care HMET5130 – Linear Regression Analyses (discontinued) Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HMET4100 – Fundamentals of statistics (discontinued) HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HLAW4100 – Fundamentals of Health Law (discontinued) HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

* begins teaching at the end of 2nd semester, exam and credits is assigned to 3rd semester.

The pre-course HECON4000 – Basic Mathematics for Health Economists is highly recommended for students choosing this specialisation.

Elective courses:

You must choose 5 credits in elective courses in the 2nd semester and 15 credits in the 3rd semester from this list:

Programme structure from 2017 - 2018

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design * HEVAL5140 – Methods for effectiveness evaluations in health care (discontinued) Complementary course Elective course Elective course
2nd semester HECON4210 – Demand for Health and Health Insurance HECON4220 – Paying Providers of Health Care HECON4230 – Optimal Regulation (discontinued) HECON4250 – Cost and Efficiency Analyses of Health Care Providers HMET5130 – Linear Regression Analyses (discontinued) Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HMET4100 – Fundamentals of statistics (discontinued) HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HLAW4100 – Fundamentals of Health Law (discontinued) HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

* begins teaching at the end of 2nd semester, exam and credits is assigned to 3rd semester.

It is highly recommended to have the preliminary course HECON4000 – Basic Mathematics for Health Economists if you choose this specialisation.

Complementary courses:

You must choose 5 credits in complementary courses in the 3rd semester:

Complementary courses may be used as elective courses if not already chosen.

Elective courses:

You must choose 5 credits in elective courses in the 2nd semester and 10 credits in the 3rd semester:

Programme structure from 2013 - 2016

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design * Complementary course or elective course Complementary course or elective course Elective course Elective course Elective course
2nd semester HECON4210 – Demand for Health and Health Insurance HECON4220 – Paying Providers of Health Care HECON4230 – Optimal Regulation (discontinued) HMET5130 – Linear Regression Analyses (discontinued) HECON4250 – Cost and Efficiency Analyses of Health Care Providers, complementary course or elective course Complementary course or elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HMET4100 – Fundamentals of statistics (discontinued) HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HLAW4100 – Fundamentals of Health Law (discontinued) HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine**
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

* begins teaching at the end of 2nd semester, exam and credits is assigned to 3rd semester.

** if you have already taken HMED1101 – Helsefaglig grunnkunnskap og nomenklatur, you may replace the course with:

The pre-course HECON4000 – Basic Mathematics for Health Economists is highly recommended for students choosing this specialisation.

Specialisation

In order to specialise you must take 40 credits within the selected specialisation. You must also write your thesis within the field that you choose (30 credits). The obligatory courses in the specialisation Health Economics are:

You must also choose 10 credits from this complementary course list:

* HECON4250 – Cost and Efficiency Analyses of Health Care Providers was obligatory from class of 2014. Class of 2013 must choose 15 credits from the complementary course list above.

Elective courses

The remainder of credits must be chosen from the courses available from the Institute of Health and Society's portfolio. To choose courses, use the list of courses available at master's level.

You may apply to get other relevant courses approved as elective courses. The application should include a course description or supplementary information. Applications are submitted to: postmottak@medisin.uio.no. If the Institute of Health and Society approve of the course, you may apply for the course through Studentweb. If the course is not available in Studentweb, you must contact the department which offers the course.

General programme

Programme structure from 2022 - 2025

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design Elective course Elective course Elective course Elective course Elective course
2nd semester Elective course Elective course Elective course Elective course Elective course Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine HMET4101 – Fundamentals of statistics
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

Elective courses:

30 credits 2nd semester and 25 credits 3rd semester.

You register for courses from the Department of Health Management and Health Economics' portfolio in Studentweb.

Programme structure from 2019 - 2021

4th semester HMM4501 – Master Thesis
3rd semester HMET4210 – Research Design * Elective course Elective course Elective course Elective course Elective course
2nd semester Methods course Elective course Elective course Elective course Elective course Elective course
1st semester HECON4100 – Fundamentals of Health Economics HMAN4100 – Fundamentals of management HMET4100 – Fundamentals of statistics (discontinued) HGOV4100 – Fundamentals of Health Care Systems HLAW4100 – Fundamentals of Health Law (discontinued) HMED4100 – Fundamentals of medicine
Credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

* begins teaching at the end of 2nd semester, exam and credits is assigned to 3rd semester.

Methods course:

You must choose one of these methods courses in the 2nd semester:

Elective courses:

25 credits 2nd semester and 25 credits 3rd semester.

You register for courses from the Department of Health Management and Health Economics' portfolio in Studentweb.

Honours certificate

Are you academically ambitious? It is possible to supplement your master's degree with an honours certificate worth 20 ECTS. You complete the certificate concurrently with the master's programme.

Application for recognition of education/credit transfer

If you have courses from other institutions, you can apply for these to be included in your degree.

Applications for recognition have to be submitted through the online form.

Application deadlines are September 1st and February 1st

Diploma and degree

This programme leads to the following degree: Master of Philosophy in Health Economics, Policy and Management

The diploma is issued when you have completed the courses that meet the requirements for a degree. Read more about diplomas.

Rules and Regulations for Master studies

As a student at UiO, you have rights and obligations, and it is important that you familiarize yourself with these. Read more about rules and regulations at the Faculty of Medicine.

Published June 6, 2012 10:00 AM - Last modified Sep. 23, 2025 9:48 AM