Master of Science

Concentration: Health Systems Research

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy IHPME's additional admission requirements stated below.

• Applicants require an overall B+ average or higher in the last two years of an appropriate bachelor's degree from a recognized university. For applicants to Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research, a degree in a health profession (for example, MD, BScN, BScOT, BScPT, DDM, MScN) from a recognized university with a B+ average in the final two years is required.

Program Requirements

Two options are available:

• Thesis option comprising 3.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) and a thesis.

• Coursework-only option comprising 5.0 FCEs.

Students may elect to take up to 0.5 FCE on a Credit/No Credit (CR/NCR) basis. See the CR/NCR-eligible courses in the course list section.

Thesis MSc

• Completion of 3.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:

  • 1.0 FCE in research methodology courses

  • 1.0 FCE in health systems research courses:

    • HAD5011H Canada's Health Care System and Health Policy

    • 0.5 FCE from other health systems research courses

  • 1.0 FCE in electives.

• A thesis written under the supervision of a thesis committee and its defence before an examination committee.

Coursework-Only MSc

• Completion of 5.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:

  • 1.0 FCE in health systems research courses, normally from HAD5011H, HAD5022H, HAD5727H, HAD5756H, or HAD5773H

  • 1.0 FCE in research methodology courses, normally from HSR1001H, HAD5765H, HAD5772H, HAD5740H, HAD5742H, HAD5744H, HAD5746H, HAD5779H, or HAD5781H

  • 3.0 FCEs in electives, normally from HAD5726H, HAD5728H, HAD5730H, HAD5737H, HAD5738H, HAD5743H, HAD5744H, HAD5760H, HAD5763H, HAD5771H, HAD5778H, or HAD6750H.

Program Length

3 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: F/W/S);
6 sessions part-time

Time Limit

3 years full-time;
6 years part-time

 

Students in the thesis option of the Health Systems Research concentration have the option to complete an emphasis by completing 2.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) in a given area. The emphasis requirements will also count toward their 3.0 FCE concentration requirements.

Students in the Vector pathway within the Health Systems Research concentration must complete the emphasis in Health Systems Artificial Intelligence and complete their remaining 1.0 FCE concentration requirements by taking HAD5011H and HAD5772H.

Emphasis: Health Economics

Students must complete 2.0 FCEs as follows:

• HAD5730H Economic Evaluation Methods for Health Systems Research.

• HAD5744H Applied Health Econometrics I.

• HAD5746H Applied Health Econometrics II.

• HAD5760H Advanced Health Economics and Policy Analysis.

Emphasis: Health Informatics Research

Students must complete 2.0 FCEs as follows:

• HAD5726H Evaluation and Research Design in Health Informatics.

• Three courses (1.5 FCEs) from the course listing for the Health Systems Research concentration, Master of Health Informatics program, or other relevant graduate courses as approved by the Graduate Coordinator.

Emphasis: Health Policy

Students must complete 2.0 FCEs as follows:

• CHL5300H Public Health Policy.

• HAD5778H Comparative Health Systems and Policy.

• 1.0 FCE from the following list:

  • CHL5308H Tools and Approaches for Public Health Policy Analysis and Evaluation

  • HAD5022H Politics, Policy, Public Health, and Health Technology

  • HAD5765H Case Studies in Health Policy

  • Other health policy research course as appropriate, for example:

    • CHL5523H Indigenous Health and Social Policy

    • CHL5702H History of International Health​ or

    • CHL5704H International Human Rights Law and Global Health: The Right to Health in Theory and Practice.

Emphasis: Health Systems Artificial Intelligence

• Students must complete 2.0 FCEs as follows:

  • CHL3020H Ethics and AI in Health

  • CHL5230H Applied Machine Learning for Health Data (research methods course)

  • MHI2002H Emergent Topics in Heath Informatics

  • 0.5 FCE from the course listing for the Health Systems Research concentration or the Master of Health Informatics program. Recommended: HAD5726H Evaluation and Research Design in Health Informatics.

Emphasis: Health Technology Assessment

Students must complete 2.0 FCEs as follows:

• HAD5301H Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research or equivalent.

• HAD5307H Introduction to Applied Biostatistics.

• 0.5 FCE from the course listing for the Health Systems Research concentration.

• 0.5 FCE from the following list:

  • HAD5730H Economic Evaluation Methods for Health Systems Research

  • HAD5771H Resource Allocation Ethics

  • HAD5779H Evidence Synthesis for Health Services, Systems, and Policy Research or HAD5308H Evidence Synthesis: Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis.

​​​​Emphasis: Organization and Management Studies

Students must complete 2.0 FCEs as follows:

• HAD5773H Introduction to Theories of Organizational Behaviour and Applications to the Health Care Sector.

• 1.5 FCEs from the following list:

  • HAD5727H Knowledge Transfer and Exchange

  • HAD5737H Tools for Implementation Science

  • HAD5740H Intermediate Level Qualitative Methods

  • HAD5742H Mixed Methods for Health Systems Research

  • HAD5744H Applied Health Econometrics I

  • HSR1001H Introduction to Qualitative Methods for Health Systems and Policy Research.

Emphasis: Outcomes and Evaluation Studies

Students must complete 2.0 FCEs as follows:

• HAD5720H Evaluation I

• 0.5 FCE from the following list:

  • HAD5743H Evaluation II

  • HAD5763H Advanced Methods in Health Services Research

• 0.5 FCE from the following list:

  • CHL5202H Biostatistics II

  • HAD5316H Biostatistics II: Advanced Techniques in Applied Regression Methods

  • HAD5772H Intermediate Statistics for Health Systems Researchers

• 0.5 elective FCE from the course listing for the Health Systems Research concentration.