Health Care Management

Today, healthcare, medical care and welfare institutions, along with related businesses, are required to provide high-quality services efficiently. At the same time, there is a requirement to coordinate and integrate services tailored to the specific needs of each individual. This program aims to cultivate individuals capable of researching, planning and implementing the management practices required to realize these objectives. In other words, we wish to produce graduates capable of future success not only in hospital management but also across a broad spectrum of fields that include care facilities, welfare institutions and private corporations operating in these areas.

This program has admitted numerous graduates not only from Keio University but also from other universities. Approximately 70% of all entrants to this program are graduates from other universities. Also, among the entrants are those who have graduated from universities in other countries such as the United States, Canada, China and Taiwan. The faculties from which entrants come are also diverse. This program has large numbers of entrants from both medicine-related faculties - such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and nursing - and non-medical faculties (including natural sciences, social sciences and humanities). In Japan, traditionally, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and others have been trained in self-contained educational programs. Because of this, even among healthcare professionals, there is a lack of a common language and perspective, which complicates healthcare management. In this sense, we consider the interdisciplinary environment where students from diverse backgrounds come together to learn is an optimal educational setting for healthcare management, and treat it with great importance.

This program has both new graduates and those who have previously graduated. Approximately 70% of all entrants to this program are previous graduates. Among previous graduates, there are those who have worked (or are working) not only as professionals in the healthcare, medical care and welfare fields - such as doctors, dentists, pharmacists and nurses - but also in fields outside healthcare, medical care and welfare, such as certified public accountants and tax accountants, as well as those who have worked (or are working) at general companies or public institutions. Furthermore, among students who have been working, some resign or take leave of absence to focus solely on their studies, while others balance work and study by adjusting their working hours with the understanding of their employer.

As in other programs, the education in this program is according to three components - introductory education, education on analytical techniques and specialist education.

Given the diverse undergraduate backgrounds of entrants as well as the presence of new graduates and those who graduated some time ago, this program mainly offers introductory courses to first-year students. This enables all students, regardless of background differences, to take specialized courses together. For example, graduates from healthcare-related faculties have sufficient knowledge of healthcare but their knowledge of other areas is insufficient. On the other hand, graduates from non-healthcare-related faculties have sufficient knowledge in the area of the faculty they graduated from, but their basic knowledge of the healthcare area is insufficient. For this reason, as mentioned above, introductory courses covering the relevant foundational knowledge have been provided. This ensures that all students, regardless of background, can acquire the knowledge that they lack and engage in discussion in major field courses with all other students. These courses are: Introduction to Clinical Practice, Social Security Theory, Healthcare Ethics, Design Theory for Aging Society and Management Strategy Theory.

This program provides a robust approach to teaching scientific methods for analyzing and evaluating phenomena, such as those of epidemiology and statistics, alongside basic education. One often hears the terms EBM or Evidence-based medicine used. This concept is not only important for routine clinical practice but also for the management of healthcare organizations and development of healthcare systems. Until now, management has been backward-looking, relying on intuition and authority. In recent years, however, organizational management and system design based on empirical analysis have become increasingly necessary. By acquiring analytical techniques, non-medical students too can be equipped for engaging in discussion on an equal footing with healthcare professionals.

This program provides more specialized education for students having the foundational knowledge mentioned above. The major field courses in it are essential for achieving the objectives of this program. For this reason, as mentioned above for analytical courses, we recommend that students in this program take as many major field courses as possible. Each course is taught not only by full-time faculty members of our graduate school but also by faculty members from Keio University’s diverse faculties and graduate schools. The interdisciplinary nature of some courses is further enhanced through joint teaching arrangements. For example, in the Health Services Human Resource Management course, medical faculty members lecture on the characteristics and challenges of healthcare professions, while faculty members from the Graduate School of Business Administration lecture on general human resource management theory, all of this in an integrated manner. Through such lectures, students with practical experience in healthcare settings can systemize their previous fragmented experience by learning universal theories. Moreover, for students with no experience of clinical settings, this will enable them to have a systematic understanding of the complexity of healthcare environments. Furthermore, in principle, students may also take major field courses in nursing, public health and sports management. Students can broaden their scope according to their respective specializations and future aspirations. In all courses, our teaching places emphasis on both theoretical and practical aspects. In our teaching, we place emphasis not only on knowledge-based education but also on cultivating problem-solving skills in our teaching. Because of this, it is not uncommon for lecturers to employ other teaching methods besides traditional lectures in lessons, such as small group discussion.

This program provides an internship scheme under which students are placed at external organizations to enable them to acquire practical knowledge and skills. Internship placements are diverse - including core regional hospitals, specialist hospitals for the elderly, the National Hospital Organization Headquarters, nursing management departments of university hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies and care service-related companies. Each year, many students undertake practical training for around one month during the spring break between their first and second years. For example, this will enable doctors and nurses to gain experience in private corporations that they have not had before, or non-medical students to experience the front line of healthcare and welfare services in hospitals and similar settings. Furthermore, in Internship-related Courses, personnel from host organizations serve as part-time lecturers to provide systematic practical training. In other words, through further study in the classroom, students will be able to organize their observations and experiences during internships and deepen their insights. Students who participate in observational training through the internship scheme may identify research topics at their placement locations and use them as the basis for their degree theses. The “Research Paper,” which bridges theory and practice, is treated as a degree thesis equivalent to a regular master’s thesis.

Introductory courses

Course category designed to consolidate foundational knowledge for effective learning and research in specialist areas

Analytical methods courses

Course category designed to provide students with foundational theories and specific methodologies for analysis and interpretation of evidence required for rational decision-making regardless of field

Major field courses

Course category designed to equip students with high-level knowledge and skills in specialist areas

Internship-related courses

Course category designed to achieve synergies between practical education and systematic lectures, in order to acquire a background understanding and foundational knowledge in preparation for internships, as well as to objectify and systemize the knowledge and insights gained through the experience of practical training during internships

Independent research subjects

Courses providing research guidance for preparation of a master’s thesis or research paper equivalent to a master’s thesis

Total of at least 30 credits meeting the following requirements

Introduction to Health Management

Health Policy and Management

Health Services Financial Management Theory

Healthcare Management Strategy Theory

Independent Research

The Graduate School of Health Management offers a diverse range of courses. As long as the graduation requirements are met, the choice of courses is at the student’s discretion. The model curriculum has been created according to research area to assist students in selecting courses. Therefore, the model curriculum does not impose any restraints on course selection. However, when actually enrolling in courses, students need to select their courses after confirming the graduation requirements, such as regarding compulsory courses and required number of credits. Please note that this information is for reference only.

Upon entering the second grade, students are required to submit their proposed thesis titles by early June each year. Following the thesis presentation meeting in November of the second year, the actual thesis has to be presented in January of the following year. Themes are diverse, and students explore and refine their topics throughout their first year, making use of their previous experience and what they have learned from various courses and internships. Students begin the full-scale writing of their thesis in the second year. However, developing foundational skills by taking diverse courses in the first year, which greatly stimulates curiosity and critical awareness, is the most direct route to producing an excellent thesis. Indeed, following their submission as degree theses, papers submitted in accordance with the respective submission guidelines have been accepted for publication in journals such as “Hospital,” “Journal of the Japan Society for Healthcare Administration,” “Japanese Bulletin of Social Psychiatry,” “Occupational Therapy” and “Japanese Journal of Quality and Safety in Healthcare.”

For the Master of Science in Health Care Management, an early graduation scheme is provided for persons having a certain degree of expertise and practical experience in the fields of healthcare, medical care and welfare, enabling them to obtain the degree in one year from enrollment. Students approved to use this scheme will undertake 30 or more credits and research activities including thesis writing in one year, which would normally be done over two years. Please note that the early graduation scheme does not guarantee graduation in one year.

Research supervision and thesis guidance are provided so that, in principle, a doctorate can be obtained at the same time as completing the third year of study.

In the first year, students take advanced subjects (courses to confirm understanding of foundational theory and analytical methodology of empirical research). Throughout the period of their enrollment, they also take joint seminar courses (those centering on research presentations and discussions by enrolled students and researchers or practitioners from within and outside the university).

Graduates of other schools’ master’s programs or those who have worked as professionals for some time since completing this graduate school’s master’s program and are not conversant with the latest theories and analytical methods may supplement their knowledge by taking master’s program courses as advised by their academic advisors.

If permission is given to study at a graduate school overseas, the period of study there may be counted toward the duration of enrollment, but only one year, and credits earned for courses taken may be recognized as joint seminar credits.

Each academic year, students make a report at the interim dissertation evaluation meeting. At the dissertation evaluation committee meeting, in addition to receiving guidance and advice, students’ progress is confirmed and examined.

A degree will be conferred on those who have been enrolled for at least three years (excluding temporary leave of absence) in the doctoral program, have obtained the stipulated credits (4 advanced subject credits, at least 6 joint seminar course credits; total at least 10 credits) and having received necessary guidance in research, have passed the defense of their doctoral dissertation as well as the final examination.

Completion in English only is also possible.

Abstracts of doctoral dissertations and other materials may be viewed at Keio Associated Repository of Academic Resources (KOARA).