Master's Programme in Health Economics, Policy and Management

This unique and interprofessional programme equips you with the competencies necessary to get health care systems and organisations to work more effectively, efficiently, and equitably. It will open doors to jobs in research, health care management, health care consulting and health economics.

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About the programme

Apply to the programme if you want to influence the development of health care in order to improve human health in the context of limited resources. You will will develop a strong understanding of how medical knowledge, individual and organisational competencies, as well as material and financial resources, can best be used to improve health outcomes.

Programme summary

The Master’s Programme in Health Economics, Policy and Management is a multidisciplinary programme with a strong global perspective. It focuses on how medical knowledge, human competence, and material and financial resources can be used effectively to promote population health. The programme equips students with expertise in health economics, policy, and management, enabling them to contribute to the development of health and healthcare systems and to improved health outcomes in resource-constrained settings.

The programme is aimed at applicants with a bachelor’s degree or professional qualification of at least 180 credits in public health, healthcare, or other relevant social science disciplines. It prepares graduates to address current and future challenges in health and healthcare by making well-founded priority-setting decisions and promoting efficient use of resources to improve health.

  • Blended teaching methods, including lectures, presentations, group work, case-based learning, and thesis writing.
  • A research-based and practice-oriented education at the intersection of health economics, policy, and management.
  • The programme places a strong emphasis on group work and collaborative learning to ensure you are fully prepared for your future workplace.

Student profile

Bringing together students from diverse educational backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and traditions is a distinctive hallmark of the programme. The student body is highly international, as reflected in the location of students’ bachelor’s degrees: approximately 20% are from Sweden, 35% from other European countries, and 45% from outside Europe. The programme is also very interprofessional: around 60% of students have a medical or health-related educational background, while 40% come from social and natural science disciplines.

The unique combination of health economics, policy, and management equips students with both strong methodological skills and a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare system.

Study abroad 

Partner universities, where you can collect data for your degree project, include:

  • Chile: Escuela de Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina de Universidad de Chile. Good knowledge of Spanish is required.
  • Uganda: College of Health Sciences at Makerere University.

Studies abroad can usually be undertaken during the master’s thesis semester, which takes place in the fourth semester.

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Tuition fees

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Apply for the Master's Programme in Health Economics, Policy and Management Autumn 2026

Specific eligibility

A Bachelor's degree or a professional degree equivalent to a Swedish Bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits in public health science, healthcare or other relevant social sciences subject area. And proficiency in English equivalent to English B/English 6.

Documentation requirements

Document your studies

Please follow the documentation requirements on the page Provide application documents at universityadmissions.se.

If you are in your final year of a degree equivalent to a Swedish bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits, you may be conditionally admitted. Please read the instructions on how to document your ongoing studies on the page Final year of bachelor's studies at universityadmissions.se.

Document your English language proficiency

You will find instructions on how to meet the English language requirement of English B/English 6 on the page English language requirements at universityadmissions.se.

Selection

The selection is based on an overall assessment of the applicant's qualifications such as previous education, relevant work and/or research experience and statement of intent.

You must complete the KI CV form that will be used in the selection among eligible applicants. Only experiences which have been certified according to the instructions will be considered in the selection. Letters of recommendation are not required.

Documentation deadline

The deadline for the supporting documentation is 2 February 2026. All credentials must have reached universityadmissions.se by the deadline for the supporting documentation. You will find all key dates on the page Autumn semester dates at universityadmissions.se

Fees

If you have citizenship within the EU/EEA, or Switzerland, you are not required to pay application or tuition fees. For further details see the page Find out if you need to pay fees at universityadmissions.se.

Application fee

900 SEK

Tuition fee

Total amount: 360 000 SEK
First instalment: 90 000 SEK
Tuition fees
Scholarships

Application process

Read more on entry requirements, documentation requirements and the selection process on the page Apply for a master's programme

Application

You apply via universityadmissions.se.

Apply for Autumn 2026

Master's Programme in Health Economics, Policy and Management

Masterprogrammet i hälsoekonomi, policy och management

Essential data

Programme code: 4HM17
Name of the programme: Master's Programme in Health Economics, Policy and Management
Number of credits: 120
Starting date: Autumn semester 2017
Decision date: 2016-05-10
Decided by: Board of Higher Education
Last revised: 2017-12-21
Revised by: Styrelsen för utbildning
Reference number: 3-4992/2017
Specific eligibility requirements:

A Bachelor's degree or a professional degree equivalent to a Swedish Bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits in public health science, healthcare or other relevant social sciences subject area. And proficiency in English equivalent to English B/English 6.

Main field of study: Medical Management
Qualification:

Medicine masterexamen med huvudområdet medical management
Degree of Master of Medical Science (120 credits) with a Major in Medical Management

A student who fulfils the requirements for the award of qualification shall, upon request, be provided with a certificate.

Outcomes

Outcomes of Second Cycle Education According to the Higher Education Act

Second-cycle courses and study programmes shall be based fundamentally on the knowledge acquired by students during first-cycle courses and study programmes, or its equivalent.

Second-cycle courses and study programmes shall involve the acquisition of specialist knowledge, competence and skills in relation to first-cycle courses and study programmes, and in addition to the requirements for first-cycle courses and study programmes shall:

  • further develop the ability of students to integrate and make autonomous use of their knowledge,
  • develop the students' ability to deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations, and
  • develop the students' potential for professional activities that demand considerable autonomy, or for research and development work.

Degree Outcomes According to the Higher Education Ordinance

Outcomes of the Degree of Master (120 credits) according to the Higher Education Ordinance
Knowledge and understanding
For a Degree of Master (120 credits) the student shall

  • demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the main field of study, including both broad knowledge of the field and a considerable degree of specialised knowledge in certain areas of the field as well as insight into current research and development work, and
  • demonstrate specialised methodological knowledge in the main field of study.

Competence and skills
For a Degree of Master (120 credits) the student shall

  • demonstrate the ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations even with limited information
  • demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues critically, autonomously and creatively as well as to plan and, using appropriate methods, undertake advanced tasks within predetermined time frames and so contribute to the formation of knowledge as well as the ability to evaluate this work
  • demonstrate the ability in speech and writing both nationally and internationally to clearly report and discuss his or her conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based in dialogue with different audiences, and
  • demonstrate the skills required for participation in research and development work or autonomous employment in some other qualified capacity.

Judgment and approach
For a Degree of Master (120 credits) the student shall

  • demonstrate the ability to make assessments in the main field of study informed by relevant disciplinary, social and ethical issues and also to demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work
  • demonstrate insight into the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used, and
  • demonstrate the ability to identify the personal need for further knowledge and take responsibility for his or her ongoing learning.

Outcomes of the Study Programme at Karolinska Institutet

In addition to the national objectives for the Master's Degree, the following outcomes apply for the study programme at Karolinska Institutet.

On completion of the programme students shall

  • demonstrate advanced knowledge of how medical knowledge, individual and organisational competence and the resources of healthcare and society can best be utilised for improving people's health
  • demonstrate advanced knowledge about structure and governance as well as developments within medical and social care work
  • demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of how health systems function and health policy is created and implemented
  • demonstrate advanced skills in using methods within health economics, policy and management during the follow-up and evaluation of health-promotion work and medical methods, as well as todemonstrate the ability to apply theories and models within health economics, policy and management.

Content and structure

The programme focuses on three themes within the main field of study; health economics, policy and management. Within health economics, the focus lies on the financing of healthcare as well as methods for the economic evaluation of healthcare programmes and the measurement and valuation of health outcomes.

Policy includes health planning and methods for the development, implementation and analysis of policies in healthcare systems while management encompasses methods for healthcare management and governance.

During the first academic year, basic knowledge is provided within the main field of study with a focus on how medical knowledge, individual and organisational competence as well as material and financial resources can best be utilised to improve people's health. Furthermore, students' basic skills in using methods within the three themes of the programme are developed. The first year also covers basic quantitative and qualitative methods.

In the second year there is specialisation within health economics, management and policy whereby the students apply and deepen the knowledge they acquired in the first year. They acquire in-depth knowledge of health systems and health policy, study methods for modelling and economic evaluation. They also deepen their knowledge of how qualitative and quantitative tools can be used for the evaluation of medical methods and for the work of improvement within the healthcare sector.

The education is completed with a semester whereby the students are enabled to specialise within health economics, health policy or management through a degree project of 30 credits. The course includes planning, implementation and reporting of a study in the form of a scientific paper.

Scientific theory and research methods are introduced in the programme's first course. During the following courses the students acquire an increased level of knowledge and insight into scientific methods. At the end of the third semester, both the theoretical and practical aspects are exercised. Each course includes lectures, seminars and group work as well as practical exercises. The purpose of the seminars is to develop practical skills, a professional attitude as well as critical thinking and they also include various forms of interactive student-led activities. In the degree project in the programme's final course the students are able to apply this knowledge in practice.

Transitional provisions

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Other guidelines

Grading scale

The grades used are Fail, Pass or Pass with Distinction. Alternative grading scales may apply to a few single courses. The grading scale is detailed in the course syllabus.

Language of instruction

The teaching language is English.

Specific eligibility requirements within the programme

There are specific eligibility requirements for the courses within the programme. The eligibility requirements can be found in the syllabi. In cases where the requirements are connected to the admission to a later term, they are described on the programme website. There may also be specific eligibility requirements within a specific term if a course requires certain prior knowledge.

Study plan with constituent courses

Term Name of the course Credits Main field of study Cycle
1 Introduction Course 7.5 Medical Managment Second
1 Health Economics – Financing Health and Medical Care 10 Medical Managment Second
1 Health Systems and Policy 10 Medical Managment Second
1 Planning for Health 2.5 Medical Managment Second

2 Basic Epidemiology and Statistics 1 5 Medical Managment Second
2 Health Outcomes Measurement 7.5 Medical Managment Second
2 Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programmes 7.5 Medical Managment Second
2 Health and Medical Care Management 10 Medical Managment Second

3 Statistics 2 5 Medical Managment Second
3 Advanced Course in Health Economics 5 Medical Managment Second
3 Advanced Course in Health Systems and Policy 5 Medical Managment Second
3 Advanced Course in Health and Medical Care Management 5 Medical Managment Second
3 Philosophy of Science and Research Ethics 10 Medical Managment Second

4 Degree Project in Medical Management 30 Medical Managment Second

Career

As a graduate of the master’s programme, you will be well prepared for a wide range of professional roles in both the private and public sectors, in Sweden as well as internationally. The programme also provides a strong academic foundation for those who wish to pursue doctoral studies (PhD).

After graduation, approximately 65% of students work in Sweden, 15% in other EU countries, and 20% outside the EU. Around 15% of graduates continue directly to PhD studies.

Among those who enter the workforce, about 50% are employed in the public sector, for example within health technology assessment (HTA) agencies or international governmental organisations. The remaining graduates commonly work in the private sector, including consultancy firms, pharmaceutical companies, and other health related industries. As Swedish language proficiency is often a requirement for the Swedish job market, we recommend that you study Swedish, for example, with SFI.

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Contact

Admissions

For information on the admissions process, visit the page Apply for a master's programme, or contact the admissions office at Karolinska Institutet.

The programme

For information about the programme and its outline please see the programme webpage or contact:
Programme director Niklas Zethraeus, niklas.zethraeus@ki.se, or
Programme officer Lena Björk, lena.bjork@ki.se.

Study guidance and career advice service

For general study guidance and career advice service, please contact Study and career advice service