The unprecedented covid era set in motion a transformation of university education. Consequently, Masaryk University joined the reform of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports within the framework of the National Recovery Plan of the Czech Republic intending to support progressive education. Thanks to the gained support, it is creating three new study programs. The Faculty of Economics and Administration (FEA MU) is a coordinator of one of the programs called Applied Health Economics (AHE).
To succeed in the National Recovery Plan competition to support study programs is a major achievement for FEA MU. The new Applied Health Economics (AHE) degree program was in the making by a team of the faculty for more than a year.
“For the faculty, being the main coordinator of the interdisciplinary study program that aspires to participate in shaping the form of university education and the whole society, represents not only a recognition of professional experience but also a commitment to the future,” explains Marie Hladká, the vice-dean for full-time studies. According to her, the cooperation on already existing interdisciplinary programs, which FEA implements together with other faculties of the university, is very inspiring and appreciated by students.
The AHE program will be taught from 2025 at the latest. Until then, following the practices and regulations of Masaryk University, it will first be assessed by external evaluators and then submitted to the Internal Evaluation Board for approval. It is this body of the University that is responsible for the quality of studies within the framework of the granted institutional accreditation.
The Faculty of Economics and Administration will not be the only one to participate in the creation of the content as a coordinator. A high added value is the cooperation with the Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Social Studies, and Faculty of Law, which will jointly create courses for the new study program. This will ensure a comprehensive view of future graduates on the subject. A broad base with a flexible choice of theses will also allow students to move into areas of applied health economics.
"We believe that the new study program will reflect the current transformation of the healthcare system and will respond to the requirements of the labour market as well as to the lack of graduates with appropriate professional qualifications," adds the vice-dean, adding that it is currently possible to acquire similarly focused knowledge and skills only within the framework of individual isolated certificate or specialization courses.
The school's ambition is to establish long-term sustainable partnerships with selected academic and expert institutions and to strengthen academic research in the field of health economics, pharmacoeconomics, and so-called health technology assessment (HTA).
