Home » Blog » What health economics education gets you the job?

What health economics education gets you the job?

A review of education requirements in 150 health economist job profiles.

I reviewed education requirements in 150  health economics job advertisements posted on EuropeanHealthEconomics.com.

First, I divided the health economics roles into three groups:

  1. Analyst,
  2. Manager, and
  3. Director

and then, the education requirements to four levels:

  1. Bachelor’s degrees (BA),
  2. Master’s degree (MSc),
  3. Medical doctor (MD), and
  4. Doctor

This is what I found. Please share if you find this useful.

There are not many jobs for bachelor’s degrees

There are not many job openings for persons with a bachelor’s degree. A master’s degree in health economics seems to be the minimum entry requirement in the pharmaceutical sector in Europe. If you have a BA and you consider health economics career in the industry, the best move is probably to continue with a health economics master programme.

Health economics master opens doors at all levels

Master’s degree in health economics opens doors at all levels. In most of the analyst- and manager jobs a health economics master is required. For director roles a health economics MSc needs to be combined with several years working experience in the pharmaceutical industry.

PhD is required in 40% of the health economics director roles

A PhD degree is preferred or required in over 40% of the health economics director roles and in a quarter of the manager roles. If your ambition is to become a HEOR director in a pharmaceutical company,  you might consider starting a PhD.

Medical doctors with a health economics degree strike gold

If you are a medical doctor (MD) with a health economics degree, you strike gold. There is a clear demand for MDs with a health economics education, especially in the director roles. If you are a medical doctor, doing a health economics master study could be an excellent career stepping stone in the pharma industry.

Health economics education requirements in analyst, manager and director jobs in pharma
Health economics education requirements in analyst, manager and director jobs in the pharmaceutical industry.

Education level is often not mentioned

Surprisingly, many companies do not even mention the required education level for health economics positions. This is probably because many of the job posts are written by human resources personnel or managers who are not familiar with the health economics job market, and they simply leave the education requirements out.

Is my education level too low?

You should keep in mind, that these are education levels that the companies would like the candidates to have. However, with the current shortage of experienced health economists, there might not be enough candidates who fulfil the education requirements. Therefore, especially if you have a few years of work experience, you should just go for it.

If you found this interesting and useful, please share the post. Thank you.

Jari Kempers
Health economist, PhD
info (a) europeanhealtheconomics.com

Health economics education requirements in the pharmaceutical industry

Author
Jari Kempers
Health Economist, PhD. I’m the founder of EuropeanHealthEconomics.com®, the specialised job board for my fellow health economists and the companies hiring them. I help managers and HR teams find experienced freelance health economists for projects and interim roles.

See also...

Get started with Python - online training course Python for health economists

Why Python is Health Economists’ New Best Friend?

Python is now the second top software skill required from health economists. We reviewed 100 ... Read more

Get the Free Weekly Health Economics Jobs Newsletter

8 Reasons Why You Should Sign Up for the Health Economics Jobs Newsletter

Are you a health economist looking for new career opportunities? It can be challenging to ... Read more

Professional CV review helps you to improve your resume and changes for getting invited for an interview and getting the job you want.

How to Create a Winning CV That Gets You Hired

Tips and tricks to improve your CV and boost your health economics career. Are you ... Read more

Management Skills Essential Skills for the New Manager

Are You Ready to Become a Manager?

Management Skills: New Manager Training – 2023. Are you a health economist looking to progress ... Read more

Online Course: Unlock Excel VBA and Excel Macros

Unlock Excel VBA and Excel Macros

Why health economists should take this course? Are you a health economist building budget impact ... Read more

Categories

Tags