HECON4000 – Basic Mathematics for Health Economists
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This intensive course cannot be included in the Degree, but will prepare you for the specializations in Health Economics, and Economics Evaluation, and is therefore highly recommended. The course covers basic topics in mathematics that are essential in economic analysis on health topics such as supply and demand for health care and health insurance.
The course focuses on the skills such as calculus and algebra which are necessary to understand and analyze the economic models that are part of the syllabus in the courses HECON4210 – Demand for Health and Health Insurance and HECON4220 – Paying Providers of Health Care.
The course closely follows the course textbook, and solving textbook problems in class constitute a large part of the course. The course is therefore based on seminars and homework assignments, and it is recommended that students form small groups to collaborate on homework
Learning outcome
The course will provide you with knowledge of:
- mathematics applicable to economic analysis on health topics
- definitions of concave and convex functions
Skills
You will learn how to:
- use mathematics as a tool to perform simple economic analysis
- solve equations and systems of equations
- differentiate functions and compute elasticities
- to analyze functions and solve optimization problems
- solve optimization problems when constraints apply
Competence
You will be able to:
- to reflect on how simplifying assumptions and mathematics can be used as tools to derive, analyze and characterize societal issues.
Admission to the course
This course is only available for students at the following master programmes:
Health Economics, Policy and Management (master)
European Master in Health Economics and Management (master)
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Teaching
Seminars and homework assignments. It is recommended that students form small groups to collaborate on homework.
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
Written examination.
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.
Language of examination
For students at Eu-HEM: English
For students at HEPAM: The problem set will be given in English. Answers can be given in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
For Eu-HEM students:
An EU-hem student cannot present her or himself for the examination in a course more than two times. There will be held re-sits for EU-hem students who have failed an exam or who have legitimate absence (usually illness) in January and August. If you are entitled to a re-sit you must contact the student advisor via email no longer than one week after the result of the exam has been published.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.