Program Overview

Health Services Administration Master's

Program Overview

The Master of Science in Health Services Administration is a skills-based graduate program focused on the development and practical application of all the leadership skills essential to health services administrators in today’s competitive marketplace. We are pursuing program accreditation by CAHME (the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education).

Program Highlights

• The program is based on a model of 26 specific leadership competencies identified by the National Center for Healthcare Leadership.
• Each of the core courses in the program has an applied project that gives you the chance to practice essential management skills under faculty supervision.
• The program is designed to provide a broad foundation in health care delivery systems; management strategies; ethical and legal issues in the healthcare environment; the role of information systems and technology in high-quality and efficient care delivery; marketing health services; and in the principles of solid financial management.

Marketable Skills

• Oral and written communication
• Strategic planning
• Organizational awareness (SWOT facilitation)
• Quality improvement planning/implementation
• Health planning orientation facilitation

Program Details

Program Type

• Master of Science (M.S.)

Format

• Online

Estimated Time to Complete

• 2 years

Credit Hours

• 39

Courses

• Health Delivery Systems (3 hrs)
  • Cross-cultural overview of health delivery systems followed by an extensive consideration of all aspects of the health delivery system in the United States.
• Healthcare Quality Management (3 hrs)
  • Provides a framework, strategies and practical approaches to help healthcare leaders to learn, teach and lead quality improvement efforts. In four progressive stages, focuses first on the foundation of quality improvement in the healthcare industry.
• Health Insurance and Managed Care (3 hrs)
  • This course provides an overview of the issues related to the management, design, regulation and evaluation of managed care plans. Covers both private and public insurance plans, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Describes the many changes to health insurance markets that have resulted from the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
• Theories and Measures for Health and Wellness (3 hrs)
  • Examines commonly used population health and wellness definitions, constructs and indicators. Age-related changes in health in the lifecycle and macro and micro theories of health are included. Economic consequences and implications for public policy are also discussed.
• Financial Issues in Health Services Administration (3 hrs)
  • Presents a broad overview of healthcare finance and focuses on tasks that are essential to the operational management of healthcare services, including estimating costs and profits, planning and budgeting, analyzing new equipment purchases, using metrics to monitor operations, and working with financial statements. Designed for individuals seeking basic skills in healthcare financial management.
• Information Systems for Healthcare Management (3 hrs)
  • Overview of entire subject of computer and data applications in clinical and integrated services. Examination of management and electronic information systems across the continuum of long-term care and larger systems of care, plus their interface with complex regulatory and reimbursement systems.

Career Opportunities

Employment in health services management is expected to grow by 32 percent in the coming decade. Health Services Administration graduates can find opportunities in numerous fields. These include: hospital administration, consulting, health policy, health information systems, maternal and child care, long-term care, pharmaceuticals, and project management. This degree can also be a valuable asset for mid-career professionals looking to move up within a traditional health care system.