Health Care Administration MBA

Introduction

The Health Care Administration specialization within the Master of Business Administration program is accredited by AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The program is designed to provide graduate education for individuals interested in preparing for or furthering their careers in the management and administration of all health care delivery entities, such as integrated systems, hospitals, and managed care organizations. The program also provides training that leads to careers in consulting, health planning, policy analysis, and long-term care administration.

The Health Care Administration specialization provides a comprehensive academic background in management theory and practice, together with the knowledge and skills associated with the field of health care administration, planning, and policy analysis. Through this specialization, students develop an awareness of the interaction and interdependence of management, finance, economics, medicine, politics, and the social sciences. The program also provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable practical experience through professional site visits, shadowing, and an intensive administrative work experience, referred to as the internship. Both full-time and part-time students are able to complete the program through courses offered during the day and in the evening. Full-time students usually are able to complete the program in two or two-and-one-half years, while part-time students have up to six years to earn the degree.

Admission Requirements and Financial Aid

Applicants must meet the Admission Requirements for the Graduate College, as well as the following additional requirements:

1. Admission to the MBA-HCA program is based on a combination of the applicant's GMAT or GRE score and the undergraduate cumulative grade point average.
2. The GMAT/GRE may be waived for those applicants with an earned U.S. doctorate (Ph.D. or MD). 
3. International applicants with an earned doctorate (Ph.D. or MD) must present proof of U.S. equivalency.  Medical doctors must be licensed to practice in the United States in order to be considered for this waiver.
4. Students scoring below the 20th percentile on the verbal section of the GMAT/GRE are required to take the following remedial courses in business communication:  GAD 502 (16th through 19th percentile); or GAD 501 and GAD 502 (below the 16th percentile).  Students scoring below the 25th percentile on the quantitative section of the GMAT/GRE are required to take a two-credit course, OSM 500.
5. An official transcript from each college and university previously attended must be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
6. A current resume, a statement of purpose explaining why the applicant wishes to enroll in the health care administration MBA, and two letters of recommendation must also be provided before an admissions decision can be made.

To facilitate the admission process, it is strongly recommended that applicants use the online application system. 

Non-Degree Students

As with the regular MBA, students awaiting admission to the Health Care Administration MBA are permitted to complete a maximum of twelve credit hours with non-degree status.  Since the prerequisite requirements for the MBA in Health Care Administration are somewhat different than for the regular MBA, students should enroll in the prerequisite courses only after consultation with a health care program advisor.

Non-degree students wishing to be accepted into the health care administration MBA are cautioned that they cannot be admitted as a regular student with a graduate grade point average below a B (3.0) average (this is a policy of the Graduate Studies College), and the grades for any coursework taken while in non-degree status are not considered in the admissions decision.  Students with point totals of 950 or more, but less than 1050, may be admitted into the regular MBA Program and may take elective credit in the health care administration concentration.

Degree Requirements

The MBA with a specialization in health care administration is awarded on the basis of successful completion of a minimum of 35 semester hours of upper-level MBA and HCA courses.  Preparation for taking upper-level courses is achieved through completion or waiver of all Level I and Level II course requirements.  Students usually are not allowed to register for upper-level MBA and HCA courses until all Level I and Level II courses have either been taken or waived.  Permission for exceptions is granted in consultation with the student’s advisor or the Program Director.

The Health Care Administration MBA curriculum requirements were modified in Spring 2008.  For students admitted into the program (those achieving entrance point totals of 1050 or 1100 or greater), there are now two options.  The degree that is awarded upon completion of the degree requirements is the Master of Business Administration.  That is what appears on the diploma for all MBA graduates regardless of specialization or concentration.
 
Option One requires students to take the full MBA-HCA curriculum, including the Capstone Administrative Internship (HCA 690/91) Students seeking Option One will have the notation placed on their transcript upon graduation, “specialization: health care administration”. 
 
Option Two is available to students who do not require the Capstone Administrative Internship experience.  The usual reason students do not need the Capstone Administrative Internship Experience is because they are already employed in responsible administrative positions within a health care setting.  Option Two can be chosen towards the end of the student’s program, and substitutes MBA 602 (International Business) for the Capstone Administrative Internship course.  Students choosing Option Two may also be required to take the course in Business Communication (GAD 515) if it has not been waived by prior course work.  Students selecting Option Two will NOT have the “specialization: health care administration” posted on the final transcript.  The curriculum otherwise is exactly the same for students accepted into the health care administration MBA.
 
Students whose point totals are less than 1050 and are admitted to the regular MBA program may take elective credits in the health care administration concentration selected from the following courses:
HCA 515, HCA 616, HCA 625, HCA 640 and HCA 650.   Students enrolled in the traditional MBA program may not take HCA 555, HCA 601 or HCA 660 as substitutes for core credit within the MBA degree.

Curriculum

The curriculum consists of the following 3 levels of course work:

Level I:  Basic Skill Proficiency (12 credit hours)

Familiarity with Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, and the Internet is also required.

GAD 501, GAD 502, and OSM 500 are waived by appropriate uGMAT/GRE scores at the 20th percentile for the verbal component and/or the 25th percentile for the quantitative component.

Level II:  Basic Business Knowledge (may be waived by prior coursework) (15-18 credit hours)

*Students opting for the HCA MBA without taking the Administrative Capstone HCA 690 course must take or be waived from GAD 515.
**HCA MBA students who have not taken a course in Operations Management (OSM 511) should take HCA 511.

Level III:  Upper level MBA and HCA courses (35/36 credit hours)

1.   Functional Core (13 credits)

   Course	Title	Credits
   ACT 600	Managerial Accounting	3
   HCA 601*	Financial Policies	3
   MLR 601	Human Resources Management and Labor Relation	3
   MKT 601	Marketing Management	3
   MBA 600	Team Dynamics	1

   *Only students accepted in the HCA MBA program may take HCA 601 for credit toward the MBA degree

2.  Health Care Administration Core (6 credits)

   Course	Title	Credits
   HCA 515	Medical Care Organization	3
   HCA 555	Analysis of Health Care Market	3

   
   
3. Advanced Health Care Administration Training (12 credits)

   Course	Title	Credits
   HCA 616	Health Care Policy, Quality & Ethics	3
   HCA 625	Health Care Informatics for Managers	3
   HCA 640	Health Care Law	3
   HCA 660	Integrative Business Strategy for Health Care Administrators	3

   
   
4.  Option One:  Health Care Specialization Capstone Course (4 credits)

   Course	Title	Credits
   HCA 689*	Administrative Internship/Research Project	1
   HCA 690	Administrative Internship	3

   *HCA 689 is for students seeking long term care certification

5. Option Two:  Health Care Administration without the Capstone Course (3 credits)

   Course	Title	Credits
   MBA 602	International Business	3

   
   

The Health Care Administration Program also offers additional optional courses shown below:

Students wishing to be certified for long term care should plan to take HCA 650.  Students interested in coursework beyond the minimum hours required for the degree may take the Internship (HCA 685) and/or
the Independent Study (HCA 698) courses with the permission of the Program Advisor.

Learning by Experience - The Administrative Capstone Series: Internship, Professional Site Visits, and Shadowing
 
Health care administration programs view an administrative internship as an important component of graduate education.  Even students with considerable experience in health care administration benefit from
a well-planned and supervised internship. Many students report that the opportunity to integrate course work with experience was the high point of their graduate training in health care administration.
 
The Administrative Internship (HCA 690) is required of all MBA/HCA students who wish to have the “specialization: health care administration” appear on their transcripts (Option 1).  The internship is defined as a planned and supervised learning experience gained through first-hand observations and operational responsibilities in a health service organization.  It is expected that a minimum of 360 hours will be devoted
to the internship. For students electing to specialize in Long Term Care, the Administrative Internship is a minimum of 800 hours, and the students are encouraged to also enroll in HCA 650.  This time may be scheduled, with prior approval of the Administrative Capstone Series Coordinator, at any time after the completion of 27 credit hours in the HCA Program.  Each internship student is supervised by the Administrative Capstone Series Coordinator and an on-site preceptor with whom he or she maintains a liaison during the internship.  The internship may be implemented either on a full-time or part-time basis.
 
The Professional Site Visit Experience is required of all MBA/HCA students under both Option 1 and Option 2.  It involves on-site and on-campus experiences with senior management teams from a variety of health
care entities throughout the student’s tenure in the program.  One (or up to two) of the professional site visits is a shadowing experience. Shadowing a health provider or other health professional is a proven way
to learn more about career options and to confirm the chosen career path.  Shadowing consists of four to eight hours of contact with a person and/or organization.  These experiences are designed to broaden the opportunities for students to obtain in-depth knowledge of certain health-related professions, programs and organizations.  Shadowing may take two forms: Clinical (a direct care provider) or Non-Clinical (an administrator, such as a chief financial officer or company vice president).

A minimum of ten Professional Site Visits are required for graduation.  One hour of academic credit is included in the HCA 690 Administrative Internship for completion of the Professional Site Visits and other aspects of the Administrative Capstone Series beside the Internship, such as a faculty-evaluated Professional Presentation. Although not required, students may register for one hour of additional credit (HCA 685) for   completing the Site Visits.