MHSA Curriculum

Curriculum

The MHSA curriculum consists of 50 credits. There are ten core courses (30 credits) required for all students. Each student also completes three electives (9 credits). Students must participate in experiential discovery through our executive interview and analysis courses (6 credits). Students complete either a Master’s Thesis Project (5 credits) or Capstone Experience (5 credits). A final comprehensive examination (non-credit assignment) must be passed with a 70% or greater for all ten test sections.

Course Numbering

As a masters-level program, all courses are designated as upper-division-level courses requiring advanced academic preparation.

Masters in Health Services Administration Course Descriptions

Core Courses

HSA-5000: Healthcare Organizations and Administration

This course is an overview and introduction to the main topics in health services administration providing an understanding of organizational theories, behaviors, and designs from social science and business disciplines.

HSA-5010: Population Health and Status Assessment

This course focuses on the socioeconomic determinants of population health and health disparities, non-communicable and communicable diseases, public health law, policy and ethics, environmental health, the practice of health promotion, lifestyles, prevention and wellness, and methods for assessing community health needs. Topics of study will also include the public health system and institutions, public and private finance of healthcare, as well as managed care in the context of public health services.

HSA-5020: Professional and Communication Skills Development

This course offers studies in the establishment of professional networks and relationships with peers, superiors, and subordinates, the development of teamwork, and how to conduct oneself in a manner that cultivates confidence and trust. In addition, this course will provide fundamental knowledge for effective writing processes and managerial communication including oral presentation, public speaking and the use of office and medical writing technology.

HSA-5030: Research Methodology and Application

This course provides the knowledge and skills to master fundamental concepts of descriptive and inferential statistics concepts and procedures, needs analysis, market assessment, outcome evaluation, forecasting, quality assessment and improvement using statistical analysis tools, planning, and data collection strategies, constructing and using databases, interpreting substantive statistical results and communicating those results.

HSA-5040: Health Policy Formulation, Implementation, and Evaluation

This course covers the distribution of health services; inequalities and social disparities in health services, quality health care, and health care delivery, measurement and impact assessment of quality care, private and public health services delivery, payment for health care in the public and private sectors, and effects of competition and privatization of health care delivery. In addition, this course will teach the methodology of health policy formulation, evaluation, and implementation, the role of health professionals in defining health policies and health care reform, and its impact on health care delivery systems.

HSA-5050: Legal Issues in Business and Clinical Decision Making

This course will review legal concepts, principles, and provisions of contracts, torts, statutes, and regulations that apply to health care institutions and their operations. Compliance and fiduciary responsibilities, risk assessment, and management strategies of these entities will be examined. In addition, ethical principles relating to health care professionals and institutions will be explored. Legal and ethical issues dealing with medical treatments, patient and employee communications, clinical research, emergency treatment and operations, and disaster preparedness strategies will be presented.

HSA-5065: Information System and Quality Systems

This course provides the knowledge and systems tools needed for management and implementation of quality assessment and improvement in healthcare organizations. The importance of patients, physicians, and other health care professionals in quality assessment and improvement processes will be discussed. The role of clinics and primary health facilities in the provision of patient care and quality care is presented as well as the importance of healthcare accreditation, professional credentials, continuing education, licensure and peer review in the quality improvement process.

HSA-5080: Governance, Leadership and Strategic Planning

This course studies the nature and role of governance as applied to for-profit and non-profit organizations (hospitals and health systems), legal and ethical issues in the decision-making process, the status of health services organizations (corporate structure, stakeholders, constituents), community and social accountability, concepts and theories of leadership, leading organizational changes, development, and maintenance of high-performance teams and basic foundations for strategic planning.

HSA-5090: Economic Analysis and Application in Decision Making

This course provides the knowledge and tools needed for budgeting, costing technique and cost-benefit principles, calculating labor costs, flow of funds, insurance needs, and risk pooling, assessing market and labor markets, and planning production of products and services.

HIA-5220: Financial Analysis and Risk Management

This course provides the knowledge and skills to develop risk and investment returns analysis, reviews of financial statements, cost allocations, development of capital and operating budgets and cash flow, use of cost containment tools, and financial analysis of institutions and projects.

Electives I

HIA-5200: Human Resources Management

This course provides the methodology and techniques associated with job analysis, employee recruitment, retention, selection and placement, training and development, performance appraisal, compensation and benefits, labor relations, motivation theory, cultural competency and job satisfaction. Topics will also include legal and ethical aspects of human resources management.

OR

HIA-5210: Market Analysis, Research, and Assessment

This course offers the analytical tools for the study of market segmentation, health care services/products usage patterns, analysis of consumer behavior, market price, analysis of market channels for services and products, market communication, publicity, and promotions for health care products and services.

Elective II   

MPH-5300: Healthcare Services Delivery: Prevention, Wellness, Infectious Diseases, Chronic Diseases, and Disaster Preparedness

Students will learn health education and health (social) marketing strategies that focus on wellness, preventive interventions, management of chronic diseases, and epidemics/pandemics. In addition, this course focuses on social behavioral issues, health detriments and community resources. Issues such as child obesity, women’s health, diabetes, heart/lung diseases, and geriatric issues are incorporated as part of managing care and marketing strategies. In addition, the course will introduce students to practical issues about healthcare institutions preparedness for emergencies and unforeseen events.

OR

HIA-5230 Long-Term Care Administration I

As a major component of the healthcare delivery system, long-term care (LTC) has been receiving increasing attention in both developed and developing countries. LTC is closely associated with disabilities emanating from chronic conditions that are mostly related to human aging. This course will provide a broad understanding of long-term care as a distinct segment of the health care delivery system, ITC clients and services, policy perspective, and industry perspectives lay the foundation for managing any LTC organization.

OR

HIA-5260 Nurse Executive Management I

This course covers a broad range of topics and demonstrates the inter-connectivity between finance and other aspects of healthcare. Main topic areas include: necessary essentials for financial viability, providing value-based service and health care, and the economy.  Real-world examples and cases enhance connection to patient needs.

Elective III

HIA-5250 Health Care Management Operations

This course serves as a foundational work to develop practical skills in operations management for rising health care administrators. Concepts reviewed in the text tend to highlight operational issues particular to the hospital provider organization with examples presented in the text that can generally be applied to other health care provider entities. The issues of efficient production of patient care services, management of labor costs and supply chain, pharmaceuticals, and translation of operational performance improvement to financial sustainability are no different in a physician clinic, home health agency, community health center, or ambulatory care facility. Basic introductory content on items such as the third-party payment system, the physician as the patient agent for purchase of health care services, and the general definition of an output in the health care system are presented, but aimed at facilitating correlation of the operations management discipline with other parts of the health care management milieu. Also, the review of basic health system concepts in this text are provided as a means of setting forth a motivation for the student new to the field of health care operations management to understand its value in the management of a successful health care provider organization.

OR

HIA-5240 Long-Term Care Administration II

As a major component of the healthcare delivery system, long-term care (LTC) has been receiving increasing attention in both developed and developing countries. LTC is closely associated with disabilities emanating from chronic conditions that are mostly related to human aging. This course will provide a broad understanding 27 of long-term care as a distinct segment of the health care delivery system, ITC clients and services, policy perspective, and industry perspectives lay the foundation for managing any LTC organization.

OR

HIA-5270 Nurse Executive Management II

This course covers a broad range of topics and demonstrates the inter-connectivity between finance and other aspects of healthcare. Main topic areas include: budget principles, financial strategies and finance, and accounting issues. Focus on collaboration in decision making and quantum leadership driving success.

Executive Interviews and Analysis

HSA-5401: Executive Interviews & Analysis I

Students will complete on-site discovery at various healthcare organizations under a student observation arrangement. Each course is self-paced over a 6-month period. Students will identify a healthcare organization for their discovery site and execute a student observation agreement allowing executive interviews with administrators. Interviews will be documented and analyzed to create a SWOT report and strategic tactics.

HSA-5431: Executive Interviews & Analysis II

Students will complete on-site discovery at various healthcare organizations under a student observation arrangement. Each course is self-paced over a 6-month period during their last semester of their program. Students will identify a healthcare organization for their discovery site and execute a student observation agreement allowing executive interviews with administrators. Interviews will be documented and analyzed to create a SWOT report and strategic tactics.

Final Projects

HSA-5410: MHSA Master’s Thesis Project

Students may elect to prepare, submit and defend a research thesis as their final project. The Master’s Thesis Project will be an integration of knowledge obtained through didactic, clinical, and work experiences. Students will be assigned to a faculty advisor who will be available to guide them through their coursework and preparation of their research thesis. The Thesis Project is an opportunity for students to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the Program for the analysis and understanding of healthcare management problems in private and/or public healthcare institutions or programs. Thesis Projects will be presented to a faculty panel prior to graduation.

OR

HSA-5420:  Capstone Experience

This course provides students the opportunity to integrate all previous MHSA learning experiences into a seamless body of professional knowledge which will be used to solve “real world” administrative and leadership problems. By utilizing a team approach to case studies, the course will help students prepare to become effective healthcare leaders. The course utilizes regularly scheduled mentoring sessions in which students will directly interact with the Course Director. Issues such as properly defining the problem at hand, relevant information/data needed to be collected, alternative solutions available, actions you are recommending, implementation of the solutions, and measurement of success will be topics of focus.