Health Care Administration

Master of Science in Health Care Administration

Graduates of HCA degree programs will achieve and demonstrate the following competencies: health care knowledge, leadership, presentation skills (oral communication), written communication skills, career marketability, teamwork, managing change, conceptual skills, managerial decision making, ethical decision making, information management, interpersonal skills, independence, creativity and critical thinking, analytical skills, planning, advocacy and conflict management.

Admission Requirements

Each interested individual should apply to the University at www.csumentor.edu; send official transcripts from an accredited institution to Enrollment Services and pay application fee online.

To obtain admission a Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution is required. Preferably the candidate is expected to have completed 9 units of course work in accounting, economics and statistics, but these prerequisite courses could be taken during the MS program if needed. An applicant must have an overall undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or better. Those applicants with less than 3.0, but with acceptable evidence of professional potential shown through recent academic performance and experiential background, may be admitted by special action of the Department Admissions Committee.

In addition, the candidate should prepare an application packet with the following documents and send it to the Department:

1. MSHCA Application Form (available on HCA website)

2. A current and complete resume

3. Statement of purpose describing your career goals in health care administration

4. Three letters of recommendation

5. GMAT or GRE score (will be waived with five or more years of experience in the health care field.)

Please note that an interview with the Program Director may be required.

Prerequisites

1. Take the following course (or equivalent): ACCT 201

2. Take one of the following courses (or equivalent):

• ECON 101, ECON 300

3. Take an introductory statistics course or equivalent (e.g., SOC 170).

4. Submit a minimum score of 500 on a recent Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or a total score of a minimum 1000 on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Students should contact the Program Director for a determination of deficiencies and required remediation.

Graduation Requirements

1. Complete a minimum 45 units graduate-level course work.

2. Complete all of the following core courses:

• HCA 502 The Health Care System (3)
  Prerequisites: None.
• HCA 503 Health Care Economics (3)
  Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 300.
• HCA 505 Organization and Systems of Health Care (3)
  Prerequisites: Health Care Administration majors only.
• HCA 510 Human Resources Management in Health Care (3)
  Prerequisite(s): Health Care Administration majors only.
  Prerequisite/Corequisite: HCA 502
• HCA 515 Advanced Financial Management in Health Care (3)
  Prerequisite: ACCT 201 or ACCT 500; HCA 502; Health Care Administration majors only.
• HCA 517 Advanced Healthcare Information Systems Management (3)
  Prerequisites: Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502.
• HCA 524 Advanced Legal and Ethical Aspects of Health Administration (3)
  Prerequisite: Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502.
• HCA 527 Research Methods in Health Care Management (3)
  Prerequisites: SOC 170 or equivalent statistics course, Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502 and advancement to candidacy.
• HCA 528. Managing Population Health (3)
  Prerequisite: HCA majors only, HCA 502
• HCA 530 Strategic Planning and Marketing in Health Care (3)
  Prerequisites/Corequisites: HCA 502.
• HCA 535 Quantitative Methods for Health Administration (3)
  Prerequisites: Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502.
• HCA 550 Continuous Quality Improvement in Health Services (3)
  Prerequisites:Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502.

Culminating Experience:

• HCA 698. Project (3)
  Prerequisites: Advancement to candidacy & completion of minimum 27 graduate units in HCA.

Completion of any two of the following elective courses:

• HCA 536, HCA 537, HCA 539, HCA 552 or HCA 580.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students will be instructed to apply for advancement to candidacy after:

1. Completion of all prerequisite courses,

2. Completion of 6 units of core course work that applies to the degree with an average grade of "B" or better,

3. Fulfillment of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR),

4. Approval of Program Director.

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