Bachelors (BA) in Healthcare Administration
Overview
The healthcare administration major offers a 36-semester-hour course of study that provides learners with the administrative and managerial skills necessary for professional careers in hospitals, clinics, long-term and short-term healthcare facilities, doctors' offices, and health departments. It is an interdisciplinary curriculum that gives you a comprehensive foundation in healthcare payer and provider issues, healthcare EHR systems, sociological and political influences, and examining legal and ethical concerns. You will develop the skills to communicate and interact effectively with physicians, administrators, patients, and families. This degree also prepares learners for graduate studies in a non-clinical field of healthcare and business administration.
Degree Outcomes
- Effectively manage organizational change and promote organizational and clinical excellence.
- Manage health services organizations under alternative financing mechanisms.
- Utilize the management tools, analytical methods, and research skills necessary to identify organizational problems and to formulate solutions for those problems.
- Analyze and appraise healthcare law and policy to assist in effective decision making and clinical management.
- Develop leadership skills to improve both business and clinical outcomes of health services organizations.
- Discover and evaluate how their understanding of ethics and Christian values informs decision making and impacts their management practices in an organizational context.
Course Requirements
Students are required to obtain a minimum grade of C- in all courses taken for the major.
Major Requirements
Complete the following:
Course content focuses on organizational behavior models and practices and their application in work, group, and virtual teams. Emphasis is placed on group behavior and how group functioning affects organizational effectiveness.
This course provides an overview of the fields of organizational and management theory. It gives the student an understanding of the roles of management in fulfilling the mission and goals of the organization. Students are expected to apply management theory as they make decisions to solve organizational problems.
Prerequisite: MGHA 401 Organizational Behavior.
From a leadership perspective, this course focuses on the role communication plays in creating a productive work environment. Students will build communication competencies through learning to use listening skills, emotional intelligence, purpose identification, audience analysis, strategy development, message design, and medium selection. Topics covered include the effective use of digital media and leadership communication in the context of networks, groups and teams, addressing internal and external audiences, as well as in conducting meetings and presentations. Prerequisite: MGHA 401 Organizational Behavior.
In this course, students will investigate concepts of worldview as it relates to personal identity, cultural assumptions, interpersonal communication, individual decision-making, and faith. Students will explore the roots of the Christian faith and the influence of Christianity on society, seeking to construct a personal worldview that informs their understanding of the meaning of life.
This course provides students with a pragmatic approach that will guide the formulation and implementation of organizational and functional strategies. It focuses on modern analytical methods and on enduring successful strategic practices. Intentionally designed as a capstone course, students will apply management and leadership concepts they have learned throughout their degree program. Prerequisites: MGHA 403 Organizational Theory and Design, MGHA 433 Leadership for Healthcare Professionals
Complete the following:
MGHA 475 is optional and not required for Healthcare Administration majors.
Inquiry and exploration into the problems of modern healthcare using ethical theories and reflection to articulate a range of possible solutions. Students will connect various contemporary healthcare issues with ethical theory and decision making. While there are many such issues, we concentrate on topics concerning access to healthcare, patient autonomy and informed consent, and the right to die.
Prerequisite: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior, MGHA 427 Introduction to Healthcare Services.
In this course students will develop a foundational understanding of the financial operations of healthcare organizations including coding, budgeting and financial reporting, and provider compensation. Topics will also include decision-making with emphasis on various payment models and third-party payers. This course will enhance the student's decision-making skills by utilizing case studies and practical applications to real world situations.
Prerequisite: MGHA 427 Introduction to Healthcare Services.
Introduces the historical development and contemporary structure of healthcare services. Examines a wide range of delivery settings and providers, the role of government and regulatory bodies, sources of healthcare funding, and related current issues. Prerequisite: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior.
In this course, the student will develop a strong foundation of healthcare laws enabling students to contend with legal issues facing administrators of healthcare organizations on a daily basis. Topics will include statutory laws, rules and regulations, patient rights, fraud and Anti-trust legislation and enforcement. Students will develop a solid understanding of the impact of relationships between the patient, payer, and provider on the American healthcare structure. Prerequisite: MGHA 427 Introduction to Healthcare Services.
Examines the evolution and structure of integrated healthcare delivery systems from the perspectives of quality, access, and costs. Explores issues related to urban versus rural settings, managed care, reimbursement, regulatory requirements, and institutional accreditation. Prerequisite: MGHA 427 Introduction to Healthcare Services.
This course will examine the theory and practice of leadership in healthcare settings and the critical knowledge and skills needed to be effective leaders in today's complex healthcare environment. Prerequisite: MGHA 427 Introduction to Healthcare Services.
In this course, students will be active participants in the changing landscape of healthcare reform. This class will province an analysis and evaluation of current political, social, domestic and international events that impact healthcare organizations. Students will develop a strong understanding of legislative and regulatory processes, social influence and the impact of international healthcare industries on American healthcare systems. Prerequisite: MGHA 427 Introduction to Healthcare Services.
Supervised experience in the discipline including internships and practica required for professional programs. This advanced experience must have an on-site supervisor and/or a departmental instructor overseeing, designing, and evaluating the content of the course. Prerequisite: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior, MGHA 427 Introduction to Healthcare Services, and instructor's permission.