Curriculum

MSHA Program courses are designed to meet the distinctive needs and preferred learning styles of the experienced health care professional.  Course work prepares students to meet the challenges of the constantly changing health care marketplace while providing a solid foundation for life-long professional development.  Faculty members have in-depth academic preparation in their disciplines and extensive professional experience.  All courses are three credits unless otherwise noted.

First Semester (Fall)

All courses are three credits unless otherwise noted.

Health System Organization, Financing and Performance (HADE 602) - Examines the structures, functioning and financing of the U.S. health services system. Emphasizes foundational concepts for understanding and analyzing patterns of health and illness; health care cost, quality, access, and utilization; workforce; competition in health care markets; and supplier, provider, and payer effectiveness and efficiency.

Health Economics (HADE 624) - Fundamental concepts of microeconomics theory and their application in analyzing health care policy; understanding the structure and dynamics of health care markets; and monitoring and controlling the allocation of resources within health service organizations.

Organization Behavior and Design in Health Care Management (HADE 646) - A survey of the key concepts of organization behavior and design as they apply to health care management.  Focuses on both micro and macro issues, including:  designing and coordinating structures and jobs, managing teams and workgroups, assessing organizational effectiveness, managing organizational politics and conflicts, understanding organizational culture, fostering innovation and creativity, and addressing the organizational psychology of the health care workforce.

Second Semester (Spring)

Health Care Managerial Accounting (HADE 606) - A foundation course covering financial accounting, financial statements analysis, budgeting, reimbursement, costing and short-term decision-making. Emphasizes accounting concepts and using financial data in management of providers and payers.

Health Care Management Decision Support Systems (HADE 610) - Applies techniques from operations research and industrial engineering to increase production efficiency in health services. Emphasizes managerial applications of production planning/control and decision models in health service organizations.

Management of Health Care Organizations (HADE 647) – Analyzes the current state of management study and practice with the objective of achieving a balanced development of both knowledge and skills in solving the operations problems of health institutions.  Critically examines the managerial process with emphasis on leadership behavior and development, performance improvement, structure and purpose of health care organization subunits, interfunctional coordination and organizational processes.

Second Semester - Part 2 (Summer)

Managed Care (HADE 631) - A seminar that examines the relationships between purchasers and providers of health care services and the development of new systems of financing and delivery that seek to improve performance and accountability.

Third Semester (Fall)

Financial Management in Health Care Organizations (HADE 607) - Examines theory and techniques of corporate financial management as applied to health services providers and insurers including time value of money, working capital management, capital budgeting techniques, cash flow analysis, and capital structure planning.

Managerial Epidemiology (HADE 609, 2 credits) - Focuses on analytical techniques to study and measure the health of populations and to evaluate programs.  Topics covered include:  health status measurement, evaluation design, and managerial applications of epidemiology.

Health Law and Bioethics (HADE 611) - Analysis and description of general principles of law and legal principles with applied problems and casework. Emphasis is placed on medical-legal issues, tort liability, negligence, consent, medical staff governance, medical malpractice and bioethical issues and implications. Provides a foundation and understanding of the practice of health law.

Health Information Systems and Performance (HADE 612) - Analyzes current information and management systems including workforce planning and productivity, financial planning and monitoring, quality assurance, staffing and scheduling, administrative information systems and patient care systems. Evaluates alternative uses of computer technology in health care.

Fourth Semester (Spring)

Health Care Marketing (HADE 614) - Fundamental theories, concepts, and techniques of marketing applied to the distinctive properties of health care services. Emphasizes the role of marketing in aligning organizational capacity and health care needs; market analysis and planning; strategic marketing management; tactical marketing mix design; developing and managing new services and systems of delivery.

Health Care Strategic Management (HADE 648) - An externally oriented capstone course that focuses on the formation, implementation, and evaluation of strategy in health care financing/delivery organizations. Emphasizes concepts dealing with organizational strategy; industry structure; the strategic management process; and achieving and sustaining competitive advantage.

Human Resources Management in Health Care (HADE 649) - Presents concepts in human resources management as applied to health care organizations.  Explores relationships between human resources management and general management, nature of work and human resources, compensation and benefits, personnel planning, recruitment and selection, training and development, employee appraisal and discipline, organized labor issues, and employment and labor law.

Leadership and Change Management (HADE 684, 1 credit) - Analyzes the current management/leadership role of the health care executive.  Focuses on the requisite knowledge, skills and values essential to success.  Involves students in assessing their own leadership styles and skills and discussing key concepts of leadership and change management in various health care organizations and structures.

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Part Time Enrollment

Recognizing the challenge that full-time enrollment brings to busy careers and personal lives, the Department now offers part-time options in the MSHA Program. Part-time students generally enroll in 6 or 7 credit hours per semester and spend an additional 10 months in classes in the Program. The recommended part-time schedule is shown below. All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.

Fall 1

Health System Organization, Financing and Performance (HADE 602)
Health Economics (HADE 624)

Spring 1

Health Care Managerial Accounting (HADE 606)
Management of Health Care Organizations (HADE 647)

Spring 1 - Part 2 (Summer)

Managed Care (HADE 631)

Fall 2

Financial Management in Health Care Organizations (HADE 607)
Organizational Behavior and Design in Health Care (HADE 646)

Spring 2

Health Care Management Decision Support Systems (HADE 610)
Health Care Marketing (HADE 614)

Fall 3

Managerial Epidemiology (HADE 609, 2 credit)
Health Law and Bioethics (HADE 611)
Health Information Systems and Performance (HADE 612)

Spring 3

Health Care Strategic Management (HADE 648)
Human Resources Management in Health Care (HADE 649)
Leadership and Change Management (HADE 684, 1 credit)

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