Healthcare Administration (MS)

Healthcare is the largest industry in the United States and the second largest employer, with more than 11 million jobs (AUPHA). Healthcare Administration (HCA) professionals educated at the graduate level have a strong foundation in healthcare finance and economics, law, policy, performance and process improvement, leadership, informatics and strategic planning. The Healthcare Administrator provides leadership and strategic vision for the organization in collaboration with clinicians and internal and external stakeholders to ensure equitable healthcare quality and access to care. The M.S. Healthcare Administration program has been developed in alignment with Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA). Content areas selected for the M.S. Healthcare Administration program represent the core body of knowledge identified by AUPHA as being essential for the Healthcare Administrator. Competencies are the skills, knowledge and abilities that healthcare administrators need to master and transcend organizational settings (Healthcare Leadership Alliance, 2010). Upon completion of the M.S. Healthcare Administration program, graduates will demonstrate the four competencies identified by AUPHA as critical to their success including the following: communication (written and oral); computational skills (mathematics and quantification); critical thinking (ability to analyze problems); and societal and cultural context (historical, philosophical, social, cultural, economic, political, and scientific foundations). The Healthcare Leadership Alliance (HLA) created the HLA Competency Directory which provides an interactive tool to ensure current and future healthcare leaders have the training and expertise needed to manage the nation's healthcare organizations. The HLA is comprised of the following professional organizations: American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE); American College of Physician Executives (ACPE); American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE); Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA); Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS); and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). The AUPHA competencies are in alignment with the competencies identified as critical by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance. Through meeting Program Outcomes, graduates from the M.S. Healthcare Administration program will demonstrate these competencies.