Online Master of Health Administration (MHA)

HP 601 Health Ethics and Law

This course introduces students to the complex area of health ethics and law. Ethical and legal issues related to organizational and professional responsibility, patient rights and informed consent, reproduction and human genetics, end-of-life care, duty to treat and to warn, and clinical research and experimentation are among the areas of study and discussion.

Prerequisites: HP 602, HP 609, or permission of the program director

HP 602 Concepts in Health Administration

This is an introductory course to the field of health administration. Topics include health care leadership and management, strategic planning, human resources, marketing, quality management, and cultural competency/diversity in health care organizations.

HP 608 Health Care Quality Management

This course is for students preparing for careers in health administration or for other leadership roles in health care. The history and evolution of health care quality improvement, quality measurement, patient safety, organizational systems and design, accreditation, continuous quality improvement (CQI), and utilization management are among the issues that are explored.

Prerequisites: HP 602, HP 609, or permission of the program director.

HP 609 Health Policy, Politics, and Perspective

This course examines U.S. health care policy and the political challenges related to delivery, cost, quality, and access to care. The course is in seminar format with a field experience component which allows students to observe the policy-making process and the role of government and private stakeholders in the financing and delivery of services through a field experience attending health policy-related events and meetings.

HP 611 Management Accounting in Health Care

This course introduces students to the basic concepts and principles of financial and managerial accounting. Students will learn management use of accounting information for internal reporting, planning, and decision making, including analysis of financial information, accounting principles and procedures, and current business practices in health care.

Prerequisites: HP 602, HP 609, or permission of the program director.

HP 614 Financial Analysis Health Administration

This course will give prospective managers a basic knowledge of accounting and financial management concepts and vocabulary as they apply to health care organizations. Students will learn to interpret and evaluate the financial statements, examine approaches to costing and price setting, perform and evaluate resource allocation decisions, utilize budgeting concepts, apply and evaluate reimbursement mechanisms, understand financial management concepts, and evaluate the impact of institutional financial management on the quality of the patient care delivery system.

Prerequisites: HP 602, HP 609, HP 611, or permission of the program director.

HP 619 Research Methods for Health Professions

This course will introduce health professionals and other interested students to the fundamentals of social science research methodologies. The course will provide an overview of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research design, analytic techniques, and ethical considerations of health research for use in the health field. The goal of this course is to acquaint students with basic methodological concepts and research tools. The course emphasizes practical application of research methods to enable the health professional to interpret and apply research findings, collaborate with researchers/evaluators, and/or determine research needs for programs

HP 620 Field Experience in Health Administration

Students will spend 100 hours in a health care setting experiencing the role of the health administrator or leader as the manager of health services. Placements will be with managers of departments within insurance companies and managed care organizations, hospitals and long-term care institutions, clinics and outpatient departments, state health care agencies, or nursing homes and home health agencies. The course meets in the classroom approximately six times per semester. This course is typically taken in the final semester of study.

Prerequisites: HP 601, HP 602, HP 609, HP 608, HP 611, HP 619, HP 622 or permission of the program director.

HP 622 Economics of Health Care

This course uses economic analysis to help understand the economic challenges confronting our health care system. Topics include supply and demand in health care, market forces, health reform, and health care financing.

Prerequisites: HP 602, HP 609 or permission of the program director.

HP 626 Sociological, Political, and Economic Perspectives in Gerontology

This course addresses social, political, and economic factors that impact the aging experience. Sociological, political, and economic theory will be incorporated as a form of understanding resource allocation, priorities, and cultural considerations. The impact of these factors on healthy aging related to income, housing, health care, employment, and policy will be described.

HP 635 Health Information Systems

This course addresses the multiple systems utilized to retrieve, manage, and report information in health care: information architectures, administrative and clinical applications, evidenced-based health, information retrieval, decision support systems, security and confidentiality, bioinformatics, information system cycles, the electronic health record, key health information systems and standards, medical devices, and telehealth.

HP 648 Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations

This course covers complex issues related to organizational behavior and leadership, strategic planning, human resources, and other management issues and challenges in a wide range of health care organizations, including non-profit, community-based health care organizations.

Prerequisites: HP 601, HP 602, HP 608, HP 609, HP 611, HP 619, HP 622, or permission of the program director