Healthcare Administration (MS)
This program is a collaborative online Master of Science in Healthcare Administration degree program offered jointly by UW-Parkside, UW-Stout, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Lacrosse, UW-Platteville with administrative and financial support from UW-Extension. This online M.S. in Healthcare Administration programs focuses primarily on adult and nontraditional students who hold an undergraduate degree and have the desire to continue their education to achieve a graduate degree.
The program is fully online and designed to provide a foundation for entry and advancement for professionals who are seeking management positions in the healthcare industry. The program’s multidisciplinary curriculum balances theory with real-world applications relevant to the current field and draws primarily from the following academic disciplines: healthcare, public health, information technology, business and communications. The M.S. in Healthcare Administration represents a fully online degree geared toward working professionals seeking to obtain advanced-level competencies in the areas of healthcare leadership, management, marketing, communications, law and policy, and quality and performance improvement.
Goals of the Program
The University of Wisconsin Master of Science in Healthcare Administration program prepares patient-care professionals, hospital administration, or current management professionals to help accomplish the triple aim of improving access to care, impacting the quality of care, and reducing the overall cost of care in a variety of settings.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate professional communication and interpersonal skills appropriate for a healthcare setting.
- Demonstrate strategic leadership and decision-making skills necessary in healthcare.
- Evaluate operational performance across diverse healthcare organizations.
- Develop strategies to recruit, train, and retain an effective healthcare workforce.
- Evaluate financial strategies and techniques to meet healthcare organizational needs and goals.
Requirements for the Master of Science in Healthcare Administration
To graduate with a master of science in healthcare administration students must satisfy all degree requirements for their home institutions.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HCA 700 | U.S. Healthcare Systems | 3 |
| HCA 705 | Population Health and Epidemiology | 3 |
| HCA 710 | Health Communication | 3 |
| HCA 715 | Healthcare Technology, Data Analytics, and Information Governance | 3 |
| HCA 720 | Healthcare Financial Management | 3 |
| HCA 730 | Human Capital Management in Healthcare | 3 |
| HCA 740 | Healthcare in Operations and Project Management | 3 |
| HCA 750 | Healthcare Quality and Performance Management | 3 |
| HCA 760 | Health Law and Policy | 3 |
| HCA 770 | Organization Development and Strategic Leadership in Healthcare | 3 |
| HCA 789 | Capstone Preparation | 1 |
| HCA 790 | Capstone | 3 |
| Total Credits | 34 | |
University Requirements for Master’s Degree Programs
To receive a master’s degree from UW-Parkside, students must meet the following minimum requirements (note that individual programs may impose more stringent requirements):
- Complete at least 30 graduate credits, of which no more than 12 may be transferred from another institution.
- Have an overall GPA of at least 3.00 for all graduate work taken at UW-Parkside that is applicable to the degree program.
- Satisfy all requirements of the graduate degree program.
Students may take no more than seven years to complete a degree, beginning with the semester in which they complete their first course as a UW-Parkside degree-seeking graduate student, unless they apply for and receive an extension through the appropriate graduate program. Some programs may impose a shorter time limit. To graduate, students must file a request for graduation. The request form, signed by the student’s advisor and filed in the appropriate graduate program office, initiates the final review of the candidate’s records. Students also need to apply to graduate with the Office of the Registrar.
Admission to the Master of Science in Healthcare Administration requires:
- Bachelor's degree in any discipline from an accredited University/College,
- Prerequisite coursework in Elementary Statistics, Medical Terminology, and Oral Communication or Speech,
- Employment résumé,
- Two letters of recommendation,
- A personal statement of not more than 1000 words.
Admission exams, such as the GRE or the GMAT, are not required.
To be eligible for admission in full standing for the MS in HCA a student must have an overall undergraduate grade point average of 3.00. Students who do not qualify for admission in full standing may be admitted on a trial enrollment justified by the admitting department and approved by the Academic Director of the MS in HCA. Students are allowed seven years from the date of admission into the program to complete degree requirements; extensions may be granted for extenuating circumstances.
Program entrance requirements and degree completion requirements are consistent with those of the other collaborative degree-granting institutions offering this program. The overall grade point average requirement needed to graduate with the MS in HCA is a 3.0. Students progressing towards the completion of their programs must earn a minimum grade of a 2.0 in any class in order for them to count towards their degrees. Students are responsible for achieving the overall 3.0 grade point average necessary to graduate with the MS in HCA
Applicants should follow the instructions found in the Online Admission Policies and Procedures section of this catalog.