School of Professional Studies

Master's of Professional Studies | Healthcare Administration
Course Requirements & Descriptions

Healthcare Administration Degree 30 Hours

12 Hours Core Courses:  

• PRST 6100 - Professional Environment Issues and Ethics (3)
  Overview of ethics in general, with practical tools for assessing ethical dimensions of professional life, diagnosing or identifying the moral issues at hand, and then developing reasonable options to address particular moral and ethical issues.
• PRST 6110 - Leadership and Communication (3)
  This course focuses on leadership as a function of communication behavior. Through discussion, cases and exercises, participants will explore effective communication strategies within an organizational setting. The course will cover team leadership skills, rhetorical sensitivity, charisma and practical suggestions for improving leadership effectiveness. 
• PRST 6300 - Research Methods (3)
  The student and application of research methods appropriate to professional studies. The course will provide a general introduction to research methods, as well as providing practical exposure to Problem Statements, Literature Reviews, Writing the Research Proposal, and Organization of the Research Report. Quantitative and Qualitative Research methodologies will be covered.
• PRST 6998 - Professional Project (3)
  The Professional Project is the capstone course for the Master of Professional Studies Degree, serving as the integrative culmination of the program of study. The Professional Project should be a substantial piece of independent research or a significant professional project that is logically consistent with the content of a given program of study. The work should demonstrate familiarity with and understanding of a body of professional literature related to a specific topic. The Project should grow out of the experiences and coursework involved in the Master of Professional Studies Healthcare Administration Concentration, and should demonstrate the ability to incorporate the knowledge from the MPS courses completed.
   

   

  Choose 15 Concentration/Certificate Hours:

• PRST 6200 - Globalization and the Professions (3)
  The purpose of this course is to assess the impact of globalization on professional life. The course examines globalization as it relates to commerce, information flow, mass media, government, health care and education.
  
  
• PRST 6421 - Strategic Organizational Program (3) 
  Developing a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of strategic organizational program planning and evaluation with a focus on relevance of strategic planning, effective and efficient program delivery plans with formative and summative evaluations for intentional learning and practical application in the workplace. 
  
  
• PRST 6530 - Healthcare Systems Economics (3)
  It is expected that this course will facilitate your understanding of the traditional issues in health economics. This course will improve and broaden your knowledge of healthcare systems economics by exploring historical and current economic principles that guide the healthcare system. You will realize how the economy of our healthcare systems has reached the current status. This realization will result in a better understanding of the impact of an aging population, the malpractice risk, the role of competition and government regulation, and the incentives used by pharmaceuticals and managed care insurers as they drive the healthcare systems. We will explore the health insurance market and managed care, the market for physicians' services, cost of healthcare in hospitals and other healthcare venues, labor issues, cost effectiveness analysis, equity and efficiency, role of government in the health economy, Medicaid and Medicare, international comparisons, and national health insurance.
  
  
• PRST 6540 - Health Informatics (3)
  This course is intended to expose students to the field of health informatics and to give them an understanding in the history, processes, and application of this field in the healthcare delivery system in the United States. Since health informatics is interdisciplinary, students must have already completed introductory courses in statistics, public health (or related subject), computer programming, and economics. Upon completion of this course, students will have a better understanding of healthcare delivery, the specific areas within health informatics, the application of computer technology in healthcare delivery, and the techniques, methodologies, and tools used in health informatics.
  
  
• PRST 6550 - Computer Based Decision Modeling for Healthcare Administrators (3)
  This course will provide an introduction to the principles and practice of decision modeling for financial and operational evaluation in the healthcare industry. Basic business spreadsheet techniques will be used to create models for strong decision support to assist in optimizing business decisions. It will introduce the use of statistical analysis and model development to health administration, healthcare program develop and evaluation, healthcare information management, emphasizing the use of computer technology (specifically MS Excel) across these areas.
  
  
• PRST 6560 - Biological Sciences for Healthcare Administrators (3)
  The focus of the course is to provide healthcare administrators with a basic understanding of the pathophysiological principles, as well as drug classes used, in the treatment of common medical diagnoses requiring admission to healthcare facilities.
  
  
• PRST 6570 - Public Health (3)
  The focus of this course is to explore the history and impact of public health initiatives in the United States and globally. Students will become familiar with public and private organized measures to prevent disease, promote health, and increase the quality of life among diverse populations. Students will learn to assess and monitor the overall health of populations, and use data to contribute to public health policy.
  
  
• PRST 6580 - Understanding Mental Health (3)
  In this course, students will examine the history and impact of mental health on public health. As well as promoting healthy lifestyles, public health works to detect, prevent, and respond to disease. People's mental health has a profound impact on their physical and social well-being, making mental health an essential public health issue.
  
  
• PRST 6721 – Managing Emergency Volunteers (3)
  This course will focus on the management and benefits of using Internal Volunteer Organizations, External Volunteer organizations and Spontaneous Volunteers to support an agency’s preparedness and increase capacities during crises response to incidents, emergencies, or disasters. (The course includes an overview of Managing Community donations.)
  
  
• PRST 6810 - Internship (3)
  Internships offer the student an opportunity to observe and work in a professional setting while gaining valuable “on the job training”. Internships for the Master of Professional Studies program should fit within the framework of the intern’s concentration area (Strategic Leadership, Human Resource Leadership, Training & Development or Healthcare Administration). The intern must complete ten hours of work per week for 15 weeks (one semester) to receive three hours of credit. Course objectives will be established by the instructor in collaboration with the intern and field supervisor for the internship. The field supervisor will coordinate the work of the intern and provide an evaluation at the conclusion of the internship while the instructor for the course will be responsible for assigning the final grade.
  
  
• PRST 6751 - Global Terrorism: Pandemics and Epidemics (3)
  This seven-week accelerated curriculum provides the various tools needed for public health and public safety agencies to overcome pandemics and epidemics. The students will learn how to identify the differences between pandemics, epidemics, and outbreaks and to overcome these incidents. Throughout this class, they will research various mitigation measures and preparedness efforts related to pandemics/epidemics. Students will learn mitigation strategies to ensure that critical infrastructure and essential work can be functional during a pandemic or epidemic, even if key personnel are unavailable. The course will look at the potential risks of a bioterrorist attack and the ways that bioterrorism might be perpetrated. Students will research acts of bioterrorism and utilize critical thinking skills needed to prevent bioterrorist attacks. Learners will learn the importance of communication and collaboration during an incident, including communicating with the public and those with special needs. An overview of the importance of mapping in pandemics/epidemics and free resources are taught.
  
  
• PRST 6781 - The Science and Application of Contact Tracing (3)
  During the COID-19/SARS-CoV-2, many members of the public learned about contact tracing for the first time. During the pandemic response, we saw the media speak about the many hours of work were undertaken by these contact tracers. Relatively few individuals know much about the science of contact tracing. In this course, students will learn the principals of contact tracing, the management of identified cases, and best practices for managing teams of contact tracers. Students will learn the necessary investigative skills needed for contact tracing and various strategies that can be used to jog the memory of an infected patient. Principles are also taught dealing with secretive patients, and even more importantly, the principles of case management for infected patients. Students will also learn the principles of leading a contact tracing team. This course is taught using a seven-week accelerated class curriculum.
  
  

  Elective (3):

  Choose any PRST 6000 course or course approved by advisor.