SHP Catalog

Program Director: Burkhardt
Faculty: Berner, Burke, Burkhardt, Carlson, Ferniany, Glandon, Hall, Hamilton, Hernandez, Hiett, Houser, Landry, O'Connor, Powell, Quintana, Ray, Shewchuk, Weech-Maldonado

The objective of the Master of Science in Health Administration (M.S.H.A.) Program is to develop highly qualified administrators for management in the health field. The program includes study of the management of hospitals, group practices, managed care organizations, long-term care facilities, and other health services organizations.

Accreditation: The residential program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education.

Credentials Conferred: Diploma—The Master of Science in Health Administration degree is awarded by the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Length of Study: The Master of Science in Health Administration is a 29-32-month program with 21 months of full-time courses on campus and 9-12 months in a residency. In addition to providing directed experience, the residency also provides a stipend and frequently leads to employment opportunities.

Students enrolled in the single-degree program will complete a summer internship experience. A capstone synthesis course is completed during the last on campus semester. A 9-12 month administrative residency is completed following on campus coursework.

The School of Health Professions and the Graduate School of Management offer the opportunity for simultaneous pursuit of the Master of Science in Health Administration (M.S.H.A.) and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degrees. The Department of Health Services Administration also offers the opportunity to pursue simultaneously the M.S.H.A. and the Master of Science in Health Informatics (M.S.H.I.)degrees. Students in the coordinated programs spend 21 months completing courses on campus full-time before beginning a 9-12 month residency. All MSHI woursework will be primarily web-based. A student who enters either coordinated program but subsequently decides to pursue only one of the degrees must satisfy all of the regular requirements for the degree sought.

Program Entrance Date: Fall semester.

Application Deadline: March 1; completed applications received after that time will be considered on a space-available basis. Each year, interviews for the MSHA Program will begin in January and continue through mid April.

Application Procedure: The following actions must be taken and materials must be submitted to the M.S.H.A. Program:

• complete the online Graduate School Application using the web link is https://app.applyyourself.com/?id=uab-grad,
• non-refundable application fee (U.S. $60.00, International $85.00),
• two official transcripts from all colleges attended with a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 should be sent to the MSHA Program and to the Graduate School,
• scores for either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The the minimum acceptable score for admission consideration is 480 for the GMAT or 1000 for the GRE,
• two essays on specified topics and a resumé, and
• three separate evaluation forms accompanied by optional letters of reference should be sent to the MSHA Program.

In addition, the candidate is expected to satisfy the following requirements:

• complete an interview with the admissions committee, and
• if accepted, complete the UAB medical history questionnaire and physical, provide proof of required immunizations, and receive satisfactory screening by the UAB Student Health Service.

Requirements for Admission: Undergraduate degree including the following prerequisite with a minimum grade of B in each (course requirements are listed in semester credit hours):

Accounting (6)

Calculus (3) only for students applying for the coordinated M.S.H.A./M.B.A.

First Year
Fall
HA 602 Introduction to Health Care Systems (4)
HA 631 Organization Theory and Behavior (3)
HA 632 Quantitative Methods in Health Services Administration (3)
HA 645 Health Economics (3)
MBA 610 Strategic Cost Management (3)
Spring
HA 612 Essentials of Health and Human Disease (3)
HA 620 Health Care Financial Management I (3)
HI 610 Health Care Information Resource Management (4)
HI 640 Information Systems and Management Science in Health Service Administration (3)
HCOP 720 Health Insurance and Managed Care (3)
HA 671 Health Care Marketing (3)
Summer
HA 614 Process Improvement (3)
HA 628 Leadership Development (3)
HI 585 Visual Basic/C++/Event-driven Programming Course (3)
HI 615 Administrative and Clinical Decision Support Systems (3)
HI 625 RFP Development and Contracting for Health Information Systems (3)

Second Year
Fall
HA 613 Health Law (3)
HA 618 Seminar in Health Care Administration (1)
HA 621 Health Care Financial Management II (3)
HA 635 Human Resources Management II (3)
HI 600 Analysis and Design of Health Information Systems (4)
HI 605 Communications and Networks (4)
Spring
HA 625 Strategic Planning and Management (3)
HA 661 Social Issues (3)
HA 680 Health Administration Capstone (1)
HI 601 Database Modeling in Health Care (4)
HI 602 Clinical Systems (4)
HI 620 Security and Privacy in Health Care (3)
Summer
Elective (3)

Third Year
Fall/Spring
HA 690 Administrative Residency (10)