Master of Science in Health Care Administration

Students who graduate with a Master of Science in Health Care Administration will be able to:

1. Create a strategic plan for health care organizations or entire systems.
2. Explain how to recruit, hire, lead and manage a diverse group of staff.
3. Explain the role of the administrator in upholding the legal, social, and ethical responsibilities in the healthcare organization as they relate to patient/client rights.
4. Develop health care delivery goals and standards to lead organizations in quality care initiatives.
5. Assess customer service and client satisfaction for continuous performance improvement.
6. Assess economic factors and payment sources that influence health care decisions of the population served.
7. Prepare and analyze departmental and organizational budgets.
8. Manage financial endeavors for the healthcare organization, including explaining financial and accounting information and the use of that information for short and long-term investment decisions.
9. Explain the connection between the regulatory and voluntary accrediting standards and health care policies and procedures.
10. Use and analyze clinical informatics to improve clinical performance.
11. Analyze what communication, teamwork, and leadership skills make an effective health care organization and develop an implementation plan.
12. Analyze global factors affecting the health care industry.
13. Use marketing data analysis to develop a plan for growing an organization and creating brand recognition.

The Master of Science in Health Care Administration is 36 credits. There is no room in the degree for elective credits.

• A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution, or international institution equivalent to a U.S. regionally accredited institution, with a grade point average of 3.0 or better. Students with GPA's between 2.7 and 3.0 may apply.
• Professional resume.
• 500-700 word essay describing specific career goals and objectives and motivation to pursue the advanced degree.
• An undergraduate course in Statistics is required. This may be satisfied by taking MAT 105 Statistics from Charter Oak, or an equivalent transfer course. It may also be fulfilled by the completion of an online, non-credit statistics review course administered by Charter Oak by the beginning of the second term of the program.

• A minimum 'B-' grade is required in all graduate courses. Students must obtain an overall GPA of 3.0 (B) in order to graduate. All students should refer to the Academic Probation policy regarding grades lower than a 'B-' in the graduate program.

• The HCA program competency model is designed to include 5 domains and 26 competencies identified as a pertinent and essential foundation for health care management positions. The competencies align with the program’s overall mission of "preparing a diverse group of highly skilled leaders that utilize evidence-based strategies to develop, manage, and improve various health service programs and health related organizations".
• Domain 1: Communication and Relationship Management Competencies:
  • Relationship Management
  • Communication Skills
  • Facilitation and Negotiation
  • Interpersonal Awareness
• Domain 2: Leadership Competencies:
  • Leadership Skills and Behavior
  • Organizational Climate and Culture
  • Communicating Vision
  • Managing Change
  • Innovative Thinking
  • Systems Thinking
• Domain 3: Professionalism Competencies:
  • Personal and Professional Accountability (including professional Development)
  • Contributions to the Community and Profession
  • Ethics
• Domain 4: Knowledge of the Healthcare Environment Competencies:
  • Health Care Personnel
  • The Patient’s Perspective
  • The Community and the Environment
  • Health Policy
• Domain 5: Business Knowledge and Skills Competencies:
  • General Management
  • Financial Management
  • Human Resource Management
  • Organizational Dynamics and Governance
  • Strategic Planning and marketing
  • Information Management
  • Risk Management
  • Quality Improvement
  • Data Analytics