Online BS in Health Care Administration: Curriculum

This course introduces the United States health care system. Topics include an exploration of health care services, health careers, finance, cultural competence, law, and ethics. Upon completion, the student should be able to have a foundational understanding of health care systems and issues. Prerequisite: none. Offered: fall, spring

Introduces prefixes, suffixes, and word roots used in the language of medicine. Topics include medical vocabulary and the terms that relate to anatomy, physiology, pathological conditions, and treatment of the conditions that can affect the eleven systems of the human body. Upon completion, students should be able to pronounce, spell, define, understand, and interpret over 11,000 medical terms as related to the body’s systems and their pathological disorders.

This course introduces the overall leadership and management of health care organizations. Emphasis is placed on integrating fundamental tools, concepts, applications and principles as a basis for successful leadership of a health care business. Upon completion, the student will be familiar with managerial leadership, problem solving, and critical thinking within contemporary health care organizations. Prerequisite: none. Offered: fall, summer

This course provides an examination and application of quality assurance and improvement processes. Emphasis is placed on the systematic improvement of care using standardized processes. Upon completion, the student should be able to utilize quality assurance and improvement principles to improve health outcomes, reduce opportunities for error, and provide a safer and better-quality environment for patients, staff, and within health systems. Prerequisites: HCA 2000 and HCA 2300. Offered: spring, summer.

This course provides an opportunity for students to apply the principles of just culture to real-life cases of medical malpractice. Emphasis is placed on case analysis and the application of corrective action for the healthcare system, individual clinician, or both. Upon completion, the student should be able to integrate just culture into problem-based analysis in healthcare systems. 

This course provides a comprehensive analysis of individual and group behavior in health care organizations. Topics include motivation, stress, individual and group behavior, power and politics, job design, organizational structure, decision-making, communication and organizational change and development. Upon completion, the student should understand human behavior in organizations and the ability to lead individuals to effective increase organizational performance.

This course introduces economic and financial management applications in the health care sector. Emphasis is placed on healthcare financing from a societal perspective, government regulations, financial statement analysis, budgeting, payment models, and accounting. Upon completion, the student will be able to communicate the financial analytics of a health care organization. Prerequisites: none. Offered: fall, summer

This course is designed to explore the role of information technology in current health care management. Topics include emerging technologies, selection of information systems, management of information, electronic medical records, the internet’s impact on health care organizations business processes, and other related events. Upon completion, the student will be able to critically evaluate emerging technologies and uphold standards for health information management. Prerequisites: none. Offered: fall.

This course is designed to introduce practical applications of emergency and disaster management. Topics include the disciplines of emergency management (mitigation, response, preparedness, and recovery) as well as natural disasters, terrorist events, and medical countermeasures. Upon completion, the student should be able to understand the incident command system and a practical approach to the management of disasters. Prerequisites: HCA 2000 and HCA 2300. Offered: fall or as needed

This course introduces the practice of global health. Topics include political, economic, and cultural processes of globalization and the subsequent impact on population health and health care systems and the global health ethical framework based on human rights, cultural diversity, and social justice. Upon completion, the student will have an enhanced understanding of the global dimensions of health and disease, various strategic health initiatives, and correlating healthcare interventions.   Prerequisites: None. Offered: summer or as needed.

This course provides an overview of the basic theories and concepts of conflict resolution: its philosophical and historical development, paradigms, structure and function, and issues and trends in  the field. Topics include conflict, types of conflict, negotiation tactics, de-escalation, and mediation. Upon completion, the student should be able to apply this knowledge to current organizational disputes,
designing a conflict analysis with resolution strategies and redesign. Prerequisite: none. Offered: spring or as needed.

This course introduces concepts and standards regarding workplace safety in the health care sector. Emphasis is placed on the reduction of medical errors by analyzing human behavior and the complex relationship between the human employee and medical operational systems. Upon completion, the student should be able to promote communication and teamwork amongst health care employees while being an advocate for a safe workplace culture. Prerequisites: HCA 2000 and HCA 2300. Offered: spring, summer.

This course provides an introduction to governmental health care systems and agencies of oversight. Topics include the Army and Veteran’s Affairs health care systems and operations, Tricare, Indigenous Health Services (IHS), and various operating divisions of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Upon completion, the student should be able to differentiate federal health care agencies of oversight and military health care operations. Prerequisites: None. Offered: Fall

This course is designed as an exploration of cultural competence in the healthcare setting. Topics include the federal culturally and linguistically appropriate standards (CLAS), social determinants of health, health disparities, and best practices. Upon completion, the student should be able to integrate the principles of culturally and linguistically appropriate services into patient care or contact. Prerequisite: None. Offered: Spring

This course provides an opportunity for students to conduct in-depth research and improve their writing as well as presentation skills on current topics in health care administration. Topics may include but are not limited to cost, equity, technology, value-based care, provider shortages, health literacy, governance of patient portals, and medical errors. Upon completion, the student should understand current and relevant topics impacting health care administrators. Prerequisite: APM 4500. Offered: spring.

This course provides an examination of policy issues in the health care sector. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of socioeconomic and political implications of both current and proposed policies, including those that create barriers to health care. Upon completion, the student should be able to formulate actionable strategies for improving the equitable delivery of health care. Prerequisite: HCA 2000. Offered: spring, summer

This course provides a dynamic applied learning model to the establishment, planning, and funding of a health care business. Topics include marketplace and financial analyses, brainstorming, and various matrices and schemata used in strategic planning. Upon completion, the student should be able to use collaborative leadership and project management techniques to design and apply strategic initiatives to health care business planning. Prerequisites: Prior to enrollment in this course, the student should have completed a minimum of 75% of the core program requirements, which must have included: HCA 2000, HCA 2300, and HCA 3500. Offered: spring

An opportunity for a well-qualified, upper-division student to engage in special research in his/her major. Prerequisite: approval by the faculty advisor, the supervising professor, the department chair, and the college dean before approval by the Provost. Credits to be determined. Offered: as needed

The organization and theory of the American legal system and its relationship with the business environment, including contracts, tort law, and parts of the Uniform Commercial Code and its provisions concerning sales, the law of agency, and employment law. Prerequisites: ENG 1020 or ENG 1040 or permission of the instructor, department chair, or school dean.