Master of Business Administration in Health Care Management

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Why an MBA in Health Care Management?

Declared as the nation’s largest industry in 2006 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the health care industry is constantly challenged by emerging technology, government regulations, ethical dilemmas and insurance considerations. These rapidly-changing factors pose complex questions for health care providers, patients, regulatory agencies, HMO’s and insurance companies, biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms, and other health-related businesses.

Specializing in both health care industry topics and practical business decision-making, health care administrators and managers are called upon to address these important issues and steer employers toward sound solutions.

Program highlights

The Health Care Management concentration builds upon the core MBA business and management courses to provide specialized knowledge and expertise in modern health care issues, trends and tools, and their applications. Students will receive in-depth instruction in legal, ethical and compliance issues; health care finance; managed health care and insurance company operations; and the different types of health care service systems in the United States.

Graduates of the MBA – Health Care Management

In order to productively solve health care issues facing modern providers and other industry-related businesses, the graduate of the Herzing College MBA – Health Care Management online degree program should be able to:

• Understand health care as an industry and the various types of organizations that are active within it
• Recognize opportunities for development of health care services and the resources each will require
• Lead, motivate, and strategize with staff and community members of diverse cultural, educational and socio-economic backgrounds
• Analyze financial data
• Remain current on issues and innovations affecting the health care industry
• Mediate disputes and objectively consider solutions to problems without personal bias or prejudice
• Determine the personnel and resource needs of a health care organization
• Establish a professional network and identify resources for continued learning on effective management in a health care setting
• Direct departments and personnel toward meeting the unified goal of providing for a community’s health care needs
• Facilitate inter-departmental planning and strategy sessions
• Apply critical-thinking and problem-solving techniques to administrative issues
• Market the facility to the community and community leaders

Careers

Upon completion of this degree, graduates will have gained knowledge applicable to careers in health care finance, administration, marketing, policy and information management. Graduates of MBA programs with a Health Care Management emphasis have transitioned from clinical practice to administrative roles, been promoted to a management or supervisory position in their current department, or moved to a larger department or organization with more opportunity for advancement.
Sample career titles include:

• Health Care Administrator
• Health Care Manager
• Program Director
• Controller
• Chief Executive Officer
• Chief Operations Officer
• Director of Development
• Compliance Officer

According to a May 2007 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, Health Care Managers show annual earnings of:

Lowest 10% - below $46,860
Median - $76,990
Highest 10% - over $132,580

Factors such as geographic location, level of education, years of experience and size of employer will affect an individual’s salary.

Curriculum

A minimum of 42 or 45 semester credit hours is required for graduation, depending on whether the student is exempt from taking MBA 500 Business Fundamentals.
MBA Courses and Descriptions
REQUIRED MBA COURSES
All courses, 30 semester credit hours, are required. (If the student is not exempt from the prerequisite course, MBA 500, it must be completed before any 600 level courses are taken.)
Course Number	Course Name	Prerequisite	Credit Hours
MBA 500	Business Fundamentals*	None	3.0
MBA 600	Leadership and Organizational Behavior	MBA 500	3.0
MBA 606	Research and Decision Making	MBA 500	3.0
MBA 615	Marketing	MBA 500	3.0
MBA 620	Accounting for Managers	MBA 500	3.0
MBA 626	Information Systems and Technology	MBA 500	3.0
MBA 631	Operations and Project Management	MBA 500	3.0
MBA 641	Business and Labor Law	MBA 500	3.0
MBA 345	Finance	MBA 500	3.0
MBA 690	Strategic Planning	MBA 500/501	3.0
MBA 699	Graduate Capstone Project **	Final course	3.0
REQUIRED COURSES IN HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT
The following courses, 12 semester credit hours, are required.
Course Number	Course Name	Prerequisite	Credit Hours
MBA 662	Health Care Public Policy and Corporate Compliance	MBA 500	3.0
MBA 663	Health Insurance and Managed Care	MBA 500	3.0
MBA 664	Health Care Administration	MBA 500	3.0
MBA 665	Health Care Information Management	MBA 500	3.0
Notes: * MBA 500 is an overview course that covers business practices across a number of disciplines. Students who have earned an undergraduate degree with a major or minor in business may petition for exemption from this course. **MBA 691 is taken in the last term and may be continued for a second term for 3.0 additional credits if the student’s final project warrants.

Students who prefer a shorter program may wish to consider the 33-credit Master of Business Administration online degree.