Health Administration MBA

 

AT A GLANCE

    Credit hours: 45

    Full-time, part-time

    GMAT/GRE optional

    6:1 student-faculty ratio

    Start terms: fall and spring

    Complete in as little as 2 years and up to 5 years

 

 

The oldest CAHME-accredited program in the Rocky Mountain region

As an evening program located in the heart of Denver, your education will be both business and health-focused. As a part of the Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM), we are among a small group of top-ranked institutions, including Harvard, Northwestern, and University of Pennsylvania – Wharton.

Program Features

 

Administrative Residency and Fellowship

As a CAHME-accredited institution, our Health Administration students are eligible to apply for prestigious administrative one-year residencies or two-year fellowships during their final year. This program is suited for students with limited health work experience. It is rotation-based and/or project-based in healthcare organizations around the country. You’ll gain experience across a number of business areas within the healthcare system. This opportunity often leads to a permanent position.

The Health Administration MBA program provides a strong business foundation for healthcare professionals to excel in administrative or policy roles within healthcare organizations. Our competitive Health Administration MBA program brings in a diverse set of students from a wide variety of backgrounds from pharmacists to physicians to entrepreneurs. You’ll receive the benefits of an MBA applied directly to healthcare systems and policy. Highlights of the program include:

• A field study built into the curriculum to give you practical experience
• Strong ties to the health community in Colorado and across the nation at hospitals, HMOs, medical group practices, and consulting companies
• Flexibility to work full-time while completing the degree with evening class options
• Three specialization options to customize your degree to help you stand out in a sea of applicants

Real-world experience is a requirement for this degree. Through the capstone health field study course, you’ll relate your classroom knowledge directly to problems facing hospitals and other healthcare organizations.

Curriculum

The Health Administration MBA consists of 45 credit hours total and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). Our classes have an emphasis on group-based work, where you’ll apply your education directly to industry problems in a capstone health field study course.

MBA core (24 hours)

Five MBA core classes are entirely health-focused, and the remaining three core courses give you a strong business foundation. Course topics include:

 

• Healthcare leadership
•  
• Data analysis
•  
• Healthcare law and ethics
•  
• Accounting
•  
• Healthcare marketing
•  
• Applied health economics
•  
• Financial management
•  
• Healthcare strategy

 

Health administration core (15 hours)

The health core classes help you understand the healthcare landscape and policy shaping the industry today.

 

• Healthcare systems
•  
• International health policy and management
•  
• Healthcare operations management
•  
• Healthcare quality and outcomes
•  
• Health field studies capstone

 

 

Health field studies capstone

Health field studies capstone

Taken in the last semester of your degree, you’ll be matched with a healthcare organization. Past projects have included working directly with CEOs of hospitals on feasibility studies for high-impact decisions.

Health administration information technology elective (3 hours)

It’s impossible to separate data from healthcare. With this course, you’ll be able to understand how to make decisions based on data to create holistic pictures of patients, treatments, communication, and health outcomes.

• Health information technology OR Management healthcare information technology

Health administration electives (3 hours)

Additional coursework can be tailored to your interests and include special topics like:

 

• Building biotechnology
•  
• Leadership in new ventures
•  
• Profiles in healthcare
•  
• International health policy
•  
• Travel study
•  
• Business Intelligence in healthcare

Tuition and Scholarships

Tuition

The cost of tuition is different for in-state and out-of-state students.

Residents of western states may qualify for in-state tuition if they are pursuing this degree. The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) requires that students maintain current residency of WRGP state until degree completion.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available for students. The Business School offers a recurring scholarship opportunity for applicants based on merit at the time of admission.

 

Health Administration Scholarship

As funds are available, the program awards one-time scholarships to incoming students with exceptional merit. No application is necessary and qualified applicants will be contacted directly if they are considered.

Prospective students (not yet admitted):

 

Preferred Applicant Scholarship—$2,000

Awarded to high-achieving incoming graduate business students based on undergraduate GPA (3.60+) and/or your GMAT (610+) or minimum GRE of (155v /160q) scores. This scholarship is automatically awarded until funds are exhausted so your early application is encouraged. Newly admitted and continuing students are not eligible. Contact an enrollment manager prior to submitting an application to check eligibility. Awarded over 2 semesters, $1,000 each.

 

Non-Resident in Transit Scholarship—$3,000

Awarded to domestic Non-Resident graduate applicants seeking Colorado residency for tuition. Qualified students are automatically awarded until funds are exhausted. Early application is encouraged! Newly admitted and continuing students are not eligible. Contact an enrollment manager prior to submitting an application to check eligibility. You must use the award over one calendar year, and be enrolled in a minimum of 3 credits a semester. Awarded over 2 semesters, $1,500 each.

Newly Admitted and Continuing Students:

You can apply for additional scholarships every semester of enrollment. Some awards may be specific to individual programs or enrollment in specific courses. Certain specializations including risk management and insurance, commodities, and entrepreneurship have additional scholarship opportunities.

Careers and Competency Model

Healthcare is an industry with high growth potential that will continue into the future. Health administration professionals work to administer, lead and manage healthcare systems, such as hospitals, hospital networks or large healthcare systems. Careers can be found in both private and public sectors.

Health Administration Job Titles

• Account Executive
• Admissions Director
• Business Analyst
• Case Manager
• Claims Specialist
• Director of Nursing
• Director of Operations
• Health Facilities Surveyor
• Healthcare Administrator
• Hospital Administrator
• Medical Associate
• Medical Records Director
• Patient Access Supervisor
• Program Director

Visit our Careers page for more detailed information on the resources available.

 

Competency Model

Health Administration

1: Relate Efficaciously

1a:  Work effectively in teams and understand the importance and diversity of members in all group settings

1b: Manage working relationships including self-management and interactions with others.

2: Communicate Effectively

2a: Speaks and writes in a clear, logical, and grammatical manner in formal and informal situations

2b: Uses communication skills effectively to prepare cogent business presentations and facilitates group synergy

2c:  Comprehends basic healthcare and medical terminology

3: Think Critically

3a: Demonstrates knowledge and use of basics business practices including

• Financial and managerial accounting practices, including preparation of budgets
• Economic analysis of firm performance and operating environments.
• Principles and processes of highly efficient and effective organization

3b:  Analyzes, creates, and implements plans to improve the quality of patient care.

4: Lead Purposefully

4a: Collaborate effectively within diverse business teams, leveraging teamwork and leadership skills to make strategic decisions including

• Identifying marketing opportunities in a business situation and applies sound theory and principles to capitalize on the opportunity
• Developing and implementing a competitive business strategy, which includes considering the business, demographic, ethno-cultural, political, and regulatory implications of decisions
• Analyzing information technology alternatives to support healthcare initiatives

5: Evaluate components of the U.S. Healthcare System

5a: Explain the basic characteristics and functions of the U.S. healthcare system and how they compare with other healthcare systems around the world.

6: Behave Ethically

6a: Evaluate ethical dilemmas of healthcare management by applying appropriate theories and principles to the assessment of divergent perspectives in the decision-making process.

7: Advance Professionally

7a: Promote and manage their own career progression (identifies career paths, strengths, and skill gaps, and creates plans for self-development)