Online MHA

Master of Science in Healthcare Management - General

Employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 28 percent from 2022 to 2032.¹ Colorado Technical University’s Master of Science in Healthcare Management is designed to help you prepare to effectively manage and lead within healthcare organizations. This online Master’s in Healthcare Management program is structured to help you develop a greater understanding of how to effectively manage a healthcare organization and influence change at a variety of levels for healthcare quality.

Program Credits

5 Weeks

Course Length

Online

Location

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Program Overview

The Master of Science in Healthcare Management (MSHCM) is a 48 credit-hour-program that is offered online. The program includes 28 credit hours in the healthcare management core with 20 credit hours dedicated to a concentration or electives of the student’s choosing.

The degree program helps students prepare to manage and lead in a variety of health care organizations using principles of financial and human resource management, strategic planning, governance, and ethics. The program is designed to emphasize continued professional development and understanding of the current political, legal, and regulatory environment influencing the U.S. health care industry. Students work toward developing strategies to deliver quality healthcare using knowledge related to health care finance, marketing and economic indicators and identify evidence-based practices to assess and improve quality of care. Students are encouraged to utilize their knowledge of health care management and leadership principles to positively influence the delivery of quality health care.

This program does not lead to additional licensure or certification. As such, CTU has made no determination regarding prerequisites for licensure or certification in any state or jurisdiction.

Health Studies Mission Statement

Health Studies at CTU is dedicated to providing quality programs that integrate the relevant principles and competencies to empower students from diverse backgrounds to pursue leadership roles and career pathways in an evolving healthcare field.

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Courses

Courses- Concentration		Credits
HCM670 This course is designed to provide an overview of human resource management in healthcare. This course will introduce principles, concepts, functions and applications of human resource management. Topics include: healthcare professions, workforce planning, performance evaluation, compensation and benefits, job analysis and design and labor relations. While most of this course focuses on human resources in the healthcare setting, implications of human resources in other important industries and settings may be discussed.	Management of Human Resources in Healthcare	4
HCM672 This course will concentrate on healthcare quality including the multiple influencers on the provision of quality of care and the demands for quality healthcare. Students will identify evidence-based practices that may be applied to change management plans designed to improve quality of care. The assessment of healthcare quality will be discussed.	Quality Improvement in Healthcare	4
HCM673 This course will focus on marketing health services based on consumer behavior and market needs. The use of market research for access and pricing will be discussed. Students will be challenged with using innovation to identify strategies to provide health services based on market research focused on behaviors, needs and pricing. Integrated marketing communication concepts will be discussed.	Healthcare Marketing Strategies	4
HCM675 This course will provide an overview of health economics in the United States. Topics of discussion will include production of healthcare services, supply and demand of healthcare services, the role of government in a market-based system, and how various industries (e.g., private health insurance, physician services, hospital services, pharmaceutical and long-term care) affect the economics of healthcare.	Healthcare Economics	4
HCM679 This is the final course in the MS-HCM program. Students will complete individual assignments that build toward a final assignment that will encompass the program competencies and reflect a synthesis and application of their prior coursework. This course will require the student to demonstrate an understanding of healthcare management as it relates to population health, health policy, organizational development, management, operations, human resources, information systems, legal principles, governance, leadership, communication, statistical, economic, market, and financial analysis, ethics, strategy development, quality improvement and professional development.	Healthcare Management Capstone	4
	Total Credit Hours:	20

Courses- Core		Credits
HCM612 This course focuses on health care leadership and management practices. Students will examine the current structure, operation, and regulation of the U.S. health care system, and discuss the factors influencing the future direction of healthcare in the United States. Students will apply essential management concepts and professional competencies and behaviors to the unique social, physical and emotional environments of healthcare organizations.	Managing the Healthcare Organization	4
HCM632 This course studies healthcare systems and the delivery of healthcare. In addition, factors such as access, population health and health policies will be examined to assess their influence on healthcare systems.	Systems in Healthcare	4
HCM671 This course will discuss descriptive and inferential statistical concepts with an application for healthcare management. Students will learn to distinguish the various statistical tools that may be used for data collection, needs analysis, market assessment, outcome evaluation, forecasting, and quality improvement. The importance of Interpretation and accurate communication of statistical results will be discussed.	Healthcare Statistics	4
HCM674 This course provides an overview of health policy-making in the United States and introduces the policymaking process and the effects of health policy across the country. Topics will include: health policy formulation, contemporary policy issues, an overview of various national health policies (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, Affordable Care Act) how interest groups influence policy, and how health policy implementation can attempt to reduce disparities in healthcare and improve quality.	Health Policy in the United States	4
HCM676 This course concentrates on the financial operations of a healthcare organization including the development of capital budgets, operating budgets and cash flow budgets. Financial statements will be analyzed for variances. Students will be required to apply concepts such as time value of money, risk and return, investment decision analysis and lease valuation assisting in the understanding of financial operations of a healthcare organization.	Healthcare Finance	4
HCM677 Information Systems for Healthcare will provide the student with the evolution of the use of information systems in healthcare. Students will evaluate the information system needs and how to acquire those needs for the organization. An understanding of terminology relevant to health services information system management will be gained in this course. Privacy and security issues relevant to health services information will be analyzed.	Information Systems for Healthcare	4
HCM678 This course will provide an overview of the judicial system in the United States and contemporary ethical issues in healthcare. Topics of discussion will included tort law, criminal law in healthcare, negligence in healthcare, contracting issues in healthcare, cases that have shaped healthcare in the United States, and various legal-ethical and moral issues in healthcare	Healthcare Law and Ethics	4
	Total Credit Hours:	28

Total Credit Hours: 48

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Learning Outcomes

Master of Science in Healthcare Management Program Learning Outcomes

Apply health care management and leadership principles with ethical decision-making to influence delivery of quality care
Demonstrate effective communication and interpersonal skills necessary for management and leadership positions in health care
Apply analytic, critical, and problem-solving skills to real-world situations for effective health care operations
Integrate professionalism and ethical decision-making with management and leadership skills in health care operations
Develop strategies to deliver quality healthcare using knowledge related to healthcare finance, marketing and economic indicators

Faculty

Dr. Rose Nieves

University Dean

Dr. Rose Nieves is the Dean of the College of Nursing for Colorado Technical University. In this role, she leverages her vast experience as a nursing leader, educator and healthcare provider to help assess, mold, develop and direct the College of Nursing.

Dr. Laura Sliwinski, Ph.D.

Executive Program Director

Dr. Laura Sliwinski joined CTU in 2020 as the Executive Program Director for Health Studies in the College of Nursing and Health Studies. Dr. Sliwinski has over twenty years combined experience in healthcare and higher education administration.

For more faculty profiles please visit our Leadership and Faculty page.
For more information visit the College of Health Studies.

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FAQs

What is a Master of Science in Healthcare Management (MSHM)?

CTU’s Master of Science in Healthcare Management (MSHM) Degree Program is designed to provide knowledge, skills, and abilities relevant for pursuing potential opportunities in the workforce. This master’s degree program may help students prepare to manage and lead in a variety of healthcare organizations using principles of financial and human resource management, strategic planning, governance, and ethics. The program emphasizes continued professional development and understanding of the current political, legal, and regulatory environment influencing the U.S. health care industry. This online master’s degree curriculum is structured to help students work to develop a greater understanding of how to effectively manage a healthcare organization and influence change at a variety of levels for healthcare quality.

What will I study in this MSHM degree program?

As you work to complete your MSHM, you will be immersed in courses where you will study these topics and much more: the judicial system in the United States and contemporary ethical issues in healthcare; health policy-making in the United States, the policymaking process, and the effects of health policy across the country; and descriptive and inferential statistical concepts with an application for healthcare management.

When and where can I begin my healthcare management classes?

Courses for the MSHM degree program start online approximately every five weeks. Completion of the CTU admissions process will depend on how quickly you complete the steps in the CTU online application process. You may complete the application process over the phone with an advisor or you may go online. Once you’ve completed the online application, you may hear from an advisor within the following 24 hours to discuss the next steps toward starting your degree program. Master’s programs may have additional entrance requirements that take additional processing time.

How many credits will I need to graduate with this master’s degree?

The MSHM degree program consists of 48 credits. You may be eligible for transfer credit, which is evaluated on an individual basis. Not all credits are eligible to transfer.

Why should I pursue an MSHM degree at CTU?

Through innovative industry-relevant curricula and technology-enabled student-centered teaching, you will study through classroom learning and hands-on experience that aligns to industry standards and helps you work to develop skills that are applicable to the needs of leadership roles and career pathways in an evolving healthcare field.

Is this Master of Science in Healthcare Management degree program recognized by any associations?

CTU’s Master of Science in Healthcare Management program is recognized as an Associate member of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA). AUPHA is a global network of colleges, universities, faculty, individuals, and organizations dedicated to fostering excellence and innovation in healthcare management and policy education, and scholarship.

Ways To Save

¹ Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm, visited May 9, 2024. This data represents national figures and is not based on school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary.