Health Care Administration concentration

The Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration (BAPA) prepares students for supervisory and management roles in the public sector. Students will receive a solid foundation in public sector practices and processes complemented by coursework in the social sciences. All BAPA students will receive a fundamental understanding of, and appreciation for, public sector management practices and administrative procedures. With the BAPA, students will have the preparation to pursue graduate degrees in varied programs, such as Public Administration, Criminal Justice, Urban and Regional Planning, Management Science, and Health Care Administration.  The concentration in Health Care Administration provides students with a broad range of administrative skills and knowledge needed in the dynamic and growing health care field.  Ongoing changes in the system have resulted in an array of opportunities for health care administrators to make significant contributions to improving health care for all.  For those already employed in the field, this program provides the opportunity to more fully develop management, legal, and behavioral skills for more effective job performance and greater career mobility.

Students pursuing a degree in Public Administration must complete the following:

1. Twenty-four credits of core courses:
    PUBA 306    Principles of Public Administration
    PUBA 310    Research Methods in the Public Sector
    PUBA 313    Communication Skills for Administrators
    PUBA 340    Administrative Decision-Making
    PUBA 341    Statistics for Decision-Making in Public Administration or SSCI 310 Applied
     Statistics I, or
    BUSA 320    Statistics for Decision-Making
    PUBA 351    Human Resources Administration
    PUBA 414    Public Communication Campaigns
    PUBA 475    Administrative Law

2. Capstone Requirement: At least three credits in one of the following, to be taken in the
    senior year:
    PUBA 486    Senior Project, or
    PUBA 490    Administrative Practicum

3. Twelve credits in the area of concentration

Students must take the following (9) credits for the Health Care Administration Concentration:
    PUBA 301 Health Care Administration (3 cr)
    PUBA 302 Health Policy, Politics and Law (3 cr)
    PUBA 303 Financial Concepts in Health Care Management (3 cr)         

      In addition, students must choose (1) elective from the following list for a total of
      3 credits:
            PUBA 307 Community Health Analysis (3 cr)
            PUBA 318 Managed Care (3 cr)
            PUBA 319 Long Term Care (3 cr)
            PUBA 411 Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness (3 cr)
            PUBA 446 Contemporary Issues in Health Care (3 cr)
            PUBA 470  Program Planning and Evaluation (3 cr)
            PUBA 480 Organizational Behavior (3 cr)
            PUBA 481  Ethics and Administration (3 cr)
            PUBA 496 Selected Topics in Health Care Administration (3 cr)

    NOTE:  Students are strongly recommended to take PUBA307, PUBA318, PUBA319 or
        PUBA446.

4. HUM 310 Writing Skills

5. Three credits from the following approved list of social science electives:

            ECON (any course at the upper-division level)
            PSY 353       Conflict Resolution
            PSY 371       Abnormal Psychology
            PSY 373       Counseling Skills
            PSY 474       Culture and Mental Illness
            PSY 475       Psychology of Healing
            SOC 329      Organizations, Individuals, and Society
            SOC 334      Deviant Behavior
            SOC 411      Aging in Mass Society

Graduates with a Concentration in Health Care Administration should be able to:

• demonstrate proficiency in understanding the central concepts of healthcare systems, management and policy;
• analyze and provide solutions to health care problems, and policy and ethical dilemmas through written communication skills;
• demonstrate proficiency in using critical thinking skills necessary for responsible administrative, managerial and leadership positions in health care organizations.