Degrees & Programs Offered

Health care administrators are usually prepared at the masters' degree level for job entry into upper management. There is, however, an increased emphasis to prepare health care professionals to function as managers at other levels as well. Increasingly, physicians are also seeking preparation in the elements of management. These diverse groups use management skills in such health organizations as hospitals, nursing homes, health departments, health maintenance organizations, health planning and regulatory agencies, group medical practices, health insurance firms, pharmacy and medical companies.

Program Information (Code HCA_CT01)

The Certificate in Health Care Administration is comparable to a minor of 24 units. Components of the program include the forms of organization and operation of health care systems, human resources management, leadership and development, financial management, and marketing. The Certificate may be combined with major programs from a variety of fields, including, but not limited to, behavioral and natural sciences, humanities, health professions, business and public administration, and social work.

Requirements:

Concurrent enrollment in any bachelor's degree program at CSULB (except Health Care Administration).

• Minimum GPA of 2.4 in all completed coursework.
• Junior standing.
• Program Director or Academic Advising and Resource Center approval.
• Completion of the following courses (24 units total):

ACCT 201: Financial Accounting (3)
Prerequisite: None.

ECON 101: Microeconomics (3)
Prerequisite: MATH 103 or higher. 

HCA 300: The Health Care System (3)
Prerequisite: None.

HCA 312: Health Personnel Management (3)
Prerequisite: Open to Health Care Administration majors only. 
Prerequisite/Corequisite: HCA 300.

HCA 341: Financial Management of Health Care Institutions (3)
Prerequisites: Open to Health Care Administration majors only and a grade of "C" or better in ACCT 201. 
Prerequisite/Corequisite: HCA 300.

HCA 353: Marketing for Health Services Organizations (3)
Prerequisites: Open to Health Care Administration majors only and a grade of "C" or better in ECON 101 or ECON 300. 
Prerequisite/Corequisite: HCA 300.

HCA 410: Health Management and Organization (3)
Prerequisites: Open to Health Care Administration majors only.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: HCA 300.

HCA 450: Quality Assurance in Health Care (3)
Prerequisites: Open to Health Care Administration majors only and a grade of "C" or better in HCA 300.   

For advising information, please contact the CHHS Advising Center at 562.985.2691 or visit their office at HSD-117 (map).

The Master of Science in Health Care Administration (MSHCA) curriculum consists of forty-five (45) units of course work.

Required courses cover the essential functions of management and critical aspects of the US health care system. Electives, tailored to students' learning goals, include courses in health care site specialization and other academic disciplines. Courses are offered in the evenings, Monday through Thursday, at both 4:00pm and 7:00pm.

The Department of Health Care Administration at CSULB has established affiliations with a large number of regional health care facilities that furnish internship sites, field trip settings, personnel resources, and adjunct faculty. The MSHCA program holds a probationary accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Health Management Education (CAHME).

Degree Prerequisites

• Take the following course (or equivalent): ACCT 201
• Take one of the following courses (or equivalent): ECON101, ECON300
• ​Take an introductory statistics course or equivalent (e.g., SOC 170).

Please note an interview with the Program Director may be required.

Degree Requirements

Complete a minimum of 45 units graduate-level course work.
Complete all of the following core courses:

HCA 502: The Health Care System (3)
Prerequisites: None.

HCA 503: Health Care Economics (3)
Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 300.

HCA 505: Organization and Systems in Health Care (3)
Prerequisites: Health Care Administration majors only.

HCA 510: Human Resources Management in Health Care (3)
Prerequisite(s): Health Care Administration majors only.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: HCA 502

HCA 515: Advanced Financial Management in Health Care (3)
Prerequisite: ACCT 201 or ACCT 500; HCA 502; Health Care Administration majors only.

HCA 517: Advanced Healthcare Info. Systems Management (3)
Prerequisites: Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502.

HCA 524: Adv. Legal and Ethnical Aspects of Health Admin. (3)
Prerequisite: Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502.

HCA 527: Research Methods in Health Care Management (3)
Prerequisites: SOC 170 or equivalent statistics course, Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502 and advancement to candidacy.

HCA 528: Managing Population Health (3)
Prerequisite: HCA majors only, HCA 502

HCA 530: Strategic Planning and Marketing in Health Care (3)
Prerequisites/Corequisites: HCA 502.

HCA 535: Quantitative Methods for Health Administration (3)
Prerequisites: Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502.

HCA 550: Continuous Quality Improvement in Health Services
Prerequisites:Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502.

HCA 580: Internship in Health Care Administration
Prerequisite: Senior status only

Culminating Experience

HCA 698: Project (3)
Prerequisites: Advancement to candidacy & completion of minimum 27 graduate units in HCA.

Completion of any one of the following elective courses: HCA 536, HCA 537, HCA 538, or HCA 552

(Electives from other departments may be allowed with the approval of the HCA Department Chair.)

Advancement to Candidacy

Students will be instructed to apply for advancement to candidacy after:
Completion of all prerequisite courses.
Completion of 6.0 units of core course work that applies to the degree with an average grade of "B" or better.
Fulfillment of the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR), and Approval of the Program Director.

For further graduate admission or advising information, please contact the HCA Department Office at 562.985-.694 or via e-mail.

The Master in Health Care Administration Accelerated Program (MSHCA-AP) is designed to prepare working professionals for administrative positions in health care organizations which requires a minimum five years of work experience in the health care industry. The MSHCA-AP program requires 45 credit hours consisting of 15 core courses. The program offers foundation courses early and more advanced healthcare specific courses later in the program.

Prerequisites

At least nine units of financial accounting, microeconomics, and statistics, all of which must be completed before the first semester of graduate study (but may be in progress during the application process) and must be taken within the last ten years. Note: a passing grade in the CLEP exam will fulfill our accounting and microeconomics prerequisites.

Accelerated Education Model

Year 1
First Quarter: Fall

Orientation (No Credit)

1. HCA 502: The Health Care System (3)
Prerequisites: None.

2. HCA 505: Organization and Systems of Health Care (3)
Prerequisites: Health Care Administration majors only.

Second Quarter: Winter

3. HCA 503: Health Care Economics (3)
Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 300.

4. HCA 530: Strategic Planning/Marketing in Health Care (3)
Prerequisites/Corequisites: HCA 502.

Third Quarter: Spring

5. HCA 537: Managed Care (3)
Prerequisite: Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502.

6. HCA 515: Advanced Financial Management in Health Care (3)
Prerequisite: ACCT 201 or ACCT 500; HCA 502; Health Care Administration majors only.

Fourth Quarter: Summer

7. HCA 510: Human Resources Mgmt. in Health Care (3)
Prerequisite(s): Health Care Administration majors only.
Prerequisite/Corequisite: HCA 502

8. HCA 527: Research Methods in HCM (3)
Prerequisites: SOC 170 or equivalent statistics course, Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502 and advancement to candidacy

Year 2
First Quarter: Fall

9. HCA 517: Advanced Healthcare Info Systems Management (3)
Prerequisites: Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502.

10. HCA 535: Quantitative Methods in Health Care Adm. (3)
Prerequisites: Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502

Second Quarter: Winter

11. HCA 524: Advanced Legal and Ethical Aspects of Health Care (3) 
Prerequisite: Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502

12. HCA 550 Continuous Quality Improvement in Health Services (3)
Prerequisites: Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502

Third Quarter: Spring

13. HCA 536: Hospital Management (3) 
Prerequisites: Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502.

 - OR -  

14. HCA 580: Internship in Health Care Administration (3) 
Prerequisite: Senior status only.

HCA 698: Project (3)
Prerequisites: Advancement to candidacy & completion of minimum 27 graduate units in HCA.

Fourth Quarter: Summer 

15. HCA 528 : HCA 528 Managing Population Health (3) 
Prerequisites:Health Care Administration majors only, HCA 502.

(If you have any questions please contact Natalie Whitehouse-Capuano, the Accelerated Program Coordinator at (562) 985-5414 or Natalie.Whitehouse-Capuano@csulb.edu or contact the Health Care Administration department by phone at (562) 985-5694 or hca@csulb.edu.)

HCA-Specific Forms

• HCA Graduate Admission Application
• HCA Recommended Course Sequence

Enrollment Services Forms

• Application for Educational Leave
• Petition to Withdraw from a Class(es)
• Request to Change Graduation Date
• Request to Graduate (Master's) (Via MyCSULB)

HCA Internship Program: The Transition Step to a Career Job

A key aspect of the HCA Department’s curriculum is the HCA Internship Program. During the final year of the master’s program, students are required to take the internship course (HCA 580) and complete at least 120 hours at a local healthcare delivery organization. The bachelor’s program requires a two-course series (HCA 480 and 481) of at least 240 hours at a field site. At these sites, students will apply their classroom knowledge of business tools in the healthcare environment, and learn from experienced internship preceptors how to solve problems in “real world” situations.

Students can choose from over three hundred approved sites in nineteen different type organizations and over twenty-five different departments from which they can choose to intern. Students are exposed to a wide variety of special projects and processes related to health care delivery. These include individual projects as well as being part of multidisciplinary teams.

Students also attend about twenty hours of classroom lectures to help prepare them to join a professional office workforce and learn how to manage the business of medicine. A favorite activity is case studies where students bring actual problems from their internship site for classroom discussion, analysis and possibly solutions. Lectures will also cover how to effectively interview and network for finding a meaningful job in healthcare.

During the entire internship period, students are guided by knowledgeable HCA internship instructors, who work closely with the students and preceptors. Monthly reviews are made of the student’s work, special projects accomplished, new skills being developed and description of the work contributions being made in the host organization.

The internship experience helps the student crystalize their future job focus, the related skills they are developing and the selection of the type projects they will complete during that internship. Students complete these internships with an improved sense of confidence and job focus, are better able to communicate successfully both verbally and in writing, and how to readily engage with their future employers and staff.

Best wishes,

Terence T. Cunningham, MHA, FACHE
Full Time Lecturer/Coordinator, HCA Internship Program