Healthcare Management, B.S.

The Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management program is designed for students seeking careers in administration or management within a variety of healthcare settings, such as hospitals and large hospital systems, medical groups and smaller practices, community health organizations, or health insurance companies.

Healthcare administrators ensure that hospitals, medical practices, and health systems operate efficiently and effectively so that patients receive safe, high-quality care. Healthcare administrators need to be experts in both healthcare policies and business practices. Accordingly, the Healthcare Management major is an interdisciplinary program that brings together courses from the Management major and the Healthcare Studies major, plus courses created specifically for this program. As a Healthcare Management major, you will develop and learn to apply:

Critical knowledge in how the U.S. healthcare system operates, and more specifically in areas such as healthcare laws and regulations, electronic health record systems, insurance and reimbursement policies, and quality assessment and patient safety
A solid grounding in business and management principles
A strong foundation in healthcare practices, roles, and principles
Practical skills in project management, financial accounting, and effective communication, management, and leadership strategies.

Areas of Focus

Through selection of business, healthcare, and free electives, students can create tracks in an area of interest. Possible tracks include:

Long-term care administration
Healthcare Human Resources
Operations Management
Data analytics and visualization
Clinical Trials Management

Notes About this Program

The Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management is not an AACSB-accredited Business Administration degree. 91��ý’s Business Administration majors (Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing, etc.) require 11 core business courses plus 11 specialized courses and hold AACSB accreditation.

This program includes some but not all of the required courses in the Business programs. It is designed to give students a broader range of knowledge in both business and healthcare, and is designed to give students some flexibility in their course selection.

If you seek an AACSB-accredited degree with a healthcare emphasis, consider majoring in Management, Economics, Human Resources Management, or Accounting, and supplementing with a Minor in Healthcare Studies for a focused combination of credentials.

Topics Covered

Business Foundations and Skills

Macro- and Micro-Economics
Financial Accounting
Business Information Systems
Project Management
Decision-Making with Excel
Applied Statistics for Business / Health & Clinical Sciences

Healthcare Administration & Management

Introduction to Healthcare and Hospital Management
Healthcare Law and Risk Management
Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Medical Insurance and Billing
Healthcare Communication
Healthcare Systems & Policy
Healthcare Ethics
Healthcare Leadership
Electronic Health Information
Medical Terminology

Business Electives Include:

Human Resources
Marketing
Operations Management
Economic Data Visualization
Business Law

Healthcare Electives Include

Long-Term Care Administration
Clinical Trials
Research Data Management
Person-Centered Healthcare

Learning Outcomes

Healthcare Systems Analysis: Analyze various healthcare systems and delivery models, including their structures, functions, and impacts on patient care and outcomes to evaluate organizational units.
Financial Management: Understand financial management practices within healthcare settings, including budgeting, financial reporting, and economic analysis to ensure effective resource allocation.
Leadership and Organizational Behavior: Demonstrate an ability to manage healthcare teams and drive organizational performance by utilizing leadership strategies, effective oral and written communication strategies and organizational behavior theories.
Healthcare Policy, Law, and Regulation: Understand healthcare policies, laws, and regulations at federal, state, and local levels and their impact on healthcare organizations and practices.
Quality Improvement: Evaluate quality improvement initiatives and methodologies to optimize patient care, safety, and organizational efficiency within healthcare organizations.
Strategic Planning: Engage in strategic planning activities to advance organizational goals, adapt to changes in the healthcare environment, and address emerging challenges and opportunities.
Healthcare Information Systems: Understand how healthcare information systems and technology are used to manage patient data, support clinical decision-making, and improve operational efficiencies within healthcare organizations.
Ethical and Cultural Competency: Demonstrate cultural competence by analyzing ethical issues in healthcare management so to advance equitable care and foster an inclusive environment for diverse patient populations.

Careers

Healthcare Management graduates can build their careers in a wide range of settings—from large hospital systems and community medical offices and clinics to nursing homes, long-term care and rehabilitation facilities, health insurance companies, healthcare technology firms, medical product manufacturers, clinical research centers, and pharmaceutical companies.

The healthcare industry is one of Connecticut’s largest employers, and graduates with a B.S. in Healthcare Management enjoy a wide range of career opportunities.

Typical Job Titles

Here are examples of recent job listings that require a Healthcare Management or similar degree, all in Connecticut hospitals and other medical practices: