Bachelor of Science Healthcare Administration

Courses

The online healthcare administration degree includes 123 credits, 31 to 55 of which are dedicated to the Liberal Arts Core. The major requires 57-58 credits, and there are six credits of recommended courses. To fulfill the remainder of the program’s required credits, you must choose general elective courses.

Liberal Arts Core (31-55 credits)

All Alvernia University students are required to complete between 31-55 credits toward the Liberal Arts Core. Transfer work may be applicable for this area. As part of the application process, students receive specific information regarding remaining credits. Students entering the program with 70 or more transfer credits or an associate degree must complete 30-31 Liberal Arts Core credit hours.

General Elective Requirements (as needed)

A total of 123 credits, including three credits in a human diversity course, are required to earn a bachelor’s degree. To adhere to Franciscan values, community service hours are also required.

Major Requirements (57-58 credits)

Course	Description	Credits
BUS 101	Financial Accounting* Provides a foundation of business knowledge. Students are exposed to major facets of the business world that affect everyday decision making including: types of organizations, ethics, environmental impact, economics, management, marketing, and financial management. Enrollment is restricted to non-business majors and business majors with no more than six credits in business.	3
BUS 206	Management Principles* Provides an analysis of the traditional functions of management (i.e., planning, organizing, leading and controlling) with past, present and future application. Topics examined include quality issues, team-based approaches to work, organizational design and re-engineering efforts, motivational techniques, globalization, technology, diversity and ethics.	3
BUS 207	Marketing Principles* An introduction to the basic functions of marketing and the marketing concept. Included topics of study are market analysis, consumer behavior, marketing research, the development of the marketing mix, and international and social marketing.	3
BUS 342	Business Law Deals with the meaning and functions of business law as applied to negotiable contracts, sales, agency employment, real property, insurance, labor, anti-trust law, consumer protection, and other legal issues such as international, environmental, privacy, tort and criminal law.	3
BUS 410	Financial Markets Provides in-depth analysis of financial markets and how those markets facilitate the flow of funds to accommodate the needs of individuals, corporations, governments and the global market. The purpose is to study and understand the roles of the financial intermediaries in the market and how they direct funds in an ethical business manner. Prerequisite: ECON 248 or 249.	3
BUS 411	Corporate Finance The role of the financial manager in the modern business organization is stressed. Topics include time value of money, financial analysis, risk analysis, financial forecasting, cost of capital, stock and bond valuation models, capital budgeting, investment decisions under conditions of uncertainty, long-term financial alternatives, and dividend policy. Prerequisite: BUS 200 or 250.	3
BUS 426	Strategic Management Study of development and implementation of strategic plans conceived by executive level management. Students integrate previously studied topics in the business core curriculum along with new information dealing specifically with strategic management. Utilization of in-depth case studies allows students to sharpen their skills of analysis and to develop coherent and comprehensive strategic plans. Prerequisite: BUS 200 or 250; Pre- or Co-requisite: BUS 411; Senior-level standing.	3
BUS 438	Business Seminar Emphasizes career goals and objectives while developing professional skills and self-presentation. Research into current developments in the business field, corporate culture, team building, networking, and business etiquette is explored. This course is the business capstone course. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing. Students must have successfully completed 30 credits at Alvernia. Students with over 3 years of full-time professional experience may substitute a business elective with the program director’s approval. This course meets the Writing Enhanced requirement.	3
HCS 300	Writing for Healthcare Science This required course emphasizes how to think critically and write effectively within the field of healthcare science. The approach focuses on the role of the healthcare science professional as an informed consumer of research and other evidence for the best practices within the healthcare industry. Evidence-based principles are viewed as a lens through which all information is critically analyzed. Students review and analyze the research of others with an emphasis on adequacy of design, appropriateness of the analysis, and generalization of the results. Quantitative and qualitative approaches to the study of healthcare presented and compared, and the course stresses the importance of critical evaluation. Professional writing is designed to introduce students to a set of advanced intellectual and rhetorical skills. Various forms of writing for healthcare science professionals are practiced including research reports, datadriven summaries, literature reviews, the development of educational brochures and materials and grant writing. This course meets the Writing Enhanced requirement.	3
HCS 330	Healthcare Literacy and Advocacy This course will focus on the value of health literacy as an ideal for our country. Students will discuss the present barriers to that ideal and propose strategies for overcoming them. The requirements for health literacy for patients, providers, communities and society will be explored and strategies propose to contribute to health literacy at each level. Current national, state and local initiatives to address health literacy will be described and explored. The ethical principles of healthcare will be used as course themes to establish this need for literacy, advocacy for individuals and communities and healthcare reform	3
HCS 400	Healthcare Systems and Policy This course introduces students to the U.S. health services system, describing healthcare institutions and the variant strengths and challenges of those systems, providers, payment practices, and significant health legislation. It examines current trends and perspectives against a historical background. This course focuses on healthcare delivery systems, including practice models and multilevel methods of intervention for effective service in healthcare, including health promotion, disease prevention, assessment, treatment, rehabilitation, continuing care, and discharge planning. Examples of topics covered include the use of current ICD system in assessment, screening and intervention including workplace health promotion and community crisis intervention. The impact of differences in ability, age, class, color, culture, ethnicity, family structure, gender (including gender identity and gender expression) marital status, national origin, race, religion or spirituality, sex, and sexual orientation will be examined, as these relate to various health practices, policies and services. This course will help the student analyze the various components of American healthcare policy, including political and economic policy, as well as the process of policy formulation. Current medical legal and ethical questions are examined.	3
HCS 410	Community Health Organization and Administration This course explores the healthcare system and its evolution in the United States. Provides a review of health related study of the US healthcare system and its structure, finance, governance, personnel, and cultural values. Economic, political, and social forces are observed.	3
HCS 430	Healthcare Science Capstone The purpose of this course is to guide and facilitate the final development of the professional attitudes, practices and skills necessary for effective leadership within the healthcare sciences, with an emphasis on the roles and functions of those in leadership positions. Competencies and roles covered in the course include those related to motivation, accountability, organizational awareness, conflict resolution, negotiation, critical thinking and analysis, innovation, professionalism, change management, collaboration, influence, and communication. The overall outcome of this course is to develop and present a capstone project in the area of healthcare science, in alignment with the student's professional goals and aspirations. Senior status healthcare science major only.	3
ECON 248	Macroeconomics Surveys the performance of the American economic system through National Income Accounting with emphasis on the aggregates of government, consumers and business. The focus is on total employment, total income, total output, general level of prices and the major current problems of unemployment, inflation, and fiscal and monetary policy.	3
ECON 249	Microeconomics Surveys behavior of individual economic units (household and business firms) and the price mechanism interacting in the market structures of American capitalism. Emphasis is on the specific product price and specific amount of production in an efficient and profit-oriented competitive economic system.	3

Select one of the following:

Course	Description	Credits
BUS 200	Managerial Accounting I The use of accounting data for managerial planning and control. Cost flows, cost-volume-profit analysis, capital budgeting, and pricing strategies are among the major topics included. Not for accounting majors. Prerequisite: BUS 101.	3
BUS 250	Accounting Principles Builds upon and expands fundamental accounting principles covered in Bus 101. Use of corporate asset, debt and equity accounts, preparation and analysis of financial statements, and impact of cash flow are highlighted. Prerequisite: BUS 101.	3

Select one of the following:

Course	Description	Credits
MAT 208	Introductory Statistics This course in applications of statistics and probability is designed for such areas as sociology, business, economics, medicine and psychology. Topics include descriptive statistics, data organization and graphical methods, laws of probability, rules review of probability, linear correlation and regression, binomial and normal distributions, sampling and statistical inference. Varied computer applications, using the statistical software package SPSS, are required. Not open to math or science majors. Students earning credit for this course cannot earn credit for MAT 209. Prerequisite: satisfactory score on the Mathematics Placement Test.	3
MAT 209	Probability and Statistics This course covers theoretical principles and methods of probability and statistical analysis useful for natural science and education majors. Includes organization and analysis of data, descriptive statistics, laws of probability, binomial and normal distribution, random sampling, statistical inference, estimation and tests of hypotheses for large samples. Computer applications, using statistical software package SPSS, are required. Students earning credit for this course cannot earn credit for MAT 208. Prerequisite: satisfactory score on the Math Placement Test.	3

Select one of the following:

Course	Description	Credits
BUS 280	Human Resource Management The study of human resources in the management of the organization. Emphasis placed on understanding human resource planning, talent acquisition and talent management, total rewards management, and the human resource practitioner as a strategic partner. Impact of Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), legislative issues, work design techniques discussed as well as other issues affecting human capital, including: Employee Assistance Plans (EAP), discipline and discharge practices. Prerequisite: BUS 206.	3
HCS 340	Healthcare Science Management This course examines the organizational principles, practices, and pertinent management of health service organizations. Topics covered include quality improvement, risk management, strategic planning, financial planning and control, medical terminology, and medical ethics. Managerial implications of emerging issues in healthcare area also discussed.	3

* C grade or higher is required for starred courses.

Recommended Courses (6 credits)

Course	Description	Credits
BUS 441	Cooperative Education in Business I Supervised learning experience that integrates theoretical coursework, career goals and objectives, and on-the-job work experience in the business field. Academic assignments supplement actual work experience. Maximum Cooperative credits for BUS 441 and BUS 442 are 9. Prerequisites: Students must have successfully completed 30 credits at Alvernia, in which 15 must be in the business department.
BUS 442	Cooperative Education in Business II Extension of BUS 441 where the student continues on-the-job work experience in the business field through job expansion and job enrichment. Academic assignments supplement the actual work experience. Maximum Cooperative credits for BUS 441 and BUS 442 are 9. Prerequisites: BUS 441and students must have successfully completed 30 credits at Alvernia, of which 15 credits must be in the business department.

Career Outcomes

After earning your Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration online, you can pursue a variety of careers, including:

• Practice manager
• Health information manager
• Nursing home administrator