Health Administration
Sue A. Boren, Program Director and Professor
Contact Information
Health Administration
If interested in the program contact, Diki Lama, ldlpdp@missouri.edu
If interested in a course contact, Carla Jerome Beckmann, jeromebeckmannc@missouri
Department of Health Sciences
Graduate level academic programs at MU in the area of Health Administration are offered through the Department Health Sciences in the College of Health Sciences.
The Department Health Sciences offers the following degrees and graduate certificate programs:
- Master of Health Administration (executive and residential cohort)
- Graduate Certificate in Informatics for Public Health (100% online)
Residential Master of Health Administration students may also pursue a dual MBA, MS in Industrial Engineering, MPA, or JD degree. Some students choose to complete an additional Master's degree, such as the MPH, concurrently with the MHA degree.
Professor S. Boren**
Associate Professor P Alafaireet**, B. Hensel*, N. Khatri**, I. Zachary**
Assistant Professor M. Kim**, D. Moxley *
Adjunct Instructor R. Sommer*, J. Tucker*
Professors Emeriti Hicks**, D. Wakefield**
- *
Graduate Faculty Member - membership is required to teach graduate-level courses, chair master's thesis committees, and serve on doctoral examination and dissertation committees.
- **
Doctoral Faculty Member - membership is required to chair doctoral examination or dissertation committees. Graduate faculty membership is a prerequisite for Doctoral faculty membership.
While MU does not offer undergraduate degrees specifically in health administration, the University does offer baccalaureate opportunities in a number of related areas in the other Schools and Colleges that make up the University. The catalog provides a complete list of these degree options.
About the Master of Health Administration
The graduate program in Health Administration prepares professionals to meet critical and complex challenges in leadership and improvement in organizations and systems throughout the health industry. The program provides recognized national and global leadership in health management education.
The program is competency-based and distinctively equips graduates for success through (a) providing solid grounding in professional and operational knowledge and skills, (b) integrating health informatics throughout the health services management curriculum, and (c) incorporating overarching complex systems context and analytical approaches.
The residential and executive master’s degrees launch and advance patient-centered, improvement-oriented, financially-responsible, and ethically-grounded careers in evidence-based health administration.
The program admits diverse cohorts of students from Missouri, other states, and other nations. During the admissions process, the program seeks learners with strong academic records, maturity, motivation, leadership capabilities, and career potential. Primary post-graduation placement organizations include health systems, hospitals, academic medical centers, physician group practices, surgery centers, information technology companies, consulting firms, government agencies, insurance entities, and other points of health services delivery.
Whereas the residential master’s degree format is a traditional on-campus residential program, the executive master’s degree is offered in a hybrid model featuring both on-campus and distance learning. In both formats, emphasis is on fostering an individualized and collaborative culture of learning, mentoring, and professional development among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other practitioners. The intent is to prepare students to enable transformational leadership and improve patient care quality, safety, value, and overall level of population health.
Established in 1965, the program is a member of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) and has been accredited since 1968 by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), formerly Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services Administration (ACEHSA).
Residential students may also pursue a dual MBA, MS in Industrial Engineering, MPA or JD degree, or complete an additional Master's degree, such as the MPH, concurrently with the MHA program.
HLTH_ADM 4001: Topics in Health Administration
Organized study of selected topics. Subjects will vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit with departmental consent.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: department consent
HLTH_ADM 4430: Health Informatics for Leaders
(same as BBME 4430; cross-leveled with HLTH_ADM 7430, BBME 7430). Introduction to the use of clinical information systems in healthcare. Topics include clinical data, standards, electronic medical records, computerized provider order entry, decision support, telemedicine, and consumer applications.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: departmental consent
HLTH_ADM 4431: Foundations of Public Health Informatics
(cross-leveled with HLTH_ADM 7431). This course will cover foundational knowledge relevant to Public Health Informatics (PHI). The purpose of this course is to expose students to emerging research and application areas in the field of PHI. It will enhance abilities to know when and how to use theories, concepts, and tools of informatics applied to public health. The emphasis of the course is on the use of informatics tools and practices in public health and the existing and evolving relationship between clinical and public health systems. The focus is on PHI including topics such as data exchange and standards, interoperability , use of informatics tools, applying informatics to public health communication and dissemination, surveillance systems, public health policy and project management.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 4436: Telehealth
(cross-leveled with HLTH_ADM 7436). This course will cover foundational knowledge of telehealth applications. The purpose of this course is to learn about the overarching types of connected health applications, such as telehealth and telemedicine, describe the clinical practice considerations for virtual care delivery for health professionals and administrators, analyze operational success factors, facilitators and barriers of telehealth implementation and adoption, discuss practice and policy considerations, and describe different uses and types of telehealth.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 7001: Topics in Health Administration
Organized study of selected topics. Subjects will vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit with departmental consent.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 7410: Introduction to the US Health Care System
This is a survey course about the American health system, meant to provide a conceptual foundation for students to think critically about the US health system and to build upon in their future related courses. It includes concepts and language in health care, public health, and personal health and provides an understanding of how these domains of health interrelate. Particular focus is given to health care delivery, including how health care services are organized, delivered, paid for, and measured. Selected key, forward-looking issues are covered. The roles of management, leadership, and physicians are highlighted. A resource bank and regular flow of good information sources is developed. Business writing skills are emphasized.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 7430: Health Informatics for Leaders
(cross-leveled HLTH_ADM 4430). This course examines clinical, research, and administrative applications of information systems in health services delivery. Provides an introduction to important topics in biomedical informatics, including clinical data (collection, storage, management), electronic medical record systems, decision support systems, computerized order entry, telemedicine, and consumer applications.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: departmental consent
HLTH_ADM 7431: Foundations of Public Health Informatics
(cross-leveled with HLTH_ADM 4431). This course will cover foundational knowledge relevant to Public Health Informatics (PHI). The purpose of this course is to expose students to emerging research and application areas in the field of PHI. It will enhance abilities to know when and how to use theories, concepts, and tools of informatics applied to public health. The emphasis of the course is on the use of informatics tools and practices in public health and the existing and evolving relationship between clinical and public health systems. The focus is on PHI including topics such as data exchange and standards, interoperability , use of informatics tools, applying informatics to public health communication and dissemination, surveillance systems, public health policy and project management.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 7432: Applied Public Health Research and Evaluation
This course will cover foundational knowledge relevant to database management and public health data systems for Public Health Informatics (PHI). The purpose of this course is to provide students with concepts relevant to the effective use of data, information, and knowledge tools to build, manage, merge, retrieve, and analyze public health data from appropriate health data systems. The emphasis of the course is to use, develop and adapt public health information systems as needed to support public health efforts through use of public health informatics tools and practices to support existing and evolving relationships between clinical and public health systems. The focus is to plan, develop, implement, manage and evaluate database management systems and health data systems that meet the needs of public health practice through PHI.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 7435: Scripting for Public Health Informatics
In this online course, the student will learn 1) the Python programming language and how to use it to manipulate common forms of public health data, 2) the SQL language and how to design and interact with a relational database and its contents.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: College-level Statistics; Graduate standing or permission of the instructor
HLTH_ADM 7436: Telehealth
(cross-leveled with HLTH_ADM 4436). This course will cover foundational knowledge of telehealth applications. The purpose of this course is to learn about the overarching types of connected health applications, such as telehealth and telemedicine, describe the clinical practice considerations for virtual care delivery for health professionals and administrators, analyze operational success factors, facilitators and barriers of telehealth implementation and adoption, discuss practice and policy considerations, and describe different uses and types of telehealth.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 7471: Introduction to Accounting and Finance in Health Care
This course introduces the current financial environment in which providers operate and the fundamentals of financial accounting, with an emphasis on accounting and financial management principles and concepts that are critical to decision making for department-level management of health services organizations. This course provides the foundation for the second healthcare financial management course offered in the second year of this program.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor
HLTH_ADM 7580: Project Management for Health Administration
This course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of project management and its application to the provision of health care. A problem-based approach is used to frame both the theoretical underpinnings of project management and hands-on practical application. Students will develop an understanding of the foundations of project management designed to enable them to successfully complete the certification exam to become a certified project manager. Course content includes project scope development, project work breakdown, financial control, and human resources management for projects.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 7880: Agile Project Management in Healthcare for Health Administration
(same as BBME 7880). project management within the context of healthcare operations. Focus of the course is on knowledge of agile principles and agile techniques and the use of appropriate analysis tools. Course encompasses many approaches to agile project management including Scrum, Kanban, Lean, extreme programming (XP) and test driven development (TDD), and appropriate construction and management of information projects that are supportive of best practice clinical, administrative, and strategic policy and procedure in the delivery of health. A problem-based approach is used to provide the basis for addressing issues and solutions specific to the health delivery environment. Graded on A-F basis only.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: BBME 7580 or permission of instructor
HLTH_ADM 8090: Thesis Research in Health Administration
Research leading to a thesis. May be repeated to maximum of 9 hours. Graded on S/U basis only.
Credit Hour: 1-6
Prerequisites: Advisor's consent
HLTH_ADM 8401: Topics in Health Administration
Organized study of selected topics. Subjects will vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit with departmental consent.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 8450: Methods of Health Services Research
Writing intensive course provides students with basic understanding of literature search, experimental designs, evaluation methods, ethics, reporting and application of health services research. Practical research problems are discussed and students prepare a professional, managerially relevant research proposal.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: BBME 7410 or HLTH_ADM 7410; Satisfactory completion of a college-level course in statistics
HLTH_ADM 8451: Individual Executive Health Administration Projects
Students will investigate and address important issues in their organizations. Students will use scientific evidence and techniques to solve applied problems. They will develop data collection protocols, collect and analyze data, draw conclusions, and develop recommendations using basic research methods tools. They will provide actionable and feasible recommendations based on their analysis. Graded on S/U basis only.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: BBME 7410/HLTH_ADM 7410, BBME 8450/HLTH_ADM 8450 or permission of instructor
HLTH_ADM 8453: Executive Management Studies
Students will use scientific evidence and techniques to solve applied problems in health care organizations. Students will serve as professional consultants, working within small teams to develop project specifications and plans in collaboration with their clients. They will develop data collection protocols, collect and analyze data, draw conclusions and develop recommendations using basic research methods tools. They will provide actionable, feasible recommendations to their clients based on their analysis. Graded on A/F basis only.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: BBME 7410/HLTH_ADM 7410; Graduate standing or permission of the instructor
HLTH_ADM 8460: Administration of Health Care Organizations
Analyzes health care organizations, emphasizing organizational structure, and strategy, and managerial leadership. Topics include governance, adaptation, design, interorganizational networks, and organizational performance.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 8461: Managing Human Resources in Health Care Organizations
Provides a framework for understanding and thinking strategically about employee relations and management of people in organizations, drawing on insights from social sciences to explore how psychological, economic, social, and cultural forces influence human resources management in health care.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 8470: Strategic Planning and Marketing for Health Care Organizations
Analysis of strategic planning and services management and marketing concepts, techniques, and tools in the health care industry. Includes analyzing the environment, assessing the organization's strengths and weaknesses, formulating strategy to achieve competitive advantage, and implementing strategy through service management and marketing.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: BBME 7410/HLTH_ADM 7410, and HLTH_ADM 8524
HLTH_ADM 8472: Financial Management for Health Care Organizations
Application of concepts, tools and techniques of financial management and their interrelationships as they apply to current and future operation of health care organizations.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: For Residential students - BBME 7410/HLTH_ADM 7410, HLTH_ADM 7471, HLTH_ADM 8460, HLTH_ADM 8524. For Executive students - BBME 7410/HLTH_ADM 7410, HLTH_ADM 8460, HLTH_ADM 8524, and satisfactory completion of college-level courses in managerial accounting and financial management or satisfactory completion of HMI's online accounting and finance module
HLTH_ADM 8485: Problems in Health Administration
Intensive study of an area of health services management.
Credit Hour: 1-6
Prerequisites: instructor's consent
HLTH_ADM 8524: Health Economics
Building upon previous knowledge of basic economic theories, concepts, and tools, the structure, organization, activities, functions, and problems of health and medical care are considered from an economics perspective.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: microeconomics
HLTH_ADM 8544: Managerial Epidemiology (Population Health Management)
Examination of basic epidemiological concepts and methods as they apply to health services management. Lectures and discussions focus on the most useful measures of occurrence of health events, methods of data collection, research study design, the interpretation of epidemiological data, and the limitations of epidemiological methods, providing the background needed by students to critically review, draw conclusions from, and use information encountered in their roles as healthcare managers. Emphasis is placed on practical applications of epidemiology to health services planning, problem solving, policy development, and systems-thinking.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Restricted to HMI students only
HLTH_ADM 8545: Methods in Public Health Informatics
This course will cover foundational statistical knowledge and methods relevant to Public Health Informatics (PHI). The purpose of this course is to teach students to identify and perform appropriate statistical methods for the data analysis of data from many commonly used experimental designs in the field of PHI. The emphasis of the course is on the understanding of theoretical assumptions underlying these statistical methods. The focus of this course is to perform selected statistical analyses using, SPSS and/or R and to interpret statistical results, in a manner relevant to public health informatics in the context of public health. This course builds upon previous knowledge of basic statistics, concepts, and tools by applying them specifically to the public health field.
Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: college algebra
HLTH_ADM 8546: Public Health Information and Visualization (GIS) in Public Health
(same as P_HLTH 8470) The purpose of this course is to understand the capacity and limitations of geographic information system (GIS) in public health. The guiding principle of developing the course is the practical aspects of using GIS while understanding the basic science behind mapping. The course is based on a weekly format of brief narrated lectures, readings, and assignments similar to what you would have in a classroom. Graded on A-F basis only.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: HLTH_ADM 8545
HLTH_ADM 8571: Decision Support in Health Care Systems
Applies principles and techniques of computer-assisted decision making to solve health care problems. Clinical and managerial applications of artificial intelligence, including expert systems reviewed. Advantages of integrating decision support programs with databases are discussed.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 8573: Decision Making for Health Care Organizations
Applies and integrates data and decision making techniques with process analytic and improvement tools and techniques. Also includes applications of spread sheets and relational databases in healthcare settings.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Restricted to MHA students
HLTH_ADM 8574: Health Care Law
Survey of the function and methods of law as applied to health care administration and health care.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: HLTH_ADM 7410, HLTH_ADM 7471, HLTH_ADM 8460, HLTH_ADM 8524. Non HMI students with a Graduate or professional school career may be able to take the course with instructor consent
HLTH_ADM 8575: Health Policy and Politics
Overview and critical analysis of health policy issues in the United States, including how the dynamics of the policy making process have shaped outcomes, successful and unsuccessful, of a number of important policy initiatives.
Credit Hours: 3
HLTH_ADM 8610: Consumer Health Informatics
Consumer health informatics is the branch of medical informatics that analyzes consumers' needs for information; studies and implements methods of making information accessible to consumers; and models and integrates consumers' preferences into medical information systems. This course focuses on aspects of consumer health information seeking as well as resources which respond to these information needs. Topics include models for the delivery of consumer health information; Internet-based information delivery; access to patient information and privacy issues; quality of consumer health information; health literacy and health information literacy; design and development of consumer health information resources; consumer access to clinical information; and current research topics.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor
HLTH_ADM 8689: Field Experience in Health Administration
Supervised field experience in approved health agencies and institutions. Opportunity for observation and service participation in various fields of health. Graded on an A-F basis only.
Credit Hours: 3