Health Care Administration, Certificate

Program Description

The certificate in Health Care Administration helps prepare students for management positions in the field of health care. Health Care Administration students will develop the skills and knowledge needed to understand the challenges of providing access to quality health care at reasonable cost. The five course certificate will provide a students with opportunities to examine the social, political, historic, and scientific factors in the development and organization of health services; the basic concepts and issues related to health insurance and payment for health care providers; how data are presented and used for decision-making in health care administration; how to use financial and economic information to make decisions in health care organizations; and the management systems designed for efficient and effective health care operations.

This certificate also offers short term stackable credentials that align with health industry entry level position needs. Students can “stack” the HPA administration micro-credentials over time toward the completion of the certificate or use them as a stand-alone credential. Each micro-credential cluster combines three core HPA courses and mastery of these courses will be demonstrated through a comprehensive exam.

What is Health Care Administration?

The five-course certificate is designed to augment current students who are majoring in business, economics, or the health sciences or who are current health care professionals and who are interested in working in the following health care organizations:

1. Health care providers (hospitals, physician practices, nursing facilities, home health agencies, etc.)
2. Health insurers (nonprofit and commercial insurers, health maintenance organizations, etc.)
3. Health care consulting firms
4. Health care supply companies (pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, etc.)

You Might Like This Program If...

• You are interested in business administration or management and want to focus primarily in the healthcare industry.
• You are interested in reducing health care costs or improving health care quality through business leadership.
• You are interested in analyzing financial, operational, or clinical data to improve health care quality.

Program Requirements

To earn an undergraduate certificate in Health Care Administration, a minimum of 15 credits is required.

Academic Advising

The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.

Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.

READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY

University Park

Caroline Condon-Lewis
Academic Adviser
604 Ford Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-1192
cxc29@psu.edu

Career Paths

The Health Care Administration Certificate curriculum prepares students to work as health services administration. Health services administrators plan, direct, and coordinate medical, behavioral, and/or long-term care services. These individuals might oversee matters of personnel, budgeting, billing, equipment outlays, information systems, planning and more.

Contact

University Park

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION
604 Ford Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-2900
pennstatehpa@psu.edu

https://hhd.psu.edu/hpa