Major in Health Care Management
The Health Care Management program is designed to prepare students for careers in administration of health care services. The curriculum provides an understanding of U.S. health care organizations, a population health orientation emphasizing health equity initiatives using financial and organizational metrics, and analytical and technology competencies for research development, organizational management and/or program evaluation. Depending on a student’s interest, graduate training in health administration is recommended after completing this course of study and after the student has worked in the field for 1–2 years. Students interested in post acute and long-term care service administration have the option of completing a specialized track in the major.
Students who major and minor in Health Care Management will adhere to the American College of Healthcare Executives Code of Ethics.
Internship/Capstone
The Health Care Management Internship is a supervised, integrative educational experience at a health care organization. It is the culmination of the student's plan of study. Interns commit to a 15-week, 12-unit, full-time (40-hour work week) placement in a health care organization supervised by a Site Preceptor, and academically, by a Health Care Management program Faculty Supervisor. The site is selected and approved with input from the student intern and the Health Care Management Internship Coordinator. No specific internship sites are guaranteed as the individual internship site has the right to accept or reject students based on a competitive interview.
Upsilon Phi Delta Honor Society
The purpose of the Upsilon Phi Delta Honor Society is to recognize, reward, and encourage academic excellence in the study of Health Care Management and policy. Members are selected on the basis of academic achievements, having a minimum overall GPA of 3.25 with a 3.50 GPA in the major, and service to the community and/or contributions to the health care management profession.
For information concerning the standards to join the Upsilon Phi Delta Honor Society, contact the Program Director of the Health Care Management program at 410-704-3909.
Health Care Management majors are also strongly encouraged to participate in student-led associations such as the Health Care Leadership Academy or the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Open School Chapter at Towson University, which are important first steps in professional development of students in the healthcare field.
Recognition Awards
These awards are presented in the spring commencement ceremony to outstanding undergraduate Health Care Management majors.
The Healthcare Management Major has 48 required units, and a required 24-unit Business Administration (BUAD) minor for a total of 72 units. Students completing a double major in Business Administration, Business Systems & Processes or Accounting complete the BUAD minor requirements through their second major and are not required to declare the minor to fulfill the Healthcare Management major requirements. An optional 21-unit track in Long-Term Care Administration is also available to majors. The track is comprised of three didactic courses (9 units). In addition, Long-Term Care Administration track students are encouraged to complete their required 12-unit internship (HCMN 495) in a long-term care setting.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| COSC 111 | INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS | 3 |
| GERO 101 | INTRODUCTION TO GERONTOLOGY | 3 |
| HLTH 207 | HEALTH CARE IN THE U.S. | 3 |
| LEGL 225 | LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS | 3 |
| ENGL 317 | WRITING FOR BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY | 3 |
| HCMN 305 | HEALTH ADMINISTRATION | 3 |
| AHLT 311 | HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FOR ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS | 3 |
| HCMN 413 | SERVICES AND HOUSING FOR THE LONG-TERM CARE CONSUMER | 3 |
| HCMN 415 | FINANCING AND ORGANIZATION OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN THE U.S. | 3 |
| HCMN 435 | HEALTH INFORMATION AND QUALITY MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| HCMN 441 | LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTH ADMINISTRATION | 3 |
| AHLT 445 | RESEARCH METHODS IN INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTH STUDIES | 3 |
| HCMN 495 | HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT INTERNSHIP 1 | 12 |
| Required Business Administration (BUAD) Minor | 24 | |
| Total Units | 72 | |
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Students must complete a hands-on, full-term, full-time (40 hour a week, 12 units) supervised Health Care Management internship. Students in the Long-Term Care Administration Track are encouraged to complete an internship in a long-term care setting. To be eligible for the internship, students must have senior status and must have successfully completed all course work for the degree prior to internship placement.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Long-Term Care Administration Track (Optional) | ||
| GERO 350 | PHYSICAL HEALTH AND AGING | 3 |
| HCMN 417 | LONG-TERM CARE ETHICAL PROBLEMS | 3 |
| HCMN 419 | LONG-TERM CARE ADMINISTRATION | 3 |
| Total Units | 9 | |
Business Administration Minor
This 24-unit minor is available to students who have a major other than Accounting, Business Administration, or Business Systems and Processes. Students electing a Business Administration minor are not formally admitted to nor graduates of the College of Business and Economics (CBE). Students must complete at least 12 units of CBE courses at Towson University in order to earn this minor.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 201 | PRINCIPLES OF FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING | 3 |
| ACCT 202 | PRINCIPLES OF MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING | 3 |
| ECON 201 | MICROECONOMIC PRINCIPLES | 3 |
| or ECON 203 | HONORS MICROECONOMIC PRINCIPLES | |
| ECON 202 | MACROECONOMIC PRINCIPLES | 3 |
| or ECON 204 | HONORS MACROECONOMIC PRINCIPLES | |
| ECON 205 | STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS I | 3 |
| or MATH 231 | BASIC STATISTICS | |
| MKTG 341 | PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING | 3 |
| MNGT 361 | LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| FIN 330 | ESSENTIALS OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| Total Units | 24 | |
Suggested Four-Year Plan
Based on course availability and student needs and preferences, the selected sequences will probably vary from those presented below. Students should consult with their adviser to make the most appropriate elective choices.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Units | Term 2 | Units |
| COSC 111 | 3 | ACCT 201 | 3 |
| GERO 101 (Core 6) | 3 | ECON 201 | 3 |
| LEGL 225 | 3 | HLTH 207 (Core 11) | 3 |
| Core 1 (or Core 2) | 3 | Core 2 (or Core 1) | 3 |
| Core 5 | 3 | Core 7 | 4 |
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Term 1 | Units | Term 2 | Units |
| ACCT 202 | 3 | AHLT 311 | 3 |
| ECON 202 | 3 | ENGL 317 (Core 9) | 3 |
| HCMN 305 | 3 | MATH 231 or ECON 205 (Core 3) | 3 |
| Core 8 | 4 | Core 12 | 3 |
| Core 10 | 3 | Core 13 | 3 |
| Elective1 | 3 | ||
| 16 | 18 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Term 1 | Units | Term 2 | Units |
| AHLT 445 | 3 | FIN 330 | 3 |
| HCMN 413 | 3 | HCMN 419 (LTC track or recommended) | 3 |
| MKTG 341 | 3 | HCMN 441 (Core 14) | 3 |
| MNGT 361 | 3 | Elective1 | 3 |
| Core 4 | 3 | Elective1 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Term 1 | Units | Term 2 | Units |
| GERO 350 (LTC track or recommended) | 3 | HCMN 495 | 12 |
| HCMN 415 | 3 | ||
| HCMN 417 (LTC track or recommended) | 3 | ||
| HCMN 435 | 3 | ||
| Elective1 | 1 | ||
| 13 | 12 | ||
| Total Units 120 | |||
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Electives may be satisfied by taking another minor.
- Students identify, analyze, and evaluate, major macro influences (e.g., political, social, demographic, economic, technological and bio-medical) and using technological search strategies, assess how these affect setting-specific health care organizations (i.e., hospitals, outpatient services, long-term care facilities, health maintenance organizations, group practices, etc.).
- Students utilize problem solving skills and apply, in an ethically and in a socially responsible way, management theory and principles to the administration of a health care organizations increasingly diverse workforce and consumer populations.
- Students identify, describe and apply health information systems technology and decision support mechanisms and draw on relevant management theory and assumptions to solve organizational financial, material, problems with human resource implications to improve quality care.
- Students exhibit professional behaviors in healthcare environments including the ability to read and adapt to organizational cultures by exhibiting appropriate intrapersonal and interpersonal social skills; by communicating to management, staff, and clients (individually and in groups) in ways that build/maintain open, trusting, and effective work relationships.
- Students write clearly, logically and succinctly in standard business prose with well referenced developmental detail appropriately cited according to APA standards.