Master of Healthcare Administration (Business Analytics)
Website: https://twu.edu/health-care-administration/graduate-degrees/mha-business-analytics/
The M.H.A. with an emphasis in Business Analytics provides the skills needed to gather, analyze, and evaluate meaningful patterns represented in data that all healthcare organizations must understand and manage. This program option explores technology, interface, and security issues related to data access and use within healthcare organizations, while also imparting the professional skills required to effectively communicate complex technical information to various management levels within an organization.
Completion of the emphasis will immediately qualify the student to sit for the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) first level of medical informatics certification as a CAHIMS (certified associate). For the next certification level, CPHIMS (certified professional), the M.H.A. degree with the business analytics emphasis substitutes for two years of equivalent experience. A person with a master’s degree (including the Business Analytics emphasis) and three years of experience, rather than five years of experience, will qualify to sit for the CPHIMS certification.
The emphasis in Business Analytics is an extension of the regular M.H.A. degree program, and is available only to those students enrolled for the M.H.A. All regular M.H.A. admission requirements apply. A student can declare their interest in the Business Analytics emphasis at any time through their advisor. This emphasis requires an additional four courses (12 credit hours). However, two of these four courses can be substituted for two required electives in the overall M.H.A. degree; so the net increase for this emphasis is only six credit hours.
The emphasis does not impact the Program’s accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).
Marketable Skills
Defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30 Strategic Plan as, "Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities."
- Appropriately use information, data, and sound judgment to inform management decisions. Students will be able to apply critical thinking and analysis to solve healthcare problems. They will apply analytical thinking and effective information seeking to healthcare financial management, performance measurement, and process management issues.
- Successfully pursue organizational goals that involve getting things done through and in collaboration with others. Students gain these skills with a focus on governance, change leadership, human resource management, initiative, IT management, organizational awareness, project management, and strategic orientation.
- Act with integrity, upholding high professional and ethical standards. Emphasizing ethical decision-making, professionalism, life-long learning, and self-confidence, graduates will approach their profession with an achievement orientation.
Admissions
All students must meet the University requirements as outlined in the Admission to the TWU Graduate School section of the catalog.
This academic program may have additional admission criteria that must also be completed as outlined on the program's website.
Degree Requirements
Semester Credit Hours Required
51-60 Semester credit hours (SCH).
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| Proficiency Courses (may be waived) | 0-9 | |
| Foundations of Health Services | ||
| Research Methods for Managerial Decision Making | ||
or MKT 5153 | Research Methods in Business | |
| Financial Accounting in Health Care Administration | ||
| Required Courses for M.H.A. major | ||
| Health Systems Organization Sequence | ||
| HCA 5393 | Health Law and Ethics | 3 |
| HCA 5633 | Health Policy Analysis | 3 |
| Management and Leadership Sequence | ||
| HCA 5223 | Strategic Planning in Healthcare | 3 |
| HCA 5343 | Human Resources Management in Health Care Administration | 3 |
| HCA 5883 | Professional Portfolio and Healthcare Career Competencies | 3 |
| HCA 5933 | Capstone in Health Care Administration | 3 |
| Quantitative Methods Sequence | ||
| HCA 5443 | Operations Analysis in Healthcare Administration | 3 |
| HCA 5473 | Health Information Management | 3 |
| or CSCI 5103 | Fundamentals of Informatics | |
| HCA 5483 | Population Health Management | 3 |
| HCA 5493 | Performance Measurement and Quality in Health Care Administration | 3 |
| Finance, Accounting and Economics Sequence | ||
| HCA 5533 | Management Accounting for Health Care Organizations | 3 |
| HCA 5543 | Health Care Finance | 3 |
| HCA 5623 | Economics of Health Care | 3 |
| Required Courses for emphasis in Business Analytics | ||
| CSCI 5673 | Big Data: Management, Access, and Use | 3 |
| MGT 5763 | Strategic Information Systems | 3 |
| MGT 5683 | Business Decision Process | 3 |
| MGT 5693 | Enterprise Applications of Business Intelligence | 3 |
| Total SCHs | 51-60 | |
Additional Grading Requirements
In addition to the general University grading requirements, the HCA Program limits the number of courses in which a grade of C is made, in HCA program-specific courses, to two. If a grade of C is made in a third HCA program-specific course, then regardless of the cumulative grade point average, the student will be dropped from the HCA Program. Since this is an HCA grading requirement and not a University requirement, the student may choose to apply to another TWU program.
The two C Rule applies even if the student retakes a course in which the initial grade was a C.
Foundation courses
Foundation courses are the first level of preparation for specialized study in Health Administration. Applicants may request a waiver of any foundation course by presenting evidence of having completed at least two undergraduate or one graduate course in the content area with a grade of B or higher. These courses must be completed prior to enrolling in required courses.
Internship/Fieldwork Opportunities
Internships and field experiences are available with health care organizations. They are designed to provide students with the opportunity to integrate and apply knowledge and skills from their course experiences. While an internship or fieldwork is not required, it is strongly recommended for all individuals who lack health care experience or whose experience is primarily technical or clinical. The decision regarding whether the internship or fieldwork should be included as one of the elective courses is made jointly by the faculty advisor and student at the completion of 12 semester credit hours of study. In addition, many courses include fieldwork projects, tours, and assessments of local health care organizations. A maximum of three semester credit hours may be earned in internship or fieldwork and applied toward the degree. In order to receive academic credit for an internship or fieldwork, the student must contact his/her faculty advisor and complete the necessary documentation with the HCA internship/fieldwork coordinator prior to applying or accepting an internship or fieldwork assignment.
Portfolio
Each student is required to develop and maintain a professional portfolio documenting the attainment of goals and skills acquired in the course of their graduate study. This portfolio and student goals are developed jointly by the student and faculty advisor. The portfolio is to be reviewed periodically with the faculty advisor. Students must enroll in HCA 5883 during their final semester to complete their portfolios.
Some courses in the program may be delivered in a non-traditional distance learning format. As a result, student involvement on campus will vary depending on the method of delivery.
