Health Care Administration

Critical Care

The Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration (HCA) offers an accelerated program to individuals who have completed two years of college, and have achieved five years of work experience. The program allows working adults to complete a degree in about 16 months by attending classes one evening per week as well as several Saturdays.

Two unique features of the program are the class size and structure. About 16 students will comprise a class and its members will complete the program as a unit. This offers the students an opportunity to study together, share ideas and experiences, and develop new personal and professional networks.

The HCA courses address those management skills essential to the field of administration throughout the acute, community, and long-term systems of care. The research project or internship is central to the program and provides in-depth administrative experience, networking, and career development. The HCA Program has been accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE.)

Special fees and refund policies apply to this program.

Program Pre-requisites

  • 60 semester credits from accredited institutions
  • Five years of significant work background
  • Minimum 2.0 GPA in previous course work

Health Care Administration Requirements

  • A total of 124 semester hours credit in 100-level (or above) courses with a grade point average of (2.00)
  • 30 of the last 40 credits in the degree must be taken at Concordia
  • 45 hours of 300- or 400-level courses (fulfilled by the HCA curriculum)
  • No more than 20 credits from Pass/No Pass courses (exclusive of Prior Learning Experience credits) and Research Project/Internship credits
  • Credits are accepted from course work taken at accredited colleges, CLEP (national testing program), current course work, credit by examination, and Prior Learning Assessment petitions
  • No course with a grade below a C will be counted in the major core
  • The HCA core must be taken in its entirety

BS General Education Requirements (27)

The Bachelor of Science degree requires 27 Semester credits. HCA 365 and HCA 411 may be included in the fulfillment of the general education Religion requirement.

Health Care Administration Core Requirements (48)

  • Semester 1 (12)
    • HCA 201 The Nation’s Health (3)
    • HCA 321 Health Care Administration and Management (4)
    • HCA 370 Managing Human Resources (3)
    • HCA 431 Health Care Policy and Regulation (1)
    • HCA 451 Seminar (1)
  • Semester 2 (12)
    • HCA 365 Values, Society and the Future (3)
    • HCA 366 Marketing Management (4)
    • HCA 351 Quality Assessment and Improvement (3)
    • HCA 412 Law and Ethics in Geriatrics (1)
    • HCA 451 Seminar (1)
  • Semester 3 (12)
    • HCA 360 Organizational Finance (2)
    • HCA 331 Managed Care Systems (4)
    • HCA 421 Financial Management in Health Services (4)
    • HCA 482 Systems in Long-Term Care (1)
    • HCA 451 Seminar (1)
  • Semester 4 (12)
    • HCA 411 Health Care Law and Ethics (3)
    • HCA 481 Issues in Working with the Elderly (3)
    • HCA 341 Strategic Planning and Marketing (3)
    • HCA 491 Research Project/Internship (3)

Electives (49)

HCA majors may elect to complete additional HCA 491-Research Project/Internship credits to help fulfill the elective requirements The student needs sufficient electives to meet the 124 hours required for graduation.

Optional Minor

Students have the option of adding an additional area of academic focus by taking 12 credits or more within a specific area. Minors or concentrations are available in Social Work, Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Management, International Business, Finance, Marketing, e-Business, and Organizational Management. The courses taken for the minor or concentration will not be scheduled in cohort or modular format, but will be offered as traditional semester offerings. However, when possible, these courses will be presented in the half-semester mode, and an effort will be made to offer them on evenings and/or weekends. These courses will be open to traditional students as well as HCA students.

Career and Technical Education Option

For those interested in teaching in a high school or community college setting, Concordia offers a Career and Technical Education (CTE) certification which can be completed as part of the general electives in the BS in Healthcare Administration. Students complete a total of 13 semester credit hours, and work with the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission and Concordia's College of Education to fulfill state certification requirements. For additional information, contact the CTE coordinator in the College of Education.

The MBA

For those who want to advance to the senior management level of health care administration, Concordia University has developed a Master of Business Administration (MBA). The 37-semester hour graduate degree includes specialization options in Health Care Administration, Entrepreneurship, and Environmental Management. The MBA utilizes a cohort group instructional design similar to the BS Health Care Administration degree programs. The MBA program core courses are held one weekend per month (Friday evening and Saturday). Additional information concerning the MBA program is available in the graduate section of this catalog.