Health Administration [BS]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

The BS in Health Administration prepares students for entry-level management positions in various public and private health services organizations, such as hospitals, group practices, long-term care organizations, non-profit organizations, and health centers. Individuals interested in senior and executive leadership positions in health administration will need a master’s degree.

This major requires a separate application and admission process from admission to the University. While students may be admitted to the university as a “Health Administration Intent” student, admission to the Health Administration Program is not guaranteed.

Learn

Students who pursue the undergraduate health administration program will be exposed to topics essential for their success as managers. These include (but are not limited to) an overview of the healthcare system, accounting, finance, legal issues and healthcare regulation, healthcare reform, human resource management, research methods, and internships. The underlying principles of the Health Administration Program emphasize cultural competency, teamwork, effective communication, and a commitment to healthcare for low-income and underserved individuals.

Opportunities

The Health Administration Program provides students many opportunities to learn and interact with faculty, fellow students, and healthcare leaders, such as participating in the Health Administration Student Organization, required internships, and working with faculty. Career preparation includes required internships available in southeast Michigan, Ohio, and other geographic areas. Student internships are often located in hospitals, health insurance administrative offices, primary care health centers, free clinics, community organizations, mental health agencies, and even in prison hospitals’ infirmaries. These internships provide an excellent opportunity for the students to connect with community healthcare leaders and learn management skills that build on the theoretical knowledge obtained in the classroom. Many students who complete their internships at the end of their studies have been able to segue into full-time employment. Participating in student organizations like the Health Administration Student Organization allows students to learn organizational and teamwork skills and develop lifelong relationships that will be an asset in future careers. Interacting with faculty beyond the classroom provides students and faculty the opportunity to become better acquainted and have the potential to work on scholarly projects that could result in publications.

Clinical Affiliations

The Health Administration program is closely affiliated with the American Academy of Medical Administrators (AAMA) and the American College of Health Executives (ACHE). The Health Administration Student Organization is the American College of Health Care Executives student chapter. Internship opportunities are an essential component of the program’s curriculum. Check out the list of Clinical Affiliations to see where health administration majors can gain field experience.

Clinical Affiliations

Additional Information

Transfer Agreements

School Information

Health Sciences 313 Marshall, 734.487.4096

Olivia Ford, PhD, Director

Advisor Information

Toni Jackson, MBA, Program Director, 261 Rackham, 734.487.1245

Program Admission

To be eligible for admission to the Health Administration program, students must have completed at least 45 credit hours of undergraduate coursework from an accredited college or university with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5. Additionally, the following courses must be completed with a minimum earned grade of C- (C is required for transfer courses) in each:

Speech (COMM 124 at EMU)
Writing Composition (WRTG 121 at EMU)

Prospective majors in Health Administration who do not have the minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average may petition the program in writing through the Program Director to request probationary admission to the major. Such applications will be considered by the program’s faculty on a case-by-case basis and would be expected to include information explaining either disruption in the applicant’s higher education, personal experience, and achievements that counterbalance the grade point average or other issues relevant to the request.

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .

Major Requirements: 69 hours

To graduate from this program, students must maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.5 in HLAD courses. Students who earn below a C- in any HLAD course must retake it.

Foundational Requirements: 13 hours

BIO 105 Introductory Biology for Non-majors [GEKN] 4 hrs
ECON 201 Principles of Macroeconomics [GEQR or GEKS] 3 hrs
ECON 202 Principles of Microeconomics [GEQR or GEKS] 3 hrs
Choose one course from the following:
SOCL 250 Quantitative Applications in Sociology [GEQR] 3 hrs
STAT 170 Elementary Statistics [GEQR] 3 hrs

Required Courses: 50 hours

Required Health Administration Courses: 43 hours
HLAD 305 The U.S. Health Care System 3 hrs
HLAD 307W Communication Effectiveness in Health Administration [GEWI] 3 hrs
HLAD 308 Ethical Dimensions in Health Care Delivery 3 hrs
or PHIL 221 Business Ethics [GEKH] 3 hrs

or PHIL 223 Medical Ethics [GEKH] 3 hrs
HLAD 310 Administration of Health Care Organizations 3 hrs
HLAD 311 Management of Health Services 3 hrs
HLAD 312 Health Personnel Management and Development 3 hrs
or MGMT 384 Human Resource Management 3 hrs
HLAD 315 Research Methods and Data Analysis in Health Sciences 3 hrs
HLAD 416 Health Planning 3 hrs
HLAD 418 Principles of Healthcare Finance Management 3 hrs
HLAD 419 Legal and Regulatory Issues in Health Care 4 hrs
HLAD 420 Health Insurance and Reimbursement 3 hrs
HLAD 425 Decision Making for Health Administrators 3 hrs
HLAD 488L4 Internship [GELB] 6 hrs
All students must take a one-semester internship during their junior or senior year unless waived by the program director due to significant administrative experience
Required Associated Health Profession Course: 1 hour
AHPR 200 Medical Terminology 1 hr
Required Business Administration and Liberal Arts Courses: 6 hours
ACC 240 Principles of Financial Accounting 3 hrs
ECON 436 Health Economics 3 hrs

Restricted Elective Courses: 6 hours

Choose two courses from the following.

HLAD 313 Health Care Quality 3 hrs
HLAD 323 Introduction to Epidemiology 3 hrs
HLAD 401 Legal Issues in Health Care 3 hrs
HLAD 402 Health Policy 3 hrs
HLAD 476 Introduction to Healthcare Informatics 3 hrs
HLED 230 Introduction to Public Health 3 hrs

Minor Requirement

This major does not require a minor.

Many students pursue the Aging Studies Minor , and the Public and Nonprofit Administration Minor also pairs well with this major.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
- Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
- At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.