Academic Programs

Healthcare Administration Specialization

The Public Administration Division offers a healthcare administration specialization for the students interested in a career in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, health departments, nursing homes, mental health services, home health services, nonprofit voluntary agencies, health research foundations, public and private insurance, and a variety of governmental agencies.

The health program is designed to produce an administrative generalist with a broad perspective of the healthcare system, and to provide leadership and management skills for healthcare professionals who wish to advance in their careers and for college graduates who wish to enter the healthcare fields. It consists of twelve credit hours: nine in required courses and three in electives. Field experiences and experiential learning sessions add to the student's opportunity to explore this career field. Students with extensive background in any one of these course content areas may have the course waived so that they may pursue areas in which they are not experienced.

There are four options for the student desiring a healthcare specialization:

  1. Masters in Public Administration--The student may pursue this specialty as part of the MPA degree. The student would be admitted to the MPA graduate program and would take the 12-hour elective component in healthcare. The coursework within the MPA curriculum allows the student to integrate their specialty knowledge with the broad knowledge provided in the foundation courses. Students are encouraged to focus study and projects in the healthcare area. Internships may be pursued in a variety of healthcare settings and from a variety of roles in healthcare.
  2. Dual Degree Program with Public Administration and a variety of health related schools, such as Social Work, Nursing, Law, Dental Hygiene--The student may pursue a Dual Degree Program. The student is admitted to both the MPA program and to the professional graduate school within their career field. The program is designed between the representative of the two programs and the student to meet the needs of the University and the learning needs of the student. Foundation courses and electives to be counted in both courses of study are determined when the program is designed.
  3. Certificate program--The student not desiring a degree may take the twelve-hour specialization and be awarded a certificate upon successful completion. Students may be in another graduate program or may be non-degree students. The student is admitted to the certificate study program. The credits completed may be counted toward degree completion, within the guidelines of the University, if the student decides to pursue a graduate degree at a later date.

Healthcare courses are offered in Morgantown and at off-campus locations. The off-campus program is designed to start at a set point during the academic year, and courses are offered sequentially. At the Morgantown location, courses are offered at various points during the academic year. Contact the MPA office for more information.