Masters Degree in Nursing: Healthcare Administration
The MSN-HA is a more specialized master's degree option that builds on the bachelor's degree in Nursing (and incorporates the BSN Core Coursework if currently holding an Associate's Degree). The Healthcare Administrator focuses on the specific needs, opportunities and challenges unique to the industry in administering services that include technology and education/training perspectives. Students earning an MSN with the Healthcare Administration emphasis receive training in essential business fundamentals necessary to be effective administrators or executives in healthcare that builds on their nursing background and experience.
RN or BSN to MSN-HA
Your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) completion degree in Healthcare Administration begins by completing a degree program with at least 60 credits through a US-accredited college or university offering a nursing diploma or associate's degree, successful nursing licensure (unencumbered), and current employment as a registered nurse. We carefully and intentionally integrate your General Education courses with your Nursing coursework all throughout your degree program, with opportunities to learn, participate, and lead in the delivery of care in multiple global clinical rotations as well.
NOTE: Prerequisite courses are also offered by MU and will be applied to your degree upon review and approval of your program of study.
Students are admitted throughout the year and all cohorts begin August and January each year. The student may be able to complete the program in 6 semesters (24 months) by June the following year, even if General Education courses are needed.
Unless entering with an earned BSN degree, a student must satisfy the following required 25 nursing core BSN nursing coursework credits (and potentially some General Education courses, depending on the program you graduated from) to meet the residency requirement (no exceptions). For students entering with an earned Bachelor's Degree, only the MSN-HA coursework is required (see below).
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35 credits of experiential learning will be granted for RNs with an Associate's Degree who possess a valid license to practice as a registered nurse and have employment verified. The credit will be recorded as EPLC 011 on the student’s transcript when the student becomes a candidate for the Master's Degree per the Experiential Learning Credit Policy in the College Catalog
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^60 credits (depending on program) will be granted upon admission for a prior nursing associate's degree or nursing diploma (^pending credit coded as: TNFR 011 and any additional required General Education coursework will be outlined in the program of study transcript/audit)
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25 additional MSN-specific coursework credit hours needed beyond the Bachelor's degree for the Master's degree. (^General Education credits may be needed to satisfy bachelor's degree requirements for ASN students, and will be determined prior to admission following an official transcript review).
The required 25 nursing credits satisfy the minimum residency requirement and include the following:
CORE BSN COURSES
SEMESTER ONE:
NRSG 311 Ministry in Healthcare (3 credits):
This course will focus on health promotion across the lifespan utilizing epidemiological principles with a uniquely spiritual perspective. Students will identify interventions to support health promotion for individuals, families and/or selected age groups through the lens of faith-based care.
NRSG 312 Theoretical Basis of Care (2 credits):
This course provides an introduction to evidence-based nursing practice and research. Students will focus on the practical skills required to identify and appraise the best evidence to support nursing practice.
SEMESTER TWO:
NRSG 321 Spiritual Dimensions of Nursing Leadership (4 credits):
This course is designed to develop the leadership, management, and professionalism expected of a nurse with a bachelor's level education with a theological perspective. This course explores the complex internal and external forces that affect the delivery of care.
NRSG 322 Nursing Interventions and Outcomes (4 credits):
This course is designed for the student to describe use of assessment strategies to detect patient health needs, apply chronic care model to enhance patient and family self-management of a chronic illness, discuss the process used to propose changes in nursing interventions for patients and their families, and identify selected patient healthcare outcomes.
SEMESTER THREE:
NRSG 411 Holistic Care (3 credits):
This course is a concept synthesis course in which students use nursing concepts previously introduced and apply them to vulnerable and at-risk populations in a variety of clinical and community settings
NRSG 412 Capstone (4 credits):
This capstone course will provide the student the opportunity to complete population health research in coordination with their employer or other community agency. The student will review and analyze current research and apply the findings to a final project.
NURSING CLINICAL / STUDY ABROAD (SUMMER) ^satisfies clinical requirement:
NRSG 336 Undergraduate Study Abroad (5 credits):
This course is designed to apply clinical skills, leadership, and professionalism expected of a nurse with a bachelor's level education in a culminating experience through a 10-day, US or international study abroad trip (or comparable experience). The focus of this course is advocacy and critical assessment and evaluation of needs on the personal, client, community, and global level.
(Passport and international travel may be required).
GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES
(some/all may be needed to satisfy the requirement of the BSN and will be shown on then initial degree plan): See General Education Coursework Page
GRADUATE CORE: MSN-HA COURSES (24 credits)
MSHA 511: Essentials of Healthcare Administration (3 credits)
This course addresses important concepts needed to effectively manage a business, including the further development and mastery of writing skills. Topics include understanding the cost-quality relationship, using various types of graphical charts in operations management, managing innovation, and developing strategies for working with individuals and groups.
(Pre-requisite: Completion of all required Core BSN courses or BSN graduate elsewhere)
MSHA 512: Technology in Project Management (4 credits)
Project Management prepares students to manage projects from start to finish within any organizational structure. The course presents a view into different project management methods and delves into topics such as project profiling and phases, constraints, building the project team, scheduling, and risk. This course helps students grasp the full scope of future projects and apply the proper management approaches to complete a project. This course features practice in each of the project phases as students learn to strategically apply project management tools and techniques to help organizations achieve their goals.
MSHA 521: Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
Organizational Behavior explores how to lead and manage effectively in diverse business environments. The course requires students to demonstrate the ability to apply organizational leadership theories and management strategies in a series of scenario-based problems.
MSHA 522: Graduate Healthcare Statistics (3 credits)
This course builds upon an understanding of research methods and quantitative analysis. Concepts of population health, epidemiology, and evidence-based practices provide the foundation for understanding the importance of data for informing healthcare organizational decisions.
MSHA 531: Healthcare Financial Management (3 credits)
Healthcare Financial Management provides an opportunity to apply strategic change management principles through the application of fiscal management and data analysis in a healthcare environment. This course will examine strategies to increase value, sustainability, and productivity in a patient-centric environment. This course has no prerequisites.
MSHA 532: Graduate Project (4 credits)
The capstone is a student-designed project intended to illustrate the student’s ability to effect change in the industry and demonstrate competence in all program outcomes: transformational leader, value innovator, tactical manager, analyst, and integrated systems expert. Students are required to collaborate with leaders in the healthcare industry to identify opportunities for improvement in healthcare, propose a solution, and perform a business analysis to evaluate its feasibility. In addition, the capstone encourages work in the healthcare industry that will be showcased in the student’s collection of work and help solidify professional relationships in the industry.
(Pre-requisites: Completion of all MSHA Core Courses numbered 531 and lower)
HCM 511 Graduate Study Abroad (5 credits):
This course is designed to apply leadership, management, and professionalism expected of a nurse with a master's level education in a culminating experience through a 10-day, US or international mission trip (or comparable experience). The focus of this course is advocacy and critical assessment and evaluation of needs on the personal, client, community, and global level.
(Passport and international travel may be required).