Master of Business Administration With an Emphasis in Health Systems Management
Study Health Systems Management Concepts and Prepare To Effectively Lead Organizations
At Grand Canyon University, you can explore the principles of ethical leadership in 21st century health care systems. The Colangelo College of Business at GCU is pleased to offer the Master of Business Administration with an Emphasis in Health Systems Management. This master’s degree is offered online or in the evenings to fit your schedule. By completing this program, you will have been taught analytical skills and in-depth knowledge of strategic management practices and policies in healthcare that could prove useful to a career in health systems management.
Here’s why studying health systems management from GCU may be right for you:
- Courses are online or in the evening: This program is designed to fit within your career and life outside the classroom.
- Utilize your transfer credits: Tack on your transfer credits from your previous business degree education for a potentially faster completion time.
GCU Practices Conscious Capitalism and Business as Ministry Within Health Systems Management
Proper health systems management requires the use of efficient operational processes that drive profitability. This is tempered by the careful considerations of ethical and responsible decision-making. Graduates with a health systems management emphasis may be prepared to pursue positions that influence the health and wellbeing of the patient population, as well as their entire communities.
These are three aspects of how we believe business affects the greater good:
- Business as a force for good: We keep an emphasis on conscious capitalism to elevate humanity by doing business right.
- Free markets and purpose for prosperity: To have long-term success, there needs to be higher purpose of business and a stakeholder orientation.
- Business as ministry: Love, care and support those on your team. Approach business with a Christian perspective.
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Learn Critical Health System Management Skills From Knowledgeable Faculty
GCU’s online master’s in business administration with health systems management emphasis degree lays a strong conceptual framework that may enable future business leaders to shape the growth of medical organizations. As you work through your MBA with a health systems management emphasis courses, you have the opportunity to develop many skills relevant to health systems management, such as:
- Ethical dilemmas in healthcare
- Workplace safety
- Healthcare economics and policy
- Managerial decision-making
- Healthcare policy and reform
The objective of this master’s degree with a health systems management emphasis is to prepare you to affect growth and sustainability of ethical organizations that continually strive for excellence in patient care.
Key Areas of Study in Health Systems Management
This degree program blends traditional MBA courses with specializations in healthcare. Some of the course topics you will cover include:
- Ethical and legal principles of health care
- Policies and economics in health care
- Applying probability and statistics in business
- Strategic management practices
Some of the key concepts that students in the MBA degree with emphasis in health systems management program will study include:
- Raising funds in capital markets, managing working capital and budgeting capital
- Managerial decision-making that factors in cost, service and economic variables
- Healthcare ethical dilemmas and their recognition, analysis and resolution
- The science of organizational behavior and key concepts in leadership
Career Pathways for MBA With Emphasis in Health Systems Management Graduates
The MBA degree with emphasis in health systems management follows an industry-driven curriculum. This program can effectively prepare graduates to potentially position themselves to become leaders in the complex and ever-changing healthcare landscape.
MBA With Emphasis in Health Systems Management FAQs
If you’re thinking about continuing your education in health systems management, read through our frequently asked questions to learn more about degree specifics, salary expectations and pursuing a career in health systems management.
Yes. You can transfer previous credits from your previous business degree education to potentially shorten completion time for your degree. For further information, fill out the form on this page to speak with a dedicated university counselor.
Salary expectations can vary between different job titles. Look at the medical and health services managers position for reference. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical and health service managers had a median annual wage of $104,830 in May 2022.1
The master’s with a health systems management emphasis online degree at GCU requires 54 credits to completion. The majority of the online classes are eight weeks in length. Those with a previous business degree may be able to shorten their completion time. For more information, fill out the form on this page to get in contact with a university counselor who will review your options with you.
There is a lot to learn in a health systems management career and it can be challenging. However, you can establish yourself in your career path by advancing your health systems management studies. Earning your master’s degree may help prepare you to feel confident in your position by equipping you with advanced knowledge of your field.
A master’s degree with a health systems management emphasis can help you set yourself up to pursue possible positions in management within healthcare organizations. These job opportunities offer promising job growth potential as well. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook estimates job growth for medical and health services managers to increase by about 28% from 2022 to 2032, much faster than average, accounting for an estimated increase of 144,700 jobs in the field.2
If you think an MBA with a health systems management emphasis could be the right choice for you, fill out the form on this page to get in contact with a university counselor and learn more.
1 The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”), Medical and Health Service Managers, as of May 2022, retrieved on Jan. 17, 2024. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020-2022 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as medical and health services managers, nor does it reflect earnings of workers in one city or region of the country, or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc. against a pool of candidates.
2 COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2022 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective September 2022, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Service Managers, retrieved on Jan. 17, 2024.
Fundamentals
Fundamental courses prepare students for the curricular content they will encounter within this MBA program. Upon evaluation of their transcripts, students with business-oriented undergraduate degrees may waive all MBA fundamental courses. All students will undergo transcript evaluations. If they have earned grades of C or better in equivalent course content, students with non-business undergraduate degrees may have the option to waive one or more of the following fundamental courses associated with their chosen MBA program.
Course Description
This course is designed for students who are preparing for more advanced coursework in business but who have not had accounting in undergraduate work. Topics covered include the principles and practices of financial accounting, including the fundamentals of revenue recognition, the components of the balance sheet, and financial statement analysis. ?The course explores accounting theories using publicly traded companies and case studies.
Course Description
This course is designed for individuals who are preparing for more advanced coursework in accounting and is designed for students who have not had finance in undergraduate work. Topics covered include financial analysis, financial planning, asset evaluation, capital structure, and working capital management.
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to prepare students in mathematical, probability, and statistical concepts for their upcoming studies in quantitative methods. The course is intended for those students who have not had any prior statistical education, although students who have had statistics should also consider taking the course as a refresher.
Core Courses
Course Description
This course is designed to prepare students for the graduate learning experience at Grand Canyon University. Students have opportunities to develop and strengthen the skills necessary to succeed as graduate students in the College of Business. Emphasis is placed on utilizing the tools for graduate success.
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the College of Business, key concepts of leadership, and an overview of how the science of organizational behavior contributes to effective leaders and managers.
Course Description
This course introduces microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts that are relevant to contemporary business. Emphasis is placed on using economic data for business decision-making.
Course Description
This course is a study in the quantitative tools and techniques used to model business functions and applications. Emphasis is placed on how to set up models, and how to interpret and apply their results. Prerequisite: SYM-506.
Course Description
Management of the marketing function, market environmental analysis, and marketing planning, strategy, and control are fundamentals of marketing management. The course examines the marketing process, marketing research, product development innovation and diffusion, pricing strategy, distribution value drain, advertising and promotion, and strategic marketing issues. Emphasis is placed on case study analysis and current academic research with a marketing plan as a significant curriculum component.
Course Description
This course covers managerial accounting concepts and procedures for internal reporting, including the study of cost behavior, cost systems, budgeting, and performance evaluation. Coursework includes case studies, group projects, and class discussion. Prerequisite: ACC-502.
Course Description
Operations Management examines managerial concepts and strategies relating to the management of operations in both manufacturing and service environments. Emphasis is placed on methods to streamline and drive inefficiencies out of a firm’s internal processes to build a highly efficient organization. The course also focuses on external processes by examining ways to achieve greater supply chain integration with suppliers and customers. Quantitative and qualitative methods and tools are introduced and applied. Prerequisite: SYM-506.
Course Description
This course discusses elements of business financial decisions, including financial forecasting and development of proformas, management of working capital, capital budgeting, capital structure, and raising funds in capital markets. Prerequisite: FIN-504.
Course Description
This capstone course focuses on preparing and conducting a strategic analysis of a selected publicly traded firm to produce actionable intelligence used to formulate recommendations to promote the creation of a value-adding strategy. Based on the results of their strategic analysis, students are then required to prepare the framework of a strategic plan that creates significant value for the selected firm. Prerequisites: MGT-605, MKT-607, ACC-650, and FIN-650.
Course Description
This course focuses on the recognition, analysis, and resolution of ethical dilemmas in health occupations. Students examine legal liabilities involved in health care administration, including workplace safety and a health care facility’s obligation to provide protection from injury for patients, their families, and staff.
Course Description
This course focuses on health care economics and policy. The core principles of health economics are studied, and students begin to explore practical financial-analysis skills that have immediate application within the health care industry. Students also study managerial decision-making processes based on cost, service, and other economic variables as well as how those decisions influence outcomes. Students will investigate health care policy and reform to understand the impact it makes on everyday practices of health care organizations.
- GCU cannot and will not promise job placement, a job, graduate school placement, transfer of GCU program credits to another institution, promotion, salary, or salary increase. Please see the Career Services Policy in the University Policy Handbook.
- Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
- Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change
Pursue a next-generation education with an online degree from Grand Canyon University. Earn your degree with convenience and flexibility with online courses that let you study anytime, anywhere.
Grand Canyon University’s evening programs cater to the demands of working professionals who prefer an in-person learning environment. Our night classes meet just once per week and offer the interaction and discussion of a typical college classroom.