Healthcare Administration B.S.
Degree: B.S.
Location(s): Rhode Island
Length: 4 years
Internship: Required, Minimum 6 Credits
Credits: 121
Learn the Healthcare System — And How to Change It
Developed in conjunction with local hospital administrators, JWU’s Healthcare Administration program meets the needs of those looking to build a future workforce. You’ll experience a truly interdisciplinary program, combining courses in our College of Hospitality & Business while giving you flexibility to explore approaches to health and the healthcare industry.
Our coursework focuses on the future of healthcare financing and delivery — not just the history behind them — to prepare you for what’s next. While exploring the current healthcare system and evaluating the policies, laws and regulations that drive it, you’ll be challenged to change the system, helping to make it work optimally.
Our graduates understand more than policy; they can apply healthcare theories to make systems better, more efficient and less costly, with better patient access and quality of care.
Curriculum
Credits Major Courses | ||
| HSC1010 | Introduction to Health Professions | 1 |
| HSC1230 | Introduction to Public Health | 3 |
| HSC2310 | Introduction to Healthcare in the United States | 3 |
| HSC2330 | Healthcare Organizational Theory and Management | 3 |
| HSC2400 | Research Methods for Health Science | 3 |
| HSC3300 | Comparative Healthcare Systems | 3 |
| HSC3410 | Quality Improvement in Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
| HSC3430 | Healthcare Research Ethics | 3 |
| HSC4100 | Health Policy, Ethics and the Law | 3 |
| HSC4310 | Innovations in Healthcare Finance and Delivery Systems | 3 |
| HSC4900 | Data and Evidence in Health: Research Capstone | 3 |
| Applied/Experiential Learning | ||
| Choose 6 credits from the following: | 6 | |
| College of Health & Wellness Internship | ||
Study Abroad | ||
| Related Professional Studies | ||
| ACCT1210 | Financial Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT1220 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| DMSM2025 | Introduction to Data Visualization | 3 |
| DMSM2050 | Spreadsheets for Data Analysis | 3 |
| ECON1001 | Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON1002 | Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON3030 | Managerial Economics | 3 |
| FISV2000 | Finance | 3 |
| FIT1040 | Spreadsheet Design for Business Solutions | 3 |
| MRKT1001 | Marketing Foundations | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | ||
| Communicating | 9 | |
| Rhetoric & Composition I | ||
| Rhetoric & Composition II | ||
| Communication Skills | ||
| Connecting | 6 | |
Two courses with the Connecting attribute (ECNG), one at the 2000 level, one at the 4000 level | ||
| Experiencing | 6 | |
| Ethics: A Global Perspective | ||
Additional course with the Experiencing attribute (EEXP) in a different discipline | ||
| Measuring | 6 | |
| Fundamentals of Algebra (or higher, based on student’s placement) | ||
| Introduction to Biostatistics | ||
| Exploring | 3 | |
| Nutrition | ||
| Interacting | 6 | |
| Introductory Psychology | ||
Additional course with the Interacting attribute (EINT) in a different discipline | ||
| A&S Electives | 6 | |
Two courses with the Arts & Sciences elective attribute (EASC) | ||
| Free Electives | ||
| 12 credits selected from 1000-4999 numbered offerings within the university | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 121.0 | |
Get Your Master’s Faster
Students can earn a combined Healthcare Administration B.S. and Master of Public Health (MPH) in as little as five years through JWU. Qualified students can complete five core MPH graduate courses that will count toward their undergraduate Healthcare Administration degree.
Applying Skills in Healthcare Administration
To deliver quality care, healthcare organizations need skilled, talented leaders to guide them in the right direction. At JWU, you’ll gain the skills required through case studies, experiential education, lectures and guest speakers from the healthcare industry. Our faculty encourage research projects, which might look like examining access to care within the United States or focusing on types of cancer care.
In this program, you will:
- Learn to integrate cultural competency and sensitivity in the delivery of healthcare services while adhering to the legal and ethical principles that apply to individual and community healthcare needs.
- Engage in coursework across disciplines including public health, business, economics and communications while learning how to deliver culturally competent healthcare in the most appropriate setting.
- Gain a solid foundation in public health principles, with in-depth exposure to the components of the healthcare system’s financing and delivery.
- Expand your data skill set through coursework designed to create informed healthcare leaders.
What Can You Do With a Healthcare Administration Degree?
Some professions may require additional study, background checks, certifications, licenses, exams and/or experience as required qualifications for employment. Students are responsible for verifying that they can meet the employment requirements of potential employers.
- Research coordinator
- Policy analyst
- Hospital or private practice administrator
- Federal health services administrator
- Supervisory medical administrative specialist
- Quality improvement officer
Finding Humanity in Healthcare
“In class we focus on the social determinants of health,” noted Healthcare Administration major Cora Hicks ’27 while interning last summer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island. “That broad understanding and how it drives empathy makes me more successful at Blue Cross because I’m more customer- and patient-facing.”
After earning her B.S. and then her Master of Public Health from JWU, Hicks plans to help vulnerable populations.
Study Healthcare Administration at JWU
Faculty Contact
Samantha Rosenthal, Ph.D., MPH
Professor & Department Chair
College of Health & Wellness
401-598-1253
samantha.rosenthal@jwu.edu