Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health
Health Administration

 

 Graduate Index

Carleen H. Stoskopf, Chair

Professors

    Roger L. Amidon, Ph.D., University of Iowa, 1968
    Michael E. Samuels, Dr.P.H., University of North Carolina, 1975

Associate Professors

    Samuel L. Baker, Ph.D., Harvard University, 1977
    Saundra H. Glover, Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 1991
    Janice C. Probst, Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 1990
    Carleen H. Stoskopf, Sc.D., The Johns Hopkins University, 1989

Assistant Professor

    Judy Shinogle, Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University, 1999

Research Professor

    Don C. Dodson, Ph.D., University of Tennessee, 1974

Lecturer

    Dennis M. Shepard, M.A.T., University of South Carolina, 1977

Overview

The Department of Health Administration is concerned with the promotion of individual and community health through improvements in health care delivery. The department offers the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), the Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.), two dual degrees, Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Public Health and Master of Social Work/Master of Public Health. Two doctoral programs are also offered, the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.).

Master’s level programs are designed to prepare individuals who are qualified to assume leadership positions in regulatory and provider health services organizations, including those in public, nonprofit, and for profit sectors. The Ph.D. program prepares students to be health service researchers and teach in university settings. The Dr.P.H. program takes experienced managers and physicians and prepares them for senior policy and management positions in public and private organizations. All programs are available on a part-time basis. The M.H.A. degree program is available in a weekend format. The M.P.H. is available via distance education.

The M.P.H. degree emphasizes preparation for a career in the public health sector with a basic foundation of knowledge in public health (the core courses). Core courses include work in epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health sciences, social sciences, and administrative sciences. The M.H.A. program emphasizes preparation for a career in the private health care sector; courses taken are more business oriented. A Gerontology Certificate may be combined with any degree program.

Department Admission Requirements

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)

Applicants for the Master of Public Health in Health Administration must submit the following:

  • a completed USC Graduate School Application
  • all transcripts of previous college-level work
  • two letters of recommendation
  • acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT)
  • a statement of professional goals
  • a personal resume
  • TOEFL scores required if relevant.

Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.)

Applicants for the Master of Health Administration must submit all of the above plus:

  • evidence of successful completion of an undergraduate course in accounting.

Interview with departmental faculty is highly recommended.

Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Public Health (M.S.N./M.P.H. Dual Degree)

Students who wish to be admitted to this dual-degree program must meet the admission requirements for the M.P.H. degree in health administration (see above) and all admission requirements for the M.S.N. as specified by the School of Nursing.

Master of Social Work/Master of Public Health (M.S.W./M.P.H. Dual Degree)

Students who wish to be admitted to this dual degree program must meet the admission requirements for the M.P.H. degree in health administration (see above) and all admission requirements for the M.S.W. as specified by the College of Social Work.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Admission criteria and application requirements for the Ph.D. program include the following:

  • Students should have a master’s degree in health administration, business administration, public health, or public administration. Exceptions to this will be considered by petition to the faculty and approval requires a majority vote of the faculty.
  • Previous graduate-level course work must include health finance, statistics, organizational behavior, health economics, and epidemiology; if these requirements have not been met, the student is required to make up deficiencies.
  • Applicants with deficiencies may be given conditional admission, contingent upon fulfilling the deficiency requirements. (Courses taken to make up deficiencies do not count toward the degree program.)
  • A strong student may be admitted with only a bachelor’s degree but will be required to complete all requirements for the M.P.H. degree before beginning the doctoral program.

In addition applicants must:

  • have earned a grade point average of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 point scale in previous graduate course work
  • submit acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT)
  • International applicants whose native language is not English must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam; if prior academic experience in the United States demonstrates that the student is proficient in English, this requirement may be waived.
  • submit three letters of recommendation from persons who can reflect upon the applicant’s prior academic and professional performance
  • provide a statement of professional goals
  • provide a current, personal resume.

Applicants for the Ph.D. program are invited to submit copies of recent publications; an interview with departmental faculty is highly recommended.

Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.)

Admission criteria and application requirements for the Dr.P.H. program are as follows:

  • Applicants must have a master’s degree in health administration, business administration, public health, or public health administration.
  • Persons who hold a different master’s degree and wish to be considered for the program must petition the faculty; approval is dependent upon a majority vote of the faculty.
  • All successful applicants must have worked in a health-related midlevel management or policy position for a minimum of four years.
  • Previous graduate-level course work must include health finance, statistics, organizational behavior, health economics, and epidemiology or the applicant will be required to make up deficiencies.
  • Applicants with three or more deficiency areas will be given conditional admission, contingent upon making up the deficiencies; courses/hours taken to make up deficiencies do not count toward the degree.

In addition applicants must:

  • have earned a 3.00 grade point average (based on a 4.00 scale) in previous graduate course work
  • submit scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT)
  • International applicants whose native language is not English must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam; if prior academic experience in the U.S. demonstrates that the student is proficient in English, this requirement may be waived.
  • submit three letters of recommendation from persons who can reflect upon the applicant’s prior academic and professional performance
  • provide a career goal statement and a curriculum vitae.

An interview with the departmental faculty is recommended. Students applying to any degree program who already have a terminal degree (M.D., Ph.D., D.D.S., etc.) or who have substantial work experience may be exempted from the GRE.

Programs Overview

Master’s Degrees

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)

The M.P.H. degree program is designed to prepare graduates to practice in the public health sector. The likely organizations of practice for graduates include state and local health departments and the federal government. Some graduates also work in the private sector. The M.P.H. in HADM is a 48-semester-hour program which emphasizes the management of health services in the public sector.

Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.)

The M.H.A. program is a 58-hour program which emphasizes preparation for a career in the management of a wide range of programs, organizations, and facilities along the entire continuum of health services and medical care: acute, post-acute, long-term, and managed care in both public and private sectors. The M.H.A. program is offered in a format for working professionals as well as the traditional full-time model.

Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Public Health (M.S.N./M.P.H.) (Dual Degree)

Through a cooperative arrangement between the College of Nursing and the School of Public Health, the Master of Nursing/Master of Public Health dual degree is offered for nursing and health administration majors. This program combines the advantages offered by the M.S. in Nursing (for teaching and nursing practice) and the M.P.H. degree (for health administration). Individuals earning the dual degree can pursue careers in either area. The program offers both a non-thesis option (a total of 51 credit hours) and a thesis option (a total of 54 credit hours).

Master of Social Work/Master of Public Health (M.S.W./M.P.H.) (Dual Degree)

The dual M.S.W./M.P.H. degree program is designed to provide students the opportunity to earn two complementary and distinct graduate degrees. The M.P.H. must be earned with a specialization in health administration and the M.S.W. must be earned with a specialization in macro social work. In this dual program, M.S.W. and M.P.H. students use electives in one program to fulfill selected degree requirements in the other.

Doctoral Programs

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The Ph.D. in Health Administration is a 61-credit-hour program designed to prepare students to conduct health services research and/or teach in a university setting. The program of study is centered around the interests of the individual and takes previous academic training and professional experience into account. Emphasis in the program is on research methods, statistics, and advanced concepts in health policy and management. Students must complete a doctoral dissertation and demonstrate the ability to conduct original research.

Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.)

The Dr.P.H. in Health Administration is a 58-credit-hour program and is designed to prepare individuals for advancement to senior policy and management positions in public health agencies and other health care settings. Plans of study are geared to meet individual requirements in achieving a sound academic yet professionally oriented education. Students must complete a doctoral dissertation and demonstrate the ability to conduct original research.

Program Requirements for Health Administration Degree Programs

Curriculum requirements for degrees in the Department of Health Administration are listed below.

Master of Public Health in Health Administration (M.P.H.) (48 hours)

School of Public Health M.P.H. core (15 hours)

Management Courses (18 hours)

Planning, Organizational Behavior, or Policy (3 hours)

Approved Elective (3 hours)

Community Assessment/Delivery of Health Care Services (3 hours)

Public Health Residency (6 hours)

Final Examination: M.P.H. candidates are required to complete and submit an acceptable report on their public health residency. Approval of the written document must be by the faculty advisor, second faculty reader, and site preceptor. An oral presentation of the report is required after approval of the document.

Students must also complete and submit all departmental and school evaluations.

Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.) (58 hours)

Management Courses (28 hours)

Accounting, Finance (9 hours

Epidemiology (3 hours)

Quantitative Methods/Biostatistics (6 hours)

Health Planning (3 hours)

Electives (3 hours)

Management Residency (6 hours)

Final Examination: M.H.A. candidates must complete and submit an acceptable report on their management residency. Approval of the written document must be by the faculty advisor, second faculty reader, and site preceptor. An oral presentation of the report is required after approval of the document.

Students must also complete and submit all departmental and School evaluations.

Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Public Health (M.S.N./M.P.H. Dual Degree)

For details on this degree offering, please refer to the College of Nursing section of this bulletin.

Master of Social Work/Master of Public Health (M.S.W./M.P.H. Dual Degree)

For details, please refer to the College of Social Work section of this bulletin.

Doctor of Philosophy (61 hours)

Doctoral Seminar (4 hours)

Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management I and II (6 hours)

History of Public Health and Health Politics (6 hours)

Cognate in Statistics and Research Methods (18 hours)

Concentration Designed by Student (15 hours)

Dissertation (12 hours)

Examinations

The following examinations are required: qualifying examination, comprehensive examination, and dissertation defense as previously described.

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying exam is the candidacy examination and consists of a written component. Examination results are reported as high pass, pass, qualified pass, or fail.

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination may consist of both written and oral components. The student must prepare a draft of the dissertation proposal, identify a qualified faculty member to serve as dissertation advisor, and select three additional committee members (at least one from health administration and at least one from another academic department). Faculty must meet Graduate School criteria to serve on a dissertation committee. Each member of the doctoral committee may submit a question to the committee chair; the written portion of the exam is administered by the committee chair. Faculty may choose not to submit a question. Within 30 days of completion of the written portion of the exam, an oral examination is completed. Performance is based on both written and oral components and are reported as pass, qualified pass, or fail.

Dissertation Defense

The final examination consists of the dissertation defense and must be scheduled prior to the Graduate School deadline for the semester in which graduation is sought.

Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) (58 hours)

Doctoral Seminar (4 hours)

Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management I and II (6 hours)

History of Public Health and Health Politics (6 hours)

Cognate in Statistics and Research Methods (12 hours)

Concentration Designed by Student (18 hours)

Dissertation (12 hours)

The following examinations are required: qualifying examination, comprehensive examination, and dissertation defense.

All examinations for the Dr.P.H. are conducted as outlined above under the sections on the Ph.D. degree program.

Course Descriptions (HADM)

Note: Many syllabi may be found through the department’s Web page: www.sph.sc.edu/pages/healthadmin.html.

  • 500–Introduction to Health Care Management and Organization. (3) Provide students with overview of health services management, management techniques and the different roles and functions of the different health care services. Use of field trips and guest speakers from different health care providers.
  • 514–Introduction to Health Services Delivery and Policy. (3) Overview of health services delivery in the United States, including organization and financing of health care, health insurance practices, primary and long-term care among other topics.
  • 530–Finance in Health Administration. (3) (Prereq: BADM 225) Introduction to health care finance. Course will teach reimbursement structures, regulatory mechanisms, cost control, and related factors unique to healthcare organizations.
  • 700–Approaches and Concepts for Health Administration. (3) An interdisciplinary perspective on the field of health administration. Philosophy concepts, and skills of implementation, management, and evaluation are presented and discussed. Principles in the practice of health administration are applied to identified problems and situations.
  • 707–Ethical Issues in Health Care and Research. {=EPID 707} (3) The ethical dimensions of decision-making in health care delivery, administration, and epidemiologic research. Provides ethical foundations for discussion of topics in health-related research and practice.
  • 708–Cost-Benefit Analysis in Health. (3) (Prereq: HADM 712) Economic analysis of health projects. Involves the theory of cost benefit analysis and the application of cost benefit analysis to the health sector.
  • 709–Perspectives in Rural Health. (3) Analysis of issues and demographic, economic, and political forces affecting health care delivery systems in rural America. Examines structure of federal and state public health programs that impact rural health.
  • 710–History of Public Health. (3) Public health from ancient civilizations to the present.
  • 711–Health Politics. {=NURS 779, =GINT 757} (3) Analysis of issues and forces affecting health delivery through the public sector; major models of political decision-making; and current health legislation.
  • 712–Health Economics. {=ECON 784} (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) A critical introduction to the application of economic analysis to problems in the health care field. Related scientific literature.
  • 713–Information Systems m Health Administration. (3) (Prereq: BIOS 700) The role and development of information systems in administration of health programs; development of process and outcome measures from program objectives; information acquisition, processing, and reporting; decision-making.
  • 714–Perspectives in Community Health Organizations. (3) (Prereq: HADM 700 or consent of instructor) Origins/functions of public health and the U.S. health-care system; special attention to public health perspectives, social/behavioral determinants of health and environmental health issues.
  • 715–Community Assessment and the Delivery of Health Care Services. (3) An introduction to the concepts of community assessment and managerial epidemiology, and their use in the population-based planning and management of integrated health systems.
  • 716–Quantitative Methods for Health Administration. (3) (Prereq: BIOS 700) An introduction to quantitative methods and analytical techniques with application to health administration. The course includes the use of models and simulation for decision making and control in health administration.
  • 717–Health Services Research Methods I. (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of health programs. Different research designs will be discussed in terms of their relevance to specific evaluation problems.
  • 718–Health Planning. (3) (Prereq: BIOS 700) Strategy and tactics of state, regional, institutional health services planning. Special attention to the role of marketing.
  • 719–Health Services Research Methods II. (3) (Prereq: BIOS 700) The role and methods of sample surveys in health administration; development of survey designs; survey procedures; questionnaire design; interviewing procedures; codebook design; utilization of computer program packages in data analysis.
  • 720–Health Services Research Methods III. (3) The solution of management problems in health care settings through the use of software applications.
  • 722–Sociology of Health for Health Services Managers I. (1) Sociological approaches to the study of health and the decision to seek health care.
  • 723–Sociology of Health for Health Services Managers II. (1) Sociological approaches to the study of health care institutions.
  • 724–Health Law. (3) (Prereq: permission of instructor) Legal basis for health activities; enforcement of regulations concerning communicable disease, food quality, and waste disposal.
  • 725–Human Resources Issues in Health Care Sector. (3) A study of the current problems, theories, models, and strategics associated with managing human resources in the health care sector.
  • 730–Financing of Health Care. {=FINA 763, =NURS 738} (3) (Prereq: BADM 660 or equivalent) Application of the principles of financial management to the systems involved in the delivery of health care.
  • 764–Long-Term Care Administration. (3) (Prereq: permission of instructor) An overview of management and policy concepts and issues pertaining to long-term care facilities and programs.
  • 765–Leadership in Health Care Organizations. (1) (Prereq: Completion of first year M.H.A. course requirements) Seminar on theory of and practice of leadership as a manager in the health care industry. (Pass-Fail grading)
  • 766–Health Services Administration I. (3) (Prereq: permission of instructor) A consideration of hospitals as a locus for the delivery of personal health services.
  • 768–Health Services Administration II. (3) Analysis of current and prospective issues in health administration. Includes student exploration of unsolved problems and opportunities in the field of health administration.
  • 770–Decision Making For Health Care Executives. (3) Case study format where students identify problems, evaluate alternatives and make decisions using health care leaders in the community to prepare cases. Integration of principles learned in other health care theory and management courses.
  • 778–Health Care Marketing. {=NURS 778} (3) The principles of marketing applied to the health care setting.
  • 790–Independent Study. (1—6)
  • 791–Selected Topics. (1—6)
  • 797–Management Residency. (3 or 6) (Prereq: permission of instructor) On-site management project in a health care setting. (Pass-Fail grading)
  • 798–Public Health Residency. {=NURS 720} (3 or 6) (Prereq: EPID 700, BIOS 700 and three additional hours in the major) Practicum in approved health care setting emphasizing evaluation and service delivery planning or a project such as resolution of a management problem or evaluation of a program component.
  • 800–Doctoral Seminar. (1) Format for presentation of faculty research, doctoral student dissertation proposals and guest lecturers on timely issues in health care policy and management. (Pass-Fail grading)
  • 845–Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management I. (3) (Prereq: permission of instructor) Readings and discussion of topics relevant to research in health administration/health sciences.
  • 846–Advanced Topics in Health Policy and Management II. (3) (Prereq: HADM 845 or permission of instructor) Readings and discussion of major topics, including institutionally based issues, in research in health administration/health sciences.
  • 890–Independent Study. (1—3) Directed research on a topic to be developed by doctoral student and instructor. May be repeated for credit.
  • 899–Dissertation Preparation. (1—12) (Prereq: one full year [18 hrs.] of graduate study beyond the master’s level)

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