Master's in Health Services Administration
Learn more about the Health Services Administration MS program, including course information and how to apply.
HSA, MS at a Glance
Location: Indiana, remote (via Zoom), and branch campuses (upon request)
Length: As little as one year or up to five years
Credits: 36
Concentration: General or Public Health
Schedule: Full- or part-time with online and evening classes
Admission: Rolling, you can enter the program any semester
Coordinator: Scott Decker, s.e.decker@iup.edu, 724-357-4423
Virtual Information Session
Learn more about the program, funding, the admissions process, and get all your questions answered. Registration is required. You will receive the Zoom link after registration.
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
5:00–6:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Master of Science (MS) in Health Services Administration program provides students with the necessary knowledge and decision-making skills needed for a career in the fast-paced field of employment relations and healthcare. This degree, with either a general or public health concentration, consists of 36 credits and offers flexible class options. Courses are offered full-time and part-time in the evenings and online, which makes this program perfect for working professionals.
“Earning a master’s of Health Services Administration from IUP prepared me as I transitioned into my new role as a cardiac rehab and cardiovascular manager at Conemaugh Nason Medical Center. The advanced education and experiences I received through this program made me a competitive applicant and greatly improved my understanding of the administrative side of healthcare.”
Alison Caddy, a Cardiac Rehab Manager/Cardiovascular Manager, was named to Pennsylvania Business Central’s Signature Leaders Under 30 List in 2021
Health Services Administration Curriculum
Our health services degree is not just focused on health policy or health care administration, but rather it offers a unique combination of policy, health care administration, and employment relations all in a single program. Classes in this program include Human Resource Management, Health Law, Informatics in Health Care, and Nursing Administration.
Students that anticipate continuing their education in a doctoral program complete a thesis as part of the program. The thesis would require six credit hours, bringing their degree total to 39 credits. Students who do not plan to continue their graduate studies instead choose an elective course to bring them up to the 36-credit-hour mark. These requirements meet the minimum master's degree requirements of the School of Graduate Studies and Research.
As part of this program, students take 18 credits from the Department of Nursing and Allied Health Professions and 15 credits from the Department of Employment and Labor Relations. Students then either choose to complete a thesis or take one three-credit elective from IUP courses that not only meet the program requirements, but are appropriate for their needs and interests. Courses offered by the Employment and Labor Relations, Sociology, and Psychology departments might be of particular interest to students for the elective.
Required Core Curriculum
- ELR/HSAD - Human Resource Management in the Public Sector
- HSAD 605 - Epidemiology in Health Services Administration
- HSAD 609 - Ethics and Social Issues in Health Care
- NURS/HSAD 614 - Health Policy
- ELR/HSAD 616 - Health Law
- ELR/HSAD 619 - Advanced Research (or GSR 615/NURS 622/Other)
- NURS/HSAD 555 - Health Care Informatics (or IFMG 640/Other)
- NURS/HSAD 730 - Financial Management in Health Care (Other FIN)
- HSAD 761 - HS Adm Capstone (or NURS 731/NURS 732/ELR 698)
Public Health Concentration
The HSA Public Health Concentration is specifically designed to address administration from the lens of the public health sector. This unique curriculum combination of employment relations, population health, and emergency medicine will help prepare public health professionals to serve in leadership positions. In addition to the core health services administration curriculum, students in the public health concentration will choose electives in four main categories of Community/Public Health Communication, Supervision/Leadership Theory, Public Health Policy Analysis, and Emergency Medicine/Preparedness.
Public Health Electives
Elective 1: Community/Public Health Communication
- KHSS 517 – Contemporary Issues in School and Community Health
- COMM 714 – Crisis Communications
- COMM 745 – Health Communication
- SOC 542 – Medical Sociology
Elective 2: Supervision/Leadership Theory
- NURS 619 – Leadership in Health Care
- NURS 729 – Nursing Administration
- HSAD 650 – Leadership for Healthcare Executives
Elective 3: Public Policy Analysis
- PLSC 570 – The Practice of Public Administration
- PLSC 666 – Public Policy Analysis
- PLSC 657 – The Art of Grantwriting
- SOC 762 – Analysis of Social Data
Elective 4: Emergency Medicine/Preparedness Course
- HSAD 761- Health Services Capstone
- SAFE 773 – Disaster Preparedness
- EMT/Paramedic Certification
- ELR 698 – Internship
- HSAD 795 – Thesis
Careers in Health Services Administration
Our courses are designed to teach students marketable skills in human resources, health care delivery, and health care administration that lead them into leadership positions in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, insurance companies, health organizations (nonprofit and for-profit), etc. These careers are not only financially rewarding, but they also allow for the improvement of both employee relations and the quality of patient care.
The role of a health services administrator includes applying specialized knowledge of employment relations, improving individual and public health, and enhancing health delivery systems. Earning a health services degree from IUP provides students with a balance of skills in health services, employee relations, and research methodology that enables them to excel in this role.
Explore our Master's in Health Services Administration Program
Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Health Services Administration degree program provides flexibility through convenient class formats, offered at multiple campus locations and online. Interested in learning more? Request information today!