Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in Health Services Administration

Administrative Office - San Francisco

415-422-2592

Program Director: Maury Penner, Ph.D.

Associate Director For Curriculum and Instruction: Gleb Nikitenko, M.P.A., M.A.

The Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in Health Services Administration (M.P.A./H.S.A.) program provides mid-career health professionals with an opportunity to obtain an advanced education in current developments in health care and in the functions and techniques of management applicable to a broad range of health services organizations. The program is designed to enhance the understanding of ongoing changes in the United States' health care system, particularly in California. The curriculum focuses on theories and research regarding health service organization and structure - including managed care administration, emerging forms of service, law, ethics, and planning. The program benefits from research conducted by the Institute for Nonprofit Organization (INOM), including conferences and publications on the private nonprofit sector.

Program Objectives

• To provide working health professionals with an opportunity to increase their knowledge of current developments in the health field and increase their skills in the principal functions of management, related to a broad range of health service organizations
• To develop analytic and problem-solving skills required of administrators in the health care system
• To analyze the economic, political legal, and social environments in which health care administrators function
• To provide the research skills necessary to collect and evaluate the data on which managers and staff in a health environment must base their decisions
• To develop awareness of ethical issues and problems in health care organizations and to use ethical reasoning in solving them

Program Requirements

Students are required to complete the 36 semester units of credit included in the Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in Health Services Administration program. Required courses are sequenced as follows:

• PA - 611 Introduction to Public Management
• PA - 613 Organizational Analysis
• PA - 620 Administrative Ethics
• PA - 670 Quantitative Methods
• PA - 688 Independent Study - Health Care Administration (taught for 3 consecutive semesters)
• PA - 636 Human Resource Planning and Management
• PA - 638 Emerging Technologies for Public Managers
• PA - 660 Managed Care and Health Care Law
• PA - 617 Health Care Issues
• PA - 623 Economics and Finance for Public Managers
• PA - 633 Public Sector Budgeting
• PA - 650 Integrative Seminar in Public Management

Please see Public Administration Course Descriptions.

Degree Requirements

• Completion of all coursework with a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA
• Passing a comprehensive case analysis examination during the last course
• Successful completion of all degree and emphasis requirements

Please see Graduate Student Regulations.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in Health Services, a graduate will have acquired:

• Professional level oral and written communication skills, including ability to communicate effectively online.
• Knowledge of techniques to plan, evaluate, and manage health care programs and related skills.
• Increased knowledge of technology and how it impacts the management of health care organizations.
• Knowledge of various areas of and trends in public sector economics and finance.
• Knowledge and skill in various human resource management functions.
• Effective leadership and teamwork skills.
• Fundamental knowledge of health care sectors, legal, and managerial environments, and requisite analytical and managerial skills to function effectively in these environments.
• Ability to develop and analyze budgets and to manage performance using a budget.