Health Systems Leadership, Graduate Certificate

Minimum Totals for Graduation: 18 hours

The Graduate Certificate in Health Systems Leadership is designed for graduate level students who want to gain education in healthcare administration and management, but do not necessarily want or need a master’s degree because they already possess a graduate degree in another field or they are already practicing in a healthcare profession. The certificate is designed to provide academic knowledge and training in healthcare administration and operations with a compliance focus. The six courses in the certificate are similar to the core healthcare administration curriculum and content one would obtain in a master’s degree in the field. It is anticipated that a student can earn the certificate in conjunction with another degree program and in some cases include the six courses as a concentration in a distinct degree program. This option is dependent on the other degree program and its requirements. For example a student earning the MD degree might complete the certificate while completing the requirements for the medical degree. Interested students should discuss such options with an academic advisor or their academic program director. Course work includes content in healthcare law, compliance, operations, administration, health economics, policy, marketing, planning, and healthcare finance. Students can find employment in a variety of healthcare settings in administrative or management positions. Potential students interested in the graduate certificate should speak with a faculty member in the Health Administration Division of the School of Health Sciences or an admissions representative from CMU CMU Online. Students enrolling in the graduate certificate must be admitted to the University as a graduate student and be in good academic standing with the Office of Graduate Studies. The certificate may be taken either online or in the classroom where offered by the University or in combination between classroom and online.

Admission Requirements, Retention & Termination Standards

To be admitted to the Graduate Certificate, a student must have an earned undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited university in the United States or an equivalent degree if from a non-U.S. college or university. The student must have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least a 2.7, with a 3.00 being optimal. Prerequisite course work in accounting, economics, statistics, and English composition must have at least a 2.00 Grade Point (C or above). Central Michigan University equivalent courses would be ACC 201, ACC 202, or ACC 250; ECO 201, ECO 202, or ECO 203; STA 282 or PSY 211; and ENG 101 and ENG 201. International students must meet the language requirements of Graduate Studies.

Students must complete an application for admission as a graduate student at the University and meet the admission requirements for graduate status. There is no requirement for a GMAT, GRE or similar entrance examination; however, if a student wishes to submit scores from these examinations they can be considered in the application process. Admission and enrollment in the program can occur at the beginning of any term. Students must also submit official transcripts from any degree program attempted or completed and three letters of reference from people who can comment on the applicant’s ability to do graduate level work.

Students must maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA to graduate with the certificate. Courses where a grade of C- or lower is earned do not count for graduation and must be repeated for a satisfactory grade. Students who do not maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA may be considered for academic probation or suspension from the certificate. A student cannot have more than two courses with a C or C+ grade for graduation.

Transfer credits: A maximum of 6 semester hours may be transferred into the certificate from another graduate degree program from a regionally accredited university or college, providing that the student earned a grade of B or better in the course and the course being requested for transfer is equivalent to one of the courses in the certificate. Courses used for a previously awarded graduate degree or graduate certificate may not be counted toward the graduate certificate.

Students who do not have any healthcare administration or management experience may wish to consider doing an internship type experience when they complete the requirements for the certificate since such experiences may enhance their opportunity for employment. Such internships may be done by enrolling in HSC 595 or could be an experience arranged by the student independent of the University.

Program Requirements

Required Courses (18 hours)

HSL 611	Healthcare Administration and Ethical Compliance	3(3-0)
HSL 621	Healthcare Operations and Structures	3(3-0)
HSL 631	Healthcare Law, Compliance and Risk Management	3(3-0)
HSL 641	Health Economics and Policy Implications	3(3-0)
HSL 651	Fundamentals of Healthcare Finance	3(3-0)
HSL 661	Healthcare Planning & Marketing	3(3-0)

Total: 18 semester hours