Health Care Management Programs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Master’s in Healthcare Management Online / Online MBA Healthcare Administration.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham offers multiple degree programs in health care management and similar fields through its School of Health Professions. One program designed for undergrads is its Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management, which the university launched in the early 1980s. This program teaches students the fundamentals of managing and leading others in the health field. It is available in multiple tracks, including clinical and general manager tracks. Students can also enroll in a pre-professional track or a long-term care administration track. The university offers a fast track option for students who want to earn their bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the same school.
Graduate students often choose the university’s Master of Science in Health Management program. They learn how to work with people from different cultures and those with different beliefs as well as how to innovate and develop new ideas. U.S. News and World Report ranks this as one of the nation’s best healthcare management programs. The basic program takes six semesters to complete and includes classes such as Health Law, Human Resources Management in Health Services Administration and Strategic Planning and Management. Students will also do a Health Administration Internship. An executive version of the program features similar classes and a capstone. The university recommends this program for those who already have some healthcare and/or management experience.
The Health Care Management Student Center on the university’s Birmingham campus provides some help and resources for all types of students. It allows them to get help with their research projects and with their individual classes. They can also use the center to find out about internship opportunities near the campus. Graduate students applying to the university will find other programs that might appeal to them. They can earn Master of Science degrees in fields that include Health Administration, Healthcare Simulation and Healthcare Quality and Safety. The University of Alabama at Birmingham also offers a health care management minor for undergrads and an executive health care administration degree program for graduate students.
About University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a large public university that often uses the name UAB. It is one of the campuses in the University of Alabama education system. Founded in 1936 as the Birmingham Extension Center, it originally offered courses through the University of Alabama Tuscaloosa. As enrollment grew from less than 200 students to more than 1,000, it became clear that the area was large enough to sustain a full university. That led to the extension center becoming the University of Alabama in Birmingham in 1967. It adopted its current name after the state established the UA system.
UA now ranks as one of the best and largest campuses in that system as well as in the entire state. Its location in Birmingham makes it easy for students to find internships and off-campus jobs and led to a number of alumni remaining in the city after they graduated. Washington Monthly and U.S. News and World Report both rank UAB within the top 150 of all American colleges.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Accreditation Details
UAB has the accreditation that lets students who need help apply for financial aid and get aid packages. This type of accreditation also allows students to bring credits into a new program or take credits with them when they leave the university. That accreditation comes from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The university’s graduate degree program in health care management has accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) too.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Application Requirements
UAB requires that undergrads who want to study health care management apply to the university first. It does not guarantee that it will accept all students into one of these programs though. Students must take some pre-professional courses and maintain a high grade point average before applying to a School of Health Professions program. UAB asks that they submit the online application and pay a $30 fee. They can then send copies of their official or unofficial transcripts to the university and submit their official scores from the SAT or ACT. Though UAB has a deadline of June 1, it recommends that students apply earlier in the year. The average incoming freshman scored 25/1200 on the ACT/SAT and had a GPA of 3.62 in high school.
Though UAB does not require a test score from graduate students applying to a health management program, it does have an application deadline of March 1. It may not have any available spots after this deadline passes. Grad students will use the online UAB application, which asks for a statement of purpose that clearly defines the goal the student has, three letters of recommendation and a resume. There is a $70 application fee that students will pay, and they must also submit their transcripts to the university. UAB will only accept those who have a 3.0 or higher grade point average in any graduate classes taken or the last 60 credits they took at the undergrad level.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Alabama undergrads attending UAB pay $421 per credit hour for all health care management classes. Nonresidents pay $971 per credit hour for those same classes. Those who take online classes pay the same rate regardless of their residency status. This rate is just $505 per credit hour. Graduate students pay $572 per credit hour as an Alabama resident or $1,317 per credit hour as a nonresident. All students are responsible for covering their living expenses and any fees that the university charges.
UAB recommends that students file the FAFSA by the early spring at the latest. This is what it uses to create financial aid packages based on the needs of each student. Need-based aid can include unsubsidized and subsidized loans from the federal government and grants. UAB awards scholarships to residents and nonresidents based on their grade point averages and test scores. It offers 17 different types of scholarships for all types of students. Work-study programs are open to both graduate and undergraduate students too. The University of Alabama at Birmingham also offers some financial aid opportunities specifically for those applying to or enrolling in a School of Health Professionals program.