Healthcare Management Degree Programs at the University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Master’s in Healthcare Management Online / Online MBA Healthcare Administration.
The Department of Health Management and Informatics at the University of Central Florida offers degree programs in healthcare management for both undergraduate and graduate students. One program is a Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration (HSA). Not only does it give students a broad overview of healthcare management, but the program also includes internships that let students work in the field. Students can take courses at any college within the Florida College System and transfer their credits to the University of Central Florida, but they need to complete a minimum of 30 credit hours at the university. They must also maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5 to graduate.
To ensure that students are ready, the university asks that they take prerequisite and foundation courses before beginning the program. Most of these courses cover aspects of business and computer science. They will also take 48 credits of advanced healthcare management classes, including Long Term Care and Administration, Community Health, Health Law and Ethics and Health Services Research Methods.
The Master of Health Administration (MHA) offered by the University of Central Florida has two separate tracks. It offers a standard health services track and an executive health services track. The standard track is suitable for students who have less experience or no experience in the healthcare industry. Students must do an internship in a healthcare agency or organization before they can graduate. The executive program features fewer courses and asks students to use some of the skills and knowledge they gained in the field to complete the program. To qualify for the executive track, students must have several years of experience.
Both MHA programs feature some of the same courses, including Health Care Risk Management I and II, Foundations of Health Care Economics, Foundations of Health Care Finance, Health Care Economics and Policy and Health Care Human Resources. Students will also take advanced seminar courses and a final capstone class. The University of Central Florida seminar courses address topics in healthcare management, with the topics changing each semester.
About the University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida is a large public university in Florida operated by the state. Founded in 1963, the university saw locals and the government raise funds and find land for its new campus. Its location near Cape Canaveral allowed students to study engineering and different areas of science before finding work at NASA and other government agencies. Significant growth during the 1970s and in more modern times led to the university becoming one of the largest colleges in the country. Also called UCF, it now enrolls more students in traditional programs than any other university in the nation.
UCF knows that students can’t always move to its campus, which is why it offers so many opportunities for its student body. Those students can take classes online and enroll in a regional campus. These campuses are in various cities around the central region of the state. Washington Monthly now ranks UCF as the 103rd best American college. ARWU ranked the university between 105 and 125 on its annual list of the best colleges in the US.
University of Central Florida Accreditation Details
Though the university’s undergraduate program in health services management does not have accreditation, its graduate programs do. That accreditation comes from the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). UCF also has accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), which is what allows it to give financial aid to incoming students and those who continue their education at the university.
University of Central Florida Application Requirements
The deadline for undergrads applying to UCF is May 1, but those who wish to start in the spring or fall semesters can submit their applications at a later date. Students who completed less than 11 credits of college work and those who never attended college can use the freshmen application. All other students will use the application designed for transfer students. The university’s application has a $30 fee that students can pay online. Prospective students need to submit unofficial transcripts when they apply and official transcripts before the semester starts. UCF wants to know when the student graduated, where the individual attended school and the grades the student got in high school. They can submit a home school transcript too. The university requires an official test score too. They can submit an optional essay also.
Graduate students must submit their applications by the July 1 deadline each year. The university has deadlines of December 1 and April 1 for those applying to the spring or summer semester. UCF has minimum requirements for grad students, including a bachelor’s degree and a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students with a lower GPA will need to submit official test scores from the GRE or a similar exam. The university uses those scores to see if the students are capable of working at the graduate level. They will also submit the UCF graduate application online and pay an application fee.
Tuition and Financial Aid
UCF charges miscellaneous fees on top of its tuition. Undergrads who live in and are from Florida pay $212 per credit hour. Nonresidents are students who come from other states. They pay $749 per credit hour. UCF offers on-campus housing and requires that students purchase a meal plan too. The exact amount they pay will vary based on where they live and the meal plans they need. Resident graduate students pay $370 per credit hour, while nonresident graduate students pay $1,194 per credit hour. Those rates include all the fees they face too.
The constellation fund is a fund established by the university that awards institutional aid to students in need. This fund hands out more than $40 million of financial aid a year. Students can qualify for both government aid and funds from the university. UCF offers both scholarships and grants and has programs based on both need and merit. Athletes and other students can qualify for performance scholarships too. With the FAFSA, students can get access to student loans and grants, but this will also determine if they can work on the UCF campus too. The University of Central Florida grants financial aid to graduate students and undergrads.