Healthcare, Master of Business Administration

In addition to University Requirements:

Purpose Statement

Our Master of Business Administration in Healthcare program is already into its second cohort within six months of launch. The program is meant for working professionals in the healthcare sector and is offered online to provide flexibility with their work-family balance needs. The goal of this program is to offer excellent graduate-level education for students who aspire to business knowledge and skills for their career growth and success in the field of healthcare. Our goal in providing high-quality, business-related training and education is to prepare these students to make valuable contributions to their chosen professions and communities.

The content studied is very similar to any other Master of Business Administration program except we have contextualized it for the healthcare setting. Typically, an MBA program is a generalized degree covering various business fields such as accounting, finance, business ethics, business law, management, marketing, economics, information systems, operations management, leadership, etc. We are providing the same functional and integrative understanding of business functions in this program as well as two significant additions that make the program unique:

1. The partnership with OpusVi allows us to tap into their vast network of healthcare experts and with their help, we can bring well-renowned leaders in this field to the classrooms as guest speakers and contributors. This provides a great networking opportunity and also provides our students direct access to domain-specific examples and best practices that are otherwise difficult to find.
2. Even more importantly, our faculty are actively contextualizing their business knowledge to healthcare by adopting healthcare-specific causes and articles and working with healthcare experts as they develop their courses.

The Northern Arizona University Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in Healthcare program prepares students with the necessary management, consulting, and leadership skills required for a successful career in the healthcare business environment. The NAU MBA in Healthcare program is offered in an online instructional format. The online format is designed to offer our working professional students the flexibility to pursue an MBA while continuing to work and/or maintain other commitments.

In this program, our experienced and dedicated faculty and teaching professionals create an invigorating, experiential, and personalized learning experience in a diverse learning environment through various pedagogical approaches such as lectures, case studies, role plays, debates, and the involvement of guest speakers. Our graduates gain a deeper knowledge, experience, and understanding in the context of the healthcare industry. Experiential learning opportunities in conjunction with practical classroom instruction will provide each MBA student with the confidence and integrative business skills necessary to successfully manage and lead healthcare organizations in today’s dynamic global business environment.

Our MBA in Healthcare graduates have several ways to advance in their careers regardless of whether they aspire to work for new startups or take on responsibilities in large firms. Because of a systemwide understanding of healthcare firms gained throughout this program, our graduates are a huge draw for firms looking to hire for leadership opportunities. The Healthcare industry is currently plagued with a shortage of managerial and leadership skills. Top it all off with the fact that it is one of the fastest-growing industries, and the need for leadership becomes quite pronounced. Several future opportunities open up for our students after this program. The students who come from clinical backgrounds (doctors, nurses, PAs, etc.) typically aren’t groomed in skills such as change management, team building, accounting, economics, or financial acumen. The program prepares them with these foundational business skills and helps them not only manage their current work better but also makes them great prospects for career growth in leadership within and outside their organizations. On the other hand, Students from finance, accounting, pharmaceuticals, or insurance can integrate their experiences with the caregiving side, enhancing their ability to understand how the delivery of healthcare works as a system and not in silos. The program also exposes students to cutting-edge technologies such as big data management, telemedicine, and blockchain technologies that are an integral part of the changing landscape of healthcare, biotech, pharmaceutical companies, and other related industries. Overall, our MBA in Healthcare prepares our graduates to run the business side of healthcare firms regardless of whether they come from clinical backgrounds or hospital administration.

In pursuit of these goals, we commit to the following:

• Foster a sense of community and promote diversity among our students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
• Offer a rigorous, current, AACSB-accredited curriculum.
• Integrate advanced technologies into the curriculum.
• Support and encourage our faculty in their creative and personalized delivery of our curriculum and their counseling of our students.
• Maintain and nurture an ongoing faculty commitment to a broad array of intellectual contributions that include pedagogical research, contributions to practice, and discipline-based scholarship.

• Apply integrative frameworks reflecting appropriate functional knowledge to identify issues and problems, generate alternatives, and develop logical solutions for complex business situations. Solutions should be supported by relevant analysis and decision model selection.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify ethical dilemmas and be able to recognize and evaluate alternative courses of action.
• Apply a global perspective to the business environment and management issues facing enterprises engaged in international operations.
• Display a professional demeanor through confidence, courtesy, appearance, and a proactive approach to work and career. They should build effective working relationships and pursue opportunities for self-improvement by developing networking and feedback resources.
• Communicate effectively in written and oral formats for a variety of purposes, situations, and audiences. Additionally, students can communicate effectively as both individuals and as part of a group presentation.

• Apply the core concepts, theories, and principles of different business disciplines, independently as well as interactively to problem-solve and make effective decisions in a healthcare context.
• Demonstrate understanding of the healthcare context including (but not limited to) the impact of regulatory, industry, environmental, and competitive forces on the healthcare industry.

Graduate Admission Information

• The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Graduate College.
  
  Admission requirements include the following:

  • Transcripts.
  • Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (“A” = 4.0), or the equivalent.

  
  Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.
  
  Ready to apply? Begin your application now.

  International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.

Additional Admission Requirements

• Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

• • The MBA Admissions Committee takes a holistic approach to candidate evaluation with consideration of academic ability, leadership qualities, communication, and interpersonal skills, relevant professional experience, the potential for career growth, and motivation for success. No particular undergraduate major is necessary for students applying to the MBA program.
  • Reference form with contact information for two references.
  • Resume or curriculum vitae.
  • Responses to specific essay questions.

Master’s Requirements

• Take the following 36 units:

  • BA 521, BA 609, BA 610, BA 612, BA 644, BA 649, BA 657, BA 658, BA 660, BA 665, BA 690, BA 691 (36 units)

• Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.