Application Materials Checklist

Western Michigan University

Health Care Administration Graduate Certificate Program

05/19/2014

Application Materials Checklist

To be Submitted to the Admissions Office

1. The Application for Graduate Admission or submit online.1

2. A $50.00 non-refundable application fee payable to Western Michigan University 3. An Official transcript from each

undergraduate and graduate institution you have attended, except for Western Michigan University2

Official transcripts should be sent directly to Western Michigan University from your previous institution to:

Office of Admissions: Graduate Division Western Michigan University

1903 West Michigan Avenue Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5211

1

http://www.wmich.edu/apply/graduate/

2

Please note that even if you have previously attended Western Michigan University, you will still need to provide official transcripts for institutions you have attended other than WMU

To be Submitted to the School of Public Affairs and Administration Admissions Committee

1.

2.

3.

HCA Admissions Committee

School of Public Affairs and Administration Western Michigan University

Application Guidelines and Information

1. Applications for the Health Care Administration certificate program are reviewed by the Admissions committee once each semester, three times each year. The application deadlines are as follows:

Fall Semester Admissions

Early Admissions ---February 1

Application Due

Regular Admissions ---June 1

Application Due

Late Admissions

---August 1

Application Due

Applications received after August 1 will not be accepted for Fall semester.

Spring Semester ---October 1

Summer Semester ---February 1

2. Students who are not United States citizens or do not have an I-551 Permanent Resident Card need to apply to the University via the Haenicke Institute’s International Admissions office. More information on applying to Western Michigan University as an international student is available online at http://wmich.edu/internationaladmissions/apply .

Please note that the Departmental Information Form (DIF), biographical essay, and a current resume should be submitted directly to the School of Public Affairs and Administration and not sent to International Admissions. Please review the Application Materials Checklist for the correct address. 3. Applicants with complete files are informed of the Admissions Committee’s decision within four to

five weeks of the application deadline.

4. Information regarding financial aid opportunities can be found on the Western Michigan University website. Please consult the webpages below for more information.

www.wmich.edu/finaid www.wmich.edu/grad/funding/

5. For additional information on admissions, degree requirements, and schedules, please visit the online home of the School of Public Affairs and Administration at:

www.wmich.edu/spaa

Western Michigan University

Health Care Administration Graduate Certificate Program

05/19/2014

Departmental Information Form

The Departmental Information Form (DIF) informs members of the HCA Admissions Committee about your professional, academic and extracurricular experience, and your career aspirations.

Candidate Information

Name: ___________________________________________________________________________

Last First Middle

Current Mailing Address: ___________________________________________________________ Address City State Zip Code

Home Phone ( _____ ) ______________ Alternate Phone ( _____ ) _______________ E-mail address (most frequently used): ______________________________________________________

I am currently (check all that apply):

Employment:  Full time  Part-time  Unemployed  Retired

Student:  Full Time  Part-time

Military Status:  Active Duty-Currently serving

 Dependent/Spouse  Vocational Rehab  Veteran-Previously Served  Guard or Reserve

Academic and Work History (check all that apply):

_____ I have a graduate degree in_____________________________Year_______

Institution_______________________________________________________________ _____ I am currently admitted in an ___MBA, ___MPA, or__________________________program. _____ I have a Bachelors degree with a grade point average of _____ Year_______

Institution_______________________________________________________________ _____ I have substantial work experience in the management or delivery of nonprofit leadership and

administration services as described in the attached resume.

Other Information

For scheduling purposes, please provide the following information:

Regional Location at which you plan to take the majority of your courses if admitted:

Kalamazoo ___ Lansing ___ Battle Creek ___

___________________________________________ Date: _______/_______/_______

Additional Departmental Application Materials

Resume

Please include a resume indicating your educational background and listing positions you have held over the past ten years. Indicate the title of each position, the agency or firm by which you were employed, and the duration of each employment.

In addition to the resume, you are encouraged to include other materials (e.g. awards or accomplishments, commendations, letters of recommendation, etc.) that provide the Committee with essential information about you and your interest in the Nonprofit Leadership certificate program. Individuals who have not distinguished themselves academically in their post-secondary education are especially encouraged to submit evidence of work-related achievements.

Biographical Essay

Please prepare a one-page biographical essay that discusses your reasons for applying to the HCA program, your professional goals, an assessment of your strengths and challenges, and life experiences that might be useful in your work as a health care administration professional.

Submission of Materials

Western Michigan University

Health Care Administration Graduate Certificate Program

05/19/2014

Program Overview

The purpose of the Graduate Certificate in Health Care Administration is to enhance the capacity of its graduates to function effectively as managers in the health care system. The program includes the legal, financial, and policy dimensions of contemporary health care administration, critical management, strategic planning and evaluation skills, and the environment of the health delivery system.

Admission Requirements

The Graduate Certificate in Health Care Administration may be taken by itself or in conjunction with a Masters degree program. Requirements for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Health Care Administration are: a) a Masters or other graduate degree, b) current admission to an MBA, MPA, or other participating Masters degree program, c) a Bachelors degree with an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.25, or d) substantial work experience in the management or delivery of health care services.

Program Requirements

The HCA Graduate Certificate provides students with the knowledge and skills that are needed for effective leadership and career advancement. The program is composed of six three-credit hour courses (18 credit hours): three courses from the required section (9 credit hours) and three courses from the electives section (9 credit hours). Students with limited or no work experience in health care delivery will complete a non-credit experiential requirement in health care delivery in consultation with, and approval of, the program advisor.

Required Courses

PADM 6515 Administration and the Delivery of Health Services PADM 6532 Health Care Policy and Law

PADM 6535 Health Care Economics and Finance I

Electives

PADM 6545 Health Care Economics and Finance II

PADM 6555 Managerial Epidemiology

*PADM 6780 Program Evaluation OR

*PADM 6481 Planning in Nonprofit Organizations

MKTG 6610 Health Care Marketing

Other courses by permission of program advisor.

Western Michigan University

Health Care Administration Graduate Certificate Program

05/19/2014

Program Planning Form

Required Courses (9 credit hours required)

Administration and Delivery of Health Services PADM 6515 3

Health Care Policy and Law PADM 6532 3

Health Care Economics and Finance I PADM 6535 3

Electives (9 credit hours required)

Health Care Economics and Finance II PADM 6545 3

Managerial Epidemiology PADM 6555 3

Program Evaluation OR

Planning in Nonprofit Organizations

PADM 6780

PADM 6481 3

Health Care Marketing MKTG 6610 3

Western Michigan University

Health Care Administration Graduate Certificate Program

05/19/2014

Course Descriptions

Required Courses

PADM 6515: Administration and the Delivery of Health Services

This course addresses the administration and delivery of health services in the United States with emphasis placed upon the manager's functioning as a transactional and transformational leader by gaining an understanding of how the various health care sectors function and interact with each other and the managerial functions and interactions associated with each sector. This understanding will include and not be limited to identifying the basic models of health care delivery and their effect upon access, quality, cost, and innovation in the U.S.A. and other countries. Open to Graduate students only.

PADM 6532: Health Care Policy and Law

This course explores the political, legal and regulatory, ethical, and theoretical basis for the evolution of U.S. federal and state health care policy; the various U.S. and international health care models; and the applied effects of public policy on health care economics, delivery systems, and health care organizations. Open to Graduate students only. PADM 6535: Health Care Economics and Finance I

This course introduces the non-financial health care manager to financial management, budgeting, and economics in the public and nonprofit sectors. Topics covered in this course include: introduction to financial management, financial decision making, basic financial and managerial accounting, third party payers, revenue management, product cost development, budgeting analysis, variance analysis, elasticities, supply, and demand.

Open to Graduate students only. Electives

PADM 6545: Health Care Economics and Finance II

This course is intended for non-financial managers who desire to deepen their knowledge and understanding of financial and economic management or how to direct scarce resources to most efficiently meet public and nonprofit organizational strategic goals. Topics covered in this course include: time value analysis, financial risk and return, capital acquisition, cost of capital, capital allocation, financial condition analysis, financial forecasting, financial risk management, incentives and regulatory impact. The above topics are covered through the development and use of spreadsheet analyses and other techniques.

Open to Graduate students only.

Prerequisite: PADM 6535

PADM 6555: Managerial Epidemiology

his course develops basic epidemiological principles and applies them to the planning and development of health care organizations. Topics covered include: developing and analyzing community needs assessments,

epidemiological costs and financial implications, and use of evidence bases management and medicine. Open to Graduate students only.

PADM 6780: Program Evaluation

PADM 6481: Planning in Nonprofit Organizations

This course focuses on planning programs within the context of strategic planning. Tools for developing a strategy and new programs to fulfill the strategy will be examined. Both strategic and program planning are viewed as creative, dynamic processes carried out by a team. The stages and tasks of strategic and program planning are studies from analytical, technical and interactive perspectives.

Open to Graduate students only.

MKTG 6610: Healthcare Marketing

This course presents the field of marketing and its application to the healthcare industry. Emphasis is on the design and use of marketing analyses in areas of patient and client satisfaction, critical path and performance models, continuous quality improvement, and the managerial application of market research findings. A range of health care provider services are researched using marketing techniques such as segmentation, fail point and boundary analyses for healthcare services.

Open to Graduate students only.