The College of Liberal Arts offers two alternatives for a B.S. degree in Health Care Administration, including a Health Services Organization option and an option in Gerontology. These degrees embody a professional program which draws its curriculum from several academic disciplines including sociology, biology, economics, psychology, health and community education, public administration, business and management, safety, and communication.

Program Demand

The health care field is undergoing rapid change and extraordinary growth. To meet this change an increasing number of professionals will be needed as administrators in health care. More specifically, the demand is for persons trained in administering health agencies, especially in hospital settings, and including nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, hospice agencies, home health service, health maintenance organizations, preferred provided organizations, and individual practice associations. The rapidly progressing age changes in our society will continue to require the need for such personnel. Moreover, the growing size and complexity of the health care field with annual expenditures over 650 billion dollars is expected to continue and will demand well-trained health care mangers.

Degree Objectives

The degree program in Health Care Administration trains individuals as administrators who plan, organize, direct, and control the resources in agencies and programs that provide different services for patients, clients, and communities, These administrators must be able to manage large amounts of human and material resources, handle complex funding, insurance, government and private reimbursement procedures, and supervise the procurement of sophisticated technological equipment for multiple medical facilities within the highly regulated, yet changing health industry. Heath care administrators must use a cluster of skills and disciplines in order to interact with specialists, and yet still be able to see beyond the narrow specialty focus to the broader health care needs. Administrators from this program will be strongly self-directed, motivated, and professional, as well as service oriented.

Course Work

These objectives are accomplished by providing a multi-disciplinary course of study. The Health Care Administration degree has a core of courses from various disciplines, including subjects like accounting, community health, physiology of aging, medical sociology, death and dying, management principles, organizational communication, public administration, and safety and hygiene administration,

The health services option includes additional courses in business law, human organizational behavior, as well as some electives that allow students to emphasize a particular career choice. The gerontology option includes a case management course, and well as four courses in aging from the perspectives of psychology, sociology, social work, and anthropology.

Health Care Field Placement

The Healthcare Administration degree requires students to complete a practicum experience where they secure an interim position in an agency of their choice that corresponds to their future employment situation. In this course, students obtain firsthand experience for 120 hours. Field placements are carefully selected with geographical areas as prime considerations. Such settings include hospitals, nursing homes, local, state, and federal organizations, mental health agencies, home health agencies-any association or organization in the health care field and administrative experience can be obtained.

For more information on the Health Care Administration Program please write or call the:

Coordinator of Health Care Administration
Department of Social Sciences
Northeastern State University
Tahlequah, OK  74464
Telephone:  (918) 444-3500