Health Care Delivery Science Certificate

Learning Objectives

• Evaluate current and anticipated ways that health care delivery systems function and interact with the populations and communities they serve.
• Apply interdisciplinary and analytic thinking skills when evaluating health care delivery issues.
• Evaluate creative and innovative ways to solve health delivery challenges.
• Communicate clearly about anticipated benefits/burdens of an ever-changing health care delivery system.
• Apply leadership skills while collaborating with colleagues, peers, and stakeholders.

Admission

Admission to the program will be based on relevant experience, written statements, and fidelity between the candidate’s career goals and the program’s learning objectives.  

Candidates for admission to the health care delivery science certificate must meet the requirements for admission to the Graduate School, including language proficiency, found in the Admission section of this Bulletin. In addition, program admission criteria include, but are not limited to: 

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, with an overall undergraduate G.P.A. of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or the international equivalent.
• At least one to three years of professional experience working in health care, or a health care-related industry.
• A written statement of purpose
• Two letters of recommendation from colleagues/mentors that can provide an accurate assessment of the person’s character and goals
• Recent GMAT or GRE scores. Exemptions for standardized testing will be made for those already holding master’s or professional (terminal) degrees and/or those with 10+ years of professional experience working in the health care industry.

Those without the above qualifications must seek special permission from the program director to enroll. Experience with research and research methods is encouraged, but not required for admission.

Curriculum Requirements

Students must complete the following list of courses to successfully complete the program, comprising 15 credit hours of coursework and a final capstone project. HCDS 7033 The Science of Health Care Delivery  is considered a prerequisite to the other credit-bearing courses and the final capstone project.

Completion of the program is expected to take a minimum of two years/five semesters, including one summer semester. Additional time may be required to complete the program if a student needs to retake a course or skips a semester. Lapses in enrollment are permitted. Students in the certificate program are subject to the six-year statute of limitations policy.

• HCDS 7033 The Science of Health Care Delivery
• HCDS 7053 Quality Improvement Science in Health Care
• HCDS 7023 Population Health
• HCDS 7043 Strategic Planning in Health Care
• HCDS 7013 Essentials in U.S. Health Care Policy
• HCDS 7110 HCDS Capstone Project

Capstone Project

Students are required to complete a final Capstone Project to successfully finish the program, gaining practical experience in planning and executing a project, while learning to solve problems that plague existing health systems. Each student is assigned a faculty advisor, who initially approves their projects, and later serves as a mentor and coach. Elements of designing, managing, and refining the Capstone Project will be integrated into the curriculum of each HCDS course.