MASTER OF HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION

PROGRAMME OUTLINE

CONTENTS

1. Programme Structure and Content.

2. Aims and Objectives.

3. Entry Requirements.

4. Teaching and Learning Methods.

5. Methods of Assessment.

6. Supervision and Cohorts.

1. Programme Structure and Content.

The programme is designed to be completed within eighteen months by a student devoting ten to twelve hours per week, working by distance learning. A student wishing to take a longer period to complete the programme will be entitled to do so, provided that he/she completes the requirement for the Programme within thirty-six months.

Candidates may join the Programme at any time.

Exit Points

The Programme progression is as follows:

PGC = Modules A-D
PGD = Modules A-H
MA = Modules A-J + a dissertation

In order to achieve a pass, a candidate must satisfy the examiners in each module of the programme. The University reserves the right to vary the number and nature of the modules examined.

Currently, the modules are :

A. Healthcare Leadership
B. Behaviour in Healthcare Organisations
C. Information Systems in Healthcare
D. Healthcare Human Resource Administration
E. Healthcare Budgeting
F. Medical Staff Affairs
G. Healthcare Marketing
H. Worldwide Healthcare Systems
I. Global Public Health
J. Healthcare Finance
K. Dissertation

2. Aims and Objectives.

The programme is intended to give the student a broad but very thorough exposure to the concepts and issues prevalent in Healthcare Administration. This programme will help prepare the successful candidate for a career in Healthcare Administration, or to simply advance the knowledge and insight of those already working in the industry. It focuses on the tasks of the manager, and does not seek to make the student an expert in any of these fields, but is intended to equip the manager or potential manager with an understanding of these disciplines, whether he or she is operating as an aspiring middle manager seeking a general overview of management with a view to professional advancement, or a senior manager seeking more specialist insight into particular areas of the management task in educational settings

3. Entry Requirements.

The usual minimum requirements for entry to the Programme are as follows:

1. A first degree in any discipline, or;
2. Membership of a professional body whose qualification may be deemed to be the equivalent of a degree, or;
3. The possession of a Diploma in Healthcare Administration or its equivalent and relevant experience.

Candidates will normally have attained the age of twenty-four years. All candidates will be expected to show a proficiency in the English language.

Each application will be considered on its own merits, however, and admission to the programme and all interpretations as to the eligibility for such admission remain at the discretion of the University.

4. Teaching and Learning Methods.

The delivery of the teaching for the programme is by distance learning. The material is designed to give the student maximum flexibility as to the pace of learning. Programme materials will consist of Topic Lists, detailed directed reading from currently available books and monographs.

Topic Lists. These will be a summary of the topics or sub-sections that are to be covered in the relevant module.

Text books. The second major element of teaching for the Programme is the Text Book. Because of the likely circumstances of students studying away from access to major libraries, effort has been made to concentrate teaching upon the standard classic texts for each module that provide a sufficient coverage of the topics dealt with in the Programme. Students will be directed to the relevant portions of each text, in the order that these should be tackled against each topic heading in the appropriate sequence.

Books are not supplied as part of the provision for any programme. The University undertakes the obligation to provide books, at cost price (with normal charge for P&P), for any programme directly from UK supplier. Candidates may purchase books anywhere they wish.

Background Reading. A list of general texts and articles, relating to each module will also be presented to the student for further reading, either during the Programme or for follow up work.

Progress Assessment Tests, (PATs). A further component of the learning will be the PATs. These will normally take the form of a series of complex multiple choice questions, designed to test the student's grasp of the major concepts of each module. While they will necessarily be of an "open book" nature, they will require the student, not only to research the literature of the subject presented but to demonstrate understanding and discrimination. While the results of the PATs will not count towards final assessment, and may thus be seen as "non-punitive", a student will be required to have achieved a satisfactory pass in the relevant PATs for each module, before being allowed to tackle the minor and major assignments for that module.

Minor and Major Assignments. The requirements of these elements of the Programme are dealt with in detail in Section 5 - Methods of Assessment. In terms of the teaching philosophy of the Programme, the following outlines apply. The Minor Assignment will consist of problems on the programme work, and will be designed to allow the student to demonstrate a grasp of the basic principles of the main elements of that module, and to be able to apply them to the solution of problems. The Major Assignment, on the other hand, will consist of a short project designed to show how the programme work can be applied by a practising professional.

5. Methods of Assessment.

Each student will be examined in every module relevant to the exit point they are pursuing and the MINIMUM PASS (Grade "C" - 50%), must be achieved in each module. There are no traditional "three hour" examination papers, although students will be required to satisfy the examiners as to their suitability to proceed to the Minor and Major assessment stages of each module by satisfactory performance at the Progress Assessment Test, (PAT) stage. A failure at this stage may be re-tested on up to two subsequent occasions.

Over and above this requirement all students will be required to submit a short introductory paper, based upon guided reading, which will assess their capability to deal with later work. A student who fails to attain a satisfactory standard in this paper will receive the appropriate guidance before being invited to proceed with the main body of the Programme.

The dissertation is seen as the student’s opportunity to apply the subject matter of the Programme to a particular topic that he/she is particularly interested in. As such, it will be a negotiated process between student and supervisor, in which the former offers suggestions for possible detailed study for ‘tailoring’ to meet the dual needs of academic rigour and the student’s personal objectives. Here, suffice it to say that the dissertation will be written on a topic, agreed between student and supervisor, that will be worthy of the attraction of 30% of the overall marks for the Programme, and will be between 20000 and 25000 words in length (excluding the bibliography and appendices). While the supervisor will offer help on the formulation and execution of the Thesis, once the Thesis is submitted, it will be taken as the final submission.

6. Supervision and Cohorts.

The University is aware of the need to provide first rate supervision to students, given the fact that they are working in a distance learning mode. Each cohort of students, joining the Programme at a given entry point - will be allocated a Supervisor who is either an experienced academic or proven practitioner in the field of Management. He or she will be the students' guide through the Programme.

Given that distance learning is usually a difficult and isolating experience, it is proposed that each cohort of students should receive a list of its peers. These will be people who are undergoing the same stresses and strains. They will be facing the same problems and the same assignment difficulties at a similar time. Rather than feeling isolated, it is the University's hope that students will wish to join with others to share their experiences in a fellow feeling of a community. Unless an individual student wishes to maintain anonymity, each Cohort of students will be given a list of their peers, in the hope that the over all standard of their work, their performance on the Programme and, above all, their experience as a student is enhanced.

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