Health Administration

Health Administration

Do you have a desire to lead and plan for the health care of millions of Americans? You've come to the right place!

About

Health administration integrates courses from the health and business administration programs and is designed to develop the skills needed for management positions in a variety of fields. The curriculum is interdisciplinary, emphasizes knowledge of global health care issues, and includes a minor in business administration.

Why is Health Administration in Demand?

  • Health administration takes on a vital role in the overall delivery of health care.
  • Salaries for health care administrators are strong. The median annual wage for medical and health services managers was $116,380 in May 2021.  (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
  • Employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 17% from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations.  (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
  • There is a growing demand for health care services in the U.S. as the Baby Boomer generation enters their Medicare years. The demand for both acute care services and long-term care services is increasing each year. 

Is it for me?

Are you:

  • A person who has the ability to lead and manage in a dynamic and challenging field?
  • A visionary with the ability to grasp the financial impact that health care has on our economy?
  • A person who can plan, direct and coordinate across all spectrums on the management compendium?

Five Reasons to Choose Scranton for Health Administration

1.
AUPHA membership.    Health administration at the University holds a prestigious, full undergraduate membership in the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA).
2.
Be a name, not a number.    Small classes are capped at 25-30 students. Undergraduate studies are our focus. Faculty members get to know you on an individual basis and are generous with their time and attention, both inside and outside of class.
3.
Nationally approved curriculum.    Our program is one of only 11 programs nationwide to receive academic approval for its long-term care administration curriculum by the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB).
4.
Accelerated BS/MHA program.    This combined, accelerated program gives selected students the opportunity to fulfill up to 12 undergraduate credits through graduate study in the Master of Health Administration program in an accelerated BS/MHA program.
5.
Opportunities for involvement.    There is a strong sense of community rooted in our Jesuit mission. Numerous departmental activities include clubs, associations and honor societies.

The professors are really friendly. Most of them have had senior leadership positions in hospitals, so they are able to bring an extensive wealth of knowledge to this program. They also help us with internship opportunities and job placement.

Lisa Lech
Class of 2018

  • Preparing You For Personal & Professional Successplus or minus

    The program is oriented to the real world of hands-on health care administration. It is specifically designed to help students learn to use and apply many health care management tools, principles, techniques, theories, methods and strategies.

    You’ll also learn how to:

    • Think critically, and analyze and solve complex problems to understand biological processes
    • Develop technical, writing and oral presentation skills 
    • Grow in confidence
    • Improve time management

    Internships

    The major emphasizes experiential learning by requiring a three credit, 120-hour internship, with a second three-credit elective internship, as well as 10 hours of community service each semester.

    Internship sites have included:

    • Allied Services
    • AseraCare Hospice
    • Brighton Gardens of Saddle River
    • Clarks Summit Senior Living
    • Delta Medix
    • Geisinger CMC
    • Hospice of the Sacred Heart
    • Jefferson Health System
    • Lebanon Valley Advanced Care Center
    • Lehigh Valley Health Network
    • Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital
    • Regional Hospital, Scranton
    • Riddle Hospital
    • Moses Taylor Hospital, Scranton
    • St. Luke's Health System
    • Summit Health Care System, Morristown, New Jersey
    • The Bristal at East Meadow 
    • The Commonwealth Medical College
    • Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
    • University of Pennsylvania
    • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • What You'll Learnplus or minus

    Curriculum

    You can choose between two concentrations in the undergraduate health administration curriculum at The University of Scranton.

    Health Administration Generalist Program

    This program is designed to give you a broad base of knowledge for employment opportunities in public and private organizations such as hospitals, insurance and managed care companies, community health care agencies and rehabilitation facilities.

    Long-term Care Administration Program

    This program is in long-term care administration for job opportunities in nursing homes, assisted living or adult day care, or work with chronically ill populations. Upon successful completion of the long-term care curriculum, you will have met some of the educational requirements of the Pennsylvania State Board of Licensure for Nursing Home Administrators, which are necessary to take the state licensure exam to become a long-term care administrator. There is an overlap of courses between the two programs, but you will be asked to choose an area of concentration.

    Click here to see the curriculum.

    Accelerated BS/MHA program

    An accelerated Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree program is available to University of Scranton undergraduate health administration students who meet specific admissions criteria. The graduate health administration program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (formerly ACEHSA). This accreditation reflects the commitment to and achievement of national standards for graduate level health care administration education.  Additionally, the MHA program maintains full graduate membership status with the Association of University Programs in Health Administration AUPHA.

  • Pursue Your Passion and Make a Differenceplus or minus

    Health administration professionals oversee the delivery of health care, from start to finish, including the functions of cost/finance, leadership, planning, community relations, health care delivery and total coordination of services provided by health care facilities. Our program provides both voluntary and consultative service to the university, communities, health professions and health-related organizations (public and private).

    Students in the health administration program will be required to complete 80 hours of community based learning during their four years of undergraduate study. These service-learning experiences are tied to courses such as Health Care Law, Cultural Diversity and Health Administration and Issues in Health Administration.

Careers

Where Will Health Administration Take Me?

Students are given a broad base of knowledge for securing entry-level positions with public and private agencies, organizations such as hospitals, insurance and managed care companies, pharmaceutical firms, community health and rehabilitation facilities. A recent survey showed that first-year graduates of The University of Scranton’s health administration program earned an average of $59,980. 

Employment

Our graduates have landed jobs in some of the leading providers of health care in the eastern U.S., including:

Memorial Sloan Kettering
Geisinger Health System
St. Luke's Health Care System
Lehigh Valley Health Care System
Moses Taylor Hospital
University of Pennsylvania Health Care System
Allied Services
Regional Hospital of Scranton
Columbia Presbyterian Hospital

Graduate Studies

The curriculum also provides a theoretical foundation for future graduate-level education in various disciplines such as public health, health administration, health policy and planning, gerontology, law school and business administration. Many of our graduates pursue master’s degrees and have been accepted to graduate programs at top-notch universities, including:

The University of Scranton
New York University
Penn State University
Columbia University
Wilkes University
University of South Carolina

How Scranton Gives You a Competitive Edge

Competitive Edge

One of the many things students tell us they love about Scranton is that our faculty members are active in helping them achieve their career goals.  As you walk across campus, you’ll often see students chatting with faculty over coffee to discuss ideas.

Whether it’s advising or providing letters of references for a competitive graduate school or that dream job, faculty members make it their priority to get to know each student on an individual level.  That deep level of understanding means that our faculty is not only dedicated teachers and strong researchers, but also advocates for you professionally. 

Take the Next Step

Get the Facts

View PDF with Program Overview
& Curriculum

For More Information

Office of Admissions
The Estate
Scranton, PA 18510
1-888-SCRANTON or (570) 941-7540
570-941-7572
admissions@scranton.edu

Department of Health Administration & Human Resources
Robert J. Spinelli, D.B.A.
Health Administration Program Director
(570)941-5872
robert.spinelli@scranton.edu