Why Choose Health Care Systems Administration?
As the health care industry continues to grow and expand, the demand for skilled health care managers also increases. Employment is expected to grow faster than average with the fastest growth in home health agencies, residential care facilities and practitioners' offices and clinics. This program has been designed in two formats, one for students who enter the program either as freshmen or who transfer into the program after having completed an associate degree and the second for students who wish to complete a bachelor's degree while enrolled in a clinical associate degree program.
The course work, which includes courses in management, marketing, accounting, quality assurance, health care finance, health-care planning and long-term care management prepares you to work in many areas in health-care. Graduates are able to enter graduate school to earn a master's degree.
The Health Care Systems Administration program also is offered in Grand Rapids. In the Grand Rapids program, the professional courses are offered in the evenings. General education requirements may be taken at a local college or university and transferred to fulfill Ferris graduation requirements. A minimum of 30 semester credit hours must be earned at Ferris in order for the degree to be granted.
Get a Great Job
The term 'health services manager' encompasses individuals in many different positions who plan, organize, coordinate, and supervise the delivery of health care. Health services managers include both generalists (administrators who manage or help to manage an entire facility or system), and health specialists (managers in charge of specific departments or services found only in the health care industry).
Earnings of health services managers vary by type and size of facility, level of responsibility and geographic region. The November 2004 Occupational Employment and Wages Report distributed by the U.S. Department of Labor provides the following:
General medical and surgical hospitals: $78,480
Offices of physicians: $74,770
Nursing care facilities: $65,660
Home health care services: $68,830
Federal government: $86,820
Admission Requirements
Applicants for admission to the Health Care Systems Administration program must have a 2.5 GPA in high school or college work and one year of high school algebra with a 'C-' or better. Students can enter the program from any associate degree program or directly from high school.
Graduation Requirements
The Health Care Systems Administration program at Ferris leads to a bachelor of science degree. Graduation requires a minimum 2.0 GPA overall. Students must earn a 'C' or better in professional (HCSA) courses and meet all general education requirements as outlined on the General Education website. Also, students must either have an ACT math subscore of 24 or better, complete MATH 115 or pass a proficiency exam.
More Information
College of Allied Health Sciences
Ferris State University
200 Ferris Drive
Big Rapids, MI 49307-2740
or call 1-800-462-8553, ext. 2266