Bachelor of Arts in Health Care Administration

In this foundational course, students explore the principles necessary for achieving personal and career success. GEN 101 serves as a road map, guiding students as they begin their academic journey. Through self-discovery, surveying available resources, connecting with UAGC groups, and engaging with Career Services, students learn the essential skills of planning and goal setting. Students apply their personal strengths, skills, and lifelong learning strategies to develop essential career competencies. By making these meaningful connections students gain a deeper understanding of how their education relates to their desired career path.  Congratulations on embarking on this college journey filled with growth, exploration, and endless possibilities! This course is not available for non-degree seeking students.

This course offers an overview of digital fluency as it applies to personal, academic, financial, and professional success. Students will analyze the impact of digital technology on personal, social, and diversity issues and will develop digital skills that will assist in achieving academic, personal, and career goals. An overview of digital media is introduced with practical strategies for application in personal and professional life.

ENG 121 is designed to introduce students to the standards of writing in both academic and professional settings. The class will operate by first introducing, and then allowing students to practice, several written communication skills. Throughout, we will work to understand writing as a process, one that is strengthened through critical thinking, deepened by research, and built on a foundation of professional standards. As part of this process, students will also consider how emerging technologies influence contemporary writing environments and the ways writers make informed, ethical choices about their use. Students will articulate a sense of their own skills and goals and engage in collaborative conversations with peers and their instructor so as to be able to express their ideas more effectively. During the course, students will use the writing process to scrutinize their own perspectives while challenging them to embrace a wider conversation.

Learn and use key, practical skills that are applicable at home, at work, and in all UAGC courses! As UAGC students progress in their academic journey, strategies for personal, professional, and academic success continue to develop. This introductory course takes a two-pronged approach to setting students on a path to success. It merges fundamental informational literacy concepts with essential resources and skills that prepare students for college and career. Students learn how to identify, locate, evaluate, apply, and acknowledge information obtained through UAGC Library databases and internet search engines. By applying the research process, students sharpen critical thinking skills and learn to use information ethically. The final project is a practical and relevant opportunity for students to apply their learning in personally, professionally, and academically meaningful ways.

In this course, students will develop and expand their research and writing skills to communicate ideas in informed, ethical, and persuasive written documents intended for a range of audiences across a range of situations and contexts. Students will receive instruction and practice in synthesis and analysis, bolstering their written communication skills with a thorough understanding of academic research while honing critical thinking skills and effective work habits. Through writing well-structured, logical, and effective academic essays, students will explore tools and develop topics in a way that is meaningful to academic and professional lives. Prerequisite: Successful completion of ENG 121 or equivalent with a grade of “C-” or better.

This course is designed to aid students in understanding the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. Verbal and nonverbal communication patterns among people in personal, social, academic, and professional settings will be examined, within and between cultures, including both face-to-face and technologically mediated channels.  The nature of these interactions will be evaluated using contemporary communication theory. The course will enable students to identify their interpersonal communication skills and behaviors and to more critically evaluate their own oral communication and that of others. The primary goals of the course are to improve the quality of students’ communication in their personal and professional relationships, to enhance students’ experience and. confidence with oral communication, and increase awareness of the importance of interpersonal communication that is inclusive and equitable.

This course is a study of correct and incorrect reasoning involved in everyday activities. The fundamentals of language and argument, deductive and inductive reasoning and other aspects of practical reasoning are examined. 

In this course, students will explore how human beings create meaning through story, symbol, identity, and culture. The humanities offer powerful ways of knowing that illuminate the complexities of personal and professional life. Through modular, interdisciplinary approaches, learners will engage with timeless questions—about self, community, power, justice, and the future—while connecting them directly to their own field of study. Each week, students will choose a learning pathway tailored to a chosen major (Business Leadership, Criminal Justice, Education, Healthcare, Information Technology, Liberal Arts, or Social and Behavioral Sciences). This flexible design ensures that the course both deepens one’s perspective and stacks meaningfully with the learner’s broader academic and career goals. By the end, students will have described, analyzed, applied, synthesized, and created work that demonstrates how humanistic approaches enrich professional knowledge and practice.

This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of social sciences and some of the disciplines that comprise this field, including anthropology, psychology, economics, sociology, political science, and history. In this course, students will learn important social science concepts and theoretical approaches, along with the research methods that social scientists use to study human behavior. They will also learn how research and findings from the social sciences can be applied broadly throughout society. Throughout the course and through a summative assignment, students will examine how social factors shape social behavior and some of the consequences of current social problems.

This course serves as a general survey of U.S. government and political institutions within social, historical, and contemporary context. Students will discuss the basic principles of constitutional democracy within the United States with regard to founding documents, political institutions, the separation of powers, federalism, civil liberties, civil rights, and political participation. Students will also evaluate how the history of the United States shapes contemporary U.S. society and political debates.

This course explores the complex relationship between human societies and natural systems. Students will learn about ecology, natural resources, climate change, energy, sustainable technologies, and environmental justice while investigating sustainable challenges and solutions through an interdisciplinary lens.  Students will research and propose solutions to environmental challenges at both a local and global scale with a focus on applications across multiple economic sectors, careers, and geographic regions.

In this course, students will explore a wide range of Algebra topics. Topics will include study of linear equations, linear relationships, slope, polynomials, and functions, including graphing relations and solving systems of equations. Emphasis will be placed on developing an awareness of historical and current uses of algebra in real life settings, in various careers, and in solving important societal problems.

In this introductory course students explore the historical evolution of healthcare in the United States, its stakeholders, financing sources, social, legal, ethical, and regulatory systems. Learners investigate the structure of healthcare, including the Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act. Students will examine the cost of healthcare and its effect on access and positive healthcare outcomes for patients. Students will also discover alternative healthcare systems and consider the potential future of healthcare in the United States.

This course provides students with foundational information related to biological, psychological, and social (biopsychosocial) determinants of health. The course explores micro-, meso-, and macro-level domains that are grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model of Human Development. In addition, underlying causes of health disparities are explored.

In this course, students will examine leadership and managerial theories as well as major issues facing each role in the healthcare industry. The course addresses foundational concepts such as organizational structure and design, program planning and evaluation, financially-sound decision-making, strategic planning, healthcare marketing, and supervisory relations. Through course activities, students will apply the concepts to real-world activities they may encounter in their future professions.

This course presents the ethical and legal implications for health care operations and the delivery of health care services. The unique legal aspects encountered in the provision of health services are analyzed. Legal and ethical issues challenging the provision of health care services will be explored. Students will analyze concepts regarding risk management, continuous quality improvement, guardianship designations, and institutional ethical structures. Additionally, students will learn how moral and ethical behaviors may conflict with medical law. Precedent-setting case studies of moral, ethical, and legal decisions are integrated into the course assignments to provide a foundational understanding of leadership decision-making in the health care setting. Prerequisites: HCA 305, HCA 205, HPR 231 or NUR 300.

 

An introduction to the field of human resource management. Topics to be discussed include 
communication, motivation, and management of personnel. The course will include a review of current standards and practices as well as the legal environment as it pertains to the human resource field.

This course provides an overview of health informatics related to managing patient information in health care setting. Emphasis is on standards, information and communication technologies, decision support, data science, ethical, legal, and regulatory standards, and emerging trends in technology. Students also explore how informatics is applied to health care organizations. This course is open to students enrolled in BSHIM, BAHCA and BSN programs.

In this course, students will explore foundations and concepts of health care accreditation and continuous quality improvement. Students will discuss the concept of quality assurance based on standards set by selected accreditation, regulatory, licensing, and certification programs. In addition, they will explore the interface of accreditation and reimbursement. Students will use health information systems to analyze health care accreditation, government mandates, and regulatory activities that impact consumer outcomes. Students will also analyze the legal implications of quality improvement and explore the social, political, professional, and organizational influences on health services delivery. Prerequisite: HCA 205.

This course is designed as an applied managerial and financial accounting course. It provides health care decision-makers with fundamental concepts of health care accounting practices and procedures. Prerequisites: Successful completion of Quantitative Reasoning and Digital Fluency requirements.

This course provides an introduction to health care finance. Students will develop skills for the role of a health care manager to plan, control, direct and coordinate financial activities related to the organization’s day-to-day operation. Learning will consist of understanding financial reports, revenue sources, contractual allowances, budgeting, cost classifications, annualizing staffing, inventory and depreciation methods. Students will calculate financial ratios and analyze the results to determine the efficiency of the organization’s financial operations. Additionally, the functions of the health care financial manager will be addressed through understanding financial practices, governmental policies and regulations, cash management strategies and consistent methodologies involved in the financial decision-making process in the health care setting. Prerequisites: HCA 205 and ACC 281. 

Community and public health is an introductory course exploring community and public health services in the well-being of a population. Regulatory mandates promoting public and community health are explored. The interface among community and public health services and the overall health care industry is explored. Legal and ethical imperatives emergent in public health services are discussed. Financing options are explored recognizing the role of categorical fiscal resources. Health care promotion and prevention strategies are explored in concert with the role of health care institutions and the public sector. Health information data is utilized in the planning of a community and/or public health project. Prerequisite: Successful completion of the majority of major coursework.

This course explores the processes of operational and strategic planning, including the roles of organizational mission, vision, and values, regulatory legislation, demand for services, clinical staff needs, needs of a diverse population, competitive market analysis, and decision making in a competitive health care industry. Historical perspectives are covered along with current and future health care industry challenges. Prerequisite: Successful completion of the majority of program course work.

The Health Care Administration Capstone is designed to provide a comprehensive experience that enables students to apply their understanding of the concepts explored throughout the program. Students will integrate leadership skills, policies and procedures, rules, and regulations in the development of their work throughout the course. For the summative assessment in this course, students will need to demonstrate administrative competencies with managerial, legal, ethical, and financial concepts related to health care systems. Prerequisite: majority of major coursework.

Elective requirements vary by program. Review the Program Requirements section for details about elective credits and degree completion requirements. Elective courses may also provide opportunities to pursue an Emphasis that complements your major and supports your academic or career goals.

Elective requirements vary by program. Review the Program Requirements section for details about elective credits and degree completion requirements. Elective courses may also provide opportunities to pursue an Emphasis that complements your major and supports your academic or career goals.