Like all businesses, health care organizations require strong leadership to run smoothly. As an experienced health care administrator, your career could span the operation of a single department to executive leadership and management positions in which you’re responsible for millions of dollars of facilities and equipment as well as hundreds of employees.

Our undergraduate Health Care Administration (HCA) program will help you master the basic business principles and tools that you will need for effective decision-making when you enter this field: finance, information systems, strategic planning, human resource management and marketing. You will also develop strong management and leadership competencies including business skills, problem-solving, communication and relationship management, collaboration and teamwork, adaptability, cultural competency and systems thinking skills that will be essential to your success.

The UWM HCA program is certified by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) and is the only AUPHA-certified health care administration program in the State of Wisconsin. Our HCA program has a proud history of national recognition by the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), earning the prestigious Higher Education Network Award for 4 consecutive years in the undergraduate category as the program with the highest level of student engagement.

Requirements

Course of Study

The Health Care Administration program offers a four-year curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Health Care Administration. The curriculum includes all necessary requirements for a minor in business administration. Students begin by taking freshman- and sophomore-level foundation courses in the biological and health sciences, health information administration, as well as the liberal arts. This coursework provides a solid basis for the advanced study of healthcare administration that follows. Successful completion of a faculty-supervised, semester-long internship (minimum of 120 hours) at an approved healthcare agency or related industry is required in the senior year.

Admission to the Major

The Health Care Administration program will consider applications to the major at the end of each semester, as long as the student's cumulative UWM GPA is 2.5 or above, the student has completed the admission prerequisite courses, and the student has met the grade requirements for required courses. Students are encouraged to apply to the major as soon as they meet these requirements and have achieved sophomore status.

Application forms for admission to the major in HCA can be accessed online or can be requested from the College of Health Professions and Sciences (CHPS) Office of Student Affairs. Completed application forms and copies of transcripts of previous college work can be submitted to the CHPS Office of Student Affairs. The following courses are prerequisites for admission to the major:

Students are required to earn a grade of C or higher in all required courses. 

No student applying to the program with a cumulative UWM GPA lower than 2.5 will be admitted. A student whose cumulative UWM GPA falls below 2.5 will be placed on probationary status and will not be able to graduate with the degree in Health Care Administration until their cumulative UWM GPA is 2.5 or higher. Students remaining on probation for more than two consecutive semesters will be dismissed from the major.

Requirements for Internship

The faculty-supervised internship (minimum of 120 hours) is an integral component of the Health Care Administration major. Students, under the direction of a preceptor, are given opportunities for management-related experience in local, national, and international healthcare organizations and related industries. Students must be admitted to the major and complete the internship application form by October 1 to be considered for the spring semester and March 1 for the fall semester. Summer internships will be considered for approval on a case-by-case basis, and the application deadline is March 1. Prior to internship, students must complete a background check and must meet physical and health screening requirements.

Graduation Requirements

The following requirements must be met to graduate:

1. Completion of the required credits;
2. A cumulative UWM GPA of 2.5;
3. A grade of C or better in all required courses; and
4. Completion of all University General Education Requirements.

Degree Requirements

¹

General Education Requirements (GERs): The courses required within the HCA curriculum satisfy the University's General Education Requirements for Cultural Diversity, Social Sciences, Quantitative Literacy, and Oral and Written Communication; students should use their elective credits to satisfy GER requirements for Natural Sciences, Humanities, Arts, and Foreign Language requirements.

Curriculum for the Health Care Administration Major

¹

General Education Requirements (GERs): The courses required within the HCA curriculum satisfy the University's General Education Requirements for Cultural Diversity, Social Sciences, Quantitative Literacy, and Oral and Written Communication; students should use their elective credits to satisfy GER requirements for Natural Sciences, Humanities, Arts, and Foreign Language requirements.

Health Care Administration BS Program Competencies

Data Analytics and Assessment Skills  

Data Analytics and Assessment Skills focus on identifying, collecting, and understanding data; employing and evaluating rigorous methods for assessing needs and assets to address community health needs; and using evidence for decision making to improve the health of communities. 

Policy Development and Program Planning Skills 

Policy Development and Program Planning Skills focus on developing, implementing, and evaluating policies, programs, and services; engaging in quality improvement for organizational and community planning; and influencing policies and programs to impact health and well-being for all. 

Communication Skills 

Communication Skills focus on employing effective communications strategies to convey information and combat misinformation and disinformation; assessing and addressing population literacy, language, and culture; soliciting and using community input; identifying opportunities to communicate data and information; communicating the roles of government, healthcare, and others; facilitating communications; and building trust with communities. 

Cultural Competency Skills/Health Equity Skills 

Cultural Competency Skills/Health Equity Skills focus on recognizing and responding to diversity of the workforce and populations served; applying principles of ethics, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice to policies and programs; committing to continuous self-reflection; reevaluating organizational policies; and advocating to reduce systemic barriers that further health inequities. 

Community Partnership Skills 

Community Partnership Skills focus on understanding and developing relationships within the community; advancing collaboration while ensuring community power and ownership; defending public health policies, programs, and services; and evaluating effectiveness to improve community health and resilience. 

Health Sciences Skills 

Health Sciences Skills focus on using and contributing to the evidence base; understanding historical systems, policies, and events impacting public health; critiquing and developing research; using evidence when developing policies and programs; and establishing cross-sector partnerships to improve the public’s health. 

Management and Finance Skills 

Management and Finance Skills focus on securing, managing, and engaging human and financial resources; supporting professional development and contingency planning to achieve program and organizational goals using principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice; developing and defending budgets; motivating personnel; evaluating and improving program and organization performance; and establishing and using performance management systems to improve organization performance. 

Leadership and Systems Thinking Skills 

Leadership and Systems Thinking Skills focus on understanding and engaging with cross-sector partners and inter-related systems; creating opportunities for collaboration among public health, healthcare, and other organizations to improve the health of communities; building confidence and trust with staff, partners, and the public; identifying emerging needs; and developing a shared vision to engage with politicians, policymakers, and public health to advocate for the role of organizations and governmental public health. 

Honors in the Major

Honors in the major are granted to students who earn a GPA of 3.500 or above on a minimum of 30 completed credits at UWM.

College of Health Professions and Sciences Dean's Honor List

GPA of 3.500 or above, earned on a full-time student's GPA on 12 or more graded credits in a given semester.

Honors College Degree and Honors College Degree with Distinction

Granted to graduating seniors who complete Honors College requirements, as listed in the Honors College section of this site.

Commencement Honors

Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester, will receive all-university commencement honors and be awarded the traditional gold cord at the December or May Honors Convocation. Please note that for honors calculation, the GPA is not rounded and is truncated at the third decimal (e.g., 3.499).

Final Honors

Earned on a minimum of 60 graded UWM credits: Cum Laude - 3.500 or above; Magna Cum Laude - 3.650 or above; Summa Cum Laude - 3.800 or above.