Health Care Administration, M.S.

Admission Requirements

Interested individuals should first apply to CSULB via CalStateApply, send official transcripts from an accredited institution to CSULB Enrollment Services, and pay the CSULB application fee online.

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution is required for HCA graduate degree program admission. Applicants are expected to have completed 9.0 units of coursework in accounting, economics, and statistics (but may be in progress during the application process) and must be taken within the last ten years. Note: a passing grade in the CLEP exam will fulfill our accounting and microeconomics prerequisites. The HCA graduate degree programs admit students based on the following set of criteria:

The HCA graduate degree programs admit students based on the following set of criteria:

• GPA (3.0 or better preferred)
• GMAT or GRE score (50th percentile or above is desired)
• Previous healthcare work and management experience

(Note: five years of work experience may be substituted for the program’s GMAT or GRE score requirement)

• Undergraduate institution and major
• Strength of references and personal statement
• International experience

Due to the comprehensive nature of the criteria used in its admission model, HCA encourages any potential candidate with slightly less than a 3.0 GPA and a 50th percentile score on the GMAT or GRE to apply for the program.

Once the candidate has applied to CSULB via CalStateApply, they next should mail a separate application packet with the following documents to the HCA department:

1. A completed MSHCA Application Form (available on HCA website)
2. A current and complete resume
3. A Statement of purpose describing the applicant’s career goals in health care administration,
4. Three letters of recommendation
5. Official GMAT or GRE score (will be waived with five or more years of experience in the health care field.)

Please note that an interview with the Program Director may be required.

Prerequisites

Graduation Requirements

Advancement to Candidacy

Students will be instructed to apply for advancement to candidacy after:

1. Completion of all prerequisite courses,
2. Completion of 6.0 units of core course work that applies to the degree with an average grade of “B” or better,
3. Fulfillment of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR),and
4. Approval of Program Director.

Accelerated Program

The Master in Health Care Administration Accelerated Program (MSHCA-AP) is designed to prepare working professionals for administrative positions in health care organizations which requires a minimum five years of work experience and combines online and weekend courses. The MSHCA-AP program requires 45 credit hours consisting of 15 core courses. The program offers foundation courses early and more advanced healthcare specific courses later in the program.

Prerequisites

At least nine units of financial accounting, microeconomics, and statistics, all of which must be completed before the first semester of graduate study (but may be in progress during the application process) and must be taken within the last ten years. Note: a passing grade in the CLEP exam will fulfill our accounting and microeconomics prerequisites.

Accelerated Education Model