Be a leader in the business of health care.

Are you interested in health care with a role in operations and business? With a healthcare administration degree, you can work in the management and organization of healthcare delivery systems and health services.

Loyola's Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration (BSHCA) teaches the latest health industry knowledge, such as healthcare finance, quality management, and health information systems, with a solid grounding in ethics and liberal arts. Graduates are prepared for careers in the growing field of healthcare management, and are employed in hospitals systems, post-acute care agencies, insurance companies,  healthcare consulting firms, and more.

Curriculum

The BS in Healthcare Administration differs from a traditional business degree in that it focuses on understanding how the health care delivery system functions and how to best manage those functions. Students must complete 121 total credit hours to graduate. The BS in Healthcare Administration major has 78 credit hours of required courses. 

The Healthcare Administration program is guided by the External Advisory Board (EAB) and is fully certified by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA).

The following list includes all required major Healthcare Administration courses. Healthcare Administration majors will take these courses, as well as University Core, electives, business courses in the Quinlan School of Business, field internship, and a culminating capstone course. Students also have room in their program of study to add a minor, in complementary areas such as global and international studies, marketing, or bioethics. Please see the Suggested Sequence of Courses for all courses required for a B.S. in Healthcare Administration. 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
HSM 110	Healthcare in America	3
HSM 120	Essentials of Medical Terminology for Health Professionals	1
HSM 200	Careers in Healthcare Administration	2
HSM 220	Continuum of Healthcare Services	3
HSM 230	Fundamentals of Health Equity	3
HSM 240	Healthcare Workforce Environment	3
HSM 280	Healthcare Management Ethics	3
HSM 310	Healthcare Project Management	3
HSM 315	Healthcare Quality & Performance Improvement	3
HSM 325	Healthcare Fiscal Management	3
HSM 330	Healthcare Legal & Regulatory Environment	3
HSM 338	Healthcare Strategy and Marketing	3
HSM 340	Health Care Policy	3
HSM 345	Healthcare Data Analytics	3
HSM 350	Healthcare Administration Capstone	3
HSM 358	Health Services Research	3
HSM 360	Healthcare Administration Field Internship	6
HSM 368	Management of Healthcare Organizations	3
HSM 386	Health Information Systems Management	3
PSYC 101	General Psychology	3
ACCT 201	Introductory Accounting I	3
ECON 201	Principles of Microeconomics	3
FINC 301	Introductory Business Finance	3
INFS 247	Business Information Systems	3
ISSCM 241	Business Statistics	3
Select one of the following:		3
HRER 301	Principles of HR Management
ENTR 201	Introduction to Entrepreneurship
SCMG 232	Introduction to Supply Chain Management
ECON 329	Health Economics
Total Hours		78

Internship

During their senior year, students complete a field-based internship under the supervision of a preceptor. As a result of extensive relationships between the Parkinson School and Chicago area healthcare executives and organizations, students have the opportunity to complete their internship in key segments of the health care industry. The internship consists of a goal-based project of value to the organization, plus opportunities that include shadowing and networking. 

Transfer Credit

Courses taken outside of Loyola may be transferred for appropriate credit upon approval of the program advisor and provided a minimum grade of C is earned for the course. External students wishing to transfer into Loyola and the HCA program must provide official transcripts indicating a minimum 2.5 grade point average (GPA) on a four-point scale. Internal students wishing to transfer to a major in Healthcare Administration must have a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA.

Healthcare Administration University Core Curriculum 2024-2025

HCA students must complete this list of core areas:

Historical Knowledge (2 courses/6 credit hours)
Literary Knowledge (2 courses/6 credit hours)
Theological Knowledge (2 courses/6 credit hours)
Artistic Knowledge (1 course/3 credit hours)
Philosophical Knowledge (1 course/PHIL 130 Philosophy & Persons)
Scientific Knowledge (2 course/6 credit hours)
Ethics (1 course/3 credit hours)

Suggested Sequence of Courses

The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework. An individual student’s completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for a major or graduate study. Students should consult their advisor for assistance with course selection.

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall		Hours
PSYC 101	General Psychology (Fulfills Tier 2 Societal & Cultural Knowledge)	3
	Hours	3
Spring
INFS 247	Business Information Systems	3
ISSCM 241 or PSYC 304	Business Statistics or Statistics	3
ECON 201	Principles of Microeconomics	3
	Hours	9
Second Year
Fall
HSM 110	Healthcare in America	3
ACCT 201	Introductory Accounting I	3
HSM 200	Careers in Healthcare Administration	2
HSM 120	Essentials of Medical Terminology for Health Professionals	1
	Hours	9
Spring
HSM 230	Fundamentals of Health Equity	3
HSM 310	Healthcare Project Management	3
Select one of the following:		3
HSM 280	Healthcare Management Ethics (Fulfills Tier II Philosophical Knowledge) 3
PHIL 284	Health Care Ethics (Fulfills Tier II Philosophical Knowledge) 3
	Hours	9
Third Year
Fall
HSM 368	Management of Healthcare Organizations	3
HSM 345	Healthcare Data Analytics	3
HSM 386	Health Information Systems Management	3
FINC 301	Introductory Business Finance 4	3
	Hours	12
Spring
HSM 220	Continuum of Healthcare Services	3
HSM 240	Healthcare Workforce Environment	3
HSM 358	Health Services Research	3
HSM 338	Healthcare Strategy and Marketing	3
	Hours	12
Fourth Year
Fall
HSM 315	Healthcare Quality & Performance Improvement	3
HSM 330	Healthcare Legal & Regulatory Environment 3	3
HSM 340	Health Care Policy	3
Business Elective 5		3
	Hours	12
Spring
HSM 325	Healthcare Fiscal Management 6	3
HSM 350	Healthcare Administration Capstone	3
HSM 360	Healthcare Administration Field Internship	6
	Hours	12
	Total Hours	78

¹

Students assigned to UCWR 110 Writing Responsibly for spring should take a CORE in the fall

²

Students assigned to UCWR 110 Writing Responsibly for fall should take a CORE in the spring

³

PHIL 284 Health Care Ethics or HSM 280 Healthcare Management Ethics is a pre-requisite to HSM 330 Healthcare Legal & Regulatory Environment.

⁴

Statistics (ISSCM 241 Business Statisticsor PSYC 304 Statistics), ECON 201 Principles of Microeconomics and ACCT 201 Introductory Accounting I are prerequisites to FINC 301 Introductory Business Finance.

⁵

Business Selectives: ECON 329 Health Economics, ENTR 201 Introduction to Entrepreneurship, HRER 301 Principles of HR Management, or SCMG 232 Introduction to Supply Chain Management.

⁶

FINC 301 Introductory Business Finance is a prerequisite to HSM 325 Healthcare Fiscal Management.

⁷

Students are strongly encouraged to use program electives toward the following course HSM 210 Introduction to Global Healthcare Delivery.

Additional Undergraduate Graduation Requirements

All Undergraduate students are required to complete the University Core, at least one Engaged Learning course, and UNIV 101.  SCPS students are not required to take UNIV 101.  Nursing students in the Accelerated BSN program are not required to take core or UNIV 101.  You can find more information in the University Requirements area.

Learning Outcomes

• Apply fiscal and economic principles in the management of health care settings and services
• Apply organizational and management theories and principles in a variety of health care settings
• Apply principles of information management, data analysis, and quality improvement in the organization, delivery, and management of health care settings and services