Health Systems and Administration
Elevate Your Career. Innovate Health Care Delivery. Transform Patient Care.
Ida Moffett School of Nursing’s online Health Systems and Administration prepares nurses for roles in health systems and nursing leadership. Graduates earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) and are equipped with the educational requirements necessary to sit for select national certification exams.
Health Systems and Administration students choose from two unique concentrations: Health Systems and Administration and Informatics. The plans of study are interprofessional and integrate courses from programs throughout Samford's College of Health Sciences, including nursing, healthcare administration, informatics and public health.
Concentrations
Health Systems and Administration Concentration
In today's increasingly complex health care environment, nurse leaders need holistic, analytical and inter-professional preparation. If you are looking to provide leadership in nursing or health systems, the health systems administration concentration is for you.
This concentration prepares nurses to:
- Influence the entire health care delivery system
- Lead clinical operations excellence and system change
- Critically analyze health care outcomes and create innovative health care models
- Serve as an expert in fiscal management and strategic planning
Potential career paths include chief executive officer, chief operating officer, consultant, director of nursing, nurse manager and service line director.
Informatics Concentration
Emerging nursing informatics leadership roles are critical to bridging new care delivery models into clinical practice utilizing innovative technology solutions. If you are interested in leading the implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) and the planning, design, evaluation and optimization of health information technology, this concentration is for you.
This concentration prepares nurses to:
- Lead robust system implementation and optimization of information technology
- Use Big Data analytics to drive innovation in care delivery and decision support
- Serve as an expert in fiscal management and strategic planning
Potential career paths include chief nursing informatics officer, clinical analyst, consultant, director of clinical analytics, nursing informatics specialist and telehealth.
Why Samford?
- Earn a graduate degree online without having to relocate
- Participate in cutting edge, web-based learning with clinical experiences close to home
- Access all coursework and resources anywhere, anytime and from any internet-connected electronic device
- Receive close, personal attention from highly educated and experienced faculty who are readily available to you
- Experience a rich traditional of high academic standards and quality education practices
Admission Requirements and Criteria
Entry month: January
Slate Application Deadline: August 1
Health Systems Administration Admission Criteria
- Unencumbered licensure as a registered nurse
- B.S.N. from CCNE, CNEA, or ACEN (formerly NLNAC) and regionally accredited program
- Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in nursing courses
- A video submission
- One undergraduate course in nursing research with a grade of C (2.0) or better
- One undergraduate health assessment course with a grade of B (3.0) or better
- International applicants (applicants who are not United States citizens or Permanent Residents) must contact the director of graduate student services for detailed program requirements
- American citizens or Permanent Residents who learned English as a second language must score at least 575 (paper) or 90 (internet) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
- If accepted, a non-refundable fee of $750 is required to secure admission to the program. This fee is applied to the first semester's tuition.
- Should any of the above conditions not be met, the applicant may be considered on an individual basis.
Application Process
Applications to the Health Systems and Administration program are submitted online through Slate.
Transcripts can be sent electronically to admission@samford.edu or by mail to:
Office of Admission
800 Lakeshore Drive
Birmingham, AL 35229
Plans of Study and Clinical Requirements
Tuition and Fees
| Fee | Amount | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | $50 | Each application - Non-refundable |
| Tuition | $850 | Per credit semester/term |
| Admission Deposit | $750 | Non-refundable |
| University Technology Fee | $175 | Each semester/term |
| School of Nursing Technology Fee | $150 | Each semester/term |
| Online Course Fee* | $100 | Per online course |
| Drug Screening Fee | $40 | One-time charge |
| Additional Drug Screening Fee | $40 | Incurred |
| ESS Compliance Fee | $90 | One-time charge |
| Typhon Fee - NURG720 | $90 | One-time charge |
| Course Fee - HIIM502 | $70 | One-time charge per course |
| Course Fee - HIIM503 | $70 | One-time charge per course |
*Does not include clinical or practicum courses
