Samford University’s Department of Healthcare Administration and Informatics is dedicated to creating leaders who embrace servant leadership and demonstrate a commitment to Christian values and principles through serving the community. The department is comprised of two undergraduate majors and two graduate degrees, along with a joint degree program offered with Samford's Brock School of Business.
The M.H.A. program has helped me grow into a well-round, responsible and driven student. It has helped me explore my interests and strengthen my weaknesses.Alan Troxell, B.S. in Healthcare Administration, '18, Master of Healthcare Administration '20, School of Public Health
Students in all four degree programs are expected to complete service-learning projects through student-led projects, department-led projects and independent endeavors. To fully serve a community, leaders must know the community.
Undergraduate Majors and Minors
Healthcare Administration Major
This undergraduate degree prepares students for entry-level management position in healthcare organizations or admission into a graduate program. The degree allows graduates to join the workforce in a variety of areas including fellowships, hospitals, clinics, public health department, consulting firms, insurance agencies and government entities.
Health Information Management Major
This undergraduate degree prepares students to be a critical link between health care providers and their patients by being an expert in managing patient health information and possessing comprehensive knowledge of medical administrative, ethical and legal requirements/standards relating to health care delivery.
Healthcare Administration Minor
The Healthcare Administration minor is designed to provide fundamental health care executive knowledge and competency from the sophomore year culminating in the senior year. Healthcare administration allows individuals the flexibility to explore their true passion and area of excellence while being gainfully employed.
Health Informatics and Information Management Minor
Students minoring in health informatics and information management will gain knowledge of legal, administrative, regulatory requirements, and use of health data. Health informatics, clinical and health information technologies, data management, and health care quality will also be explored. The minor is open to all Samford students and is a compliment to any undergraduate major.
Graduate Degrees
Master of Healthcare Administration
This online graduate degree is designed to provide mastery in communication, leadership, professionalism, business knowledge and healthcare systems competencies as well as a competitive edge in project management and quality improvement. Students have the flexibility to work full-time while pursuing a graduate education.
Master of Science in Health Informatics
Samford's online Master of Science in health informatics provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to plan, build, analyze and run the digital foundations of modern health care. The degree combines a rigorous set of health informatics courses with the patient-centered values.
Joint Master of Healthcare Administration/Master of Business Administration
In coordination with Samford's Brock School of Business, graduate students can pursue a joint Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.). With its full-time plan of study, students are able to complete both degrees fully online in just three years.
Mission, Vision and Values
Mission
The mission of the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration program is to train servant leaders who have a global perspective by providing a foundation in healthcare executive competencies through an inter-professional curriculum for entry-level management positions.
The mission of the Master of Healthcare Administration (M.H.A.) is to prepare individuals for career transitions in healthcare management careers which foster patient-centered and ethical care.
Vision
The Department of Healthcare Administration aspires to prepare practice-ready graduates through innovation and quality teaching and learning with a commitment to servant leadership in local and international underserved populations.
Core Values
The Department of Healthcare Administration values the following as central to our success:
- Christian-Based Education: We are committed to integrating our Christian faith and beliefs in our delivery of healthcare administration education.
- Servant Leadership: We are committed to leading through our service. The faculty and students strive to model dynamic leadership that puts others first. We strive to contribute to the benefit of the local and global community as both faculty and students.
- Excellence: We pursue excellence within the department through opportunities for achievement in scholarship, service and research.
- Practice-Ready: We are committed to preparing students who are ready to practice upon graduation.
- Respect for diversity: We are committed to respecting the differences in others by learning to appreciate the different cultures of the populations that we serve.
- Integrity: We are committed to operating in an environment that values honesty, fairness and the highest ethical standards to sustain a community of trust.
- Empowerment: We encourage personal accountability for success through shared governance in academic pursuits.
Competency Based Education
Healthcare administration education is a competency based curriculum. The competency model is based upon the ACHE Healthcare Executive Competencies and Assessment Tool developed by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance and the American College of Healthcare Executives. The curriculum is designed to provide competency communication, leadership, professionalism, business knowledge and healthcare systems with unique specializations at the graduate level.