PPA Department Mission Statement

The Department of Public Policy and Administration at CSU Bakersfield will foster and improve critical thinking, communication, leadership, management, and ethical reasoning for present and future managers in government, nonprofit, and health care organizations within the San Joaquin Valley. The critical skills learned from this curriculum will ensure that managers in the government, nonprofit, and health care sectors exercise governance in an inclusive and socially responsible manner.

HCA Mission Statement

The purpose of the Master of Science in Health Care Administration Program (MSHCA) is to prepare evidence based, reflective practitioners for management and administration in health care organizations and to advance the following principle:

All health care organizations, professional groups and private and public purchasers should adopt as their explicit purpose to continually reduce the burden of illness, injury and disability and to improve the health functioning of the people of the United States. (US Guiding Principle for Health Care from President Clinton’s Advisory Council)

Professional and Academic Standards

Consistent with established university academic and professional standards, students must develop and demonstrate integrity in all activities to inspire public confidence and trust. Students and applicants found by formal review of the department, to be lacking in academic integrity or in professional ethical standards of behavior may be denied admission, placed on probation, suspended or dismissed from the programs. Such departmental actions are, of course, subject to university review and appeal.

Admission Criteria

1. Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university;
2. A grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 or above in all undergraduate course work;
3. For students with grade point averages between 2.75 and 2.99, two letters of recommendation (academic or professional) are required.
4. A resume/CV
5. A Statement of Purpose
6. For applicants whose preparatory education is principally in a language other than English, a TOEFL score of 79, Duo Lingo score of 105, PTE score of 58, or IELTS score of 6.5.
7. Application materials are subject to verification.
8. An interview may be required.

Application, Admission, and Classification

Admission to the program is a two-step process. Interested students must first apply to the University through https://www2.calstate.edu/apply

Applicants will be notified by the Graduate Programs Coordinator if additional materials need to be sent to:

MSHCA@csub.edu or mailed to:

Attn: BPA Graduate Programs Office 
School of Business & Public Administration 
Mail Stop: 20 BDC/ 120A
9001 Stockdale Hwy.
Bakersfield, CA 93311-1022

Additional information is available through the CSU Bakersfield program website and the MS HCA Program.

Students must indicate on their CSU Application for Graduate Admission that they are interested in the MS in Health Care Administration (Code 12021). Admission to the University does not constitute admission to the MSHCA programs. The Program Director will contact the student after being notified that the student has applied to the program. The Program accepts applications continuously for each semester.

Classification of Graduate Students

The admission standards recognize the need for different measures to establish the standard of quality between pre-service and in-service students. Final judgment on admission will be made by the Director based on a combination of several of the above eligibility factors. Students who meet all criteria can be admitted as Classified graduate students. Students who do not meet the GPA requirements can be admitted as Conditionally Classified graduate students but will be required to sign a contract to successfully complete the MSHCA contract requirements with a grade of “B” (3.0) in each course.

Graduation Requirements

The MSHCA degree program requires a minimum of 30 units of approved coursework including three (3) units of an applied research project (Master’s thesis), and 3 units of an internship. If the internship is satisfied by experience, a 3- unit elective may be satisfied. The Learning Goals and Objectives of the MSHCA program can be found at https://www.csub.edu/bpa/master-health-care-administration-mshca.

Course List

Code	Title	Units
MSHCA First Year Program
PPA 4010	Analytical Methods in Administration	3
HCA 5050	Manage and Finance - The Delivery of Health Care	3
HCA 5140	History and Context U.S. Health Care	3
HCA 5260	Marketing in Health and Human Service	3
HCA 5360	CQI in Health, Human Services, and Nonprofits	3
HCA 6180	Health Policy & Policy Research	3
MSHCA Second Year Program
HCA 6030	Research Methods in Administration	3
PPA 6110	Public Finance and Budgeting	3
HCA 6620	Legal & Ethical Issues in Health Care	3
Required Internship or Practicum
HCA 6860	Internship	1-3
Required Culminating Activity
HCA 6980	Applied Research Project	3
Total Units		31-33

Electives to complete the program unit requirements must be approved by the Director of the Program and may be taken in any semester.

Internship or Practicum

Graduate students who do not have two years of supervisory experience in the health care sector will be required to take a health care sector internship or Practicum. See the program director for more information.

Applied Research Project/Thesis

HCA 6980 Applied Research Project - Candidates for the MSHCA degree must complete a culminating activity in accordance with Title V of the California Administrative Code. The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate competency acquired in the graduate program. This includes mastery of knowledge in the discipline and in the ability to use theory and method in the preparation of an applied research project. Research for the thesis that involves data from human subjects must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research (IRB/HSR). For additional details, see their website at https://www.csub.edu/grasp/human-subjects-institutional-review-board.shtml.

International Students

Please contact the office for International Students through the CSUB website at https://www.csub.edu/isp.