Master of Science in Health Services Administration – Distance Learning
Duration:
3 Semesters
Qualification Awarded:
Master of Science in Health Services Administration (MScHSA)
Language:
English
Mode of Study:
Distance Learning
Earn a Master of Science in Health Services Administration (MScHSA) Online
The University of Nicosia (UNIC) MScHSA recognizes that leaders need to leverage the most up-to-date technology to stay relevant and innovate in the dynamic field of Health Services.
Accelerate your leadership skills, cultivate entrepreneurship and prepare for crises management with this Master’s degree for working professionals.
A primary goal of the MScHSA is to equip professionals and managers in hospitals, clinics, pharmaceuticals, insurance firms, biotechnology firms, and other health-related settings, with the crucial skills to manage and lead profitable healthcare organizations while, at the same time, delivering high quality services with patient safety at the forefront.
Students acquire managerial and leadership skills in key areas such as operations management, crises management, legal and ethical decision making, finance, epidemiology, biostatistics, human resource management, health economics, clinical systems management, managerial accounting, quality management, patient safety and more. All offered courses have been designed specifically for the health services sector with a focus on current technology driving innovation in this industry.
Why a Master of Science in Health Services Administration Online at UNIC.
Who is this Programme for
The MScHSA is a perfect fit for…
Why Study Health Services Administration?
A unique feature of the MScHSA programme is its emphasis on the innovative technologies which are re-shaping health services.
“Today health is one of the most importantly developing sectors. During my course students will learn about the contribution of health systems to health improvement across the world. ”
“The speed of change in healthcare is unprecedented. New technologies, genetic therapies, and scientific discoveries are transforming the way we care for patients. ”
“In an increasingly digitised environment, it is important to understand and appreciate the potential of information systems and digital technologies on healthcare provision.”
Programme Overview
The Master of Science in Health Services Administration (MScHSA) is a new programme offered by the University of Nicosia Medical School. This modern programme aims to rigorously prepare students for leadership positions in the rapidly growing field of health services. It serves to advance professionals’ careers within the health service industry locally and internationally.
A primary goal of the MScHSA is to equip professionals and managers in hospitals, clinics, pharmaceuticals, insurance firms, biotechnology firms, and other health-related settings, with the crucial skills to manage and lead profitable healthcare organizations while, at the same time, delivering high quality services with patient safety at the forefront.
Leadership in Healthcare
Students acquire managerial and leadership skills in key areas such as operations management, legal and ethical decision making, finance, epidemiology, biostatistics, human resource management, health economics, clinical systems management, managerial accounting, quality management, patient safety and more.
All offered courses have been designed specifically for the health services sector. Through utilization of theory, in a research project, field project, or elective pathway, this coursework allows students to analyse complex workplace management.
Entrepreneurship in Healthcare
This dynamic programme emphasizes entrepreneurship in the health care industry. It challenges students to pursue advanced initiatives and address existing problems in their current work environments through the development of business plans and the implementation of field projects.
For instance, students could pursue the implementation of new systems and processes in order to reduce patient waiting times in their hospital/clinic. Another example in this course pathway would be to prepare a business plan for establishing an integrated practice unit in a hospital.
Managing a Crisis such as a Pandemic
Students of the MScHSA will acquire crisis management skills enabling them to respond effectively to adverse situations. For instance, in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, essential elements of the program include: knowledge on how pandemics spread within a population, evaluation of measures which could limit such spread, an understanding of how hospital settings and facilities should be structured to increase effectiveness and ensure the safety of both patients and healthcare personnel, as well as an understanding of how new technologies (e.g. telemedicine and big data analytics) could be of assistance. Moreover, students will explore the redistribution of resources in setting up crisis management plans.
Student Outcomes
Our multidisciplinary curriculum focuses on current and emerging issues in the global healthcare industry and prepares graduates to tackle real world challenges in leadership positions at the local, national and international level. Upon graduation, they will be able to pursue or further their career in a multitude of settings, such as hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, insurance firms, health departments, biotechnology firms, start-ups and more. Specifically, graduates can manage and lead healthcare organisations and units through critical evaluation of the industry, efficient operational management, prudent financial planning and effective human resource management. Within our international medical programmes, our graduates have a 99% career placement rate. The strong emphasis on innovation and technological advancements enables graduates to provide vision and initiate strategic change in healthcare organisations.
Programme’s aims and objectives
The main aims of the programme are to enable students to:
- Effectively manage organizations and units in the health services industry with emphasis on quality and patient safety and through the examination of a multitude of factors influencing health services, such as clinical, economic, ethical, political, technical, social, behavioural and environmental.
- Integrate general business management theories and practices with the unique environment of the health services industry, addressing its challenges and opportunities.
- Provide vision, strategic direction and enable change for organizations in the fast transforming health services environment.
- Assess national health system reforms and identify best practices.
- Exploit the potential provided by technology, innovation and entrepreneurship in transforming healthcare practice and organizations.
The specific objectives of the programme are to:
- Introduce and analyse the concepts of Epidemiology and Public Health and highlight their importance for ensuring disease prevention, wellbeing and prosperity in populations.
- Examine the key themes associated with managing human resources and leading individuals and teams, with emphasis on the health services industry.
- Enable students to utilize basic methods and techniques for analysing and interpreting financial information.
- Expose students to the core concepts of Health Economics, with an emphasis on dealing with efficiency and effectiveness in healthcare.
- Discuss patients-centered care and the importance of Patients-Reported-Outcomes (PROMs).
- Discuss the process of implementing a new technology and its clinical benefits.
- Introduce operations management concept and methodologies which are employed in a hospital, emphasizing their use in decision making.
- Introduce the concepts of quality assurance and total quality management in healthcare.
- Understand the fundamental principles and lessons of the patient safety movement.
- Discuss in detail modern health information systems and the effective use of these systems and technologies in health organizations.
- Provide deep understanding of ethics relevant for Public Health professionals.
- Analyze the ways in which health services can be configured to deal effectively with the 21st century disease burden, as well as meet continuously propagating expectations for improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare services.
- Examine critically several national health reforms and healthcare systems (both mature and emerging) in a comparative manner, focusing on their respective strengths and weaknesses and identifying best practices that may have wider application.
- Introduce the basic principles of innovation and entrepreneurship and to demonstrate their value in the ongoing improvement of healthcare and population health.
- Discuss the multitude of issues involved in the formation and implementation of strategy in the healthcare sector (e.g. strategy performance and evaluation, strategy development process, leadership and strategic change).
- Allow the student to approach a variety of problem situations commonly encountered in the healthcare marketing management.
- Apply the research methodologies and skills acquired throughout the programme by conducting an independent research project aiming at dealing with a topic of Public Health and Healthcare importance.
Programme Outcomes
Graduates of the MSc HSA programme will be able to:
- Be able to integrate general business management theories and practices with the unique environment of the health services industry, addressing its challenges and opportunities.
- Be equipped with the necessary knowledge, tools and skills to effectively manage organizations and units in the health services industry through the examination of a multitude of factors influencing health services, such as clinical, economic, ethical, political, technical, social, behavioural and environmental.
Specifically, they will:
- Evaluate the components of the healthcare services industry and assess its current trends, opportunities and threats.
- Perform an internal analysis of a healthcare organization, generate strategic options for the future and lead the required change.
- Evaluate how technology, big data analytics, innovation and entrepreneurship transform the healthcare practice and provide new opportunities.
- Review operational practices to achieve high quality and patient safety in general hospital and clinical settings.
- Apply accounting, health economics and insurance principles to healthcare organizations.
- Apply marketing theories and practices to healthcare organizations.
- Apply the basic principles and practices of epidemiology and biostatistics.
- Provide leadership and effectively manage people and teams in a healthcare organization.
- Analyse healthcare legislation, regulation and ethical considerations.
- Perform a comparative assessment of different national health systems identifying best practices and common themes.
- Conduct high quality research in healthcare organizational settings.
Innovative and Modern Curriculum
This dynamic programme is tailored to the needs of fulltime working professionals and new graduates. The MScHSA is delivered over 3 semesters (18 months full-time, or up to 4 years part-time) and features 3 core courses in each of Semesters 1 and 2. Semester 3 provides students with the opportunity to choose one of the three elective paths, depending on their own professional development goals.
Students determine their time schedule, study pace and workload by choosing the number of courses per semester. In addition, the distance learning mode, comprising online interactive lectures, tutorials, activities and assignments, allows study outside normal working hours, as well as autonomy and control.
Internationally Renowned Faculty
To realise our vision of serving as a centre of excellence in health services administration education, we have brought together experts from around the world. Our faculty have extensive experience of teaching, working and conducting research in this exciting field and each course is taught by a leader in their field.
Online Education at UNIC
The First University in the EU to be awarded 5 QS Stars in Distance Education
Our University has been a pioneer in online/distance learning education in Europe, supporting both its own degree programmes, as well as those of its joint degree partners.
UNIC is the first university in the European Union to be awarded a 5-Star QS rating for Online/Distance Learning by the QS Intelligence Unit and the first university globally to receive triple accreditation for its online learning quality. This makes UNIC one of the 14 universities in the world to date that have been awarded a 5-Star rating.
The latest edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, released on 12 October 2022, reaffirms the University of Nicosia’s (UNIC) global standing, ranking it among the Top 501-600 universities in the world. Correspondingly, UNIC ranks 157th in the European Union, 2nd in Cyprus and 4th among the Cypriot and Greek Universities. One of the core areas in which the University demonstrably continues to excel in the THE WUR is International Outlook, where UNIC ranked 47th globally.
The results of this year’s World University Rankings are the latest in a succession of distinctions bestowed on UNIC by Times Higher Education. Along with its inclusion in the Top 501-600 universities in the world (THE WUR table), UNIC was ranked:
- 179th among the universities in the world that are 50 years old or younger by the 2022 THE Young University Rankings;
- 122nd among the universities of countries or regions classified by the London Stock Exchange’s FTSE Group as “Emerging” by the 2022 THE Emerging Economies Rankings;
- Among the Top 201-250 universities in the world in (a) Business and Economics and (b) Education, by the 2022 THE World University Rankings by Subject, which correspondingly places UNIC as the 1st and 2nd correspondingly, ranked university in Cyprus and Greece, and among the Top 50 universities in the European Union, in these subject areas; and
- 36th in the world in the core area of Quality Education by the 2022 THE Impact Rankings.
Programme Structure
The programme is divided into three semesters. Core courses are taught in semesters one and two and must be successfully completed before selecting any course from semester three. In semester three, students can opt to complete a research or, field project route, or to complete three electives from a choice of six courses.
All MScHSA courses and related synchronous activities are scheduled to be held during the following days/times during the 2022-2023 academic year so as to ensure optimal flexibility: Mon-Fri 2pm-9pm and/or Sat 10am-1pm (EET/EEST – Cyprus time).
Based on the above and students’ concomitant professional and/or other responsibilities, students may opt to enroll as either full-time or part-time students in the MScHSA programme.
Semester Breakdown
| Semester 1* | |
|---|---|
| Course code/Title | Description | Course Leads |
| HSA-511 | Epidemiology and Biostatistics | Dr Christos Varounis, Dr Elena Critselis |
| HSA-512 | Managing Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour in Health Care Organisations | Dr Christos Varounis |
| HSA-513 | Managing Financial Resources, Health Economics and Insurance | Dr Melpo Iacovidou |
| Semester 2* | |
|---|---|
| Course code/Title | Description | Course Leads |
| HSA-521 | Clinical Systems Management | Dr Raoul Hecker |
| HSA-522 | Hospital Operations, Patient Safety and Quality | Prof George Tsiotras |
| HSA-523 | Managing Health Information Systems | Prof Niki Panteli |
| Semester 3 | |
|---|---|
| Option 1: Research Pathway | |
| HSA-590 | Research Methods and Methodology | Dr Elena Critselis |
| HSA-596 | Research Project | Dr Elena Critselis |
| Option 2: Elective Pathway | |
| HSA-590 | Research Methods and Methodology | Dr Elena Critselis |
| Plus two elective courses chosen from the following: | |
| HSA-531 | Ethical and Legal Dimensions of Public Health and Health | Dr Eirini Kampriani |
| HSA-532 | Comparative Health Care Systems in the World | Prof Richard Alderslade |
| HSA-533 | Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Health | Dr Ariana Polyviou |
| HSA-534 | Strategic Management in Health Care Organisations | Dr Neophytos Karamanos |
| HSA-535 | Managing Marketing in Health Services | Dr Paraskevi Dekoulou |
| Option 3: Applied Field Project Pathway |
| HSA-585 | Field Project | Dr Neophytos Karamanos |
| Plus one elective course chosen from the following: | |
| HSA-533 | Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Health | Dr Ariana Polyviou |
| HSA-590 | Research Methods and Methodology | Dr Elena Critselis |
*All required courses 30 ECTS
Graduation
Students must complete 90 ECTS and all programme requirements.
A minimum cumulative grade point average (CPA) of 2.0 is required. Thus, although a ‘D-’ is a Pass grade, in order to achieve a CPA of 2.0 an average grade of ‘C’ is required.