UAMS, Walton College team up to offer Healthcare Management MBA

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 241 views 

The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas is collaborating with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health to offer a Healthcare Management track for its Executive Master in Business Administration program.

Beginning this summer, according to a UA news release, students in the Executive MBA program will be able to choose Healthcare Management as their area of concentration. The program is offered to working professionals through a convenient hybrid learning format.

“We are responding to a need in our state for more home-grown managers and administrators who understand and are uniquely qualified to formulate innovative solutions to the health care challenges facing Arkansans,” Walton College dean Matt Waller said in the release. “The Executive MBA program in health administration is a great opportunity for the Walton College and UAMS College of Public Health to collaborate to benefit health care across all of Arkansas.”

The Executive MBA program will offer a mix of online classes and face-to-face classes one Saturday each month. The partnership gives students the opportunity to take health care courses through the Health Administration Program at the UAMS College of Public Health. The Healthcare Management program will also be offered as a stand-alone certificate through the UAMS College of Public Health.

“We are beyond excited to be working with the Walton College on this effort,” said Mick Tilford, professor and chair of the Health Policy and Management Department at the UAMS College of Public Health. “Students can either earn a certificate in Healthcare Management or take the courses with them to continue on in the Executive M.B.A. program at the University of Arkansas.”

The program is designed for individuals seeking formal training in health care management such as clinicians desiring advancement into leadership roles; new leaders in need of health care management training, especially health care reform; and human resource managers moving into health care organizations.

To be considered for admission, an applicant must have a bachelor’s degree and three or more years of professional experience in a management position or have a clinical or professional degree.

“We seek to enroll 20 experienced professionals without formal management training into the program,” Tilford said. “There is a need for executives that have formal training in business and health care management.”

The Healthcare Management curriculum is made up of four classes and can be completed in just two semesters. Courses include: The Health Care System, Health Law, Healthcare Quality Management and Information Systems, and Introduction to Health Systems Financial Management.