If you aspire to become a leader in a healthcare environment, it might just be time to learn more about the MBA in Healthcare Management. MBA programs all aim to build better leaders and more well-rounded business professionals, but there are concentrations that you can choose from to ensure that you cover information that is relevant to the field that you want to work in. One of these concentrations is in Healthcare Management, which is an advanced business degree program that will prepare you for upper-level leadership roles in clinics, physician’s offices and hospital. Read on and learn more about admissions requirements, the curriculum you must complete, and what types of roles you can play after you graduate.

The Core Curriculum for MBA Students

Students who want to gain an understanding of the business that takes place within the healthcare arena will be a perfect fit for this advanced program. The best programs will address real-world issues that arise in healthcare and will also take an academic approach to teaching some of the common trends and practices. Much of the core coursework that you will take will be focused around the traditional business administration practices and disciplines. These include: finance, human resources, accounting, marketing, business operations, IT and leadership.

Courses Relating to Healthcare Management for MBA Students

While all students will take the core curriculum that a student who is studying for a general degree would, you will also take specialization courses in place of electives. These courses will all relate to healthcare and management issues that could arise. The purpose of the courses will be to address social and organizations challenges healthcare workers often deal with and also to introduce trends in informatics and quality care initiatives and medical law. While the actual course requirements vary from school to school, common requirements include:

• Healthcare Informatics
• Healthcare Administration Topics
• Organizations Issues in Healthcare
• Ethics in Healthcare
• Health Services Systems
• Financial Management in Health Institutions
• Health Policy
• Legal Aspects of Health Care
• Health Care Marketing
• Business Models and Impact of E-Health Systems
• Global Health in the Private Sector

Requirements to Enter an MBA Healthcare Management Program

Before you can even contemplate applying to earn your MBA you need to fulfill the prerequisite requirements. These requirements vary from school to school, but all business schools that grant MBA degrees will verify that you have already earned your bachelor’s degree and that you earned it from a regionally or nationally accredited school, according to the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education.

There is no real major requirement, but you will have to complete some introductory courses in business so that you can keep up with the advanced curriculum. To show that you are competent and can handle the topics, you will need to take an entrance or admissions exam called the Graduate Management Admissions Test. Each school has a minimum score requirement and you should look into this to see how competitive admissions is for a certain program.

Related Resource: Specialize an Executive MBA

An MBA that concentrates on Healthcare Management can help you become a more qualified candidate for leadership roles in small and large health institutions. Since the field is growing and more and more professionals are switching career lanes to work in administration, it is important that you find ways to set yourself apart. Consider earning an MBA in Healthcare Management and you will have a leg up on the competition.