Master of Science (Health Administration)

Admission requirements

Applicants must normally hold an approved degree or an equivalent qualification from an approved tertiary institution and have not less than four years' professional experience in the health or aged care sector following completion of the degree or equivalent qualification.

All applicants will be asked to provide a curriculum vitae detailing their relevant work experience and a 800-1000 word preliminary research proposal.

Students who have completed the Graduate Diploma in Health Administration or equivalent or 36 units of coursework in the Master of Health Administration or equivalent, will be eligible to apply for admission or transfer to the Master of Science (Health Administration) if they have the required professional experience (as above), have achieved a grade of Credit or better in each topic and have presented an acceptable draft thesis proposal and nomination of a potential principal supervisor holding full academic status within the University. These students will be granted credit for the 36 units of coursework and need only complete the thesis component of the program.

Credit may be granted for other comparable prior studies.

Course aims

The course aims to enhance the competencies of middle level health and aged care managers, equipping them to move to more senior management positions. In particular the course will provide the opportunity for students to undertake thesis research on an issue of importance to their industry.

These aims are accomplished by utilising the expertise of our teaching staff (who are also experienced managers) and of health and aged care leaders in both the public and private sectors who lecture in the program.

Progression to the thesis will be limited to experienced health or aged care managers who have completed the 36 units of coursework with a Credit or better. The 36-unit thesis will call for a close collaboration with the industry, and will involve the student in the identification of industry experts who may be prepared to provide field supervision.

The course prepares graduates for entry to the Australasian College of Health Service Management and assists medical practitioners to enter the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:

apply knowledge of management methods to their practice in managing people and resources
use critical analysis and available evidence to address problems and opportunities in health and aged care policy and practice
negotiate ethical and practice dilemmas and apply their skills and knowledge to achieving better outcomes for communities, clients and staff
provide leadership at a more senior level, and enhance their careers
undertake research projects in health and aged care management using appropriate research methods and following recognised research protocols.

Program of study

To qualify for the Master of Science (Health Administration), a student must complete the 72 units with a grade of Credit or better in each coursework topic, and a P or NGP or better for the thesis, according to the following program of study:

36 units of coursework; and
a 36-unit thesis in Health Service Management (HACM9400A & HACM9400B).

Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.

Note: The introductory core topics HACM9100, HACM9101 and HACM9102 should normally be completed prior to other core and option topics.

Core - Year 1 & 2 topics

63 units comprising:

HACM9100  Leadership in Health and Aged Care (4.5 units)
HACM9101  Leading Organisations in Health and Aged Care (4.5 units)
HACM9102  Financial Management and Economics in Health and Aged Care (4.5 units)
HACM9200  Health and Aged Care Systems and Policy (4.5 units)
HACM9201  Health Law and Ethics (4.5 units)
HACM9202  Safety and Quality in Health Care (4.5 units)
HACM9400A  Thesis in Health Care Management (18 units)
HACM9400B  Thesis in Health Care Management (18 units)

Plus 9 units of approved graduate-level research methods topics to be chosen in consultation with the Course Coordinator.

The award of a grade of Fail (F) in 9 or more units, or the award of a grade of Fail (F) in the same topic on more than one occasion, may constitute prima facie evidence of unsatisfactory progress for the purposes of the University's Policy on Student Progress.

Except with permission of the Dean (Education):

students must complete all coursework topics before undertaking the thesis. Students who complete the topics satisfactorily but do not achieve the required grades may be awarded the Graduate Diploma in Health Administration;
the program must be completed full-time within eight consecutive semesters or part-time within twelve consecutive semesters. A lesser period may be set for students granted credit for previous studies.

Every effort has been made to ensure the information published on the Course Rule pages is accurate at the time of publication. Flinders University reserves the right to amend its curriculum without prior notice, and will update the Course Rules to reflect any amendments at the earliest opportunity.