A new health care administration master’s program at the University of Wyoming recently produced its first group of graduates this last spring and summer. The program helps advance expertise and career prospects beyond that of already gained experience in the health care field.
The Master of Science in Health Services Administration (MSHSA) Program, which is offered by the UW School of Pharmacy, was launched in 2016 as a two-year, part-time program that consists of classes that are mostly taught online, with the students being required to travel to the UW campus twice for intensive weekend seminars.
The MSHSA program is designed for new or midcareer pharmacists and other health professionals who desire to boost their careers in the pharmaceutical and health care fields. One of the professors of the program is Scott Crawford who teaches two courses, PHCY 5160-40 and 5150-41, in the program.
“It’s an intense course, and it’s certainly not easy by any stretch of the imagination,” Crawford said. “To do it over the normal semester is tough, and over the summer is a distinct challenge. Yet most students are able to succeed in the course.”
Despite the intensity of the courses in the program, many students have stated that their experience was a positive one. Students who commented on their experiences have said that they felt the new program will make them stronger leaders and be beneficial to their careers and advancement in their careers.
“They gain the basic statistical vocabulary they are expected to know, and some decent research skills. The final project for the methods course is large and complicated, and most students do rather well, producing a document that can be understood by clients who don’t have a lot of statistical background,” Crawford said.
Of the students who completed the course this past year, 12 of the students were from Wyoming and the other came from 12 states, including Colorado, Montana, Texas, New York, California, Alabama, Maine, Pennsylvania and Florida.
In order to qualify for admission to this new program, potential students must have a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or a doctoral degree with an upper-division grade point average of 3.0 or better in any field.
Students can begin the program in the spring or fall semester. The program is open to applicants for the spring semester currently. For more information about this new program, see UWyohealthadminms.org.
