Program overview

The joint Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management/Master of Health Services Administration Program (BSHIM/MHSA) is offered through the Department of Health Policy and Management and the Department of Health Information Management at the University of Kansas. By participating in the intensive, full-time bridge program, students can achieve both degrees in five years.

Students pursuing the BSHIM/MHSA option will be prepared to assume management and executive positions in health-related organizations (e.g., hospitals, managed care organizations, health information system developers and vendors, and pharmaceutical companies) and to bring their expertise in health information management to these positions. Today, as never before, the health care sector is under tremendous pressure to significantly elevate its ability to control, organize, and manage its information resources in efforts to make health care safer and more affordable. Successfully addressing these challenges will depend on individuals who are well trained in the fields of health information management and health services administration.

Curricular overview

Prior to entering the BSHIM Program on the KUMC campus, students must complete the following pre-requisite coursework: Composition, Composition and Literature, Technical Writing, Speaker-Audience Communication, Principles and Biology (with lab), Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, Financial Accounting, General Psychology, Elements of Sociology, six hours of humanities coursework, and twenty-four hours of elective coursework. A minimum of sixty-three hours of completed coursework is required for entry into the BSHIM Program.

The following outlines coursework in Years 3, 4, and 5 of the BSHIM/MHSA Program. This coursework would be taken on the KUMC campus. Year 3 would consist of BSHIM courses, while Years 4 and 5 would be a mixture of BSHIM and MHSA coursework and Year 5 would be composed of MHSA courses.

The Department of Health Policy and Management admits students to the BSHIM/MHSA bridge program in an annual screening cycle, with each class beginning their studies in the spring semester of their senior year in the HIM program. The intensive nature of the BSHIM/MHSA bridge year of study includes MHSA coursework that is usually distributed over two years. This thirteen-month period entails approximately 20 clock hours of in-class time per week, in addition to study time. Consequently, it is not advisable, and students are discouraged from, engaging in paid employment during their time in the BSHIM/MHSA bridge program. Beginning in the summer semester after undergraduate studies are finished, students are expected to proceed through the BSHIM/MHSA bridge program on a full-time basis.

Admission Timeline, Process and Requirements

HIM students who are interested the BSHIM/MHSA bridge program must apply to the bridge during their Junior year, spring semester, so that they are admitted to the MHSA portion of the program prior to their Senior year in the BSHIM program. The MHSA application deadline is April 15th annually.

BSHIM/MHSA application requirements include official transcripts for all institutions attended beyond high school, with a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 (on a scale where A=4.0); a current resume; a personal statement (two pages maximum) in which the student outlines their reasons for seeking the degree; and three letters of recommendation, one of which must be from the BSHIM Program Director. Applicants must also submit to a personal admissions interview.

BSHIM/MHSA Bridge Degree Requirements

These courses comprise the current joint curriculum. The faculty may make curriculum changes from time to time.

Year 4, Fall Term (13 undergraduate credits)

HEIM 510: Professional Practice Experience I (1)

HEIM 525: Database Management for EHR (3)

HEIM 560: Coding Systems (3)

HEIM 580: Reimbursement (3)

HEIM 590: Knowledge Management (3)

Year 4, Spring Term (13 undergraduate credits; 3 graduate credits)

HEIM 567: Healthcare Quality Controls (3)

HEIM 604: Professional Practice Experience II (2)

HEIM 660: Outpatient Coding Systems (3)

HEIM 665: Topics in Health Information Management (2)

HEIM 680: Management Internship (3)

HP&M 846: Managing Information Systems and Technology (3)

Year 4, Summer (3 graduate credits)

HP&M 822: Healthcare Economics (3)

Year 5, Fall (15 graduate credits)

HP&M 825: Financial Concepts in Healthcare Management (3)

HP&M 840: Organizational Foundations for Leading Change (3)

HP&M 848: Designing Healthcare Organizations (3)

HP&M 850: Achieving Quality, Safety and Efficiency (3)

HP&M 852: Strategy Development and Marketing (3)

Year 5, Spring (15 graduate credits)

HP&M 827: Financial Applications in Healthcare Management (3)

HP&M 837: Health Policy (3)

HP&M 842: Roles, Functions and Care Models (2) (1st half of semester)

HP&M 844: Communication for the Healthcare Executive (2) (2nd half of semester)

HP&M 858: Health and Social Behavior (2)

HP&M 860: Graduate Internship in Health Services Administration (3)

Year 5, Summer (1 graduate credit)

HP&M 861: Capstone Seminar (1)