Administration Health Services (DSc., Ph.D.)

View PDF of Administration Health Services (DSc.) Admissions Checklist
Prospective students should use this checklist to obtain specific admissions requirements on how to apply to Graduate School

View PDF of Administration Health Services (Ph.D.) Admissions Checklist
Prospective students should use this checklist to obtain specific admissions requirements on how to apply to Graduate School.

View PDF version of the Administration Health Services catalog description

Faculty

Nell Adkins, Associate Professor (Accounting); Corporate Taxation, Market Effects of Taxation, Mergers and Acquisitions, Valuation of Intangible Assets

Eta Berner, Professor (Health Informatics); Evaluation of Clinical Decision Support Systems and Other Health Information Technologies

Janet M. Bronstein, Associate Professor (Health Care Organization and Policy); Public Health Policy, Social and Ethical Issues in Health Care, Medicaid

Jeffrey Burkhardt, Associate Professor (Health Services Administration); Health Care Finance, Applied Health Economics

Vicki Cox-Edmondson, Associate Professor (Management): Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics, Organizational Behavior, and Constraints Management

Thomas DeCarlo, Professor, Ben S. Weil Chair in Industrial Distribution (Business); Strategic Issues in Sales Force development and Management, Interpersonal Persuasion and Decision Making, Marketing Communications

W. Jack Duncan, University Scholar and Professor (Management, Health Care Organization and Policy); Administrative Theory, Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations, Organizational Internal Analysis

Peter M. Ginter, Professor (Health Care Organization and Policy, Management); Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations and Government Agencies, Macroenvironmental Analysis

Gerald L. Glandon, Professor (Health Services Administration); Health Economics,Technology Evaluation, Policy Analysis

S. Robert Hernandez, Dr.P.H. (Professor and Director) Doctoral Program in Administration-Health Services for the School of Health Professions. Strategic Planning for Health Care Organizations, Health Care Organization Theory, Human Resources Management

Tee H. Hiett, Professor Emeritus (Health Services Administration); Health Care Computer Applications, Data Processing in Health Care

Robert E. Holmes, Professor (Management); Business Education and Reform, Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management

Howard W. Houser, Professor (Health Services Administration) History of Health Care Systems, General Administration, Comparative Health Systems

Eric Jack, Associate Professor (Operations Management); Project Management, Operations Planning and Management

Karen Kennedy, Associate Professor (Marketing); Cognitive Research, Diversity, Services Marketing, Organizational Culture, Interpersonal Trust Development, Qualitative Research Methods

Joshua C. Klapow, Assistant Professor (Health Care Organization and Policy); Outcome Evaluation, Health Related Quality of Life, Health Care Delivery Systems, Behavioral Medicine, Chronic Illness, Provider Behavior

Seung-Dong Lee, Professor (Economics); Microeconomics in Nonprofit Organizations, Econometric Studies in Health Care, International Economics

Warren S. Martin, Professor (Marketing); Survey Research, Marketing Strategy, Professional Sales Strategy, Decision Making

Stephen Mennemeyer, Associate Professor (Health Care Organization and Policy); Health Economics, Competitive Bidding, Cost-Effectiveness, Outcomes Research

Michael A. Morrisey, Professor (Health Care Organization and Policy); Health Economics, Health Care Markets, Health Insurance, Managed Care

George M. Munchus, Professor (Management); Human Resources Management, Labor Relations, Arbitration and Mediation

Philip Musa, Associate Professor (Information Systems); Knowledge Management; Systems Thinking

Steven J. O'Conner, Associate Professor (Health Services Administration); Health Care Policy and Management, Service Quality and Orientation, Stakeholder Analysis

Thomas L. Powers, Professor (Marketing); International Product Innovation, Marketing Strategy, Services Marketing, Industrial Marketing

Julio C. Rivera, Associate Professor (Information Systems); Telecommunications and Systems Analysis, Student and Faculty Computing Resources

Bisakha Sen, Assistant Professor (Health Care Organization and Policy); Health Economics, Labor Economics, Applied Microeconomics

Richard M. Shewchuk, Professor (Health Services Administration); Community-Based Intervention Development, Health and Long-Term Care Issues in Aging, Quantitative Methods

Tommie Singleton, Associate Professor (Information Systems); Systems Analysis and Design, Forensic Auditing and Systems Structure

Deborah W. Tanju, Professor (Accounting); Internal Auditing, Financial Accounting

Program Information

The Ph.D. program in Administration–Health Services is a degree program offered jointly and cooperatively by the Department of Health Services Administration in the School of Health Professions and the Graduate School of Management in the School of Business. Faculty associated with the School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Lister Hill Center for Health Policy, Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education, and Center on Aging also contribute to student learning.

The Ph.D. program is for those who wish to pursue the conceptual, philosophical, and applied aspects of administrative processes in health services, health policy, and outcomes research in health care. It provides doctoral-level study and research in administration with specific application to health services. The pedagogical focus is on developing a strong research orientation through course work, research seminars, and development of mentoring relationships. Students may choose a specialization in either strategic management or health services research. Students who are interested in pursuing academic careers are also afforded the opportunity to develop their teaching skills through course work and teaching opportunities. Job placement occurs in regional, national, and international markets. To date, over 80 graduates have taken positions in academic institutions as well as health service delivery, governmental, and consulting organizations.

Admission Requirements

An applicant should already possess a master's degree in a relevant discipline or have completed an undergraduate program with an outstanding record. Completed applications of well-qualified candidates received by January 15 may be considered for early admission. The application deadline is March 1^st. Although applications may be considered after March 1st, admission and financial aid priority is given to those applicants whose materials are complete by March 1st. Applications submitted after March 1st would be considered on a space-available basis only.

Admission recommendations are made by the Admissions and Policy Committee after examination of the candidate's qualifications, which should include a minimum GRE General Test score of 1,000 (verbal plus quantitative) or a GMAT test score of 550. All applicants whose first language is not English are also required to submit a score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A TOEFL score of 80 is required if the TOEFL taken is based on the internet version, if computer-based, the minimum score required is 213 and if the paper-based test version is taken, the minimum acceptable score is 550 or above. Consideration will also be given to the quality of the applicant's academic record, previous research experience and productivity, and estimated research potential as indicated by references.

Various forms of financial aid are available to students. Departmental research assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis and carry an obligation of 20 hours of work per week. Assistantships are awarded to incoming students for a period of one year, and may be renewable for a second year based on satisfactory work and academic progress, depending on the availability of funds. Some students are able to secure funding for additional years in the program through research assistant positions or other part-time jobs funded by faculty members’ grants and contract activities. Other forms of financial assistance include minority fellowships offered through the UAB Graduate School, paid teaching opportunities in selected undergraduate programs, and federal student loans.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite requirements include one graduate-level statistics course with computer usage, one graduate-level course on the U.S. health care system, and an introductory healthcare finance course. Incoming students who have not met these prerequisites during a master’s program may take courses prior to entering the program or during their first year of study in the program.

>Program of Study

The program of study consists of five components (1) courses in administration and health systems, (2) courses in research methodology and statistics, (3) specialization courses, (4) comprehensive examinations, and (5) the doctoral dissertation. Specializations are currently available in strategic management and health services research. Students must complete all coursework in the first three areas and pass a comprehensive examination in each before work can officially begin on the dissertation. The investigation and other special work leading to the dissertation must be performed directly under the guidance and supervision of a five-person committee of the UAB graduate faculty. The normal minimum period in which the doctoral degree can be earned is three to four years of full-time study.

Degree Completion

The granting of the Ph.D. degree is based on completion of all required coursework, residency requirements, comprehensive examinations, dissertation requirements, and the recommendation of the Administration–Health Services graduate program director and the dissertation committee.

Mission, Vision, and Values Statements

Because outstanding teaching and research are essential to the future of health care delivery in our nation and abroad, the Ph.D. program in Administration–Health Services provides doctoral-level training to individuals who will be our future health care leaders in academic and nonacademic research organizations.
We seek to recruit a diverse and talented group of national and international students who are attracted to careers in research and teaching. The educational experience in the Ph.D. program is characterized by exposure to the various disciplines relevant to health administration and policy from across the university, as well as one-on-one mentorship relationships with faculty. These experiences are expected to serve as a foundation for future research throughout the graduate careers.

Additional Information

Contact Information

For detailed information, contact the Program Office of the Doctoral Program in Administration–Health Services Program, UAB School of Health Professions, Webb Building, Room 564, 1675 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35294-3361.
Telephone 205-934-3113
Fax 205-975-6608
E-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web http://www.uab.edu/shp/hsa/phddsc

Course Descriptions

Unless otherwise noted, all courses are for 3 semester hours of credit. Courses numbers preceded with an asterisk indicate courses that can be repeated for credit, with stated stipulations.

Administration–Health Services (AH)

700. Health Economics. Economic concepts and their relevance to health care industry; financing and delivery arrangements employed in the U.S. health care system; role of economic factors in the development of public policy and implications of changes in public policy.

701. Administrative Theory. Covers the history of administrative theory and management as well as recent contributions and current issues in administrative theory and management; focus is on understanding the evolution of management thought and research and on developing areas of research interest that will contribute to the field.

702. Growth and Development of the U.S. Health Care System. Historical development of U.S. health care system; implications for solutions of current problems.

703. Philosophy of Science. Systems of thought and activities in the theory-building process, deriving hypotheses from the literature, understanding scientific theory, philosophy of science; applications to health services administration.

704. Multivariate Analysis. Survey course on the application of multivariate statistical techniques; emphasis on application to health-related research questions and interpretation.

705. Health Care Finance. Financial management functions, third-party reimbursement, determination of costs and charges, analysis of financial positions, working capital management, budgeting, capital expenditure analysis, and case studies.

706. Strategic Management Theory and Research. Overview of current and historically important research in field of strategic management, including major streams of research, role of strategic management in management disciplines, relationships to other disciplines, and pedagogical approaches used in graduate and undergraduate strategy courses.

707. Research Methods. Issues of research design and research methods for organizational studies and health services research; integrates knowledge from quantitative courses with areas of research interest in the students’ chosen fields.

712. Research in Organizational Behavior. Examination of topics and empirical research in organizational behavior; emphasis on important issues in the field, including areas of controversy and contemporary interest.

714. Marketing Strategy and Research. Examination of development of marketing strategy and strategic management process; research topics and implications of literature are explored.

715. Research in Organizational Theory. Topics and research in organization and management theory applied to health services organizations, including organization-environment relations, population ecology, interorganization relations, and strategic alliances.

716. Macroenvironmental Analysis. Examination of research literature that addresses external and internal environmental factors affecting strategic management.

718. Strategic Information Systems. Examination of current research on role of information systems in strategic management.

*720. Doctoral Seminar. Presentations by faculty and Ph.D. candidates concerning current issues in particular areas of specialization. 1 hour.

722. Regression Analysis. Various approaches to regression analysis, including ordinary least squares and probability models such as logit and probit.

775. Strategic Planning and Management in Health Services. Assessment of strategic management literature applied to health services organizations; exploration of strategy formulation, strategic content, and implementation and evaluation topics for health care organizations.

*790. Independent Study and Research. 1-12 hours.

*798. Nondissertation Research. 1-6 hours.

*799. Dissertation Research. Prerequisite: Admission to candidacy. 1-6 hours.