Bachelor of Health Administration

Overview

The fields of health and social services are among the largest employment sectors in Canada and globally. Rising demands for health care; the availability of more diverse and costly treatments; and the devastating effects of infectious diseases, natural disasters, and human conflict all disrupt health and economic systems, increasing the demand for health managers and administrators. 

Athabasca University’s health administration program was originally designed exclusively for and with First Nations communities. It was subsequently reformulated to provide a liberal education while maintaining a strong indigenous focus; the well-designed curriculum provides a strong foundation of business administration, management, organizational, and health systems, and cultural knowledge. The curriculum includes courses in communication, ethics, and critical thinking; finance and health economics; human resources, health law and risk management; health systems, health policy analysis, and epidemiology; and scholarly research and writing. Through a final capstone course which includes onsite practical experience with a qualified preceptor, students are able to integrate theoretical learning with practical knowledge, skills and competency development. 

In addition to liberal arts courses to support scholarly research, writing, and critical reasoning, the curriculum covers:

• basic health concepts, the broad field of health administration, and health administrator competencies
• an examination of the nature and causes of major health problems and emerging global health concerns
• approaches to the financing and organization of health systems and the delivery of health services in Canada
• the Canadian legal framework governing decision-making and risk management in the health system
• approaches used by health administrators to create a culture of safety to support risk management and improve quality, and
• policies, processes, and practices to support economical, ethical, culturally relevant, evidence-based decisions in the administration and management of health and human services and programs.

Tuition and fees